Best places to travel

Where to go next, solo or with friends, on a shoestring or not, in any month of the year. Every pick comes from our own city guides.

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434
city guides
€13
a day, the cheapest on a shoestring
8
kinds of trip

Where should you go next? It depends on three things: when you’re going, what you can spend and what kind of trip you want. So instead of one list, this page answers all three, using the month-by-month weather, crowds and daily costs in every one of our city guides.

Start with the big questions below, jump to a month, or scroll down to the finder and narrow it down yourself.

🎒 Best places to travel solo

The best places to travel solo are the ones where it’s easiest to meet people, and that usually means the biggest hostel scenes. Our Lisbon guide calls it the hostel capital of Europe, and cities like Barcelona, Budapest, Bangkok and Hanoi aren’t far behind. More hostels means more common rooms, more walking tours and more people in the same position as you.

The list below ranks our city guides by how many places to stay they have on Hostelworld right now, updated every day.

  1. 1BangkokThailand320 places to stay
  2. 2Chiang MaiThailand188 places to stay
  3. 3PhuketThailand150 places to stay
  4. 4HanoiVietnam133 places to stay
  5. 5Ho Chi Minh CityVietnam132 places to stay
  6. 6BarcelonaSpain112 places to stay
  7. 7RomeItaly112 places to stay
  8. 8Hoi AnVietnam111 places to stay
  9. 9KathmanduNepal104 places to stay

Wherever you go, two Hostelworld features make the first night easier. Hostel Chat lets you join your hostel’s group chat 48 hours before check-in, and Social Pass works without a booking in more than 180 cities, so you can see who’s around before you even arrive.

💸 Best places to travel when you’re young and broke

Our city guides each work out a daily budget on a shoestring: a dorm bed, food, local transport and something to do. The cheapest come in at about €13 a day, in Amritsar, Pushkar and Varanasi in India. Hampi and Hanoi are about €15.

In Europe, the cheapest shoestring days are around €17, in Kutaisi in Georgia, Niš in Serbia, Prizren in Kosovo, Daugavpils in Latvia and Gyumri in Armenia. These are the cheapest of all our guides:

  1. 1VaranasiIndia€13 a day
  2. 2PushkarIndia€13 a day
  3. 3AmritsarIndia€13 a day
  4. 4KolkataIndia€14 a day
  5. 5HanoiVietnam€15 a day
  6. 6VientianeLaos€15 a day
  7. 7DarjeelingIndia€15 a day
  8. 8Nong KhiawLaos€15 a day
  9. 9HampiIndia€15 a day

📅 Best places to travel by month

The weather decides more than anything else, so each month has its own page, with our top picks and every city with good weather that month. Here’s a taste of each:

  • January: Chiang Mai, Galle and Hampi in their dry season, or Europe’s cities at their cheapest.
  • February: Carnival in Tenerife, Madeira and Malta, and Rajasthan before the heat.
  • March: Cherry blossom starting in Kyoto, orange blossom in Seville and spring in Kathmandu.
  • April: Tulips in Amsterdam and Istanbul, Holy Week in Seville and Granada.
  • May: The best month of the year in Lisbon, Rome, Athens and Kraków.
  • June: Midsummer in Stockholm, the Fête de la Musique in Paris and São João in Porto.
  • July: Peak summer on Naxos, Crete, the Algarve and the Dalmatian coast.
  • August: The warmest sea of the summer on Paros, Corfu and the Salento.
  • September: The warmest sea of the year in Dubrovnik, Naxos and Funchal.
  • October: Golden autumn in Tbilisi and peak trekking season in Kathmandu.
  • November: Lanterns in Chiang Mai, lamps in Varanasi and autumn leaves in Kyoto.
  • December: Sun in Goa, Sri Lanka and Dubai, or Christmas markets in Strasbourg and Vienna.

🧭 Best places to travel by kind of trip

Every city guide is tagged with the trips it suits best. Pick one to see every match in the finder:

Beach means the sea. If you’d rather swim in a lake or a river, Lakes & rivers covers places like Ohrid, Udaipur, Luang Prabang and the Swiss lake cities.

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Find your best place to travel

Pick a budget and a kind of trip. Every city comes from one of our guides.

When are you going?
Any timeJanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec
What's your daily budget?
Any budgetUnder €40€40–70€70+
What kind of trip?
Any tripCity breakAdventureBeachLakes & riversNightlifeFoodCultureRoad trip

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Questions travellers ask

What are the best places to travel solo?
The places with the biggest hostel scenes, because that's where it's easiest to meet people. Our Lisbon guide calls it the hostel capital of Europe, and Barcelona, Budapest, Bangkok and Hanoi have some of the biggest hostel scenes anywhere. The solo list on this page ranks our city guides by how many places to stay they have on Hostelworld.
What are the best places to travel with kids?
Look for short distances, mild weather and plenty to do outdoors. From our guides, Copenhagen in June (harbour swimming in the middle of the city), Lisbon in May or September and Funchal in spring or autumn are all good choices. Many hostels have private rooms that sleep a family: check the room types on the property page before you book.
Where are the best places to travel when you're young and broke?
India and Vietnam are the cheapest in our guides, at about €13 to €15 a day on a shoestring in Amritsar, Pushkar, Varanasi, Hampi and Hanoi. In Europe, Georgia, Serbia, Kosovo, Latvia and Armenia start at about €17 a day.
What are the best places to travel in December?
For sun: Goa, Sri Lanka's south coast, Dubai and the Thai islands, all in peak season. For winter: the Christmas markets in Strasbourg, Vienna and Kraków, Rovaniemi on the Arctic Circle and Hogmanay in Edinburgh. See the best places to travel in December.
What are the best places to travel in October?
Tbilisi, where our guide calls it the best month of the year, Kathmandu for trekking season, Petra, Seville, Rome and Athens. See the best places to travel in October.
What are the best places to travel in June?
Copenhagen, Paris, Budapest, Sarajevo and Kotor all call June their best month, and Stockholm celebrates midsummer. See the best places to travel in June.
What are the best places to travel when pregnant?
Talk to your doctor or midwife before you book, and check your airline's rules on flying while pregnant and what your travel insurance covers. Many travellers then choose short flights, mild weather and easy transfers, such as Lisbon or Valletta in spring, rather than long-haul heat or high altitude.
How do you choose the best places to travel?
Every pick comes from one of our city guides, using its month-by-month table (average high, how busy it gets and a note on the month), its shoestring budget and the kinds of trip it suits. The finder below applies the same data to every guide we have.
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