Category: Uncategorized

Disclosure: This post contains affiliate links. If you book through our links, we may earn a small commission at no extra cost to you. We only recommend places and things we’ve personally used or vetted.

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New York City does something interesting to travelers: it meets you wherever you are. Come for Broadway and luxury hotels and it delivers. Come with $50/day and a MetroCard and it delivers that too. It’s the most visited city in the Western Hemisphere, and yet on any given street corner in Brooklyn or Queens or the Bronx, you can find a version of New York that feels nothing like a tourist city at all.

We’ve been to New York more times than we can count, across different seasons and different budgets. This guide is what we’d tell a friend who’s going for the first time: what’s actually worth doing, where to eat without feeling ripped off, which neighborhoods reward aimless wandering, and what to skip without missing anything.

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When to Visit New York City

Best overall: April–June and September–October. The city is at its most pleasant — temperatures in the 60s–70s, outdoor dining season, Central Park in full bloom or fall color. These are also the most popular months, so book hotels in advance.

Summer (July–August): Hot and humid, but New York’s outdoor culture is in full swing — rooftop bars, free concerts in the park (the New York Philharmonic plays Central Park for free in summer), and long daylight hours. Crowds are heavy but manageable. Air conditioning is your friend.

Fall (September–October): Our favorite time. The light is extraordinary, the weather is perfect for walking, and you’ll encounter every kind of New Yorker at their most outdoorsy. The marathon runs in early November if that’s of interest.

Winter (December–February): New York at Christmas is genuinely magical — the Rockefeller Center tree, ice skating, holiday window displays at the department stores. January and February are the coldest and slowest months; hotel prices drop and museums are quiet. Pack serious layers.

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Getting Around New York City

The Subway: Do not take taxis or rideshares for routine travel within the five boroughs. The subway is fast, runs 24/7, and costs $2.90 per ride (or get an unlimited MetroCard). It connects nearly everywhere you’d want to go. Download the NYC Subway map app or use Google Maps — it’s accurate and shows real-time delays.

Walking: New York is profoundly walkable. Manhattan is laid out on a grid above 14th Street — numbered streets go east-west, avenues go north-south. A crosstown block is about 250 feet; a block along an avenue is about 800. Most first-timers dramatically overestimate how far things are on a map and underestimate how much they’ll want to walk.

Rideshare: Uber and Lyft are useful for getting to JFK or Newark from Manhattan, or for reaching parts of Brooklyn and Queens that the subway doesn’t serve well.

Airport tips: JFK connects to Manhattan via the AirTrain + subway (cheapest option, about an hour). Newark EWR takes a NJ Transit train to Penn Station (45 min, very convenient). LaGuardia is the worst — the Q70 bus exists but a car/Lyft from LGA is often worth the cost.

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Best Things to Do in New York City

The Neighborhoods (This Is the Real New York)

Every first-time visitor goes to Times Square. Most of them quickly realize Times Square is not New York — it’s a commercial district designed to sell merchandise to tourists. Give it 30 minutes, take your photo, buy nothing.

The New York that locals actually inhabit — and that rewards travelers — is in the neighborhoods:

Greenwich Village and the West Village: Tree-lined streets, incredible restaurants, great people-watching. The kind of neighborhood that makes you want to move to New York.

DUMBO (Brooklyn): The Manhattan Bridge view with cobblestones is one of the great New York photographs. Brooklyn Bridge Park along the waterfront is excellent. The adjacent neighborhoods of Brooklyn Heights and Carroll Gardens are beautiful for walking.

Williamsburg (Brooklyn): The epicenter of Brooklyn’s creative culture — coffee shops, vintage stores, excellent restaurants, and the music venue scene. Take the L train.

Harlem: World-class gospel brunch (try Sylvia’s on Sundays), a deep culinary and music history, and the kind of street life that reminds you why people love this city. Walk Malcolm X Boulevard (Lenox Ave) and Frederick Douglass Boulevard.

The Lower East Side: Historic Jewish deli culture (Katz’s Delicatessen is mandatory), excellent cocktail bars, and the Tenement Museum — one of the most interesting museums in the city.

Astoria, Queens: Underrated and undervisited. Extraordinary diversity of food — Greek, Egyptian, Colombian, Chinese, everything — at prices that would be a third of Manhattan. The Museum of the Moving Image is here, if you’re into film.

Central Park

Central Park is 843 acres in the middle of Manhattan and is genuinely one of the great urban parks in the world. Enter from any point on the perimeter, wander, and follow what interests you. Key landmarks: Bethesda Fountain, the Ramble (a dense woodland that attracts extraordinary migratory birds in spring and fall), Belvedere Castle, and the Reservoir.

Rent a bike at any of the Citi Bike stations around the park’s perimeter — circling the park on a bike takes about an hour and gives you a different scale than walking.

The Metropolitan Museum of Art

The Met is one of the greatest museums on earth, full stop. It holds over 5,000 years of art across every civilization in human history. You cannot see it all in one visit or ten. Strategy: pick two or three departments that genuinely interest you and go deep rather than skimming everything.

Suggested departments: Egyptian Art (the Temple of Dendur alone is worth the trip), the American Wing (the architecture and period rooms are extraordinary), Greek and Roman Art.

Entry is pay-what-you-wish for New York state residents; suggested admission for others is $30. Book timed entry tickets in advance at metmuseum.org.

The High Line

An elevated park built on a former freight rail line running through Chelsea and the Meatpacking District on Manhattan’s west side. It’s beautifully designed, free to enter, and connects to Hudson Yards and Hudson River Park at its southern end. Best visited on weekday mornings — weekends in summer can feel like a shopping mall. The Whitney Museum of American Art sits at its southern entrance and is worth a visit.

One World Observatory or Edge

If you want a high-up view of New York — and you should — the choices are: One World Observatory at One World Trade Center, EDGE at Hudson Yards (the stepped outdoor viewing platform), or the classic Empire State Building. All three are legitimate; One World has the most history and the best southern views; EDGE is the most dramatic outdoor experience.

Book tickets in advance through Viator to skip lines — the savings in time are real.

Brooklyn Bridge Walk

Walk across the Brooklyn Bridge from the Manhattan side (access point near City Hall). It takes about 20 minutes and the views are excellent. On the Brooklyn side, you’re in DUMBO — from there, continue to Brooklyn Bridge Park for the Manhattan skyline view that appears in approximately every New York movie ever made.

Go early morning for the best light and the fewest people.

Museum of Natural History

A New York institution — the whale alone (94-foot blue whale suspended in the Hall of Ocean Life) is worth the trip. The planetarium (Hayden Planetarium) runs excellent astronomy shows. Good for all ages. Full day if you do it properly.

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Where to Stay in New York City

New York hotel prices are reliably shocking. Budget in the $250–400/night range for a decent Manhattan hotel room — this is not luxury, it’s median. Options for managing costs:

Stay in Brooklyn: Williamsburg, DUMBO, and Park Slope are all well-connected to Manhattan and hotel prices are 20–40% lower. The travel time is real but manageable.

Stay in Long Island City, Queens: 5–7 minutes from Midtown Manhattan by subway. Some of the best value hotels in the metro area are here.

Midtown vs. Downtown: Midtown is convenient (central, close to major sites) but feels corporate. Lower Manhattan (Financial District, Tribeca) is less convenient to uptown sights but the neighborhoods are interesting and prices are sometimes lower on weekends when the business traveler clears out.

Browse Booking.com — filter by neighborhood, check-in date, and free cancellation. New York hotel pricing is extremely date-sensitive; midweek is often cheaper than weekends.

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Where to Eat in New York City

You could eat a different excellent meal three times a day for years in New York and not run out of options. A few that are genuinely worth it:

Katz’s Delicatessen (Lower East Side): Open since 1888. The pastrami sandwich is a genuine New York experience — expensive (about $25) and completely worth it. Go on a weekday to avoid weekend crowds.

Levain Bakery (Upper West Side, multiple locations): The cookies are the size of a softball and probably the best in New York. The line looks daunting and moves quickly.

Joe’s Pizza (Greenwich Village, multiple locations): $3.50 for a slice of perfectly calibrated New York pizza. No seating required. Eat standing.

Xi’an Famous Foods (multiple locations): Northwest Chinese hand-ripped noodles and lamb dishes at prices that seem impossible for Manhattan. The spicy cumin lamb burger is extraordinary.

Smorgasburg (Williamsburg, weekends): An outdoor food market in Brooklyn with 80+ vendors — the best food market in the country, we’d argue. Brooklyn Bridge Park location on Sundays. Open April–November.

For a splurge: Gramercy Tavern has been one of New York’s finest restaurants for 30 years. Book a month in advance on Resy.

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Tours Worth Doing in New York

• Brooklyn Bridge and DUMBO food tour: Combines the walk with neighborhood tastings — a good way to orient yourself to Brooklyn on arrival.
• Statue of Liberty and Ellis Island: Don’t try to just show up. Book tickets in advance at nps.gov/stli. The Ellis Island immigration museum is genuinely moving — if your family came through here, budget extra time.
• Street art tour in Bushwick: The Bushwick Collective in Brooklyn is one of the largest outdoor street art installations in the world. A guided tour provides context; or you can wander independently.

Browse full options on GetYourGuide and Viator — both have strong New York inventory.

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Quick New York Itinerary (5 Days)

Day 1: Arrive, drop bags, walk the High Line, dinner in the Meatpacking District
Day 2: Central Park, Museum of Natural History, Upper West Side lunch, Met Museum (afternoon)
Day 3: Brooklyn Bridge walk, DUMBO, Brooklyn Bridge Park, Williamsburg dinner
Day 4: Lower East Side (Katz’s lunch, Tenement Museum), One World Observatory, Financial District
Day 5: Harlem morning, Metropolitan Museum of Art if you didn’t finish it, Times Square (briefly), afternoon flight

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Practical Tips for New York

Don’t carry a large bag: Pickpocketing is rare but real, and you’ll walk 5+ miles a day. A daypack or crossbody is ideal.

Tipping: Standard is 20% at restaurants. Counter service and coffee shops have tip prompts — 0–10% is reasonable, 20% is generous. Taxis and rideshares: 15–20%.

Safety: New York is safer than its reputation, particularly in Manhattan and the tourist-frequented parts of Brooklyn and Queens. Normal urban awareness applies — be aware of your surroundings, don’t flash valuables on the subway at night.

Luggage: For flying into NYC, see our picks for best carry-on luggage — carry-on only makes the arrival experience dramatically easier.

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Where to Book Your New York Trip

• Hotels: Booking.com — compare across neighborhoods, filter for free cancellation
• Tours & Activities: Viator and GetYourGuide
• Flights: Our how to find cheap flights guide — New York has three major airports (JFK, Newark, LaGuardia) and competition between carriers keeps prices competitive from most US cities

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Final Thoughts

First-time visitors to New York often try to see too much — the Top 10 sites in 3 days, the whole island in a weekend. The city that rewards the most is the one you find by walking an unfamiliar neighborhood until you’re hungry, then finding somewhere local to eat.

Give yourself at least 5 days. Pick two or three things each day that you genuinely want to do and let the rest happen. The serendipitous stuff — the jazz coming from a restaurant window, the park conversation, the perfect slice from a counter you’d never find in a guidebook — is what people actually remember about New York.

It’s the kind of city that makes you want to come back, usually before you’ve even left. That’s not a cliché. It’s just true.

Disclosure: This post contains affiliate links. If you book through our links, we may earn a small commission at no extra cost to you. We only recommend places and things we’ve personally used or vetted.

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Santorini is one of those places that almost every traveler has a complicated relationship with before they go. The images are everywhere — the white and blue domed churches, the caldera drop, the sunset over Oia that’s been photographed a billion times. You want to go. You’re also slightly suspicious. Can it possibly live up to it?

Here’s our honest answer after visiting: yes, with asterisks. The views are more dramatic in person than any photo conveys. The sunsets are genuinely extraordinary. The wine is excellent and costs less than you’d expect. The food (done right) is some of the best you’ll eat in Greece. The caldera is something else entirely when you’re standing at its edge.

The asterisks: it’s crowded in peak season, it’s expensive relative to the rest of Greece, and the most photographed spots require strategy or you’ll spend your golden hour shoulder-to-shoulder with tour groups. This guide is about how to do Santorini in a way that actually delivers.

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When to Visit Santorini

Best time: May–June and September–October. You’ll get excellent weather, manageable crowds, and prices that are still reasonable. The water is warm enough to swim (particularly by late May), the landscape is lush from spring rains, and the towns haven’t hit their August peak saturation.

Peak season (July–August): Santorini is at full capacity. Prices for caldera-view hotels reach eye-watering levels, Oia at sunset is a wall of people, and the beaches are packed. If this is when you can go, book everything months in advance and lower your expectations about having any iconic spot to yourself.

Shoulder (May, October): Our recommendation for most travelers. May in particular is magical — wildflowers still visible, temperatures perfect for walking, and a genuine sense of the island before tourist season fully locks in.

Off-season (November–March): Much of the island closes down. The views are still stunning, prices plummet, and you’ll essentially have the caldera villages to yourself — but many restaurants, hotels, and activities won’t be operating.

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Getting to Santorini

By air: Santorini (Thira) International Airport (JTR) receives direct flights from Athens (45 minutes) and seasonal direct flights from many European cities. From the US, you’ll connect through Athens or a European hub. The how to find cheap flights guide covers strategies for finding good fares on Greece routes.

By ferry: Ferries run from Athens’ Piraeus port to Santorini (standard: 8 hours; high-speed: 4–5 hours) and connect to other Cycladic islands including Mykonos, Naxos, and Paros. If you’re island-hopping, the ferry system is well-organized — Ferryscanner and Ferryhopper are the best booking tools.

From the port: Arriving by ferry deposits you at Athinios port, at the base of steep cliffs. A bus, taxi, or pre-arranged hotel shuttle gets you up to the main towns. Agree on taxi price before getting in — meters aren’t always used.

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The Main Villages: Which to Base Yourself In

Oia

The most photographed village on the island — the iconic domed churches and caldera views that define Santorini’s image are largely from Oia. It’s genuinely beautiful, particularly at the northern tip where the castle ruins sit. The main shopping street (Nikolaou Nomikou) is charming. The sunset from the castle is extraordinary.

The catch: everyone knows this. At sunset, Oia is elbow-to-elbow. Stay here if you want immersive caldera views from your accommodation and are willing to navigate crowds — but explore strategically.

Best for: Honeymoons, special occasions, travelers who want the iconic Santorini experience.

Fira (Thira)

The island’s capital is the most practical base — more restaurants, more price range options, excellent caldera views, and a central location for getting around the island. It’s more bustling than Oia, less “picture-perfect,” and frankly a good choice for travelers who don’t want to pay the Oia premium.

The path from Fira down to the old port (and back up) is one of the best walks on the island — 580 steps, donkeys, and caldera views the whole way.

Best for: Travelers who want flexibility, value, and easy access to the whole island.

Imerovigli

Between Fira and Oia, perched on the island’s highest caldera point, Imerovigli is quieter and more residential than either. The views are exceptional and the Skaros Rock hike — a former castle promontory jutting into the caldera — is one of the most dramatic walks on Santorini. Many luxury cave hotels are here.

Best for: Couples seeking quiet, caldera views without Oia’s crowds.

Pyrgos

An inland village that most tourists skip entirely, Pyrgos is a medieval village of winding lanes, local restaurants, and a castle at its peak with 360-degree island views. No caldera, but genuine Cycladic atmosphere and a fraction of the prices. The Canava Roussos winery, just below the village, produces some of the island’s best wines.

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Best Things to Do in Santorini

Oia Sunset (Strategically)

Yes, everyone does the Oia sunset. That doesn’t mean you should skip it — it’s spectacular. The strategy is to arrive 45–60 minutes early and position yourself either at the castle ruins (crowded but dramatic) or somewhere along the caldera path toward Fira, where you’ll have nearly identical views with a fraction of the people.

The truly insider move: watch the sunset from one of the caldera-view restaurant terraces with a glass of Vinsanto in hand. You pay a premium for the drinks but get a reserved seat with arguably better views than the castle.

Akrotiri Archaeological Site

This is the one Santorini sight that genuinely surprises visitors. Akrotiri is a Bronze Age city buried under volcanic ash around 1600 BCE — essentially the Pompeii of the Aegean. The preservation is extraordinary: multi-story buildings, frescoes, drainage systems, and storage vessels have all been recovered intact. A large canopy now covers the excavation, making it accessible in any weather.

Arrive when it opens. Guided tours through Viator add excellent historical context, but going independently is straightforward — audio guides are available on-site.

Caldera Boat Tour

A boat trip around the caldera is one of the most dramatic experiences Santorini offers. Most tours circle the outer caldera, stop at the active Nea Kameni volcano (you can hike to the crater), visit the hot springs at Palea Kameni, and often stop at Thirassia island. The scale of the caldera — what remains of a massive volcanic explosion circa 1600 BCE — is only comprehensible from water level.

Book through GetYourGuide or your hotel. Private sailboat charters are available and worth the premium for sunset cruises.

Red Beach and Perissa

Santorini’s beaches are unusual — volcanic black and red sand that holds heat intensely and has a drama to it that white-sand beaches don’t. Red Beach, near Akrotiri, is the most striking — vivid red volcanic cliffs rise directly from the shoreline. It’s small (get there early) and swimming conditions vary; check before you go.

Perissa and Perivolos, on the south coast, are long stretches of black sand with good swimming, beach bars, and a fraction of Oia’s prices.

Santo Winery

Santorini’s wine scene is one of the island’s great underrated pleasures. The local Assyrtiko grape produces a distinctive, mineral, acidic white wine that pairs beautifully with the island’s seafood. Santo Wines’ terrace — perched on the caldera above Pyrgos — offers some of the finest wine-tasting views you’ll find anywhere. Book ahead; the sunset terrace session fills up.

Canava Roussos and Domaine Sigalas are also excellent if you want to explore multiple producers.

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Where to Stay in Santorini

The accommodation divide in Santorini is essentially: caldera view or not.

Caldera-view cave hotels (Oia and Imerovigli): These are the iconic Santorini accommodations — hewn into the cliff face, with private terraces or plunge pools overlooking the caldera. They are not cheap. A mid-range caldera-view room in Oia in peak season runs $400–800/night. The experience is extraordinary and worth it for a special occasion; for budget-conscious travelers, it’s genuinely not necessary to enjoy Santorini.

Fira/non-caldera hotels: You can get an excellent hotel with a pool, good food, and easy island access for $100–200/night, particularly in the shoulder season. Many have partial caldera views; none have the dramatic cliff-edge experience.

Browse Booking.com and filter for caldera view, cave hotels, and free cancellation — the property photos on this island are unusually accurate, which helps.

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Where to Eat in Santorini

Budget warning: dining on the caldera is expensive everywhere. Expect €20–40 per main course at any restaurant with caldera views.

To Psaraki (Vlychada): On the south coast, far from the tourist circuit, this fish taverna is run by a local family and serves some of the freshest seafood on the island at reasonable prices. The drive or taxi is worth it.

Metaxy Mas (Exo Gonia village): One of the most beloved local restaurants on the island — no caldera view, no tourist markup, genuinely excellent Santorinian cooking including fava (yellow split peas), white eggplant, and fresh catch. Reservations essential.

Roka (Fira): A small, atmospheric restaurant tucked into the back lanes of Fira. Great local dishes at prices that won’t wreck your budget.

Any bakery, any morning: Santorini’s traditional breakfast pastries (koulouri, spanakopita) from local bakeries are one of the great simple pleasures of the island.

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How Long to Spend in Santorini

3 days: Enough to see the key sights — Oia, Akrotiri, one beach, one boat tour, a proper sunset. You’ll feel the highlights without feeling rushed.

5 days: The sweet spot for most travelers. Allows for a slower pace, a winery afternoon, a day on the south coast beaches, and enough time to discover spots that aren’t on the top-10 lists.

7+ days: You’ll start to run out of structured activities and either deeply relax (excellent) or feel restless (common). Santorini rewards slow travel but punishes trying to fill every day with attractions.

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Santorini + Greece Island Hopping

Santorini is often combined with other Greek islands. Natural pairings:

• Naxos: Less touristy, excellent food and beaches, great hiking, just 2 hours by ferry
• Mykonos: Lively nightlife and beaches — very different vibe, 3 hours by fast ferry
• Crete: The largest Greek island and could be its own trip; a 2-hour flight from Santorini

If you’re combining Santorini with mainland Greece, Athens is a natural add-on (direct flights, 45 minutes). Don’t leave the country without spending at least 2 days in Athens — the Acropolis and food scene alone justify it.

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Where to Book Your Santorini Trip

• Hotels: Booking.com — best selection of cave hotels and caldera properties
• Tours & Activities: Viator and GetYourGuide for caldera sailing, Akrotiri tours, and winery experiences
• Flights: Our guide to finding cheap flights covers strategies for Europe routes
• Travel Insurance: Greece is generally safe but travel disruptions (ferry delays, strikes) happen — see our best travel insurance picks

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Final Thoughts

Santorini lives up to the photos — and in some ways surpasses them. The caldera has a scale that images can’t capture. The wine is a genuine discovery. The Bronze Age ruins at Akrotiri might be the most underrated ancient site in Europe.

Go in shoulder season. Book caldera-facing accommodation at least once if you can stretch the budget (even one night is worth it). Eat away from the tourist-strip. Position yourself for sunset early. And give yourself enough time to find the island that exists beyond the famous Instagram frame — it’s worth finding.

Heading to the rest of Europe before or after? Our Paris in 4 Days guide is a good starting point for extending your trip.

Disclosure: This post contains affiliate links. If you book through our links, we may earn a small commission at no extra cost to you. We only recommend places and things we’ve personally used or vetted.

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Oahu gets a reputation as “the tourist island” — the one with the resort strip, the Wal-Mart, the chain restaurants within walking distance of the beach. And yes, parts of Waikiki live up to that description. But write off Oahu entirely and you’re missing one of the most diverse, surprising, and flat-out beautiful islands in the Hawaiian chain.

The same island that has a Cheesecake Factory on the waterfront also has a rainforest hiking trail to a 400-foot waterfall, a world-class surf mecca on the North Shore, a Chinatown that punches well above its weight for food, and some of the most historically significant sites in the entire Pacific. Oahu rewards the traveler who looks past the obvious.

This Oahu travel guide is built from real visits — what we thought was worth it, what we’d skip, and exactly how we’d plan the trip if we were doing it again.

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Why Visit Oahu (Beyond Waikiki)

The easy answer is: Waikiki Beach itself is actually stunning, despite the crowds. The water is warm and impossibly blue, Diamond Head looms behind you, and there’s a reason people have been honeymooning here for a century.

But the better answer is that Oahu is three different islands in one. There’s the urban Honolulu-Waikiki corridor, with excellent restaurants, nightlife, and Pearl Harbor. There’s the windward side — lush, green, relatively uncrowded, with locals who barely interact with tourists. And then there’s the North Shore, which from November to February becomes the most consequential stretch of surf real estate on the planet and in summer transforms into a mellow, laid-back beach town.

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When to Visit Oahu

Best overall: April–June and September–October are the sweet spot — weather is excellent, crowds are manageable, and prices are reasonable. You’ll get warm water, blue skies, and enough elbow room to actually enjoy yourself.

Peak season (December–January, July–August): Crowds are at their heaviest and prices spike. If this is when you’re going, book accommodations and popular tours well in advance. The North Shore surf competitions in November–January are worth the crowds if you’re into big wave surfing culture.

Shoulder season (September–October): Our personal favorite time. Hurricane season technically applies to Hawaii, but storms rarely make direct impact. You’ll get great weather, lower rates, and the North Shore shifts from quiet summer mode to early surf season.

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Getting Around Oahu

Renting a car gives you the most flexibility and we’d generally recommend it — especially if you want to explore the North Shore, windward coast, or hiking trails outside of Honolulu. Book early; rental cars on Oahu have been chronically undersupplied and prices can be shocking if you wait.

That said, Waikiki is walkable and The Bus (Oahu’s public transit system) is surprisingly functional for getting to most major sights. Uber and Lyft operate on the island. If you’re spending most of your time in Waikiki and Honolulu proper, you might be able to skip the rental car.

Parking tip: Parking in Waikiki is expensive and limited. If you do rent a car, look for hotel parking packages or use the Ala Moana Shopping Center (validated parking with various purchases).

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Best Things to Do on Oahu

Pearl Harbor

This is the most historically significant site in Hawaii and genuinely one of the most moving memorials in the country. The USS Arizona Memorial — accessible only by boat and managed by the National Park Service — sits directly over the sunken battleship where 1,177 sailors are still entombed. Give it several hours and go with appropriate gravity.

Book in advance: Free NPS passes to the Arizona Memorial are released at specific times and go fast. Reserve through Recreation.gov before your trip or arrive very early.

The Pearl Harbor aviation museum and USS Missouri battleship tours can be booked as a combined package — Viator has good guided options that include round-trip transportation from Waikiki.

Diamond Head State Monument

The hike to the summit of this extinct volcanic crater is one of the most iconic walks in Hawaii. It’s about 1.6 miles round-trip with a steep but manageable ascent, and the views from the top — Honolulu, Waikiki, and the Pacific in every direction — are extraordinary. Go early morning (first entry is at 6am) to beat both the heat and the crowds.

Parking reservations and entry tickets must be booked online in advance at Hawaii’s state parks website.

The North Shore

Spend at least a day here — it’s only about an hour from Waikiki but feels like a completely different world. From November to February, waves at Banzai Pipeline, Sunset Beach, and Waimea Bay reach 20–40 feet, drawing the world’s best big wave surfers for competitions like the Vans Triple Crown. Even if you’re not a surf person, watching a set roll through Pipeline is an experience that’s hard to put into words.

In summer, the same breaks become calm and swimmable, the shrimp trucks line Kamehameha Highway, and the vibe is deeply relaxed. Stop at Matsumoto Shave Ice in Haleiwa — it’s touristy and worth it.

Hanauma Bay Nature Preserve

One of the best snorkeling spots in Hawaii and one of the most protected. Hanauma Bay has strict capacity limits — reservations open 30 days in advance at hanaumabaystatepark.com and fill up almost immediately. Plan this on day one of your trip planning, not day one of your actual trip.

The bay’s reef hosts hundreds of species of tropical fish, sea turtles, and the kind of underwater visibility that makes you forget you’re a person for a minute. A required educational video plays before you enter, which is short and worth watching.

Manoa Falls Trail

Tucked into the lush hills behind Honolulu, this 1.5-mile round-trip trail leads to a gorgeous 150-foot waterfall through dense tropical rainforest. It’s an easy to moderate hike that feels dramatically removed from the Waikiki strip. Go prepared for mud and mosquitoes — long pants and bug spray are your friends.

The trailhead parking area is small; arrive early or take a rideshare. No reservations required.

Kailua Beach

On the windward (northeastern) side of the island, Kailua Beach is consistently rated one of the best beaches in the US — long, uncrowded (by Oahu standards), with powdery sand and crystal water. The town of Kailua itself has excellent local restaurants and coffee shops. This is a good day-trip from Waikiki or a smart base for travelers who want to avoid the resort-corridor entirely.

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Where to Stay on Oahu

Waikiki — Best for First-Timers and Beach Access

Waikiki has every price point, walkability to the beach, and easy access to Honolulu’s restaurants and nightlife. It’s the obvious choice for first visits.

Mid-range pick: Outrigger Waikiki Beach Resort puts you directly on the beach — the location is hard to beat.

Splurge: The Royal Hawaiian (the Pink Palace) is an Oahu institution and worth it for a special occasion — the beach access and service are excellent.

Budget: There are hostel options and budget hotels on the fringe of Waikiki, but be prepared for more walk time to the water.

Browse the full range of Waikiki hotels on Booking.com — filters for beachfront and pool access narrow things down quickly.

Kailua — For a Local Feel

If you want to avoid the resort corridor entirely, renting a vacation home in Kailua puts you on one of the best beaches on the island. Prices are competitive with Waikiki hotels and you get more space, a kitchen, and actual neighborhood life.

North Shore — For Surf Culture

A handful of vacation rentals and a few small hotels dot the stretch from Haleiwa to Sunset Beach. This is a niche choice — logistics are harder, restaurant options are sparse — but if you’re coming specifically for surf season or want maximum separation from tourist infrastructure, it delivers.

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Where to Eat on Oahu

Leonard’s Bakery (Honolulu): Original malasadas — Portuguese donuts — made fresh all day. Get the original glazed. The line moves fast.

Helena’s Hawaiian Food (Honolulu): James Beard Award-winning Hawaiian plate lunch spot in a strip mall. The short ribs and kulolo (taro pudding) are extraordinary. Cash only, closes early.

Giovanni’s Shrimp Truck (North Shore): The original garlic shrimp truck, operating from the same spot since 1993. Messy, delicious, absolutely required.

Marukame Udon (Waikiki): Assembly-line udon for under $10 a bowl — the line looks daunting but moves quickly. Best cheap meal in Waikiki by a wide margin.

The Pig and the Lady (Chinatown): Creative, Vietnamese-inflected farm-to-table cooking that could hold its own in any major city. Book a reservation.

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Oahu With Kids

Oahu works exceptionally well for families. The beach at Waikiki is calm and shallow enough for young kids. The Honolulu Zoo and Waikiki Aquarium are both solid half-day activities. The Polynesian Cultural Center on the windward side — a large living museum featuring the cultures of Hawaii, Fiji, Tonga, Samoa, and more — is genuinely excellent for kids and adults alike. Book tickets through GetYourGuide for deals on packages that include the evening luau show.

Check our Kauai with Kids guide if you’re combining Hawaii islands — Kauai is a natural add-on and very family-friendly.

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Tours Worth Booking on Oahu

• Circle Island Tour: A guided day-trip covering Punchbowl Cemetery, North Shore, Dole Plantation, and the windward coast. Good for visitors with limited time who want to see the whole island. Browse tours on Viator
• Sunset Catamaran Sail (Waikiki): A two-hour sunset sail along the Waikiki coastline with Diamond Head in view. Touristy in the best way — drinks included on most charters.
• Surf Lessons: If you’ve never surfed, Waikiki’s gentle waves are the best place in the world to learn. Instructors operate directly from the beach — most beginners stand up on their first lesson.
• Guided Hike to Ka’au Crater: A more challenging off-trail hike to twin waterfalls and a volcanic crater. Not recommended solo — guides know the route and the terrain genuinely requires it.

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Where to Book Your Oahu Trip

• Hotels: Booking.com has the widest selection with free cancellation on most properties
• Tours & Activities: Viator and GetYourGuide for Pearl Harbor tours, snorkel excursions, and luaus
• Flights: See our complete guide on how to find cheap flights to Hawaii — Oahu has strong competition between carriers from the mainland
• Travel Insurance: Don’t skip it. Our best travel insurance guide walks through the best options for Hawaii trips

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Quick Oahu Itinerary (5 Days)

Day 1: Arrive, settle into Waikiki, sunset walk along the beach
Day 2: Pearl Harbor (morning), Chinatown lunch, Diamond Head hike (late afternoon)
Day 3: Hanauma Bay snorkeling (early — arrive at opening), Kaimana Beach, local dinner
Day 4: Full day North Shore — Haleiwa shrimp trucks, Waimea Bay, Sunset Beach
Day 5: Manoa Falls hike, Kailua Beach, afternoon flight home

If you have more time, add a day for the windward coast (Lanikai Pillboxes hike) and another for Kailua town. And if you’re combining islands, Oahu pairs beautifully with a few nights on Kauai — see our complete Kauai guide or one-week Maui itinerary to build out a full Hawaii trip.

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Final Thoughts on Oahu

Oahu is the most layered island in Hawaii — easy to underestimate, impossible to fully exhaust. The first trip usually follows the obvious path (Waikiki, Pearl Harbor, maybe North Shore). The second trip goes deeper: windward side hikes, Chinatown dinners, local beaches where you’re one of five people. Both versions are worthwhile.

Give yourself at least five days if you can — four is workable but rushed. And book Pearl Harbor, Hanauma Bay, and Diamond Head well in advance. On Oahu, the best experiences all have reservation systems for good reason.

Disclosure: This post contains affiliate links. If you book through our links, we may earn a small commission at no extra cost to you. We only recommend places and things we’ve personally used or vetted.

Cancun has a reputation problem. Mention it to a seasoned traveler and they’ll wrinkle their nose a little — Spring Break memories, the strip of identical all-inclusive resorts, party boats with foam cannons. We get it. We had the same instinct.

Then we actually went, and here’s what we found: the Hotel Zone is exactly what you’d expect, but it’s surrounded by — and acts as a gateway to — some of the most spectacular natural and archaeological wonders in the Western Hemisphere. The Great Mayan Reef is right there. Cenotes are everywhere. Chichen Itza is two hours away. Tulum is 90 minutes south. The Caribbean water is that impossible blue that exists almost nowhere else on earth.

Cancun done right is an excellent trip. Here’s how to do it right.

Is Cancun Actually Worth It?

Yes, if you know what you’re getting into. Cancun itself — specifically the Hotel Zone, or Zona Hotelera — is a 14-mile strip of beaches, resorts, clubs, and tourist infrastructure. It’s designed for convenience and beach access, and it delivers on both.

What Cancun is not is the authentic Mexico experience. For that, you go to downtown Cancun (El Centro), or — better — you use Cancun as a base and explore the surrounding region: the Yucatan Peninsula, the Riviera Maya, the archaeological sites, and the cenote network that makes this part of Mexico one of the most unique places on earth.

When to Visit Cancun

Best months: December through April. The dry season brings low humidity, consistent sunshine, and calm Caribbean seas. This is also peak season — prices are higher, and certain weeks (Christmas, spring break in March) get absolutely packed.

Shoulder season: May and early June are excellent — prices drop, crowds thin, and the weather is still warm and mostly sunny before the rainy season kicks in.

Hurricane season (June–November): The Yucatan Peninsula can be affected by tropical storms and hurricanes, most commonly August through October. Weather is more unpredictable, rain is possible, and you should always purchase travel insurance if visiting this time of year. The upside: hotel rates can be significantly lower.

If you’re booking during hurricane season, do not skip travel insurance. We recommend World Nomads for Mexico trips — see our full best travel insurance comparison.

Getting to Cancun

By air: Cancun International Airport (CUN) is one of the most well-connected resort airports in the Americas. Direct flights operate from dozens of US and Canadian cities — including budget carriers that make Cancun genuinely affordable to reach. Set price alerts on Google Flights; we’ve seen round-trip fares from major US cities under $200.

From the airport: The official taxi stands in the arrivals hall charge fixed rates by zone ($30–55 USD to the Hotel Zone). You can also book a shared shuttle through your hotel or via Viator’s Cancun airport transfer options. Private transfers are worth it if you’re arriving late or with a family.

Where to Stay in Cancun

The choice between the Hotel Zone and downtown defines your entire Cancun experience.

Hotel Zone (Zona Hotelera)

If you want beach access, resort amenities, and the full all-inclusive experience, you’re staying here. The Hotel Zone runs north to south, with the north end (near the airport) being more party-oriented and the south end being quieter and more upscale.

North Hotel Zone: Spring break central. Energetic, young, loud on weekends. Good if that’s your scene.

South Hotel Zone (Punta Cancun & beyond): Higher-end resorts, calmer vibe, still great beach access.

For families and couples who want a well-run all-inclusive, see our guide to the best all-inclusive resorts in Mexico — we break down the best options by budget and vibe.

Top picks for independent travelers: Hyatt Ziva Cancun (excellent service, multiple pools, great reef snorkeling right off property), Le Blanc Spa Resort (adults-only, genuinely luxurious), Moon Palace (massive, great for families with entertainment options for every age).

El Centro (Downtown Cancun)

The actual city of Cancun — where Mexicans live and work — is a 10–20 minute drive inland from the Hotel Zone. If you want local tacos and tortas, authentic markets, lower prices, and a more genuine Mexico experience, you stay here.

Hotels are significantly cheaper downtown. The tradeoff is you’ll need a cab or the R1/R2 bus to reach the beach. For budget travelers or those who plan to spend more time exploring the region than sitting at a pool, downtown makes sense.

Search all Cancun hotels on Booking.com

Cancun’s Best Beaches

The Hotel Zone has beachfront throughout, but quality varies significantly.

Playa Delfines — The best public beach in Cancun. At the southern end of the Hotel Zone, it’s wide, uncrowded relative to other Hotel Zone beaches, has no resort blocking access, and has the classic Cancun photo-op sign everyone knows. Stunning turquoise water.

Playa Gaviota Azul — Mid-Hotel Zone, adjacent to the Forum mall. Nice beach, good access, one of the calmer stretches.

Playa Norte (Isla Mujeres) — Not technically Cancun — it’s on a small island 20 minutes by ferry from the port — but Playa Norte is arguably the single most beautiful beach in the Cancun region. Shallow, impossibly calm turquoise water, powdery white sand. Day trip or stay overnight on the island.

What to Do in and Around Cancun

Snorkeling & Diving

Cancun sits on the edge of the Mesoamerican Barrier Reef, the second-largest coral reef system in the world. The snorkeling and diving here is world-class — diverse coral formations, sea turtles, colorful fish, and exceptional water clarity.

The MUSA Underwater Museum (Museo Subacuatico de Arte) is one of the most unique dive experiences on the planet: over 500 life-sized sculptures submerged in the Caribbean, now encrusted with coral. Available for both snorkeling and scuba. Book a MUSA snorkeling or diving tour through Viator — skip the glass-bottom boat and go in the water.

Cenotes

This is the thing that makes the Yucatan Peninsula unlike anywhere else. Cenotes are natural sinkholes or caves filled with freshwater, formed when ancient limestone collapsed to reveal the underground river system below. They’re scattered throughout the jungle surrounding Cancun — crystal clear, turquoise, and stunning.

Ik Kil — Near Chichen Itza; the most photographed, with vines hanging down into the blue water. Touristy but genuinely beautiful.

Gran Cenote — Near Tulum; possibly the most gorgeous we’ve visited. Clear enough to see the bottom, with stalactites in the cave sections.

Dos Ojos — Two connected cenotes near Tulum, famous for cave snorkeling and diving. One of the best cenote experiences available. Book a cenote tour from Cancun through GetYourGuide.

Chichen Itza

One of the Seven Wonders of the Modern World, Chichen Itza is a 2-hour drive from Cancun and absolutely worth a full-day excursion. The scale of El Castillo pyramid is humbling in person — photos don’t prepare you for it. Go early to beat the worst heat and crowds.

Book a guided Chichen Itza tour from Cancun on Viator — guided tours add significant historical context and typically include Ik Kil cenote and a buffet lunch.

Isla Mujeres

This small island 20 minutes by ferry from Cancun’s Puerto Juarez is one of the most charming places in Mexico. Golf cart rentals, beautiful beaches, excellent seafood, and a laid-back vibe completely different from the Hotel Zone. Playa Norte is the standout. Spend a day or stay overnight — it genuinely recharges you.

Book an Isla Mujeres day trip from Cancun on GetYourGuide.

Tulum Day Trip

Tulum is 90 minutes south of Cancun and home to one of the most dramatically situated archaeological sites in Mexico: Mayan ruins perched directly on the Caribbean cliffs. The beaches below the ruins are stunning. And the town of Tulum has its own distinct travel scene — more on that in our Tulum Travel Guide. It’s an easy and very worthwhile day trip from Cancun.

Where to Eat in Cancun

Hotel Zone

Most all-inclusives are self-contained, but if you’re eating outside your resort:

La Habichuela Sunset — One of Cancun’s best traditional Yucatecan restaurants, beautifully decorated garden setting. Try the cochinita pibil.

Kinich — Authentic Yucatecan cuisine in a relaxed, locally-loved setting. Papadzules (egg tacos in pumpkin sauce) and poc chuc (marinated pork) are not to be missed.

Harry’s — Upscale steakhouse and sushi hybrid in the Hotel Zone; excellent for a special dinner out.

Downtown El Centro

Mercado 23 and Mercado 28 — Local markets with food stalls serving tacos, antojitos, and fresh juice. Authentic and cheap.

La Parilla — A downtown institution for traditional Mexican food. Everything is good; the fajitas are excellent.

Cancun Travel Budget

Cancun’s cost depends enormously on where and how you stay.

Budget Level	Accommodation	Food	Activities	Daily Total
Budget	Downtown hotel ($40–70/night)	Market tacos + local restaurants ($20–35)	Free beach + public cenotes	$80–130/day
Mid-range	Hotel Zone (non-all-inclusive) ($150–250)	Mix of resort + restaurants ($50–80)	Tours, snorkeling, Chichen Itza	$250–400/day
All-inclusive	Hotel Zone AI resort ($200–400/person)	Included	Add-on tours separately	$250–450+/day (per person)

Note: All-inclusive pricing varies wildly by property, season, and how far in advance you book. The best rates are typically found 3–6 months out.

Where to Book Your Cancun Trip

Hotels & Resorts: Booking.com has the largest selection for Cancun, including all-inclusives that can be booked without a package.

Tours: Viator is our go-to for Cancun’s big excursions — Chichen Itza, MUSA diving, cenote tours. GetYourGuide is great for Isla Mujeres and water sports.

Travel Insurance: Required if traveling during hurricane season; highly recommended year-round. See our best travel insurance guide for Mexico-specific recommendations.

Practical Tips for Cancun First-Timers

The public bus is great. The R1 and R2 buses run the length of the Hotel Zone and downtown for about $0.80 USD. If you’re a budget traveler or just want to get around cheaply, use it.

Tap water is not safe. Stick to bottled water and be cautious with ice outside of established tourist restaurants.

Don’t drink the tap water — even to brush your teeth. Use the bottled water your hotel provides or buy your own.

USD is widely accepted in the Hotel Zone, but you’ll often get slightly worse rates than paying in pesos. Withdraw pesos from an airport ATM or your hotel for day-to-day use.

Book cenote and archaeological tours in advance. Popular cenotes and Chichen Itza have capacity limits, especially in peak season. Book a few days ahead at minimum.

Watch your belongings on public beaches. The Hotel Zone public beaches see pickpocketing. Don’t leave valuables unattended.

Final Thoughts: The Real Cancun

Cancun isn’t trying to be Mexico City or Oaxaca. It’s not pretending to be undiscovered or “authentic” in the way some destinations trade on. What it is, done well, is a beautiful stretch of Caribbean coastline with extremely convenient access to some of the most remarkable natural and historical sites in the Americas.

The Hotel Zone is a tool — use it for the beach and the comfortable base, then get out and explore. Swim in cenotes. Hire a guide for Chichen Itza. Take the ferry to Isla Mujeres. Make the drive to Tulum (our full Tulum guide has everything you need). The Caribbean will be waiting when you get back.

That’s the Cancun most visitors never see, and it’s genuinely, surprisingly wonderful.

Disclosure: This post contains affiliate links. If you book through our links, we may earn a small commission at no extra cost to you. We only recommend places and things we’ve personally used or vetted.

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The first thing you notice in Barcelona is that the streets smell like food. Olive oil and garlic drifting from open kitchen doors, fresh bread from the panaderias, the salt tang of the Mediterranean two blocks away. Before you’ve seen a single Gaudí building or walked a meter of Las Ramblas, the city has already made its argument for why you should stay longer than you planned.

We’ve been to Barcelona twice — once for four days as first-timers, once for a longer stretch when we wanted to actually understand the city. Both times it delivered.

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Why Barcelona Is One of Europe’s Best Cities

Barcelona sits in an unusual position: it’s simultaneously one of Europe’s most visited cities and one that still manages to feel like it belongs to the people who live there. The neighborhoods have real character. The food scene extends far beyond tourist-trap paella. The architecture — Gaudí’s Barcelona in particular — is unlike anything else on earth.

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When to Visit Barcelona

Best months: May–June and September–October. Warm but not blistering, crowds are manageable, outdoor dining is perfect, and hotel rates are more reasonable than July–August.

Summer (July–August): Peak heat (90–100°F), peak crowds, peak prices. Book everything weeks in advance.

Spring (March–April): Excellent. Mild temperatures (60–70°F), far fewer crowds, and the city is genuinely beautiful.

Winter (November–February): Underrated. The city empties of tourists, locals reclaim it, and restaurant reservations are easy.

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Getting to Barcelona

By air: Barcelona–El Prat Airport (BCN) is well-connected to hubs across Europe and direct to major US cities. The Aerobus runs express from the airport to Plaça de Catalunya in 35 minutes for €6.

By train: Barcelona is 2.5 hours from Madrid by AVE, 4.5 hours from Paris by TGV. Train travel in Europe often beats flying when you factor in airport time.

Pro tip: Get travel insurance before any international trip. See our best travel insurance guide for the options we actually recommend.

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Getting Around Barcelona

Barcelona is one of Europe’s most walkable cities. The Gothic Quarter, El Born, Eixample, and Barceloneta are all accessible on foot if you’re staying centrally.

Metro: Fast, cheap, and covers the entire city. A 10-trip T-Casual card (~€12) is the best value for most visitors.

Taxi / Rideshare: Taxis are metered and reliable. Cabify and Bolt are the main rideshare apps.

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Where to Stay in Barcelona

Gothic Quarter (Barri Gòtic)

The medieval heart of Barcelona — labyrinthine streets, Roman ruins, the Barcelona Cathedral, the best tapas bars. An ideal base for first-timers.

Top picks: Hotel Arts (luxury, right on the beach), Hotel 1898 (beautiful historic building on Las Ramblas), Sercotel Amelia Barcelona (boutique, great value).

El Born / El Raval

Our preferred area for repeat visitors — El Born is younger, more local-feeling, with excellent restaurants, independent boutiques, and the Picasso Museum.

Eixample

Barcelona’s elegant grid neighborhood with wide boulevards, Modernista architecture, and the best cocktail bars. A quieter base with easy metro access.

Search all Barcelona hotels on Booking.com — wide range across all neighborhoods.

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The Gaudí Buildings: What to See and How to Do It

Antoni Gaudí’s work is Barcelona’s primary architectural attraction. The most popular sites sell out weeks in advance — book ahead.

Sagrada Família

The most visited building in Spain and one of the most extraordinary structures on earth. Gaudí’s masterpiece basilica has been under construction since 1882 and is still ongoing. The interior floods with colored light from the stained glass.

Our strong advice: Book at least 2–3 weeks ahead in peak season. Book Sagrada Família tickets on Viator — skip-the-line tickets with audio guide are worth it.

Park Güell

Gaudí’s hillside park above the city — mosaic terraces, organic stone colonnades, and panoramic views of Barcelona. The ticketed Monumental Zone requires advance booking.

Book Park Güell tickets on GetYourGuide to secure your slot.

Casa Batlló

On Passeig de Gràcia — Gaudí’s most fantastical residential building, its facade resembling dragon scales and bones. The evening “Magic Nights” experience is particularly atmospheric.

La Pedrera (Casa Milà)

La Pedrera’s undulating stone facade and extraordinary rooftop with Gaudí’s famous chimneys are among the most photographed in Barcelona.

Palau Güell

In El Raval, less visited than the big names but extraordinary — intricate ironwork, parabolic arches, and a rooftop of colorful mosaic spires.

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Best Things to Do in Barcelona

Gothic Quarter Walking Tour

The Gothic Quarter’s Roman roots, medieval churches, and atmospheric plazas reward slow exploration. Book a Gothic Quarter walking tour on Viator — excellent half-day tours run for $20–40/person.

Picasso Museum

One of Europe’s most important collections of early Picasso work, housed across five connected medieval palaces in El Born. Book tickets online; the queues without tickets are brutal.

Barceloneta Beach

Barcelona’s city beach stretches 4 km along the Mediterranean. Perfectly swimmable and reliably warm May–October, just 15 minutes walk from the Gothic Quarter.

La Boqueria Market

Barcelona’s famous covered market on Las Ramblas is worth a walk-through for the visual spectacle. Don’t buy prepared food here — walk through and then eat breakfast in El Raval instead.

Montjuïc

The hill above the port offers panoramic city views, the MNAC art museum, the Olympic Stadium (from the 1992 Games), and the Fundació Joan Miró.

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Where to Eat in Barcelona

Tapas (The Right Way)

Avoid Las Ramblas for meals. The better tapas experience is in El Born, Barceloneta, and Eixample.

Can Paixano (La Xampanyeria): A legendary cava bar in Barceloneta — standing room only, dirt cheap, tremendous cava and bocadillos.

Bar del Pla: El Born’s best sit-down tapas bar. The ham croquetas are transcendent.

Seafood

La Mar Salada: Excellent paella and rice dishes near Barceloneta — honest, well-executed without tourist-trap pricing.

La Cova Fumada: The birthplace of the bombas and one of the most authentic seafood bars in the city. Cash only, no menu, no reservations.

Fine Dining

Disfrutar: Three Michelin stars, consistently ranked among the world’s 10 best restaurants. Book months in advance.

Tickets: Albert Adrià’s avant-garde tapas bar. Theatrical, creative, excellent. Also books out months in advance.

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Day Trips from Barcelona

Montserrat (1 hr): The jagged mountain monastery northwest of Barcelona — one of Catalonia’s most sacred sites and most dramatic landscapes.

Sitges (40 min): A beautiful whitewashed beach town — quieter than Barcelona, gorgeous beaches, great seafood restaurants.

Girona (1 hr by train): A perfectly preserved medieval city with a cathedral that rivals Barcelona’s and a beautiful Jewish quarter.

Costa Brava (1.5 hrs): Rugged coastline with rocky coves, medieval villages, and significantly cleaner water than city beaches.

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Barcelona vs. Other European Cities

Our take: Paris is deeper culturally but more expensive. Amsterdam is more walkable but smaller in scope. Barcelona occupies its own category — modernist architecture, Mediterranean beach access, and the distinct Catalan identity create something that doesn’t quite exist elsewhere. See our Paris in 4 days guide and 3 days in Amsterdam guide for full comparisons.

If you’re building a Spain itinerary, Barcelona pairs beautifully with Sevilla — see our Sevilla travel guide for what to expect.

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Barcelona Travel Tips

• Book Gaudí sites weeks ahead. Sagrada Família in peak season can be sold out a month in advance.
• Eat on Spanish time. Lunch is 2–4 p.m.; dinner starts at 9 p.m. Eating at 6:30 marks you as a tourist.
• Watch your belongings on Las Ramblas. Pickpocketing is endemic — use a front-pocket wallet.
• Learn a few Catalan words. “Gràcies” and “bon dia” are appreciated more than their Spanish equivalents.
• Take the metro. Fast, cheap, and goes everywhere. Get a T-Casual card.

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How Many Days Do You Need?

3 days: The minimum to see the highlights — Sagrada Família, Gothic Quarter, Park Güell, and the beach.

4–5 days: The sweet spot. Time to slow down in El Born, take a day trip, eat properly.

1 week: You’ll leave feeling like you understand the city — and already planning your return.

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Final Thoughts

Barcelona is one of those rare cities that delivers on its reputation and then some. The Gaudí buildings alone are worth crossing an ocean for. But the city’s best qualities are subtler: a neighborhood bar where the cava costs €2, a morning walk through a Gothic quarter that’s been continuously occupied for 2,000 years, a beach sunset over the Mediterranean that makes everything else feel very far away.

Go. Take more time than you think you need. Eat at 9 p.m.

Questions about Barcelona? Drop them in the comments — we check and always write back.

Disclosure: This post contains affiliate links. If you book through our links, we may earn a small commission at no extra cost to you. We only recommend places and things we’ve personally used or vetted.

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We have been to Kauai six times. We keep going back not because we haven’t seen everything — we’ve seen most of it — but because Kauai’s beaches are, in our honest opinion, the most beautiful in the United States. And we want to sit on them again.

The thing about Kauai’s beaches is that each one has a completely different personality. Some are calm, glassy, and perfect for swimming. Some are wild and rough and spectacular to watch. Some require a long hike to reach and reward you with near-total seclusion.

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A Few Things to Know Before You Go

Kauai’s beaches change seasonally. Winter swells (October–March) make the North Shore dangerous for swimming. Always check the surf report before entering water.

You need a car. Kauai’s beaches span from Hanalei on the north to Poipu on the south, and public transit is minimal. Rent a car — ideally a 4WD.

Parking fills up early. Hanalei Bay, Ke’e Beach, and Tunnels can have full parking lots by 8 a.m. in peak season. Arrive early or use Kauai’s county beach shuttle from Hanalei Town.

Na Pali Coast beaches require commitment. The most spectacular stretch has no road access — reaching Na Pali beaches means the Kalalau Trail, a boat, or a kayak.

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The Best Beaches in Kauai

1. Hanalei Bay

If we had to pick one beach that represents what Kauai is — the version of this island you hold in your imagination — it would be Hanalei Bay. The bay is a two-mile crescent of golden sand backed by emerald mountains, with the Hanalei River flowing into the west end and Bali Hai-esque peaks rising dramatically behind everything.

In summer, Hanalei is great for swimming, stand-up paddleboarding, and general floating around in the warm Pacific. In winter, the bay transforms into a serious surf break and swimming is not advisable, but the watching is extraordinary.

Best for: Everything in summer. Watching surfers in winter. Sunsets year-round.

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2. Tunnels Beach (Makua Beach)

Tunnels is Kauai’s best snorkeling beach — one of the best snorkeling spots in all of Hawaii. The reef just offshore creates a protected lagoon in summer teeming with sea turtles, reef fish, and the occasional spinner dolphin.

Best for: Snorkeling (summer), swimming (summer). Winter brings significant surf — not for swimming.

Book a Kauai snorkeling tour from the North Shore on Viator if you’d prefer a guided experience with gear included.

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3. Ke’e Beach

At the end of the road on the North Shore — literally the last point where Highway 560 ends — Ke’e Beach is where the pavement stops and the Kalalau Trail begins. Watching the sun drop behind the Na Pali cliffs while the water turns from blue to gold to pink is among the most beautiful things we’ve ever seen.

Note: Ke’e Beach requires a timed parking reservation during peak season. Book at gohaena.com before your visit.

Best for: Snorkeling (summer), sunset watching, Kalalau Trail access.

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4. Poipu Beach

Poipu is Kauai’s most swimmer-friendly beach — on the sunny South Shore, protected from North Shore winter swells with consistently calm, clear water year-round. Hawaiian monk seals haul out on the beach here regularly.

Best for: Family swimming, monk seal watching, year-round swimming.

For families specifically, see our full guide to Kauai with kids — Poipu is a centerpiece of our family recommendations.

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5. Shipwreck Beach (Keoniloa Bay)

Just east of the Grand Hyatt Kauai, Shipwreck Beach is a dramatic stretch of golden sand backed by sea cliffs and pounded by strong shore break. It’s not a swimming beach, but as a spectacle it’s extraordinary. Hike up the bluffs for panoramic views of the South Shore coastline.

Best for: Walking, watching waves, photography, cliff hike views.

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6. Anini Beach

Anini is Kauai’s hidden gem — protected by the longest fringing reef in Hawaii, which creates a lagoon so calm you could practically stand up in it. The beach is lined with ironwood trees that provide shade, rare and precious on a Hawaiian beach.

Best for: Calm swimming, snorkeling, families, shade.

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7. Secret Beach (Kauapea Beach)

Reaching it requires a steep 10-minute hike down a trail through thick jungle. When you emerge, you’ll find a vast, wild, cliff-backed beach — half a mile of golden sand, almost entirely undeveloped.

Best for: Dramatic scenery, photography, adventurous beach walkers.

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8. Haena Beach Park

Just before the road ends at Ke’e, Haena Beach Park is a long open-ocean beach that’s largely local-feeling despite its beauty. In summer it’s swimmable; in winter the shore break and currents make it dangerous. The ancient Maniniholo Dry Cave is right across the road (free to explore).

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Beaches by Activity

Activity	Best Beach
Swimming (family-safe year-round)	Poipu Beach, Anini Beach
Snorkeling	Tunnels, Ke’e, Anini
Watching big surf	Hanalei Bay (winter), Shipwreck Beach
Seclusion & scenery	Secret Beach, Haena
Sunset	Ke’e Beach, Hanalei Bay
Sea turtle spotting	Tunnels, Poipu

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What to Pack for Kauai Beaches

• Reef-safe sunscreen — required by Hawaiian law since 2021
• Snorkel gear — bring your own or rent from Snorkel Bob’s in Kapaa
• Water shoes — useful for reef entry at Tunnels and Ke’e
• Dry bag — keeps your phone and wallet safe in the water
• Beach umbrella — shade is scarce on most Kauai beaches

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Planning Your Beach Days

North Shore beach day: Tunnels for morning snorkeling → Ke’e for late afternoon + sunset. Stop in Hanalei Town for lunch.

South Shore beach day: Poipu for morning swimming → Shipwreck Beach for the afternoon walk and cliff views.

Anini beach day: Pair with Kilauea Lighthouse for a quieter North Shore day that avoids the Hanalei crowds.

See our full one-week Kauai itinerary for a complete day-by-day beach and activity plan.

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Where to Stay for Beach Access

Princeville / Hanalei area: Best for North Shore beach access — Hanalei Bay, Tunnels, Ke’e, and Anini are all within 20 minutes.

Poipu area: Best for year-round swimming. Great resort options.

See our complete guide to where to stay in Kauai for neighborhood-by-neighborhood recommendations.

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Boat and Kayak Access to Na Pali Beaches

The Na Pali Coast’s pocket beaches can only be reached by the Kalalau Trail, by kayak (summer only), or by boat tour.

Book a Na Pali Coast boat tour on Viator — these are among our favorite Kauai experiences and the best way to see the full coastline.

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Final Thoughts

We’ve been to Hawaii many times and Kauai’s beaches remain our favorites on earth. Start with Hanalei Bay. Snorkel Tunnels. Watch the sunset from Ke’e. And then start planning your second trip.

See everything else Kauai has to offer in our complete guide to best things to do in Kauai.

Which Kauai beach is your favorite? Leave a comment — we love hearing from fellow Kauai obsessives.

Disclosure: This post contains affiliate links. If you book through our links, we may earn a small commission at no extra cost to you. We only recommend places and things we’ve personally used or vetted.

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Nobody warned us how loud Nashville would be. Not just the music — though yes, it’s everywhere, blaring from every open door on Broadway at noon on a Tuesday — but the energy. The whole city has an electricity to it that’s hard to describe until you’re standing in the middle of it with a cold beer, wondering why you haven’t come here sooner.

We’ve been to Nashville twice now: once for a long weekend with friends, once as a couple who wanted something different. Both trips were completely worth it. Here’s what we’ve learned.

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Why Nashville Is Worth Your Time Right Now

Nashville gets a reputation as a bachelorette party city, and sure, the Nash Bash crowd is real and highly visible. But underneath the LED cowboy hat economy is a genuinely great American city with a world-class food scene, one of the country’s best live music ecosystems, a growing arts district, and neighborhoods that have nothing to do with Broadway.

The trick to a great Nashville trip is knowing how to balance the two: embrace the honky-tonk chaos when you’re in the mood for it, and know where to escape to when you’re not.

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When to Visit Nashville

Best months: April–May and September–October. Temperatures are mild (60s–75°F), outdoor patios are in full swing, and the crowds haven’t hit their summer peak yet.

Summer (June–August): Hot and humid (85–95°F), and the city is absolutely packed. The energy is high, but so are hotel prices and wait times.

Winter (December–February): Underrated. Hotel rates drop significantly, the honky-tonks are still rocking every night, and you’ll have a much easier time getting a table at popular restaurants.

CMA Fest (June): If you’re a country music fan, this is the weekend to plan around — four days of concerts and performances on multiple stages. Book months in advance.

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Getting to Nashville

By air: Nashville International Airport (BNA) is well-connected to most US hubs. See our guide on how to find cheap flights for strategies that work.

By car: Nashville is a reasonable drive from Atlanta (4 hrs), Chicago (5 hrs), St. Louis (4.5 hrs), and Charlotte (6 hrs). It’s a solid road trip anchor.

Rideshare: Nashville is very rideshare-friendly — Uber and Lyft are plentiful downtown.

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Where to Stay in Nashville

Downtown / SoBro (South of Broadway)

The most convenient base — everything is walkable from here, including Broadway, the Ryman, Bridgestone Arena, and dozens of restaurants.

Best options: Graduate Nashville, The Joseph (luxury, rooftop bar), Virgin Hotels Nashville (stylish, mid-luxury).

The Gulch

Upscale, walkable neighborhood about 10 minutes south of Broadway. A great choice if you want to be close to the action without sleeping directly above it.

Great picks: 1 Hotel Nashville (eco-luxury), Kimpton Aertson (boutique, excellent bar).

East Nashville

Nashville’s creative, independent neighborhood — coffee shops, vinyl record stores, farm-to-table restaurants, and zero bachelorette parties.

Search all Nashville hotels on Booking.com

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The Broadway Honky-Tonk Experience (Yes, You Have to Do It)

Lower Broadway is Nashville’s famous strip of live-music bars. The honky-tonks are free to enter, and most have live bands playing country music starting as early as 10 a.m.

• Tootsie’s Orchid Lounge — the OG, beloved by locals and legends alike.
• Legends Corner — great live music, a little less touristy.
• Wildhorse Saloon — massive, with free line dancing lessons on weekend afternoons.
• Kid Rock’s Big Ass Honky Tonk — the rooftop view of Broadway is legitimately excellent.

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Beyond Broadway: Nashville’s Real Neighborhoods

12 South

One of Nashville’s most charming streets — lined with independent boutiques, acclaimed restaurants, and the famous “I Believe in Nashville” mural.

Don’t miss: Frothy Monkey (coffee), Burger Up (best burger in Nashville), Imogene + Willie (denim shop).

East Nashville

The city’s creative heart. Eat brunch at Mas Tacos or Mitchell Delicatessen, browse Five Points for independent shops.

Germantown

Just north of downtown, now one of Nashville’s most culinarily exciting neighborhoods. Henrietta Red, Rolf and Daughters, and Butchertown Hall are all here.

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Best Restaurants in Nashville

Hot Chicken (Mandatory)

• Prince’s Hot Chicken Shack: The original, the legend. Expect a wait.
• Hattie B’s Hot Chicken: More locations, slightly shorter waits, still excellent.
• Party Fowl: Good hot chicken with a fun bar atmosphere.

Fine Dining

• Husk Nashville: Southern cuisine in a beautiful Victorian building.
• The Catbird Seat: Nashville’s most prestigious tasting menu restaurant. Book weeks ahead.
• Rolf and Daughters: The handmade pasta alone is worth a visit.

Casual Favorites

• The Loveless Cafe: A Nashville institution since 1951. The biscuits and country ham are iconic.
• Arnold’s Country Kitchen: A meat-and-three cafeteria-style institution.
• Mas Tacos Por Favor: East Nashville’s beloved taqueria, cash only, perfect.

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Live Music Beyond Broadway

The Ryman Auditorium — the “Mother Church of Country Music” is one of the most beautiful performance spaces in America. Book Ryman tickets and tours on Viator.

The Bluebird Cafe — a small, intimate listening room where songwriters perform their own music. This is where Garth Brooks was discovered.

Station Inn — a legendary bluegrass venue in the Gulch. No-frills, great acoustics, serious musicians.

Third Man Records — Jack White’s record label and vinyl shop with regular live performances. A Nashville original.

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Nashville Tours Worth Booking

Honky-Tonk Crawl — Guided bar crawls hit the best Broadway spots. Book on Viator — several options at $30–$50/person.

Music City Food Tour — Guided walking tours hit 5–8 restaurants across a neighborhood. Find food tours on GetYourGuide.

Johnny Cash Museum — A well-curated museum with extensive memorabilia. Even non-fans come away impressed.

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Nashville vs. New Orleans

Both are iconic American music-and-food cities. Read our full New Orleans travel guide for context. New Orleans is weirder, more historic; Nashville has better hotel infrastructure and a food scene that’s catching up fast. Both deserve your time.

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Nashville Travel Tips

• Don’t drive on Broadway. Traffic is brutal and parking is expensive. Rideshare in and out.
• Book restaurants ahead. Top spots book 2–3 weeks out on weekends.
• Use a travel credit card. See our best travel credit cards guide for picks that actually pay off.
• Budget extra for the honky-tonks. Drinks on Broadway add up faster than you’d expect.

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Day Trips from Nashville

Jack Daniel’s Distillery (Lynchburg, 90 min): The world’s best-selling American whiskey, made in a dry county. Tours are well-run and genuinely interesting.

Mammoth Cave National Park (2.5 hrs): The world’s longest-known cave system. Book tours ahead.

Chattanooga (2 hrs): A surprisingly excellent mid-sized city with a fantastic aquarium and revitalized riverfront.

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Final Thoughts

Nashville rewards visitors who come with an open mind. The Nashville that’ll stick with you is the songwriter at the Bluebird playing something achingly personal, the hot chicken that temporarily removes your ability to speak, the sunrise over the Cumberland River with the city waking up around you.

It’s a great American city. Go find your version of it.

Questions about Nashville? Drop them in the comments — we read every one and always reply.