Start with the reason, not the map.
Chasing Christmas markets, winter sun, great food, World Heritage sites or just a long weekend away? Each list ranks our cities for one reason and links straight to the itinerary.
The best cities for a day or two after a conference
Ten conference cities where the first day starts one ride from the exhibition halls, with the best day for one free day and the one to add for two.
Honeymoon · 10 citiesThe best cities for a honeymoon
Ten cities where the route itself is romantic: a Burano dusk, a dhow off Zanzibar, the kecak at Uluwatu, with the dinner to book named.
Long weekend · 10 citiesThe best cities for a long weekend
Ten cities that fit two or three days without feeling cut short, from Milan and Venice to Porto and Prague, with what each day holds and what it costs.
Summer · 10 citiesThe best cities for a summer beach break
Ten cities with a real beach on the itinerary, from Barceloneta to Bondi and Ipanema, with the beach each plan uses and the months the sea is warm.
Budget · 10 citiesThe best cities for a trip on a budget
Ten cities roughly ordered by the daily budget their itineraries state, from Hanoi at ₫500,000 a day to Lisbon at €60, with the cheap plates and free sights.
Small kids · 10 citiesThe best cities for a trip with small kids
Ten cities that work with a stroller and a four-year-old: ferries, trams, aquariums and beaches on the route, with the easy day and the stop to skip in each.
Christmas · 9 citiesThe best cities for Christmas markets
Nine cities where the Christmas market sits on the itinerary's own route, with 2026 dates for Vienna, Prague, Munich, Berlin, Edinburgh and more.
Fall · 10 citiesThe best cities for fall
Ten cities for September to November, from Kyoto's maples and Montreal's Mount Royal to Munich's Oktoberfest, with the weeks the color and the festivals peak.
Food · 10 citiesThe best cities for food lovers
Ten cities where the itinerary eats its way around town, from Tokyo's yakitori lanes to Hanoi's bun cha, with the dishes to order and where to find them.
Spring · 9 citiesThe best cities for spring and cherry blossom
Nine cities for blossom, tulips and the first warm weeks, from Kyoto's Philosopher's Path to Amsterdam's tulip season, with the usual bloom windows.
Step-free · 10 citiesThe best cities for step-free travel
Ten cities where the metro has elevators, the old town is flat and the museums are step-free, with the stops in each trip that have stairs and what to swap in.
World Heritage · 10 citiesThe best cities for UNESCO World Heritage sites
Ten cities whose itinerary walks through an inscribed World Heritage property, named as UNESCO lists it, from Rome's center to the Medina of Marrakesh.
Winter sun · 10 citiesThe best cities for winter sun
Ten cities that are warm from December to February, from Dubai and Marrakech to Sydney in midsummer, with the temperatures the itineraries quote.
Solo women · 10 citiesThe best cities for women traveling alone
Ten cities where a woman traveling alone eats at counters, walks lit evenings and rides late trains, Tokyo to Dublin, with what each trip's nights are like.
By train · 9 citiesThe best city pairs by train
Nine city pairs you can join by a train of about four hours or less, with the train, the journey time and the fare for each leg.
First trip · 10 citiesThe easiest cities for a first trip abroad
Ten cities where English works, transit takes a bank card and the itinerary forgives a wrong turn, from Singapore to Lisbon, with the specific ease of each.