Travel

The Chicago skyline backdrops the Chicago Jazz Festival at Millennium Park’s Pritzker Pavilion on Sept. 4, 2026. (Chris Sweda/baiduhai)

Conde Nast Traveler readers name Chicago ‘Best Big City’ for 10th year in a row

By Robert Channick

October 6, 2026 at 3:25 p.m.

Conde Nast Traveler received nearly 800,000 votes for this year’s Readers’ Choice Awards, which cover...

Olivia Estrada, the on board manager, carries plates of food to the dome car for guests aboard a Patrick Henry Creative Promotions private rail car as it travels from Chicago, Illinois, to St. Louis, Missouri, on May 19, 2026. Private train cars may seem like a relic of the past, but for some rail fans, nothing beats having — or renting — your own sleeper car. (Jamie Kelter Davis/The New York Times)

The quiet allure of private rail

By The New York Times News Service Syndicate

October 2, 2026 at 6:15 p.m.

Private rail cars traveled 429,000 miles on Amtrak in fiscal year 2025, according to the...

Cary Sabados shops for chocolate at Hotel Chocolat in Lakeview on Feb. 12, 2026. This Lakeview location, opened last April, was the first Chicago store. (Eileen T. Meslar/baiduhai)

Chicago-based Hotel Chocolat going nationwide with airport concessions, grocery stores and new retail markets

By Robert Channick

September 23, 2026 at 12:37 p.m.

This fall, Hotel Chocolat will pop up at 49 airports, hit the shelves at Wegmans,...

New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern tours Hobbiton on Oct. 4, 2018, in Matamata, New Zealand.

20 years on, a transformed New Zealand looks back at ‘Lord of the Rings’

By Kevin Baxter

November 30, 2023 at 2:38 p.m.

New Zealand was primarily known abroad for its sheep, its wine and its rugby team...

A cookie village re-creation of the Chateau on the Lake Resort sports a vanilla wafer-tiled roof, pretzel balconies and jellybean stonework.

Searching for a holiday miracle in Branson — Missouri’s ultimate Christmas town

By Linze Rice

November 29, 2023 at 5:00 a.m.

There was a flurry of snow and ice the day I was born on Christmas...

Actress and author Dinah Manoff said Tokyo is at the top of her travel bucket list. (Kynlee Beau Photography/TCA)

Go away with … Dinah Manoff

By Jae-Ha Kim

November 28, 2023 at 8:00 a.m.

Dinah Manoff won a best actress Tony Award for Neil Simon's "I Ought to Be...

The Vienna State Opera hosts performances in the evening and tours during the day. (Dominic Arizona Bonuccelli/Rick Steves' Europe)

Rick Steves’ Europe: Exploring the musical soul of Austria

By Rick Steves

November 28, 2023 at 8:00 a.m.

Music lovers find special delights in Austria. In Salzburg at my favorite hotel, I lie...

Taking the kids: And starting a new holiday tradition wherever you are

By Eileen Ogintz

November 23, 2023 at 5:49 p.m.

Got a holiday tradition? When my kids were small and we lived in Chicago we...

Tourists walk in a crowded street in Venice, Italy, Sept. 13, 2023.

Venice rolls out day-tripper fee to try to regulate mass crowds on peak weekends

By Associated Press

November 23, 2023 at 9:13 a.m.

Venice authorities on Thursday unveiled a pilot program to charge day-trippers 5 euros ($5.45) apiece...

Travelers Aid service desk volunteer Jon Ziomek customizes a map for a traveler in Terminal 3.

O’Hare Airport’s information desks are staffed by volunteers — and they’ve seen it all

By Christopher Borrelli

November 22, 2023 at 10:03 a.m.

The holidays are stressful, but it could be worse. You could work in an airport....

The original house used in the "Home Alone" movies is decorated to reflect scenes from the movie.

Want to drive past the ‘Home Alone’ house? Or the church? A tour of 12 filming locations around Chicago.

By Kori Rumore

June 10, 2024 at 9:59 a.m.

The 600 block of Lincoln Avenue in Winnetka appears, at first glance, like any other...

Passengers head up the escalator towards Terminal 1 at O'Hare International Airport on Oct. 20, 2023.

Expect busy Chicago airports, roads as Thanksgiving travel kicks into high gear

By Sarah Freishtat

November 22, 2023 at 10:03 a.m.

Thanksgiving travelers, brace yourselves. Chicago's airports, airlines and roads will likely see a rush of...

In Castelrotto, the church bells ring daily starting at 6 a.m. – to the comfort of locals and to the consternation of tourists. (Cameron Hewitt/Rick Steves' Europe)

Rick Steves’ Europe: Castelrotto is a Germanic gem in Italy’s Alps

By Rick Steves

November 21, 2023 at 6:00 a.m.

Life in the Italian town of Castelrotto goes on almost entirely in German; in fact,...