Oops, we’ve done it again! Travel + Leisure has released their World’s Best Awards for 2023 and for the eleventh straight year, Charleston has topped the list of best U.S. cities. Can you blame them? With so much to see and do, so much history, so many good restaurants and cultural experiences to take part in, Charleston is definitely a one-of-a-kind city.
But wait, that’s not all! Our beautiful little paradise also came in at number 19 on the World’s Best Cities list. I think it’s safe to say our secret is out.
The World’s best list is comprised of 122 categories highlighting the best in travel — from cities in the U.S. and around the world to airlines, national parks, cruise ships, spas, resorts and hotels. Results are based on data from readers who participated in a survey and ranked each characteristic by selecting excellent, above average, average, below average or poor. The final scores are averages of the participants’ responses. This year nearly 165,000 Travel + Leisure readers completed the survey and cast more than 685,000 votes.
According to the magazine, cities were specifically rated on sights and landmarks, culture, food, friendliness, shopping and value.
Here is the complete list of the Top 15 U.S. Cities
- Charleston, South Carolina
- Santa Fe, New Mexico
- New Orleans, Louisiana
- Savannah, Georgia
- Chicago, Illinois
- Honolulu, Hawaii
- New York, New York
- Nashville, Tennessee
- Alexandria, Virginia
- San Antonio, Texas
- Williamsburg, Virginia
- Bend, Oregon
- San Diego, California
- Boston, Massachusetts
- Asheville, North Carolina
The World’s Best Cities list includes:
- Oaxaca, Mexico
- Udaipur, India
- Kyoto, Japan
- Ubud, Indonesia
- San Miguel de Allende, Mexico
- Mexico City, Mexico
- Tokyo, Japan
- Istanbul, Turkey
- Bangkok, Thailand
- Mumbai, India
- Chiang Mai, Thailand
- Florence, Italy
- Luang Prabang, Laos
- Marrakesh, Morocco
- Rome, Italy
- Mérida, Mexico
- Siem Reap, Cambodia
- Singapore
- Charleston, SC
- Lisbon, Portugal
As the top city in the US of course, Travel + Leisure also had to rank the best 15 hotels around Charleston. Here’s the list:
- Wentworth Mansion
- The Loutrel
- Planters Inn
- John Rutledge House Inn
- Zero George
- The Dewberry
- Hotel Bennett
- French Quarter Inn
- HarborView Inn
- The Restoration
- Emeline
- The Charleston Place
- The Vendue
- Market Pavilion
- The Mills House Hotel
Wentworth Mansion also picked up number 5 on the Best City Hotels in the Continental U.S. list and The Loutrel grabbed the number 8 spot.
Well, I’ve been to 10 of the top 15 US cities, 2 of the top world cities and stayed at 3 of the top Charleston hotels. Not bad…