The towering skyscrapers of the Big Apple and rippling prairie of the midwest, New Orleans’ swinging jazz bars and the endless appeal of Hollywood, where every waitress is an aspiring model and every busker the next big thing. Welcome to our USA travel guide.
Get your slice of the American dream by planning a trip to the country that gave us Coca-Cola, country music, cowboys, and countless other icons. Who hasn’t fantasised about hailing a yellow cab after a Fifth Avenue shopping spree or catching a gig at Nashville’s Bluebird Cafe? Start planning your American adventure with our picks of the best things to see and do in the USA.
Best way to see the USA
Whether you’re California dreaming or in a New York state of mind, the USA is so sprawling you’ll need to plan your trip carefully.
Find some inspiration with our curated guide of the best ways to see the USA.
Pick your coast – east vs. west
Given that it is a similar size to the whole of Europe, it should come as no surprise that America’s coasts have very different personalities – and are arch rivals in everything from baseball to rap! But which is the coast for you?
New York, Miami and Washington DC are all among the best cities to visit on the USA’s east coast, but there are plenty of lesser-known gems to discover too. Fort Lauderdale comes into its own in summer and Savannah, Georgia, oozes historic charm. For culture lovers, the East Coast is difficult to beat.
The sunshiney West Coast is the laid-back little sister, with thousands of miles of wild coastline and creative hubs such as San Francisco and Portland, Oregan, one of the USA’s coolest cities and without doubt one of the best places to visit on the West Coast.
Map your bucket list experiences
There are enough incredible places to visit in the USA to fill a bucket encyclopedia, let alone a humble list. Working out what your priorities are and sticking to them is the key to getting the most from your trip.
A few unmissable experiences include wine tasting in the Napa Valley, singing along to a Broadway show in New York and paying your respects to Elvis Presley AKA The King at his glitzy mansion in Memphis. And of course, climbing the Statue of Liberty has to be one of the top things to do in America.
Make the most of a season’s splendour
The best time to visit the USA depends on what sort of holiday you’re looking for…
Its snow-dusted peaks make Aspen one of the USA’s best places to visit in winter, but we think it might actually be even better in late summer when wild meadows carpet the forests and the literary festival brings colourful characters to town.
With its cobbled fishing villages and yacht club, the island of Nantucket is one of the best places to visit in the USA in July. Read why we think Nantucket might just be the cutest town in the country here.
And for Autumn colours? Head to West Virginia to see three-quarters of the state cloaked in golden forests.
Best places to visit in the USA
From rippling plains to up-and-coming cities and ferocious deserts, we have scoured all 50 states to bring you a taster of the best places to visit in the US of A.
So what are you waiting for? Get planning your trip with our handy geographical guide.
North East
Don your pearls and twin set for a visit to New England, home of modern-day America, where white clapboard mansions and marinas filled with yachts hint that you are in some of the USA’s wealthiest states.
Brisk sea breezes and charming seaside hotels make Martha’s Vineyard one of the best places to visit on the USA’s East Coast in summer, while nowhere does Christmas like New York.
Think ice skating rinks, the lavish Rockefeller Centre Christmas tree and watching fluffy snowflakes fall as you sip a hot chocolate in a cosy deli.
South
Is any region in America as divisive as the South? The very names Alabama, Georgia and Mississippi on the one hand evoke debutante balls and blue evenings whiled away on the porches of historic mansions, but on the other blood, sweat and violent subjugation.
While learning about the civil rights movement against the backdrop of ex-plantations and rolling cotton fields is still a major reason to visit the South, it is also home to fabulously cosmopolitan cities such as Nashville and New Orleans, where every bar feels like a party.
Wherever you go, a warm Southern welcome is a given…
Midwest
Nature lovers will be in heaven in the Midwest, a landscape of rippling plains and mysterious wildernesses that seem as if they must go on forever.
It’s here, in America’s heartland, that you’ll find the ghosts of legends such as Abraham Lincoln and Al Capone. The Great Lakes are partially in this region (and partially in Canada) and in summer the glassy waters of Lake Superior and Lake Michigan are broken by kayaks, while the surrounding forests are prime hiking territory.
It’s also a stronghold of native American culture, with key sights such as Hiawatha Forest and several tribes still living a traditional lifestyle in Wisconsin.
West
Make like the pioneers and head West, where the deserted moonscapes of Georgia O’Keefe’s New Mexico contrast with the glitz of LA and moody beaches of Oregon.
Being a tech-wizard is more common than wearing flowers in your hair in San Francisco these days, but its creaking trams and colourful wooden houses still make it one of our top 20 places to visit in the USA. For more ideas, check out our list of must-visit Southern California hotspots.
Head even further west and say ‘aloha’ to the dazzling archipelago of Hawaii.
Top things to do
With its big, bold culture and hugely varied landscapes, America looms large in the imagination of most travellers. Whether your penchant is for sipping mint juleps at Gatsby-esque parties or road tripping Route 66 in a vintage Cadillac, you’ll never run out of inspiring ideas.
Here are some of the best things to see and do in America, no matter which way you’re inclined.
Roadtrips & Nature Experiences
From Jack Kerouac’s On The Road to Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas, in no other culture are road trips so ingrained as the USA.
With soaring mountains, plunging chasms and everything in between, America is not short of natural wonders. Make the most of Yosemite National Park or scour Alaska’s elusive inside passage for sea otters and killer whales.
Famous Landmarks & World Class Attractions
One of the top ten things to see in the USA is the Grand Canyon, but there are countless other famous landmarks to explore. During the summer months, the 60-foot-high faces of American presidents carved into Mount Rushmore are dramatically illuminated at night, while the Statue of Liberty is just one of New York’s many must see landmarks.
If travelling with the family, a visit to Disneyland California is a must.
Skiing & Snowboarding
One of the best things to do in America in winter is hit the slopes, and you’ll be amazed by the number of ski resorts on offer. Cosying up in a mountain cabin with a bourbon is the perfect end to a long-day’s sport.
Micro-Cultures – Music, Food and More
Motown, soul, jazz and country – America birthed all these music genres and many more besides. If you’re a music fan looking for cool things to do in the USA, head to Austin, Texas, where 250 live music venues swing every night of the week.
Or make a music odyssey to New Orleans (NOLA to its friends), where the sultry sound of jazz seems to float out of every cellar. Discover Seattle’s burgeoning gastro scene or window shop for your dream mid-century home during Palm Springs’ Modernism Week.
Choosing your accommodation
America is a country with wanderlust in its genes, so it’s no surprise that there are an overwhelming number of places to stay.
Have you always fancied checking into a retro motel, or are you more of a mountain lodge type? Does lounging beside a five-star pool appeal? How about a luxurious wellness resort in the desert?
Americans prize themselves on customer service, so wherever you go you can expect smiling staff, sweet treats left on your pillow at night and marshmallow-soft beds. But don’t forget to tip!
