ALEXANDRIA, Va — The metropolis has been nominated for “Best Small City in the U.S.” in the 2026 Condé Nast Traveler Readers’ Choice Awards and is in search of public votes to take care of its place among the many nation’s prime small cities.
Alexandria has held a top-three rating since 2023, ending third in 2025, behind Charleston, South Carolina, and Santa Fe, New Mexico, whereas surpassing locations together with Savannah, Georgia, and Honolulu, Hawaii.
Visit Alexandria is conducting a marketing campaign to encourage residents and guests to vote for the town at cntraveler.com/vote, score Alexandria as “excellent” throughout all classes. Voting closes June 30 at 11:59 p.m.
“Your vote means highlighting the stories of our vibrant small business community, energizing historic destinations, and the greater community, making this an important milestone for Alexandria,” Visit Alexandria stated in saying the nomination.
The awards, described because the journey trade’s longest-running and most prestigious accolades, draw responses from greater than 757,000 Condé Nast Traveler readers nationwide who price their journey experiences to supply a complete take a look at locations they need to revisit.
Alexandria has been a constant performer for the reason that “Best Small City” class was created in 2018, reaching top-three standing in 2019, 2021, and sustaining it since 2023.
Visit Alexandria highlighted the town’s distinctive place as a prime small metropolis situated minutes from Washington, D.C., which ceaselessly ranks among the many prime giant cities in the identical awards. “Visitors can stay in one location but experience two of the nation’s best cities,” the tourism group famous.
The marketing campaign additionally encourages help for Alexandria motels, together with Archer Old Town Alexandria, Hotel AKA Alexandria, Hotel Heron, Hyatt Centric Old Town Alexandria, Morrison House and The Alexandrian.
Voters are mechanically entered to win an eight-day cruise for two to Italy and Norway on Viking’s Italian Sojourn journey, a prize supplied by Condé Nast Traveler.
Visit Alexandria conducts an intensive get-out-the-vote marketing campaign every year, viewing the popularity as essential to the town’s tourism advertising efforts. Research exhibits that rankings in top-tier publications like Condé Nast Traveler and Travel + Leisure affect journey selections and assist solidify Alexandria’s fame as a premier vacation spot.
Winners might be celebrated in the November subject of Condé Nast Traveler.