# What is the best travel documentary series?

> Motorbikes across Siberia, street stalls in Bangkok, a reluctant tourist at the Great Wall: every show here travels in its own way.

*By YPB Team · Published October 30, 2026 · https://youpick.best/ranking/what-is-the-best-travel-documentary-series*

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## Current results (no votes yet)

1. **Anthony Bourdain: Parts Unknown** — score 1000/1000
   Anthony Bourdain's Emmy-winning CNN series exploring culture, politics and food in places off the usual tourist map.
2. **Pole to Pole** — score 731/1000
   Palin's 1992 BBC journey from the North Pole to the South Pole along the 30th meridian east.
3. **Long Way Down** — score 700/1000
   McGregor and Boorman's 2007 follow-up, riding from John o' Groats to Cape Town.
4. **Around the World in 80 Days** — score 577/1000
   Michael Palin's 1989 BBC attempt to circle the globe without flying, following Phileas Fogg's route.
5. **Long Way Round** — score 500/1000
   Ewan McGregor and Charley Boorman's 2004 motorcycle ride from London to New York heading east.
6. **Stanley Tucci: Searching for Italy** — score 500/1000
   CNN series in which Stanley Tucci tours Italy region by region through its food.
7. **Somebody Feed Phil** — score 500/1000
   Netflix series where Phil Rosenthal eats his way through world cities with boundless enthusiasm.
8. **An Idiot Abroad** — score 409/1000
   Comedy travelogue where Ricky Gervais and Stephen Merchant send a reluctant Karl Pilkington to world wonders.
9. **Tropic of Cancer** — score 409/1000
   Simon Reeve's 2010 BBC journey around the world along the Tropic of Cancer.
10. **Street Food** — score 409/1000
   Netflix anthology spotlighting street-food cooks and their cities across Asia and Latin America.
11. **Departures** — score 300/1000
   Canadian series following two friends on a year-long, unscripted trip around the world.
12. **Anthony Bourdain: No Reservations** — score 300/1000
   Bourdain's Travel Channel show that set the template for unscripted, food-led travel television.
13. **Rick Steves' Europe** — score 300/1000
   Public-television staple where Rick Steves shares practical tips for travelling Europe like a local.
14. **Himalaya with Michael Palin** — score 0/1000
   Palin's 2004 BBC trek across the Himalayan range, from the Khyber Pass to Yunnan.
15. **Down to Earth with Zac Efron** — score 0/1000
   Netflix series in which Zac Efron and Darin Olien look at sustainable living around the world.

Tags: travel, adventure, tv shows, documentary