Antoni Porowski stands for a portrait. (Credit: National Geographic/Seong Joon Cho)

MOVIE NEWS – National Geographic is bringing a new chapter of The Best of the World franchise to the screen with Emmy-winning Antoni Porowski. The World’s Best Destinations with Antoni Porowski will premiere on NatGeo on June 13 at 7:00 p.m., while the four-part series will also be available on Disney+ from June 8.

Antoni Porowski is not setting out on a simple sightseeing tour this time. Instead, he explores layers of Mexico City, Paris, London, and New York that go beyond the familiar recommendations of travel guides. National Geographic’s new series presents not only iconic locations, but also more hidden cultural, culinary, and human stories, as Porowski continues the The Best of the World franchise through hotels, restaurants, unusual sights, and local experiences. The aim is not to tick off the most famous tourist stops, but to bring viewers closer to the real character of each city.

Each of the four episodes opens its chosen city with a different rhythm. In Mexico City, Porowski dives into local organic architecture, the secrets of making the perfect tortilla, the world of lucha libre wrestling, and the colorful atmosphere of the Alebrijes carnival, while the famous canals of Xochimilco, originally built by the Aztecs, also play a key role. In Paris, historic luxury, Montmartre, Michelin-starred cuisine, restoration workshops, cheesemaking, and the Moulin Rouge shape a portrait in which the city is not just scenery, but a living environment built from flavors, craft, and tradition.

In New York, Porowski partly returns to personal ground as he rediscovers his hometown from a new angle. The series follows several threads, from a small island off Manhattan to the lesser-known backstage world of American graffiti and the city’s signature foods shaped by immigrants from around the world. The finish line of the New York City Marathon promises to be one of the stronger locations, showing a city whose energy comes not only from buildings, but from the people moving through it.

The London episode also leaves the most obvious tourist routes behind. After sampling the British metropolis through both local and international flavors, Porowski climbs up to Big Ben to examine the workings of perhaps the world’s most famous tower clock, swims in a hidden oasis in Canary Wharf, takes in the city from the top of The Shard, and enters the botanical world of Kew Gardens. The main idea remains the same here as well: a city is not defined only by its buildings and landmarks, but by the people who give it meaning every day.

“Travel has always been one of the ways I understand the world – and myself,” Porowski said. “Exploring these cities with the people who call them home reminded me that what makes a place special is not only what we see, but also who we meet and the stories we are allowed to step into.” The World’s Best Destinations with Antoni Porowski is produced by Twofour, part of ITV Studios. Porowski serves as both host and executive producer, while the National Geographic team includes Betsy Forhan, Yari Lorenzo, Charlie Parsons, Bengt Anderson, and Tom McDonald.

Source: NatGeo press material