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,...

An Amtrak conductor guides an out-of-state traveler who's arrived at Chicago's Union Station in November.

Just one state removed from Chicago’s COVID-19 travel advisory; city approaching 400 new cases a day again

By Alice Yin

November 9, 2021 at 2:42 p.m.

Arkansas was the only state removed this week from Chicago's travel advisory that lists places...

Paradise, Michigan, is a great place to try out night sky photography. With some hands-on instruction, even novices can get shots like this showcasing the starry sky over waterfalls at Tahquamenon Falls State Park.

Stargazing in the Midwest doesn’t get any better than in Michigan’s Upper Peninsula

By Terri Colby

November 5, 2021 at 1:21 p.m.

After a late night thrilling to the view of the Milky Way along the dark...

Air travelers look over a flight board filled with dozens of cancellations and delays as they make their way along crowded lines at the American Airlines terminal at O'Hare International Airport on Oct. 25, 2021.

California, Mississippi back on Chicago’s COVID-19 travel advisory: ‘This is no time for complacency’

By Alice Yin

November 2, 2021 at 2:01 p.m.

California and Mississippi returned to Chicago's travel advisory, which lists places in the U.S. where...

Mike McMains, second from right, leads his group pointing out, in his opinion, which building are ugly as he and his group make their way around Chicago, Oct. 22, 2021.

Heard enough about Chicago’s oh so lovely architecture? May we suggest a walk with the Ugly Buildings Tour

By Christopher Borrelli

November 2, 2021 at 3:38 p.m.

A Wendella tour boat glides past Mike McMains on a rainy Friday afternoon in October....

The Sentinel Dome and Taft Point 5-mile loop trail provides abundant panoramic views of Yosemite National Park on Aug. 2, 2021. The trailhead is found off Glacier Point Road at an elevation of more than 7,000 feet above sea level.

3 days in Yosemite: Mesmerizing views at Half Dome, the Mist Trail and Taft Point

By Mark Hume

October 28, 2021 at 5:00 a.m.

Yosemite National Park is really a park in name only. In most areas of the...

Kuipers Family Farm is a popular tourist destination for picking apples and pumpkins in Maple Park.

Chicago pumpkin patch guide 2021: From roadside stands to U-pick farms with corn mazes, here are 50 places to find gourds this fall

By Kori Rumore

October 27, 2021 at 11:58 a.m.

It doesn't feel like fall in Chicago until a visit has been made to one...

Travelers awaiting flights at O'Hare International Airport Monday.

4 states removed from Chicago’s COVID-19 travel advisory

By Alice Yin

October 26, 2021 at 12:00 p.m.

Four states were removed from Chicago's travel advisory, which lists places in the U.S. where...

A visitor snaps photos of Half Dome from Washburn Point in Yosemite National Park on Aug. 4, 2021. The peak of Half Dome is over 8,000 feet above sea level.

Visiting Yosemite National Park

By Contributed Content

October 25, 2021 at 5:43 p.m.

Yosemite National Park offers breathtaking views, mountain peaks, challenging hikes, peaceful meadows, towering trees and...

Best winter destination in every state

By Sarah Burns

October 22, 2021 at 5:03 p.m.

24/7 Wall St. ." title="Best winter destination in every state | To identify the best...

Rick Steves’ Europe: Lago di Como: Where Italians honeymoon

By Rick Steves

October 21, 2021 at 5:45 p.m.

Stretched over two chairs atop the skinny passenger deck of a 10-car ferry as it...