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,...

Rick Steves’ Europe: Living history enlivens your travels

By Rick Steves

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

Here are some thoughts about how and why one of the most rewarding aspects of...

Rick Steves’ Europe: Esperanza in Évora

By Rick Steves

October 21, 2021 at 5:44 p.m.

Alentejo is a vast and arid land — the bleak interior of Portugal, where cork...

The Bottleworks Hotel is a 139-room boutique hotel occupying the top two floors in the historic former Coca-Cola bottling plant's administration building.

10 last-minute Midwest getaways perfect for fall

By Ariel Cheung

October 20, 2021 at 9:58 a.m.

Before nose-nipping temperatures and hazardous snow arrives, vaccinated Chicagoans might be looking to get out...

The 30 oldest structures in the world

By Josie Green

October 19, 2021 at 2:46 p.m.

24/7 Wall St. ." title="The 30 oldest structures in the world | Some sites date...

Travelers line up at O'Hare International Airport's United terminal in September.

2 states and Washington, D.C., removed from Chicago COVID-19 travel advisory

By Alice Yin

October 19, 2021 at 12:26 p.m.

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

Autumn color is in full splendor in the Keweenaw Peninsula of Upper Michigan

By Steve Chapman

October 19, 2021 at 5:00 a.m.

You'd have to drive a long way from Chicago to find more dazzling and prolific...

Anna Jaszczyk, area director of sales, draws the curtains in the Gwen Lux suite at The Gwen Hotel.

Chicago’s Gwen Hotel ranked top in city by Conde Nast Traveler

By Contributed Content

October 20, 2021 at 2:45 p.m.

The Gwen Hotel was ranked the No. 1 hotel in Chicago and No. 8 in...

Alexandria Santiago picks apples with her children at Royal Oak Farm Orchard.

Your guide to apple picking in the Chicago area, from pick-your-own orchards to an apple tree maze

By Kori Rumore

October 17, 2021 at 12:33 p.m.

There's a cozy quietness to the beginning of fall that even those of us woefully...

In this April 7, 2020, photo released by the U.S. Navy, sailors assigned to the aircraft carrier USS Theodore Roosevelt move ready to eat meals for sailors who have tested negative for COVID-19 and are being taken to local hotels in an effort to implement social distancing at Naval Base Guam.

Chicago health commissioner cautiously optimistic about holiday gatherings this year: ‘Go ahead and make some tentative plans,’ but know guidance could change

By Alice Yin

October 5, 2021 at 7:08 p.m.

Chicago public health Commissioner Dr. Allison Arwady cast a hopeful but cautious eye Tuesday toward...

When it comes to murals, Chicago’s are some of the most-loved

By Darcel Rockett

October 6, 2021 at 11:37 a.m.

Chicago always seems to land on a top 10 list for something, from pizza to...