Where should Istay in.
The destination index

Choose the city. Then choose the block.

Every guide compares three genuinely different bases, the nightly range you should expect and the honest reason to avoid each one.

The destination index
38
cities mapped
131
neighbourhoods
523
curated stays
25
Country hubs
No pay-to-play picks
Filter by region

38 city guides

Travel photograph of TokyoAsia01
Japan7

Tokyo

The right base turns an enormous city into a walkable one.

ShinjukuShibuya+5
$120–$550 per night
Travel photograph of ParisEurope02
France6

Paris

Choose the Paris you came for — then let the city do the rest.

Le MaraisSaint-Germain-des-Prés+4
$140–$520 per night
Travel photograph of LondonEurope03
United Kingdom6

London

London is huge. Your postcode decides how much of it you actually feel.

SohoShoreditch+4
$200–$550 per night
Travel photograph of New YorkNorth America04
United States6

New York

In New York, the neighbourhood is the personality. Choose yours.

SoHoMidtown+4
$220–$700 per night
Travel photograph of RomeEurope05
Italy5

Rome

In Rome, the right quarter saves you a bus ride and a bad dinner.

MontiCentro Storico+3
$120–$520 per night
Travel photograph of BarcelonaEurope06
Spain3

Barcelona

Beach, Gothic lanes or modernist grid — pick one to wake up in.

EixampleEl Born+1
$110–$480 per night
Travel photograph of MadridEurope07
Spain3

Madrid

A city that starts late, eats later and rewards the right neighbourhood.

Sol & Gran VíaLa Latina+1
$90–$450 per night
Travel photograph of AmsterdamEurope08
Netherlands3

Amsterdam

A small city with big crowds. The right neighbourhood buys you calm.

CentrumJordaan+1
$130–$520 per night
Travel photograph of BerlinEurope09
Germany3

Berlin

A city of villages. The district you choose becomes your Berlin.

MitteKreuzberg+1
$100–$420 per night
Travel photograph of ViennaEurope10
Austria3

Vienna

A grand, orderly city where the right district decides your whole day.

Innere StadtLeopoldstadt+1
$100–$500 per night
Travel photograph of LisbonEurope11
Portugal3

Lisbon

Seven hills, one river and a tram that is always fuller than you expect.

Baixa & ChiadoAlfama+1
$90–$380 per night
Travel photograph of PragueEurope12
Czechia3

Prague

A fairy-tale centre and a real city behind it. Choose which one to sleep in.

Old TownMalá Strana+1
$80–$350 per night
Travel photograph of MilanEurope13
Italy3

Milan

A working Italian city: fashion on the surface, aperitivo and trams underneath.

Duomo & BreraNavigli+1
$110–$500 per night
Travel photograph of VeniceEurope14
Italy3

Venice

No cars, no shortcuts, and a neighbourhood that makes or breaks the trip.

San MarcoCannaregio+1
$110–$700 per night
Travel photograph of FlorenceEurope15
Italy3

Florence

A small city with enormous art, best enjoyed before the day-trippers arrive.

Duomo & Centro StoricoSanta Croce & Sant'Ambrogio+1
$100–$550 per night
Travel photograph of MunichEurope16
Germany3

Munich

Beer gardens, museums and a compact, orderly city that still knows how to relax.

Altstadt & LehelMaxvorstadt+1
$110–$500 per night
Travel photograph of AthensEurope17
Greece3

Athens

Ancient stone, rooftop bars and a city that rewards early mornings.

Plaka & SyntagmaMonastiraki & Psirri+1
$80–$500 per night
Travel photograph of IstanbulEurope18
Türkiye3

Istanbul

Two continents, one ferry ride, and a base that decides how much you see.

SultanahmetBeyoğlu+1
$80–$420 per night
Travel photograph of DubaiAsia19
United Arab Emirates3

Dubai

A beach resort, a business city and an old creek town — often on the same day.

Dubai Marina & JBRDowntown Dubai+1
$100–$800 per night
Travel photograph of SingaporeAsia20
Singapore3

Singapore

A city you can cross by train in half an hour — so choose your evenings, not just your commute.

Marina Bay & Civic DistrictChinatown & Tanjong Pagar+1
$120–$650 per night
Travel photograph of Hong KongAsia21
Hong Kong3

Hong Kong

Harbour views or street life — the two sides of the harbour give you different trips.

Central & Sheung WanTsim Sha Tsui+1
$110–$600 per night
Travel photograph of SeoulAsia22
South Korea3

Seoul

Palaces in the morning, markets at noon, neon after dark — the base decides which Seoul you get.

Myeongdong & EuljiroBukchon & Insadong+1
$90–$500 per night
Travel photograph of BangkokAsia23
Thailand5

Bangkok

A city that rewards staying near a train line — and punishes trying to be everywhere.

SukhumvitSilom & Riverside+3
$50–$400 per night
Travel photograph of KyotoAsia24
Japan3

Kyoto

A city best seen early — so sleep within walking distance of the first temple.

Gion & HigashiyamaDowntown & Kawaramachi+1
$90–$650 per night
Travel photograph of OsakaAsia25
Japan3

Osaka

Eat first, plan second — Osaka is the easiest city in Japan to enjoy.

Namba & DotonboriUmeda & Kita+1
$80–$450 per night
Travel photograph of BeijingAsia26
China3

Beijing

Imperial scale, hutong intimacy and a modern city that never stops expanding.

Wangfujing & DongchengGulou & Shichahai+1
$80–$500 per night
Travel photograph of ShanghaiAsia27
China3

Shanghai

A river divides old and new Shanghai; where you sleep decides which version you wake up to.

The Bund & People's SquareFormer French Concession+1
$90–$600 per night
Travel photograph of Kuala LumpurAsia28
Malaysia3

Kuala Lumpur

A tropical capital where towers, hawker stalls and rainforest sit a few train stops apart.

KLCCBukit Bintang+1
$60–$450 per night
Travel photograph of Los AngelesNorth America29
United States3

Los Angeles

A city of separate worlds — pick one base and stop commuting across the map.

Santa MonicaWest Hollywood+1
$150–$600 per night
Travel photograph of San FranciscoNorth America30
United States3

San Francisco

Forty-nine square miles of hills, fog and very different neighbourhoods.

Union Square & Nob HillNorth Beach+1
$180–$700 per night
Travel photograph of ChicagoNorth America31
United States3

Chicago

A lakefront city of big architecture and honest food, with real winters.

The LoopRiver North+1
$140–$550 per night
Travel photograph of TorontoNorth America32
Canada3

Toronto

A lake city of neighbourhoods, built on a very practical grid.

Downtown & Financial DistrictEntertainment District & Queen West+1
$130–$475 per night
Travel photograph of Mexico CityNorth America33
Mexico3

Mexico City

A high-altitude capital of markets, museums and very distinct neighbourhoods.

Centro Histórico & ReformaRoma Norte & Condesa+1
$100–$495 per night
Travel photograph of Rio de JaneiroSouth America34
Brazil3

Rio de Janeiro

Mountains, ocean and neighbourhoods that each have their own rules.

Ipanema & LeblonCopacabana+1
$65–$500 per night
Travel photograph of Buenos AiresSouth America35
Argentina3

Buenos Aires

A late-night city of cafés, parrillas and neighbourhoods built for walking.

Palermo Soho & HollywoodRecoleta+1
$90–$450 per night
Travel photograph of SydneyOceania36
Australia3

Sydney

A harbour city where the best days happen on the water.

Circular Quay & The RocksSurry Hills & Darlinghurst+1
$130–$520 per night
Travel photograph of Cape TownAfrica37
South Africa3

Cape Town

A mountain, an ocean and a city that rewards choosing the right side of both.

City Bowl & GardensV&A Waterfront & Green Point+1
$65–$485 per night
Travel photograph of MarrakechAfrica38
Morocco3

Marrakech

A medina, a modern city and the Atlas beyond, all within half an hour.

The MedinaHivernage+1
$60–$600 per night
Country hub

Country hubs

Arrival notes and the guides we have mapped so far.

25 country hubs
01

Japan

Neon and temple bells, usually in the same trip.

02

France

A country of villages, but Paris is best treated like a set of villages too.

03

United Kingdom

A small country with very different cities. London is its own planet.

04

United States

Big cities, big distances. The right block matters more than the right hotel.

05

Italy

Ancient streets, regional kitchens and a country that rewards slowing down.

06

Spain

Late dinners, strong neighbourhoods and a day that runs on its own clock.

07

Netherlands

A small, flat country where the bicycle is the local language.

08

Germany

Big, affordable cities with hard-edged creativity and a serious café culture.

09

Portugal

Tiles, hills and a coastline that is never far away.

10

Czechia

A compact old city, serious beer and a growing food scene.

11

Türkiye

Two continents, ferries and a food culture that spans the day.

12

United Arab Emirates

Desert and skyline, with a very high level of service.

13

South Korea

A dense, fast, deeply social country with mountains at the edge of the city.

14

Thailand

Street food, temples and a capital that never fully sleeps.

15

Canada

Big, orderly cities where the neighbourhood matters more than downtown.

16

Mexico

Markets, colour and a food culture with deep regional roots.

17

Brazil

Beaches, music and a country that is its own continent.

18

Argentina

Late nights, beef and a café culture that stays up with you.

19

Australia

A continent-sized country best seen city by city, coast by coast.

20

South Africa

Mountains, oceans and cities with a complicated, generous heart.

21

Morocco

Medinas, mountains and food scented with cumin and orange blossom.

22

Austria

Imperial squares, coffee houses and mountains within a day of the capital.

23

Greece

Ancient stone, long lunches and a ferry map that rewards patience.

24

China

Fast trains, enormous cities and a food map that changes every province.

25

Malaysia

One city of towers and hawker centres, plus islands and rainforest beyond it.

The research desk

Next on the desk

Where we’re researching next. Want one sooner? Tell us — requests genuinely set the order.

Request a city

Research queue

50 in research

  1. 01

    Kanazawa

    Japan

  2. 02

    Hiroshima

    Japan

  3. 03

    Lyon

    France

  4. 04

    Bordeaux

    France

  5. 05

    Edinburgh

    United Kingdom

  6. 06

    Bath

    United Kingdom

  7. 07

    Miami

    United States

  8. 08

    Boston

    United States

View all 50 cities
  1. 09

    Turin

    Italy

  2. 10

    Naples

    Italy

  3. 11

    Seville

    Spain

  4. 12

    Valencia

    Spain

  5. 13

    Rotterdam

    Netherlands

  6. 14

    Utrecht

    Netherlands

  7. 15

    Hamburg

    Germany

  8. 16

    Cologne

    Germany

  9. 17

    Porto

    Portugal

  10. 18

    Madeira

    Portugal

  11. 19

    Brno

    Czechia

  12. 20

    Český Krumlov

    Czechia

  13. 21

    Antalya

    Türkiye

  14. 22

    Cappadocia

    Türkiye

  15. 23

    Abu Dhabi

    United Arab Emirates

  16. 24

    Sharjah

    United Arab Emirates

  17. 25

    Busan

    South Korea

  18. 26

    Jeju

    South Korea

  19. 27

    Chiang Mai

    Thailand

  20. 28

    Phuket

    Thailand

  21. 29

    Vancouver

    Canada

  22. 30

    Montreal

    Canada

  23. 31

    Oaxaca

    Mexico

  24. 32

    Guadalajara

    Mexico

  25. 33

    São Paulo

    Brazil

  26. 34

    Salvador

    Brazil

  27. 35

    Mendoza

    Argentina

  28. 36

    Córdoba

    Argentina

  29. 37

    Melbourne

    Australia

  30. 38

    Brisbane

    Australia

  31. 39

    Johannesburg

    South Africa

  32. 40

    Stellenbosch

    South Africa

  33. 41

    Fes

    Morocco

  34. 42

    Essaouira

    Morocco

  35. 43

    Salzburg

    Austria

  36. 44

    Innsbruck

    Austria

  37. 45

    Thessaloniki

    Greece

  38. 46

    Heraklion

    Greece

  39. 47

    Chengdu

    China

  40. 48

    Xi'an

    China

  41. 49

    George Town

    Malaysia

  42. 50

    Kota Kinabalu

    Malaysia

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