These are the Best Cities in the U.S. According to Condé Nast Traveler Readers

Luxury journey authority Condé Nast Traveler revealed its checklist of thhis 12 months’s Readers’ Choice Awards: Best Cities in the World for 2025, and in accordance to their well-traveled readership, no U.S. metropolis made the reduce. Fortunately, there’s additionally a Best Cities in the U.S. checklist, however in one more stunning flip, New York City did not crack the prime 5 and Los Angeles did not even make the checklist. Here are the U.S. cities that have been voted greatest in the U.S.

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When it comes to large cities, Chicago tops the checklist—once more. The Windy City nails the steadiness between international sophistication and Midwestern heat. With 77 neighborhoods to discover, guests can bounce from Michelin-starred eating places to nook taverns, from the Art Institute to indie galleries and from modern downtown towers to leafy lakefront parks—all in sooner or later. Whether you’re geeking out on structure or monitoring down the metropolis’s greatest deep dish, Chicago’s received a rhythm that’s exhausting to beat.

In second place, San Francisco proves that small can nonetheless be mighty. At simply 49 sq. miles, the City by the Bay packs in icons like the Golden Gate Bridge and Alcatraz, alongside cutting-edge artwork, world-class eating and fast escapes to redwood forests.

Milwaukee takes the third spot, displaying it’s excess of Chicago’s little sibling. Its lakefront location fuels a thriving native meals motion, whereas restored neighborhoods like the Third Ward have turned the metropolis right into a artistic hub of outlets, galleries and nice beer.

Next up is Portland, Oregon, the unique cool child. Long earlier than farm-to-table and craft every little thing went mainstream, Portland was dwelling it. With its mixture of forests, trails and boundary-pushing meals and design scenes, it’s one in every of the nation’s most effortlessly livable cities.

Rounding out the prime 5, New Orleans retains the good instances—and deep tradition—rolling. Beyond Bourbon Street and beignets, the metropolis’s mix of Creole, Cajun, French, Spanish and Afro-Caribbean influences runs by means of its music, meals and neighborhoods, from the Bywater to the Garden District and past.

Best large cities in the U.S., in accordance to Condé Nast Traveler:

1. Chicago, IL
2. San Francisco, CA
3. Milwaukee, Wi
4. Portland, OR
5. New Orleans, LA
6. Washington, D.C.
7. San Diego, CA
8. Columbus, OH
9. New York City, NY
10. Seattle, WA