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,...

Taking the kids: To a fall festival

By Eileen Ogintz

September 21, 2023 at 2:41 p.m.

Let's celebrate! Fall is festival season and promises good times, good music, and good eats,...

Cyclists travel along the Bike the Heart Trail in St. Germain, Wisconsin.

From the ‘Field of Dreams’ film site to a solar-system-modeled trek, bikers can find plenty of fascinating trails around the Midwest

By Brian E. Clark

September 20, 2023 at 5:00 a.m.

As an avid cyclist, Dave Cushman considers himself lucky to live in Madison, Wisconsin, which...

Liverpool and Rome are at the top of musician Jock Bartley's travel bucket list. (Firetours Inc.)

Go away with … Jock Bartley

By Jae-Ha Kim

September 19, 2023 at 6:00 a.m.

After touring and playing guitar for Firefall for just shy of 50 years, founding member...

Picturesque Rothenburg, with its pastel buildings, uniform rooflines, and flower boxes, is also famous for its unique people. (Dominic Arizona Bonuccelli, Rick Steves' Europe)

Rick Steves’ Europe: Rothenburg, Germany: Small-town charm

By Rick Steves

September 19, 2023 at 6:00 a.m.

Many consider Germany's Rothenburg ob der Tauber to be the best-preserved medieval town in Europe,...

Giant Panda At The Smithsonian`s National Zoo

Taking the kids: Go see Washington’s giant pandas while you still can

By Eileen Ogintz

September 15, 2023 at 7:45 p.m.

The clock is ticking. If you want to see the Giant Pandas at the Smithsonian's...

Riders cross the high trestle bridge near Madrid, Iowa, during the RAGBRAI cycling event across Iowa on July 26, 2023.

Reflections on 500 miles: After RAGBRAI ride across Iowa, cyclists look back on 50th anniversary

By Jake Sheridan

September 14, 2023 at 12:57 p.m.

A week before Daniel Giffin planned to cycle across Iowa, he faced a challenge most...

Clockwise from top left: The Antioch Baptist Church in Venice, Chicago's Finest Marina in Chicago, the Second Reading Book Shop in Alton and The Gillett House in Jacksonville are all Underground Railroad sites in Illinois. Photographs were made using an iPhone tintype filter.

Itinerary: A weekend trip to sites on Illinois’ Underground Railroad

By Ariel Cheung

March 12, 2024 at 11:56 a.m.

With dozens of sites in Illinois designated as part of the Underground Railroad, this 3-day...

Stockholm's archipelago, comprising thousands of glacier-carved islands of all sizes, offers locals and tourists a relaxing getaway right on the Swedish capital's doorstep. (Cameron Hewitt/Rick Steves' Europe)

Rick Steves’ Europe: Island-hopping through Stockholm’s idyllic archipelago

By Rick Steves

March 12, 2024 at 11:56 a.m.

For years I'd flown over Stockholm's famed archipelago, or glided by it on a big...

Musician and actor Eric Nam is looking forward to touring to promote his latest album "House on a Hill." (Kigon Kwak/TCA)

Go away with … Eric Nam

By Jae-Ha Kim

September 12, 2023 at 8:56 a.m.

Umchina/??? is a Korean portmanteau for "mother's friend's son." This son may not even exist,...

Map: Illinois Underground Railroad historical sites, plus what to know before you go

By Darcel Rockett

October 20, 2025 at 12:58 p.m.

Many traces of the Underground Railroad still remain in Illinois. Here’s a map of known...