Race Across the World is back on our TV screens with the show’s most extreme race to date. This year, we will see five new teams competing against each other to be the first to reach the finish line in rural Mongolia.
We meet our teams at the start line in Palermo, Sicily, before they embark on a 7,400-mile race across Europe and Asia, following parts of the ancient trading route, the Silk Road.
Taking part in this year’s race are best friends Jo and Kush, siblings Katie and Harrison, as well as father and daughter Andrew and Molly. Completing this series’ line-up are cousins Puja and Roshni, and an unlikely duo, in-laws Mark and Margo.
The pairs will travel through bustling cities and rural areas, in harsh conditions and extreme temperatures, all with a limited budget and resources carried in backpacks.
Promising to take viewers on an epic transcontinental journey through Italy, Greece, Turkey, Georgia, Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan, Kyrgyzstan and Mongolia, here is a closer look at each location the teams visited as the Race Across the World episodes air.
The start
Palermo, Sicily
The race starts in the city of Palermo, the capital of the Mediterranean’s largest island, Sicily. To reach the first checkpoint, teams choose various routes across southern Italy, passing through Naples, Sorrento, the region of Puglia and the Calabrian coast. The teams must hand in their bank cards and phones at Palermo’s 12th-century Baroque cathedral, the Church of San Giuseppe dei Teatini. This is the most conquered city in the Europe, visible in its Romanesque, Gothic and Baroque architecture.
Palermo is also known for its Unesco-protected palaces and churches. They built by the Normans in the 10th century, incorporating earlier Arab and Byzantine styles. Aside from its fascinating cityscape, Palermo attracts crowds of tourists due to its Mediterranean climate and Sicilian cuisine. Favorites include arancini and pasta alla norma.
Read more: How Mount Etna has turned Sicily into one of Italy’s best destinations for foodies
Checkpoint One
Fiskardo, Kefalonia, Greece
The teams’ first checkpoint is the small village of Fiskardo on the northern tip of Kefalonia, the largest of Greece’s Ionian islands. The upscale harbour resort is popular with yachters, who moor in its turquoise waters next to traditional fishing boats. Fiskardo is known for its original Venetian buildings, which are still intact from when they ruled the island between 1500 and 1797.
Visitors will find a selection of restaurants, cafes and bars along its waterfront, many of which are family-run and serve local specialities. The village is surrounded by pebble beaches and bays, ideal for swimming, scuba diving, kayaking or even hiring a boat to find a secluded cove.
The end
Hatgal, Mongolia
After completing the 7,400-mile trek, teams will reach the finish line in the remote Mongolian village of Hatgal on the shores of Lake Hövsgöl. Found in the northern part of the country near the Russian border, temperatures in this region can be extreme, with long and harsh winters and temperatures that drop to -49 degrees Celsius in January.
The nearby freshwater lake, which is the largest in the country by volume, is known as the Blue Pearl. It is also one of 20 ancient lakes on Earth, existing for around two million years. Each March, a two-day festival is held on its frozen surface that includes ice skating, horse sleigh racing, ice sumo wrestling and Shamanic rituals honouring the spirits of nature.
Read more: Celebrity Race Across the World locations – where was the 2025 series filmed?
