The USA is one of the greatest travel destinations in the world, for the vast regional diversity contained in one country. From New York City to the Deep South, to the coastlines of sunny California, to cross the USA is to experience it all. I lived in the USA for nearly two years, and have visited several times. In my opinion, the best places to visit in the USA are New York City, Charleston, Miami, and several places in California, including Los Angeles, San Francisco and Big Sur.

1. New York City

No surprises here – I’ve spent more time in New York City than any other parts of the USA. I really struggle to write about New York City without falling back on cliches – it’s somewhere that really does make you want to use all the superlatives in your vocabulary. It’s everything everyone has ever told you it is – fast paced, energetic, dirty, expensive, beautiful, opulent, gritty, creative – and more.

Read my New York City Travel Guide

2. Miami

I was not expecting Miami to be one of my favourite places I’ve ever visited. Miami’s reputation for mega-clubs and trashy tourists sells the city short, and I left completely in love with this vibrant city. It lays on the charm pretty thick, with soft white sand and calm, clear warm waters at South Beach, beautifully-preserved art deco architecture along Ocean Drive, soulful Little Havana which preserves the culture and history of Cuban and Latin American immigrants so well, and the upbeat, creative energy of Wynwood, the city’s cutting edge arts district. There is so much to love about Miami, it’s somewhere I can see myself returning to again and again.

Pro tip: If, like me, you grew up or have lived in a very hot, humid climate and can handle the heat, make the most of Miami’s low season in July-August and enjoy South Beach all to yourself – not to mention affordable hotel rates.

Read more about 3 days in Miami

3. Big Sur & The Pacific Coast Highway

I fell head over heels for California when my boyfriend I took a road trip on the Pacific Coast Highway last year. Highlights included Big Sur, Monterey, quaint Carmel-by-the-sea, glam Santa Barbara and Malibu, quirky Danish-style town Solvang and gorgeous wineries in the Santa Maria Valley. And this was just in the stretch of coast between San Francisco and Los Angeles!

Related: The Most Beautiful Places in California to Visit

4. Charleston

It’s hard not to fall for Charleston’s southern charm. It’s not a destination that comes to mind first for most first-time visitors to the USA, but it’s the perfect introduction to The South, one of the most fascinating regions of the USA. Southern hospitality is the real deal – it practically oozes from every pore of these people! I loved eating The South’s regional cuisine, between friendly homestyle cafes where they encourage strangers to share tables and get to know one another, to elegant restaurants with warm, knowledgeable service from people who were bursting with pride over their local dishes. It’s home to a gorgeous historic district which is the largest in the USA, the mimosas are stronger, the air actually smells sweeter and there’s candy stores on every other corner – what’s not to love?

Charleston is a beautiful and welcoming city today, but it has a dark history as a key port in the transatlantic slave trade. Charleston was the largest slave trading port in America and many of the beautiful mansions you see were only made possible by slavery. At times I felt this was glossed over, at some sites, but it’s my understanding (based on reading articles written by journalists and academics who know the city better than I do) that the community as a whole generally navigates their history with respect.

Read more: Falling for Southern Charm in Charleston

5. San Francisco

Once famous for flower power, free love and beat poets, today San Francisco is better known for it’s eye-wateringly expensive real estate, tech bros and a farm-to-table food scene that inspired that rest of the country – and the world – to eat more local, seasonal produce. It’s a hard city to pin down because each neighbourhood can feel so markedly different from the last, it can be hard to find a common thread apart from the very steep streets. It’s definitely somewhere you need to explore by neighbourhood because you’ll find a different side to the city every few blocks.

Read more about 3 days in San Francisco

6. New Orleans

New Orleans is one of the most fabled cities in America, which is surprising given its relatively small size. A history of Spanish and French colonial influence combined with Creole & Cajun culture has left the city with it’s own unique brand of architecture, cuisine & music. It’s the birthplace of jazz music and the cocktail, so it’s easy to see why so many Americans love the Big Easy. While it’s disappointing to see some tourists treating New Orleans like Disneyland for drunk adults, if you look past the tourist traps there is so much to love.

Read about where to eat & drink in New Orleans

7. Los Angeles

Los Angeles gets a bad rap, but I found a lot to love about the star-studded city. I spent three days in Los Angeles and was totally enchanted by a sunset from the Griffith Observatory (for both the views over LA and the architecture), an invigorating hike in Runyon Canyon amongst the dramatic rocky scenery of the LA hills and was completely mesmerised by the pearly blue waters at Santa Monica Beach, against a rugged mountainous backdrop. I was also totally enthralled by the behind-the-scenes tour of Warner Brothers Studios, which helped me find a newfound respect for the craft (and magic) of filmmaking. Granted, the beach at Santa Monica was way too crowded for my liking so I didn’t swim, and I found LA to be frustratingly pedestrian unfriendly, so while I’m not rushing to move there, there’s a lot to love when you visit.

Read more about 3 days in Los Angeles

8. Chicago

Chicago has captured my imagination for a long time, perched on the edge of ocean-like Lake Michigan and home to beautiful historic architecture. Chicago was my first taste of America’s Midwest, “America’s Heartland”. The region is often portrayed as being friendly and affordable, if not also practical and unimaginative. Chicago is the third-largest city in the USA, and it walks the line between being emblematic of the Midwest (friendly people, quiet streets, a slow pace of life) while also being a cosmopolitan city (beautiful historic architecture, renowned public art and art institutions and a vibrant food & nightlife scene).

Chicago’s city centre is even more beautiful than I expected, and one of the highlights of my trip was photographing the views from the Riverwalk. The Chicago River is a vibrant shade of aqua, which is unexpected in the heart of such a large city. I loved the ornate and glorious Wrigley Building, the beautiful Tiffany Dome inside the Cultural Center and the moody magnificence of the neo-Gothic Tribune Tower. I was also so impressed by the creativity of the restaurants and bars I visited, and how the hospitality scene gives San Francisco, Los Angeles and even New York a run for its money. I was a little surprised by how much the neighbourhoods I visited seemed to blend in to one another. I found that the city’s most hyped up neighbourhoods, Logan Square and Wicker Park, don’t lend themselves to exploring and wandering as much as neighbourhoods in other US cities have, so it’s definitely somewhere where you need to know what you’re looking for.

Other USA travel destinations I want to visit

I’m constantly torn between planning a trip to a city with a distinctive local character and one of the country’s many awe-inspiring national parks. At the top of my list (in no particular order) are Savannah, Nashville, Austin, Boston, Maui, the Grand Tetons, Yellowstone, Yosemite, Palm Springs, Zion National Park, Badlands National Park and Monument Valley.

Where are your favourite travel destinations in the USA? Where do you want to go next? Let me know in the comments!

The Wanderbug is reader supported. This site may contain links to affiliate websites, which means when you buy through links on this site I may receive a small affiliate commission at no cost to you. Thank you for your support!