budapest travel adapter

US to Hungary Power Adapter: What Plug Do I Need? (2024)

Blessed with striking natural scenery and ancient architectural gems, Hungary is a central European highlight that’s destined to impress. Gurgling hot springs, hearty regional fare, and colorful folk culture abound at every turn, while the country’s vibrant capital is an old-school Eurotrippers favorite.

You’ll need a fully charged battery to make the most of your time in Hungary, so it’s imperative you’ve got the correct power adapter for your trip. Here’s everything you need to know about travel adapters for Hungary, plus a few pro travel tips for good measure.

Which power outlets do they use in Hungary?

Hungary uses the standard European-style Type C and Type F outlets, which fit power plugs that have two round metal prongs. Note that Type C and Type F are interchangeable with one another, and also work with the similar Type E.

Like most countries in Europe and many around the world, Hungary’s electric grid runs on a 50Hz frequency with a standard voltage of 230. By contrast, the US runs on 60Hz with a standard voltage of 110V-120V.

Although most Hungarian power outlets are well-constructed, some are a little on the shabby side so should be approached with caution.

What kind of power adapter do I need for Hungary?

If you’re traveling to Hungary for the first time you’re probably asking yourself  “What plug do I need for Hungary?”  American travelers will require a Type A/B to Type C/F (North America to Europe) travel adapter to charge their devices in Hungary. The good news for Eurotrippers is that Hungary uses the same outlet as most of the continent, so a separate travel adapter isn’t required.

This  Universal Adapter  will charge all of your personal electronics throughout Hungary including your mobile phone, tablet, laptop, camera etc. It’s compatible in over 100 other countries around the world, so it will also come in handy on future international adventures.

View on Amazon.com ➜

What’s the electricity and power supply like in Hungary?

Hungary runs on 230V and 50Hz, which is a different voltage and frequency from the United States. Therefore, American travelers may need a voltage converter to power certain devices in Hungary. The Hungarian electrical grid isn’t as advanced as Western Europe. As a consequence, blackouts and power surges can occasionally occur.

Do I Need A Voltage Converter In Hungary?

Despite the difference in voltage, the vast majority of travelers won’t need a voltage converter on their next trip to Hungary. These days, almost all personal electronics are dual voltage, which allows you to operate them on either system safely. A common exception is a portable hairdryer, which often uses a fixed 110V. Check the labeling if in doubt.

Other Hungary Packing List Items

In addition to your US to Hungary power adapter, these items will help you pack with intention and expand the possibilities of your getaway. Also, check out our Hungary packing list for more inspiration and ideas.

1. Neck Wallet / Passport Pouch

Hungary is no stranger to petty crime, the most common of which is pickpocketing. Criminals tend to work in gangs to distract the victim while one makes off with their valuables without them noticing a thing. The best way to keep yourself safe from these nefarious practices is to invest in a neck-wallet, which discreetly slips under your shirt and out of sight. Lightweight and breathable, this essential travel accessory is comfortable to wear and will allow you to walk through crowds worry-free.

View on Amazon.com ➜

2. Packing Cubes

If you’re in the habit of haphazardly emptying your luggage all over the hotel room, then you’re someone who should be using packing cubes. These game-changing accessories let you store each article type together, allowing you to pinpoint the particular piece of clothing you need with utmost ease. Best of all, they’re ultralightweight and affordable, so you’ve got nothing to lose by utilizing a set.

3. Virtual Private Network (VPN)

Hungary is a hotbed of cybercrime, so it’s crucial to take online security seriously during your stay. These days, hackers are stealing the sensitive personal information of fellow users on public WiFi networks. And should that info include your bank details, you could lose your life savings in a flash. Don’t take the risk. Invest in a VPN to mask your traffic from prying eyes.

View options at NordVPN.com ➜

4. Windproof Travel Umbrella

There is not an abundance of rain in Hungary, but it is pretty evenly distributed throughout the year. This means that regardless of when you visit, there’s a good chance you could run into a couple of rainy days. This compact travel umbrella is a great option to bring with you on your daily excursions. It’s windproof with a convenient auto open/close function that makes it easy to enter and exit your destinations throughout a rainy day.

5. Extra Phone Charging Cables

Another excellent way to maintain optimal battery health is to invest in a backup phone charging cable. USB ports are a dime a dozen in Hungary, so you’ll have plenty of opportunities to recharge as you go.

6. Jet Lag Relief Pills

Expect to spend at least 14 hours traveling from the US to Hungary, or even more if you’re stuck with lengthy stopovers. Add onto that a time difference of at least six hours, and you’re certain to suffer from jet lag upon arrival. Mitigate the effects and regain your first days in the country by taking the prescribed dose of jet lag relief pills.

7. Travel Insurance for Hungary

All manner of things could go wrong in Hungary, much like anywhere else in the world. Can you afford to fork out for a medical evacuation back home in the event of an emergency? Protect yourself from the worst-case scenario, not to mention minor incidents such as petty theft, by taking out a comprehensive travel insurance policy. We like to use TravelInsurance.com to compare plans from top companies and find the best one for our family and travel plans.

Compare policies at TravelInsurance.com ➜

Other FAQs about traveling in Hungary

1. when should you travel to hungary.

Subzero temperatures are the norm in winter, so you’ll have to wrap up. On the bright side, the country’s famed architecture looks especially stunning with a fresh dusting of snow. The ski fields are also open for business at this time of year. Be sure to check current  Hungary travel advisories  before you go.

2. What is the weather like in Hungary?

Hungary resides in a temperate climatic zone, meaning it rarely gets unbearably hot or cold. Given this is a country of four seasons, it’s crucial to pack accordingly for the time of year. In Budapest, average daily highs rarely surpass 83F (28C) in summer, while average winter lows don’t go far under 30F (-1C).

3. What’s there to do in Budapest?

The other must-visit site in Buda is the Fisherman’s Bastion, A.K.A. the Halaszbastya, a whimsical neo-gothic terrace famed for its pointy spires. Here, a brave group of local fishermen used its elevation to defend the city from invaders in the middle ages. Retrace their footsteps by climbing to the upper terrace for the best city views. Next, treat yourself to a day spa while admiring the intricate Art Nouveau entrance of the Gellért Baths. Other beautiful options in Buda include the Ottoman-era Rudas and Kiraly Baths.

The flatter eastern side of Pest is known for its historic sites, frantic nightlife, and steamy bathhouses. On the bank of the Danube lies the imposing Hungarian National Parliament. Take a 45-minute tour of this epic Neo-Gothic edifice (if parliament isn’t in session) to properly appreciate its grandeur. Another worthwhile attraction is the 19th century St. Stephen’s Basilica, Hungary’s most important and beautiful church. For a quick retail fix, the Neo-Gothic 19th century Central Market is an enchanting place to shop. Everything from fashion and knickknacks to fresh fruits line these frantic stalls.

Pest boasts the city’s most accessible bathhouses, the most famous of which is the stunning Széchenyi Baths. Set in the center of the leafy City Park, it’s steamy indoor pools come clad with colorful mosaics, while the outdoor section offers unbeatable Budapest views. Come nighttime, the latter converts into a no-holds-barred “Sparty,” where the liquor flows as freely as the inhibitions of the attendees. The best nightlife is found in Pest’s buzzing “Ruin Bars,” a selection of abandoned buildings converted into uber-hip watering holes. Dilapidated second-hand furniture and oodles of creative energy define these unique venues, the most popular of which is Corvintet.

4. Where should you go in Hungary?

Budapest may draw the biggest tourist crowds, but there’s plenty to discover outside the capital as well. For a quaint escape, make your way to Tihany on the shimmering Lake Balaton. The windy cobblestone streets of this sleepy town are a pleasure to explore on foot, as are the well-marked hiking trails that blaze through the lush outlying hills. Be sure to pop into the beautiful 17th-century Benedictine Abbey, an elegant twin-spired church with an enticing baroque-rococo interior. Pécs is southern Hungary’s most eclectic town, whose ensemble of Ottoman architecture and buzzing party scene provide plenty of reason to linger.

Check out the Pasha Gazi Kasim Mosque and the Pécs Cathedral to better understand Hungary’s past. To the east of the capital, the heavily fortified Eger Castle offers a glimpse into the warfare of old. Situated on the southern slopes of the Bükk Mountains, travelers can combine a visit with a hilly hike or two. Another regal attraction is the stately Visegrád Royal Palace, which rests on a hilltop overlooking the Danube not far north of Budapest. Another interesting activity is to burrow underground at the Baradla Caves on the Slovakian border. The UNESCO-listed network stretches several miles and is packed full of impressive stalactites and stalagmites. Other exciting subterranean highways can be found in Lillafüred, not far from Eger Castle.

5. How’s the best way to get around in Hungary?

If the train doesn’t suit, the German-owned  FlixBus  and its local offshoot  Volánbusz  run regular services to just about every imaginable domestic destination. Domestic air travel within Hungary is virtually non-existent.

Plugs in Budapest🇭🇺

Heading to Budapest for your trip? It’s always smart to check if you need a universal travel adapter or not.

Many countries have different types of outlets and plugs compared to what we use in the United States. We’ve got all the info you need for your trip to Budapest.

Do you need a travel adapter?

❗ Yes, you’ll need a travel adapter in Budapest.

Key takeways

• 🔌 The outlets in Budapest are type C and F .
• ⚡️ The voltage is 230V and the frequency is 50Hz .
• 🌎 You do need a travel adapter for electrical devices from the United States.
• 🔋 You’ll likely need a converter for some devices .

The travel adapter you need

We’ve done the research to find the best travel adapter for your trip. You can find the top-rated travel adapter below. You’ll be redirected to Amazon where you can easily order the adapter.

EPICKA Universal Travel Adapter

Outlets in budapest.

Hungary, known for its stunning architecture like the Parliament in Budapest and rich thermal baths, uses type C and F outlets. As these differ from US outlets, a travel adapter is essential for your Hungarian journey.

Type C outlets also work with type C and F plugs.

Type F outlets also work with type C and E plugs.

Do you need a voltage converter in Budapest?

❗ Yes, you’ll likely need a voltage converter.

In Budapest the standard voltage is 230V with a frequency of 50Hz . This doesn’t match the 120V standard in the United States . Therefore, not every device will work with just a travel adapter. Always check if your devices are compatible with different voltages.

A voltage converter is likely necessary for some devices . Always refer to your device’s manual. If it states ‘ INPUT: 100-240V, 50/60 Hz ,’ it’s usually usable worldwide.

Voltage converter 220/240V to 110/120V

With the voltage converter below, you’re all set for American electronics, but always double-check the device you want to hook up to the converter. This product comes highly recommended by users and is definitely a must-have for your trip.

Key Power Voltage Converter

Also of interest for your trip, apple airtag.

• Always have your suitcase location at your fingertips
• Set up in under a minute
• Precise location tracking

Vacuum Storage Bags

• Hand pump included
• Protect against dirt, moisture, and odors

Packing cubes

• Organize your suitcase
• Keep your clothes clean
• 20-piece set

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What is the plug for Hungary? Before you travel, check the information below to make sure your electronic devices are compatible with the outlet type and voltage.

Electrical Summary

Plug Compatibility: Type C, Type F

Voltage: 220V – 240V

Frequency: 50 Hz

Can North Americans use Electronics in Hungary without an Adapter?

No! North Americans will need an adapter for the outlets and a transformer for the voltage when traveling to Hungary . North Americans device plugs will not work with the outlet types in Hungary . Also, the voltage in Hungary is different from North American voltages.

Can Europeans use Electronics in Hungary without an adapter?

Yes! Europeans do not need a travel adapter or transformer when traveling to Hungary . Most device plugs will work with the outlet types in Hungary . Also, the voltage in Hungary is the same as in Europe.  

What Outlet does Hungary Use?

Normal 0 false false false EN-US X-NONE X-NONE

Type C plug sockets are used in Europe, Africa and Asia. They have two round pins and no grounding pin. These plugs are typically used with devices that have a voltage of 220-240V. This outlet is rated for 2.5 amps. Plug Type E, and Type F are compatible with this socket. All other plug types will need an adapter.

Type F electrical plug sockets are used in Germany, Spain, Italy and some parts of Africa . They have two round pins and a grounding pin. These outlets are typically used with devices that have a voltage of 220-240V. This outlet is rated for 16 amps. Plug Type C and Type E are compatible with this socket. All other plug types will need an adapter.

Is it safe to drink water in Hungary?

Yes, it is generally safe to drink tap water in Hungary. The country has strict regulations for drinking water quality, and the tap water is regularly monitored to ensure that it meets these standards.

The quality of tap water in Hungary is generally good, and many people drink it without any problems. However, as with any country, there may be variations in water quality depending on the specific region or municipality.

If you have any concerns about the safety or quality of the tap water in Hungary, you can check with the local authorities or your accommodation provider. Additionally, bottled water is widely available in Hungary if you prefer to drink it instead.

We recommend always packing a filtered water bottle when traveling:

Travel Essentials

Be sure to check our list of travel essentials before your trip!

Recommended Travel Essentials

Should I get travel insurance when traveling to Hungary?

It is generally recommended to get travel insurance when traveling to a different country. Travel insurance can provide financial protection and peace of mind in case of unexpected events, such as medical emergencies, trip cancellations, lost or stolen baggage, or other travel-related mishaps.

Travel insurance can cover various expenses related to your trip, such as medical expenses, emergency medical transportation, trip cancellation or interruption, lost or stolen baggage or personal belongings, and other travel-related expenses.

Before purchasing travel insurance, it’s important to carefully review the policy details, including the coverage limits, exclusions, and any applicable deductibles or copays. You should also make sure that the policy covers any activities or destinations that you plan to participate in or visit during your trip.

Travel Summary

Hungary is a beautiful country located in Central Europe, known for its rich history, stunning architecture, and delicious cuisine.

The capital city, Budapest, is a top tourist destination, known for its stunning landmarks such as the Hungarian Parliament Building, the Fisherman’s Bastion, and the Chain Bridge. Visitors can also enjoy the city’s famous thermal baths, delicious cuisine, and vibrant nightlife.

Beyond Budapest, there are many other regions in Hungary that are worth exploring. The Lake Balaton region, located in the west of the country, is famous for its stunning lake and picturesque villages. Visitors can enjoy outdoor activities such as swimming, boating, and hiking, as well as visit historic landmarks such as the Festetics Palace.

The Tokaj region, located in the northeast of the country, is another popular destination known for its world-renowned wine. Visitors can explore the region’s vineyards and wineries, as well as enjoy the beautiful countryside and historic landmarks such as the Tokaj Castle.

Overall, Hungary is a beautiful country with a rich history and culture, stunning architecture, and delicious cuisine. It is a must-visit destination for anyone looking for a unique and memorable travel experience in Central Europe.

Traveling to another country? Check out our Countries page for more info.

Select the country you are from to see if you need a power plug adapter when travelling to Budapest.

Budapest electrical outlets & plugs

Budapest uses power outlets and plugs of types C & F. Take a look at the pictures below to see what these plugs and power sockets look like:

Do the outlets look different in your country? You'll need a power plug adapter.

Type C - The standard European plug. Commonly used in Europe, South-America and Asia, but also in quite a few other countries. Plugs of type E and F will also fit in a type C outlet.

Type F - Used in almost all European countries and Russia. Also known as the Schuko plug. Plugs of type C and E will also fit in a type F socket.

Electricity in Budapest - voltage and frequency

All power sockets in Budapest provide a standard voltage of 230V with a standard frequency of 50Hz.

You can use all your equipment in Budapest if the outlet voltage in your own country is between 220V-240V. This is the case in most of Europe, Australia, the United Kingdom and most countries in Africa and Asia.

If the standard voltage in your country is in the range of 100V-127V (which is most common in the US, Canada and countries in South America) you might need a voltage converter in Budapest.

The standard frequency in Budapest is 50Hz. If this frequency differs from the frequency used in your home country, please use caution when plugging in your devices. Check the small print on the device to see if the device can handle the frequency. Please note we regularly check our electricity information with the International Electrotechnical Committee (IEC)

Small print on the device or power adapter indicates what voltages the device can work with. If you see 100-240V 50/60Hz printed, the adapter is rated to work on all voltages used worldwide. Please note that power plug adapters only convert plug types and do not convert voltages.

Our recommended adapters

Universal adapter

Adapter + Converter

Frequently asked questions

What power plug types and electrical outlets are used in Budapest? ⌄

In Budapest they use power plugs and electrical outlets of types C & F.

What voltage is used in Budapest? ⌄

The standard voltage in Budapest is 230V at a frequency of 50Hz.

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Linda On The Run

Travel, Lifestyle, And Fitness For Those Over 60

• Destinations

Traveling to Budapest: 20 Important Things To Know

February 16, 2024 //  by  Linda Malys Yore //   Leave a Comment

Are you traveling to Budapest soon? If yes, then you have come to the right place.

I have visited Budapest several times and can help you with all the important things to know before going to Budapest.

Budapest is a popular European city that is home to the romantic Danube River and is connected by the iconic Chain Bridge.

What I love about Budapest Hungary is that both the historical and the cosmopolitan parts of the city exist together.

So, whether you are surviving a long-haul flight to reach here or coming by road, it is essential to be aware of some Budapest travel details to help you make the most of the trip.

Do you wish to enjoy the thermal baths, delicious food, and the stunning scenery here?

If yes, then read on my list of the 20 important things to know before traveling to Budapest!

Check On Your Country’s Hungarian Visa Entry/Exit Requirements

It doesn’t matter if you are traveling to Budapest for one day or longer, you should know the Visa requirements for Hungary before planning your trip.

Thankfully, Americans don’t require a visa to travel to Budapest for a stay of less than 90 days.

If you are not holding an American passport, it is wise for you to research your country’s Hungarian visa requirements.

Check Out: Budapest: Shared Airport Shuttle Bus Transfer

Check Out: Budapest (BUD): Ferenc Liszt Airport Premium Lounge Access

Make Sure to Check Your Passport Before Traveling To Budapest

You will need a current and valid passport to enter Hungary. The expiry date of your passport should be three months longer than the intended date of departure from Hungary.

Plus, make sure you have sufficient proof of funds and a return plane ticket.

Hungary also requires one full blank page for stamping your entry and exit.

So, check your passport expiry date and empty pages well in advance as expedited handling fees to renew your passport are quite expensive.

Check Out: Budapest: Private Transfer from Airport to Hotel

Check Out: Budapest: City Highlights Cruise with Welcome Drink

Purchase A Hungarian SIM Card For Your Phone

When traveling to Budapest, one of the best travel tips for Budapest that I can share with you is to purchase a Hungarian SIM card or e-SIM for your smartphone.

This will allow you to have a network to send and receive messages on WhatsApp or FB Messenger. Plus, you will be able to connect to public WiFi easily as well.

You can install and activate an e-SIM when leaving from your home country or buy a local SIM card at the airport kiosks upon arrival, or in Budapest.

Check Out: Budapest: Hungary/ Europe eSIM Roaming Mobile Data Plan

Check Out: UK/Europe: eSim Mobile Data Plan

Cash or Credit Cards? What Is Best To Have?

The simple answer is when traveling to Budapest, you will want to have both!

Credit cards are widely accepted throughout Budapest. However, if you are using cash, both Hungarian forint and Euros are accepted.

You will get the best exchange rate when traveling to Budapest if you use an ATM. I highly suggest you use an ATM before you leave the airport to withdraw money in the local currency.

Be aware there are fees when using an ATM. So, I suggest you withdraw a larger sum of money, less amount of times.

Also, check with your bank at home before traveling to Budapest and find out the names of fee-free “in-network”  bank ATMs in Hungary, so the out-of-network fee is not charged to you as well.

If you need to exchange money from home into the local currency, your safest bet would be a Hungarian bank.

Check Out: 3-Hour Orientation Walking Tour of Buda and Pest

Check Out: Budapest: 3-Hour Grand City Tour and Castle Walk

Notify Your Credit Card Company When Traveling to Budapest

Call your credit card company to notify them of the dates you will travel to Budapest. This ensures that your card is available for you to use and won’t be blocked when needed.

Check to see if the credit cards you are currently using charge foreign transaction fees every time you use them when you are out of the country. 

If it does, inquire about applying for a credit card that does NOT charge such fees.

Best Time to Visit Budapest Is Throughout the Year

I love that you can plan a visit to Budapest throughout the year.

If you want pleasant weather and fewer tourists, then the Spring and Autumn seasons are the best for visiting Budapest.

But if you are traveling to Budapest in winter, then you can enjoy the Christmas markets, thermal baths, outdoor ice skating rinks, and so much more here.

During summers, you can attend the largest musical festival here – Sziget Festival, or chill on one of the three public beaches.

Trust me, you cannot go wrong with a trip to Budapest, regardless of when you decide to go.

Check Out: Budapest: Buda Castle Cave Walking Tour

Check Out: Budapest: Széchenyi Spa Full Day with Optional Pálinka Tour

Use Budapest Public Transportation 

If you planning to spend at least two days in Budapest , then I recommend using public transport.

There are lots of public transport options available including subway, trams, buses, etc.

Subway is one of the best ways to get around town when visiting Budapest. Budapest was the first European mainland town to install the subway system.

Another great option is to use a tram or trolly system. The city has an extensive tram and trolly network which is the largest in the world.

Budapest  buses  stop all over the city. If you plan to hop on and off frequently, avoid the express buses.

Try a ride on the  cable railway . This funicular runs from the foot of Castle Hill to the top of the Castle District.

Check Out: Budapest: Big Bus Hop-On Hop-Off Sightseeing Tour

Check Out: Budapest: Evening Sightseeing Cruise with Unlimited Prosecco

You Will Feel Safe As In Any European City While Traveling to Budapest

Let me start by saying my family and I were robbed in broad daylight in  Paris France.  

That would be 3 out of 4 of us. All on the same day. At different locations. So we are aware of unsafe circumstances.

However, we always felt safe when sightseeing in Budapest.

Of course,  remain vigilant  with your personal space and your belongings. 

Most Hungarians Will Understand Your English

Although Hungarian is the main language spoken by those living in Budapest, English is equally popular in the city.

So, you will face no issues in communicating with the locals and the shop owners.

If you still aren’t sure, then download Google Translate, which helps me communicate with locals in a foreign country.

Check Out: Budapest: Daytime Sightseeing Boat Cruise

Check Out: Budapest: MonsteRoller E-Scooter Tour

Bathe With The Hungarians To Experience Their Culture

On your Budapest travel itinerary, keep some time aside for a bath in the thermal baths as well. 

When my family and I visited Budapest, a resident suggested we visit the Rudas Medicinal Baths and Spa . Located on the Buda side of the River Danube, this spa is clean and very affordable. 

According to various studies, it has been found that the mineral waters have curative and restorative properties for those suffering from degenerative diseases. 

This is why I highly recommend keeping aside two hours for this quintessential experience when traveling to Budapest.

Check Out: Budapest: Full-Day Gellért Spa Ticket

Check Out: Budapest: Sparty – The Ultimate Late-Night Spa Party Ticket

Bring Along A Travel Adapter

When traveling to Budapest, do not count on your cruise line, or hotel to have enough electrical adapters  for all your devices.

Make sure to bring a travel adapter for your devices.

Paprika Is The Symbol Of Hungarian Cuisine

From sweet to spicy, from bright red to orange, seeking out Hungarian paprika is one of the top things to do on your visit to Budapest.

You can purchase it all over town, but your best bet would be to head to the Central Grand Market.

Don’t forget to try the local delicacies as well that make use of this delicious spice.

Check Out: Budapest: Private Food Tour – 10 Tastings with Locals

Check Out: Budapest: Food and Wine Tastings Tour

Should You Tip When In Budapest?

Before traveling to Budapest, I asked many friends, do you tip in Budapest?

This is why I feel one of the top things to know before going to Budapest is that there is a tipping culture here.

The standard tip in a restaurant is 10% for good service and 15% for an exceptional experience.

However, many restaurants in Budapest customarily add a 12.5% service fee to your total bill. So, check your bill carefully to avoid leaving additional tips unless you want to.

Book Attraction Tickets Online To Save Money And Skip The Lines

One of my top travel tips for Budapest is to buy tickets online for your selected places to visit in Budapest.

You will save money, sometimes significantly. Some if not most attractions allow you to skip the wait lines and walk right in.

Check Out: Budapest: Floating Bus Tour by Land and Water

Check Out: Budapest Card: Public Transport, 30+ Top Attractions & Tours

When Traveling To Budapest You Want To Know Is Drinking The Water Safe?

So, one of the biggest questions that people ask me is, can you drink tap water in Budapest?

Well, the answer is yes.

Matter of fact, tap water is the most controlled food substance in Budapest.

Bottled water is still offered in pubs and restaurants. But, when you travel to Budapest, save money on water by drinking free tap water.

Save Money By Getting Snacks And Convenience Foods At Local Grocery Stores

When you plan your travel to Budapest, I am sure you must be thinking about all the delicacies to try here.

Well, trying new dishes on your Budapest trip is great, but it can easily become expensive if you do this for every meal.

This is why I suggest going grocery shopping in Budapest. Buy snacks and sandwiches for day tours.

You can also buy fresh fruits for healthy snacking and granola bars are a great choice as well.

Yogurt, drinks, and chips/snack foods are all items to have available where you are staying or on the go, to save money when traveling to Budapest.

Check Out: Budapest: Private Insider Tour of Grand Ecseri Flea Market

Pick The Neighborhood That Is Best For You When Traveling To Budapest

One of the most important travel tips for Budapest is to choose the right neighborhood for your stay.

Varkerulet (District I) is located on the Buda side of the River Danube. It is the Castle District. Historic and charming, with the cobblestoned streets, this area is home to palaces and exquisite churches.

It is the ideal place to stay in Budapest for tourists.

Terezvaros (District VI) is for those traveling to Budapest on a budget.

Looking for nightlife? Then Erzsebetvaros (District VII) may be the right place for you. Also known as the Jewish Quarter, this neighborhood is home to fashionable bars, clubs, and restaurants.

Belvaros (District V) is a great choice to be near some of the most famous attractions Budapest has to offer.

Here you will be within walking distance of the Hungarian Parliament Building, the Shoes on the Danube Memorial, and the Grand Market Hall to name just a few.

Check Out: Budapest: Grand City Tour with Parliament Visit

Check Out: Budapest: 1.5-Hour Private Kick-Start Tour with a Local

Walking Is A Wonderful Way To Discover Budapest

When you are traveling to Budapest, plan on walking a lot! 

Walking gives you a unique experience and allows you to explore Budapest more thoroughly.

I would suggest sightseeing in Budapest on foot to explore the neighborhoods, visit lovely cafes, people watch, and so on.

Don’t Forget to Check Out the Ruin Bars

When you travel to Budapest, you cannot miss out on visiting the famous ruin bars in the old Jewish quarter! What exactly is a ruin bar?

Well, it is a pop-up bar that you can find inside the ruins of an old house, shop, or restaurant.

What I found cool about these bars is that apart from offering cheap drinks, you can also enjoy the art installations and flea markets here.

Szimpla Kert is the first-ever ruin bar to open in 2001 and should be on your Budapest travel itinerary.

Check Out: Budapest: Ruin Bar Pub Crawl with Entry Tickets

Check Out: Budapest: Festive & Jewish Quarter Self-Guided Walking Tour

Where to Stay in Budapest

Aria Hotel Budapest by Library Hotel Collection – If you like beautiful hotels with amazing views, then I would suggest Aria Hotel Budapest by Library Hotel Collection offering stunning views of downtown Budapest from its rooms that are based on 4 music styles.

They also have a spa center with a pool, a hammam, and a sauna for you to relax on your trip to Budapest.

Check Price Here

Kozmo Hotel Suites & Spa – The Leading Hotels of the World – For a luxurious experience, I would recommend Kozmo Hotel Suites & Spa .

Here, get the celebrity treatment with their 5-star services and facilities that include a spa and wellness center, a fitness center, a restaurant, and so on.

Stories Boutique Hotel – Stories Boutique Hotel is a gorgeous 4-star hotel located in Terézváros district of Budapest.

I love the colorful rooms and the plant-filled lobby here. Plus, it is close to several attractions in Budapest such as St. Stephen’s Basilica, Hungarian State Opera, and so on.

Packing Tips When Traveling To Budapest

Read  How To Pack Lightly  for packing tricks on how to maximize your packing space! And here for  How To Survive Long Haul Flights.

This unisex RFID blocking concealed travel pouch is  lightweight and comes in several colors.

These  RFID  sleeves  would be handy to prevent identity theft.

This  Anker high-speed phone charging battery  is the exact one I carry with me on all of my trips ..

My daughter gifted me with this  FugeTek Selfie Stick and Tripod  for my birthday. It has Bloothtooth connectivity so it is very easy to use.

This  world traveler adapter kit   can charge several devices at the same time.

These Bagail packing cubes   are  the exact ones I use whenever I travel . I cannot believe how much more organized I am now!  

I never leave home on a trip without my  Bobble filtration bottle.  The 18.5-ounce size is perfect for travel and it will fit nicely in the pocket of a backpack or your purse. Also when filled with water, it is not too heavy to carry.

And the Bobble carbon  filter  ensures fresh clean water whenever and wherever you fill the Bobble. You can find  filter replacements here. 

You will want to bring a  backpack or daypack  with you to store snacks, your water bottle, phone, extra clothes, etc.. This   foldable water-resistant backpack  would be great. 

You may be visiting Budapest in warmer weather as I did, and you may want  a pair of sandals  to wear exploring.  I highly recommend these  Vionics adjustable strap orthotic sandals.  

I have several pairs of these exact  Vionic sandals in several colors that I bring with me *everywhere* I travel. They are very comfortable.

I also sometimes bring along my  Vionic Tides flip flops.  The toe post is so comfortable which makes wearing these super comfortable. 

If experiencing culture at the Hungarian baths is on your list you will want to bring along swimwear. This  lightweight men’s swim trunk is quick-drying  and affordable.

I like this  women’s one-piece bathing suit.  It has a moderately high leg cut and is lined for modesty’s sake. It has a built-in bra and comes in neat colors.

This fast-drying, lightweight and very absorbent towel  is the perfect solution. You choose what color and size you wish and it is extremely affordable.

You may want to bring along a  wet-dry bag  for your suits and towels once you are finished lounging in the baths. This  wet dry bag with handles   is a good option.

These  unisex polarized sunglasses   come in a lot of lens colors and frame designs and are extremely affordable too.

If you are fond of the  aviator-style of sunglasses  these polarized aviators may interest you.

If you need  new luggage,  this  expandable hard-side spinner luggage  is affordable and comes in lots of colors. If you like hard-sided better, then you may favor this  soft-sided luggage set  better.

Both sets come with TSA-approved zipper lock s and 8 wheels per piece. Either will be great for the plane or train or even your car depending on how you are traveling to Budapest.

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Power Plugs and Outlets in Hungary: Do I Need a Travel Adapter?

Last Updated Mar 16, 2024

Just FYI, some of the links here are affiliate links. If you click and buy something, We might earn a small commission.

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Are you planning a trip to Hungary? If so, you may be wondering about the types of power plugs and outlets in Hungary, and whether or not you need a travel adapter for your electrical devices. Here is a quick guide to help you figure out if you need a travel adapter for Hungary:

What Power Plugs and Outlets Are Used in Hungary?

In Hungary, there are two main types of power plugs and outlets: Type C and Type F.

Type C: Type C plugs have two round prongs on either side of the plug, commonly known as Euro plugs. Mostly used in Europe, South America, and Africa. Type C outlets can be fit with either Type E or Type F plugs.

Type F: Type F plugs are slightly thicker than Type C plugs. Type F plugs have two round prongs on either side of the plug, commonly known as Schuko plugs. Mostly used in Europe, Asia, and Africa. Type F outlets can be fit with either Type C or Type E plugs.

If you are traveling to a country with a different type of outlet, you will need to purchase an adapter. The adapter will convert the outlet from one type to another and allow you to fit your plug into it.

There are various types of adapters available on Amazon , including universal adapters that can fit most outlets in the world.

Buy a Travel Adapter for Hungary

If you would like to bring your hair dryer , hair straightener , curling iron , or any other electrical appliance with you while traveling to Hungary, make sure that it is compatible with Hungary outlets. If it is not, you will need to purchase a travel adapter for Hungary.

There are many different types of adapters available on Amazon that can be used in Hungary. You can purchase a universal adapter that will fit most outlets in the world, or you can purchase a specific adapter for Hungary .

→ Find travel adapters on Amazon .

What Voltage and Frequency Are Used in Hungary?

In Hungary, the standard voltage is 230 V and the frequency of electricity is 50 Hz.

If you’re traveling from another country and your electronic device isn’t compatible with Hungary voltage, it may not work properly.

If you’re concerned about how your electronic devices will work in Hungary, it’s important to check their voltage and frequency before traveling.

Additionally, you should know that some electronic devices may require a voltage converter or transformer to function properly in Hungary.

You can find voltage converters on Amazon , or at your local electronics store.

Buy a Voltage Converter for Hungary

If you would like to bring your laptop , tablet , camera , or other electronic devices with you to Hungary, it’s important to check their voltage and frequency before traveling. If your electronic device isn’t compatible with Hungary voltage, it may not work properly.

If you’re concerned about how your electronic devices will work in Hungary, it’s best to buy a voltage converter or transformer before leaving home.

You can purchase one from Amazon, or at any electronics store near your home before you leave for Hungary. If you don’t have time to shop around for the best price or if you feel like purchasing your voltage converter from a trusted source (like Amazon), check out the variety of voltage converters on Amazon here:

→ Find voltage converters on Amazon .

Are you looking for more information? Check out the following posts:

13 Best Gifts for Hungary Vacation

⚠️ If you don’t have a VPN yet, you can try NordVPN free for 30 days. It is one of the most popular VPNs and is a great option for protecting your privacy and security while you’re traveling.

Travel Adaptor for Hungary

Hungary travel adaptors.

You will need to consider what to pack, to ensure you can use your personal electrical appliances safely whilst abroad. This normally includes the use of a  travel adaptor ,  which is a device that simply allows you to plug any UK electrical appliance into a foreign electrical socket. It is important to note that it does not convert the voltage or frequency.

For Hungary there are two associated plug types, types C and F. Plug type C is the plug which has two round pins and plug type F is the plug which has two round pins with two earth clips on the side. Hungary operates on a 230V supply voltage and 50Hz.

Voltage converters and transformers

Electricity supplies worldwide can vary from anything between 100V and 240V. It can be extremely dangerous to use an electrical appliance that is rated at a voltage different from the supply.

As voltage can differ from country to country, you may need to use a voltage converter or transformer whilst in Hungary. If the frequency is different, the normal operation of an electrical appliance may also be affected. For example, a 50Hz clock may run faster on a 60Hz electricity supply.  Most voltage converters and transformers come supplied with plug adaptors, so you may not need to buy a separate travel adaptor.

All converters and transformers will have a maximum power rating (AMPS or WATTS) so make sure that any appliance you intend to use does not exceed this rating.

Dual voltage rated appliance

You can determine whether you’ll need to use a converter or transformer, by looking at the appliance rating plate.

A dual voltage rated appliance will display for example ‘INPUT: 110-240V’ on the body of the appliance or its power supply. This means that you will not need a converter or transformer but just a travel adaptor, because Hungary operates on a 230V supply voltage, which is within the 110-240V range that the dual voltage appliance operates on.

Single voltage rated appliances

In Hungary the supply voltage is 230V. If the appliance or its power supply are not dual voltage rated, the single voltage appliance will have to be used alongside a voltage transformer or converter to allow the appliance to work safely and properly (unless the appliance operates at 230V).

Converters and transformers perform a similar function, but their applications differ. Converters are typically used with appliances that operate for a short duration (1-2hours), whilst most transformers can be used alongside appliances that operate continuously.

It’s important to understand that some travel adaptors are not suitable for any appliances that require an earth connection. These types of travel adaptors should only be used with double insulated equipment, which will be clearly marked with the symbol shown below.

We recommend you check your appliances before embarking on your journey, to understand the requirements in Hungary.

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The First-Timer’s Budapest Travel Guide

Posted on Last updated: March 25, 2024

EDITOR’S NOTE: Please be advised that this Budapest travel guide hasn’t been updated in 2024. Prices and travel guidelines may no longer be accurate so it’s important that you verify any information before proceeding.

Budapest is cool. You won’t know it when you first arrive but spend 24 hours there and you’ll soon realize what a hip and trendy city Budapest really is.

Within minutes of arriving in Budapest, you’ll notice its flamboyant architecture. Often called the “Paris of the East”, you can’t help but appreciate what a beautiful city it is, built on either side of the Danube River with grand buildings and centuries-old thermal baths. Seeing that side of Budapest sort of conditions your mind to expect an historical, though perhaps unexciting experience.

But nothing can be further from the truth.

Spend a day exploring the Pest side and you’ll quickly realize that there is so much more to Budapest than its gargoyles and complex past. Its classical facade belies an energy and grit that we didn’t feel in other European cities.

The cool fonts on storefronts, the funky boutiques, the innovative restaurant scene, and exciting bar concepts reveal an edgy side to Budapest often overshadowed by its gothic exterior.

It’s funny, only after our trip did I start reading about this cool side of Budapest. Many people describe it as one of the most exciting cities in Europe.

Visit Budapest and you’ll know exactly what they mean.

VISIT BUDAPEST QUICK LINKS

This Budapest travel guide is long. For your convenience, I’ve compiled links to hotels, tours, and other services here.

Top-rated hotels in District I, one of the best areas to stay for first-time visitors to Budapest.

• Luxury: Hilton Budapest
• Midrange: Ékszerdoboz A Budai Vár Alatt
• Budget: BudaHome Apartments
• Walking Tour: 3-Hour Grand City Tour and Castle Walk
• Széchenyi Baths: Széchenyi Spa Full Day Entrance
• Food Tour: Hungarian Cuisine Tasting Experience

OTHER SERVICES

• Travel Insurance with COVID cover (WFFF readers get 5% off )
• Airport Transfers
• Budapest Card
• Hungary eSIM

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TRAVEL GUIDE TABLE OF CONTENTS

Budapest travel restrictions.

Because of the current global situation, Budapest travel guidelines change almost everyday. Our friends at Booking.com created a website that lists detailed information on travel restrictions around the globe.

Before planning a trip to Budapest, be sure to check Booking.com for information on travel restrictions to Hungary. If you do decide to visit Budapest, then you may want to seriously consider getting travel insurance with COVID coverage.

HUNGARY VISA

Depending on your passport, you may need a visa and other travel documents to visit Budapest. Check out iVisa.com to learn about Budapest travel requirements and to apply for a visa (if necessary).

BUDAPEST AT A GLANCE

Budapest is the capital of Hungary and its most populous city. It consists of three towns – Buda, Obuda, and Pest – which were unified in 1873 and given the name Budapest.

The part of Budapest located on the western bank of the Danube River is referred to as Buda while the area to its east is Pest. Obuda forms part of District III on the Buda side, one of 23 in Budapest.

Buda is the hillier side of Budapest and where you’ll find Buda Castle (Royal Palace), while Pest is relatively flat and home to numerous stately buildings like the Hungarian Parliament and the Hungarian State Opera House.

Collectively, this central area on either side of the Danube River is classified as a UNESCO World Heritage Site. As a first-time visitor, this is where you’ll be spending most of your time in Budapest.

BEST TIME TO VISIT BUDAPEST

The best time to visit Budapest is in early fall (Sept-Oct) or late spring (Apr-May). These are shoulder seasons in Budapest with ideal weather.

MAR-MAY : Spring is one of the best times to visit Budapest. The weather is pleasant and there are a few festivals you can attend, particularly in May. Noteworthy festivals for food lovers include the Gourmet Festival , Rosalia Festival , and Budapest Beer Week .

JUN-AUG : Summer is peak tourist season in Budapest. It’s the hottest and busiest season of the year so it may not be the best time to go to Budapest. Plus, hotel room rates will be at their highest.

SEPT-NOV : Like spring, autumn is the best time to visit Budapest. The summer heat and crowds have dissipated and visitors will be treated to fall colors and a host of festivals. The Budapest Wine Festival and Jewish Cultural Festival take place in September while October is highlighted by Oktoberfest .

DEC-FEB : Budapest experiences cold winters. Snowfall is common so it’s one of the most picturesque times of the year to go to Budapest, if you can tolerate cold weather. Christmas is peak season in Budapest so expect thicker crowds and higher hotel prices.

Climate: Annual Monthly Weather in Budapest

For more on the weather in Budapest, check out these climate graphs from holiday-weather.com . I’ve also created the average temperature and annual rainfall graphs below with the most ideal months to visit marked in orange.

Average Temperature

Annual Rainfall

TRAVELING TO BUDAPEST

Budapest is located in the heart of central Europe. We flew to Budapest from Athens but there are many ways to get there depending on where you are.

There are many flights that go to Budapest from different cities in Europe. You can do a search on a flight aggregator like Skyscanner to find cheap flights to Budapest Ferenc Liszt International Airport (BUD).

Budapest Airport is located about 16 km southeast of the city center. You can make your way to downtown Budapest in one of the following ways.

This is what I did. It’s the cheapest way to get into downtown Budapest from the airport. The 100E bus costs HUF 1,500 and will take you directly into Budapest (Kalvin ter, Astoria, and Deak ter) in 30-45 mins. It runs every 20 mins with the last bus leaving the airport at 1:20AM.

Before exiting the arrival terminal, there’s a booth on the far left side where you can purchase tickets to the 100E bus. I believe there’s a ticket dispenser next to the bus stop as well. You’ll need to purchase your ticket before boarding the bus.

It’s worth noting that there’s a cheaper and more frequent bus, the 200E. However, it doesn’t take you all the way to the center of Budapest. You’ll need to get off at Ferihegy rail station then transfer to a train to Nyugati Station. It won’t cost much less so I don’t think it’s worth the hassle.

If you’re looking for a convenient but cost-effective way of getting to your hotel from the airport, then the miniBUD shared shuttle service is perhaps the best option. It’ll take you directly to your hotel.

However, since this miniBUD shuttle is a shared service, then it may take longer than the 100E bus depending on how many stops it needs to make.

If that isn’t a problem, then you can book tickets in advance through the miniBUD website or Get Your Guide . I believe the cost varies depending on how many people you have in your group so be sure to check both sites to find the better deal.

Another option is to go by flibco shuttle bus. It’ll take you from Budapest Airport to designated spots in the downtown area. You can book flibco shuttle bus tickets on Bookaway .

Private Transfer

This is more expensive but it’s the most convenient way of getting from the airport to your hotel in downtown Budapest. You can book a private transfer through Get Your Guide .

Taxis should cost about the same as private transfers, perhaps a little less. Only the Fotaxi company is authorized to provide unreserved taxis at Budapest Airport so be sure to book one only from the official taxi stand outside the arrival terminal.

Budapest has three international railway stations and is well-connected by train to many central European cities. We didn’t take a train to go to Budapest but we did take one from Budapest to Prague . You can search for train routes to Budapest on Trainline .

Traveling by bus is one of the cheapest ways to get around. You can search for bus routes to Budapest on Bookaway .

Traveling by car is a great way to explore Budapest and many parts of Europe. It gives you the freedom to stop wherever you want, whenever you want.

If you’re looking to rent a car and driving to Budapest, then you can rent one on Rentalcars.com .

WHERE TO EXCHANGE CURRENCY

Hungary is a member of the European Union (EU) but the country’s unit of currency is the Hungarian Forint (HUF) .

I withdrew HUF from an ATM so I didn’t have to exchange currency in Budapest, but if you do need to exchange currency, then I read that Correct Change in the Pest side is a good place to do it.

Personally, I prefer withdrawing from ATMs. Rates are competitive and I don’t have to bring as much foreign currency with me.

If you plan on using your ATM card abroad, then it’s a good idea to inform your bank beforehand. That way you don’t run into any issues. In my experience, my ATM card works in some machines but not in others.

NOTE: Some ATMs may ask if you’d like to proceed “with or without conversion”. Always proceed WITHOUT conversion. Proceeding with conversion authorizes the foreign bank operating the ATM to do the conversion for you, usually at unfavorable rates .

BEST AREAS TO STAY IN BUDAPEST

Budapest has 23 districts . If it’s your first time in the city, then I think districts I, V, VI, VII, VIII are the best areas to stay. If you look at a map of Budapest, then you’ll understand why.

They’re right in the heart of Budapest, on either side of the Danube River, and put you close to many of the city’s top tourist attractions.

Listed below are five of these recommended districts along with a color-coded map to help you understand where they are. Follow the link to view a live version of the map. (Please note that marked areas are approximations only)

BLUE – District I (Varkerulet) RED – District V (Belvaros) GREEN – District VI (Terezvaros) PURPLE – District VII (Erzsebetvaros) ORANGE – District VIII (Jozsefvaros)

District I or Varkerulet is the Castle District and the only district on this list located on the Buda side. It’s home to Buda Castle (Royal Palace), Matthias Church, and the Fisherman’s Bastion which are among the most visited tourist attractions in Budapest.

Some people say that District I is the best area to stay in Budapest for first-time visitors. If you like historical attractions, then District I is definitely for you. You can search for hotels in District I on Booking.com or Agoda . Check out some of the top-rated hotels in Varkerulet:

District V or Belvaros is the area directly opposite the Castle District on the other side of the Danube River. It’s where you’ll find arguably the most impressive building in Budapest – the Hungarian Parliament Building.

District V is also home to the Shoes on the Danube memorial and St. Stephen’s Basilica. If you stay here, then it’s easy to reach Széchenyi Chain Bridge and walk to the Castle District. You can search for accommodations in District V on Booking.com or Agoda . Check out some of the top-rated hotels in Belvaros:

• Luxury: The Ritz-Carlton, Budapest
• Midrange: Anabelle Bed and Breakfast
• Budget: Central Market Hall Zen Hostel

DISTRICT VI

District VI or Terezvaros is where you’ll find Andrassy Avenue, an upscale boulevard of Neo-Renaissance mansions often referred to as the Beverly Hills of Budapest.

It’s also home to the Hungarian State Opera House, the House of Terror , and Nyugati Railway Station which is one of the main train terminals in Budapest.

We stayed at a big and beautiful 3-bedroom Budapestay Apartment on Liszt Ferenc Square. Budapestay Apartments is a series of modern self-catering apartments on Liszt Ferenc Square and Andrassy Avenue.

Liszt Ferenc Square is a great area to stay at in Budapest. Right outside the building is a series of restaurants and bars so you never have to go far to get a bite to eat. Oktogon metro station is nearby as well.

If you’d like to stay in District VI, then you can search for listings on Booking.com or Agoda . Check out some of the top-rated hotels in Terezvaros:

• Luxury: Mystery Hotel Budapest
• Midrange: Heroes’ Residence
• Budget: Avenue Hostel

DISTRICT VII

District VII or Erzsebetvaros is the historic Jewish Quarter. It’s home to many interesting restaurants, cafes, boutiques, and the city’s famed ruin bars . It’s also where you’ll find the Dohany Street Synagogue which is the largest synagogue in Europe.

For me, Erzsebetvaros is one of the coolest areas to stay in Budapest. I loved its energy at night and its vibrant and exciting restaurant scene.

District VII was where we spent most of our time when we weren’t sightseeing in Budapest. You can search for accommodations here on Booking.com or Agoda . Check out some of the top-rated hotels in the Jewish Quarter:

• Luxury: Corinthia Budapest
• Midrange: Tempo Life Apartman
• Budget: Baroque Hostel & Coworking

DISTRICT VIII

We didn’t get to explore District VIII as much but Jozsefvaros is described as one of the coolest and edgiest neighborhoods in Budapest. It’s an up-and-coming area that’s home to a trendy restaurant scene, ruin bars, galleries, and second-hand shops. It’s also where you’ll find the Hungarian National Museum.

Jozsefvaros has been called one of the hottest districts in Europe. This is definitely where we’ll be staying on our next trip to Budapest. You can search for accommodations in District VIII on Booking.com or Agoda . Check out some of the top-rated hotels in Jozsefvaros:

• Luxury: Úttö Luxury Suites
• Midrange: Cherry Residence, Palace Quarter
• Budget: Locomotive Hostel

You can also book hotels and home stays in Budapest using the handy map below.

PLACES TO VISIT IN BUDAPEST

1. castle quarter.

The Castle Quarter or Varnegyed is one of the main tourist areas in Budapest. Located on top of Castle Hill in District I on the Buda side, it’s the oldest part of Budapest and where you’ll find Buda Castle (Royal Palace), Matthias Church, and the Fisherman’s Bastion.

You can easily explore the Castle Quarter on your own but if you’d like to go on a guided walking tour, then you can book one on Get Your Guide .

Matthias Church

Matthias Church is one of the most famous churches in Hungary. Built in the 11th century, it was used as a coronation church by Hungarian kings and a mosque by Ottoman Turks before becoming a Roman Catholic church.

St. Stephen’s Basilica on the Pest side is more grand but Matthias Church is the more beautiful building, noted for its gothic style and colorful roof covered in diamond-patterned tiles.

Admission: HUF 2,500 Estimated Time to Spend: About 30 mins – 1 hr

Fisherman’s Bastion

Just a few steps from Matthias Church is the Fisherman’s Bastion, a fortification and viewing platform offering some of the best views of Budapest and the Danube River.

Does the Fisherman’s Bastion remind you of anything? Some people believe that it served as the inspiration for the Walt Disney logo.

Admission: FREE (lower terraces), HUF 1,000 (upper towers) Estimated Time to Spend: About 30 mins

Buda Castle (Royal Palace)

Built in the 13th century, the original Buda Castle or Royal Palace suffered considerable damage during the Turkish occupation so much of what you see today is a reconstruction. It’s an impressive building that now houses the Hungarian National Gallery and the Budapest History Museum.

You’ll need to pay admission to enter either museum but you can explore the area around the Royal Palace for free.

Admission: HUF 3,400 (Hungarian National Gallery), HUF 2,400 (Budapest History Museum) Estimated Time to Spend: Between 2-5 hrs

The Castle Quarter is located on top of Castle Hill (Varhegy) so walking will be very difficult. To get to the top, you can either ride the funicular , take the hop-on hop-off shuttle , or go on a guided tour .

We went with the castle shuttle which would drop us off at various points so we could explore the Castle Quarter on our own.

2. Hungarian Parliament Building

The Hungarian Parliament Building is impressive. There are many stunning buildings in Budapest but few if any are more jaw-dropping than the Hungarian Parliament building.

Built in 1902 along the Danube River, the Hungarian Parliament is the third-largest parliament building in the world. It boasts 691 interior rooms, 10 courtyards, and 12.5 miles of staircase. On display in its domed Hexagonal Hall is the Crown of St. Stephen, the royal Hungarian crown that commemorates the first Christian king of Hungary.

We admired it only from the outside but if you’d like to go in, then you can buy tickets on the Hungarian National Assembly website or book a guided tour . Based on what I’ve read, Hungarian Parliament tours are popular so it’s a good idea to book tickets in advance.

Photo by Matteo Gabrieli via Shutterstock

Admission: HUF 5,000 (EU citizens), HUF 10,000 (non-EU citizens) Estimated Time to Spend: About 45 mins

3. Shoes on the Danube Bank

Located along the Danube, just a short walk from the Hungarian Parliament building is this haunting memorial dedicated to the Jews executed by the Hungarian Nazi Party during World War II.

Shoes on the Danube Bank depicts cast-iron shoes in different styles and sizes to represent the thousands of Jews shot by the Arrow Cross Party during World War II. Shoes were a valuable commodity during the war so victims were made to remove them before being shot into the Danube River.

Admission: FREE Estimated Time to Spend: About 15 mins

4. St. Stephen’s Basilica

St. Stephen’s Basilica is the biggest church in Budapest. Located just a short walk from the Hungarian State Opera House, it’s home to the mummified hand of Stephen I – Hungary’s first king – and is considered the most sacred Catholic church in the country.

You can easily visit on your own, but if you have a keen interest in Catholic churches, then perhaps you’d like to visit St. Stephen’s Basilica on this guided tour .

Admission: HUF 200 (church), HUF 1,200 (dome) Estimated Time to Spend: About 30 mins – 1 hr

5. Great Synagogue

The Dohany Street Synagogue is the biggest synagogue in Europe. It was built in 1859 and contains a mixture of Byzantine, Gothic, and Romantic architectural styles.

Aside from the synagogue itself, inside the complex is the Heroes’ Temple, the Jewish Museum, a graveyard, and a memorial site. You can pay for admission at the gate or book a guided tour that stops at the Great Synagogue.

Photo by Boris Stroujko via Shutterstock

Admission: HUF 5,000 Estimated Time to Spend: About 2 hrs

6. Great Market Hall

Just a short walk from the Hungarian National Museum is the Great Market Hall, the biggest and oldest indoor market in Budapest. Housed within a gorgeous 19th century building, inside the market are dozens of food and souvenir stalls spread out over two floors.

Admission: FREE Estimated Time to Spend: About 1 hr

7. House of Terror

The House of Terror is a museum located along Andrassy Avenue, in a building that served as the former headquarters of both the Hungarian Arrow Cross Party (Hungary’s Nazi Party) and the AVO/AVH Communist Terrorist Organizations.

The House of Terror museum features exhibits recounting the history and atrocities committed by the Hungarian Nazi party, much of them taking place within this very building.

Photo by Bartlomiej K. Kwieciszewski via Shutterstock

Admission: HUF 4,000 Estimated Time to Spend: About 2 hrs

THINGS TO DO IN BUDAPEST

1. soak at széchenyi baths.

Soaking in a thermal bath is one of the most popular things to do in Budapest. There are several thermal bath facilities in the city but Széchenyi Baths is by far the most popular. Chances are, you’ve seen pictures and videos of it on social media.

Széchenyi Baths is the largest medicinal bath facility in Europe. Located in Budapest City Park, it features fifteen indoor thermal pools and three outdoor pools, including one with a whirlpool. The water in these thermal pools reach temperatures of up to 40°C (104°F). They’re rich in minerals and are said to be good for various ailments like joint pain, arthritis, and poor blood flow.

Check out the Széchenyi Baths website for a list of bath services and prices . You can purchase bath packages on the spot or in advance through Get Your Guide .

If you have a lot of time to spare, then you might want to spend the whole day at City Park, the largest green park in Budapest. Aside from Széchenyi Baths, Budapest City Park home to many other attractions like Heroes’ Square, Vajdahunyad Castle, the Museum of Fine Arts, a botanical garden, and a large public ice skating rink in winter.

Photo by Anna Dunlop via Shutterstock

Admission: Starts at HUF 9,400 per person Estimated Time to Spend: At least 2 hrs

2. Go on a Danube River Cruise

If you like boats, then going on a Danube River cruise is a must.

Locals commute on the river everyday so we were content catching a ferry from Boraros ter H (Petofi hid) terminal to the Hungarian Parliament Building (just before Margaret Island). But if you’d like to go on a proper cruise, then you can book one on Get Your Guide .

Pictured below is Boraros ter H (Petofi hid) ferry terminal. We took the D12 ferry from here and got off at Kossuth Lajos ter M to visit the Hungarian Parliament building.

3. Party at a Ruin Bar

Ruin pubs have become synonymous with the Budapest nightlife scene. Called romkocsma in Hungarian, a ruin pub is basically a drinking establishment located inside an abandoned building.

Pictured below is the Szimpla Kert ruin bar in the Jewish Quarter. It’s the original ruin bar and considered the city’s most iconic. You can refer to this article for more on Budapest’s famed ruin bars .

4. Go on a City Sightseeing Tour

We explored Budapest on our own but there are plenty of city sightseeing and walking tours you can go on.

Segway Tour

A Segway tour is perhaps one of the most fun ways of exploring Budapest. A couple people in our group did a segway tour in virtually every European city we visited, including Budapest. You can book a Segway tour on Get Your Guide.

Photo by Soloviova Liudmyla via Shutterstock

Segways are fun but they’re relatively slow and don’t cover as much ground. If you’d like to explore a larger area in Budapest, then it may be better to go on a bike tour .

Photo by CAN KAYA via Shutterstock

Hop On Hop Off Tour

This isn’t as much fun as the previous two but it’s the quickest and most efficient way of seeing as much as you can of a city in a limited amount of time.

These double-decker buses ply set routes and take you to popular tourist attractions in Budapest like the Hungarian Parliament building, the Castle District, and the Great Synagogue.

You can hop on and off as often as you like for the duration of your pass. Typically available in 24-, 48-, and 72-hr tickets, you can purchase hop-on hop-off passes in advance through Get Your Guide . Some even include a Danube River cruise.

Photo by Nazar Skladanyi via Shutterstock

5. Drink Tokaji

Tokaji or Tokay refers to wines grown in the Tokaj region of Hungary. The region is known for producing sweet dessert wines affected by noble rot, which is a type of mold (botrytis cinerea) that develops on the grapes. When the mold dries out under the sun, it concentrates the grape’s sugars giving the wine its distinct flavor.

Like Portugal’s Port wine , Tokaji has been given Protected Designation of Origin (PDO) status. For wine to carry the Tokaji name, it needs to be produced in the Tokaj region using specific varieties of grape.

There are many wine bars where you can try Tokaji in Budapest, two of the most recommended being Kadarka and Veritas . Both are located in District VII.

If you’d like to learn more about Tokaji, then you may be interested in going on a guided day tour to Hungary’s Tokaj wine region.

DAY TRIPS FROM BUDAPEST

1. memento park.

Memento Park is still located in Budapest. However, it’s well outside the city center in District XXII, about an hour’s commute on public transportation from District I.

Unless you have a keen interest in Hungary’s communist period, then it isn’t a priority for most first-time visitors. Visit this city park only if you’ve seen the top tourist attractions and you have enough time left in Budapest.

Memento Park is an open-air museum with large statues dedicated to Hungary’s communist era. There are statues of popular communist figures like Marx, Lenin, and Engels, as well as several Hungarian communist leaders.

You can visit Memento Park on your own using public transportation or you can go as part of a communist-themed tour .

Photo by VanderWolf Images via Shutterstock

Admission: HUF 3,000 Estimated Time to Spend: About 1-2 hrs

2. Danube Bend & Szentendre

The Danube Bend refers to a curve in the Danube River near the castle town of Visegrad. This curve is often described as the most beautiful section of the Danube, home to several historical riverside towns like Visegrad , Nagymaros, Vac, and Esztergom .

You can easily explore the towns along the Danube Bend using public transportation, or you can go on a guided tour . The majority of Danube Bend tours will make stops at Visegrad, Esztergom, and Szentendre , a lovely artist’s village with roots in Serbian culture.

Located about 25 km north of the city center, Szentendre is the most visited riverside town from Budapest. In fact, there are many guided day tours that focus solely on Szentendre.

Photo by LeicherOliver via Shutterstock

3. The Puszta

The Puszta region is a vast wilderness of shrubs and grassland in the Great Hungarian Plain . Meaning “barren” or “empty” in Hungarian, it describes an area of about 52,000 sq km characterized by treeless pastures, steppes, meadows, and wetlands.

Large ranches with shows displaying Hungarian horsemanship are the main draw in the Puszta. It’s where the ancient Magyars honed and refined their horse culture for over two millennia. You can book guided tours to the Puszta on Get Your Guide .

Photo by Karl Allen Lugmayer via Shutterstock

4. Lake Balaton

Lake Balaton is the largest freshwater lake in Central Europe. Located about 80 km southwest of Budapest, it’s a popular tourist destination known for its volcanic mountains, vineyards, historic villages, and thermal spa resorts.

There are a number of Lake Balaton day tours you can book through Get Your Guide . Many of them include wine tastings and cruises on the lake.

Photo by ZGPhotography via Shutterstock

HUNGARIAN FOOD

Do you like sampling the local cuisine when you travel? If you do, then be sure to check out our list of traditional Hungarian dishes that you need to try on your next trip to Budapest.

WHERE TO EAT IN BUDAPEST

Budapest has a great restaurant scene. It’s got amazing street food and interesting food halls to go with its wealth of traditional restaurants serving tasty Hungarian cuisine. Check out our food guide for a list of some of the best restaurants in Budapest .

Thirteen may be too many for most people so I’ve listed five of our favorites below. Be sure to click through to the full food guide for more pictures and information.

1. Bambi Eszpresszo

This was where I had my very first meal in Budapest. The thought of having sausages and beer in what was described as a genuine communist-era neighborhood bar was so intriguing to me.

The moment you walk in and see its doily tablecloths and grizzled groups of regulars, you’ll know that Bambi Eszpresszo is the real deal. It looks like a time capsule.

I had black coffee, a pint of Dreher beer, and Hungarian virsli sausages that were among the best sausages I’ve ever tasted in my life. If we lived in Budapest, then I’d be a regular here too.

2. Bors GasztroBar

This was one of my favorite restaurants in Budapest. Bors GasztroBar is a small takeaway restaurant that serves modern interpretations of Hungarian street food.

Located in the Jewish Quarter, just north of the Hungarian National Museum and a few doors down from Szimpla Kert , Bors GasztroBar offers an inspired menu of soups, stews, salads, and pasta dishes, but their baguette sandwiches are their bread and butter.

We had a soup and the French Lady, a signature baguette sandwich made with chicken breast, raspberry onion jam, and edamer cheese. Both were fantastic.

Bors GasztroBar is popular so expect a line when you get there. It’s definitely worth the wait.

3. Langos Burger

Langos Burger is a street food stall at Karavan, a food park located just a couple of spaces away from Szimpla Kert . They offer just two things on their menu – langos and langos burgers.

A langos is a traditional Hungarian dish of deep-fried dough topped with any number of ingredients. We had our langos covered in a forest of fresh arugula and sheep cheese. It was delicious – crisp on the outside and soft and doughy on the inside, like a doughnut .

As its name suggests, a langos burger is a beef, pork, or chicken patty sandwiched between two langos “buns”. We had the beef served with arugula, sheep cheese, and grilled paprika and it was very tasty as well.

In 2018, Langos Burger was voted one of the ten best street food stalls in Europe by a panel of chefs and food writers. Don’t miss it.

4. Stand25 Bisztro

If you’d like a refined but unpretentious meal in Budapest, then make reservations at Stand25 Bisztro , a Michelin Bib Gourmand awardee that offers 2- or 3-course menus featuring modern interpretations of traditional Hungarian food.

Stand25 Bisztro is headed by the chef duo of Szullo Szabina and Tamas Szell, the same chefs behind the one-Michelin star Stand restaurant on the Pest side. Stand25 seems to be the more relaxed bistro version of the upscale Stand restaurant.

Pictured below is a delicious meatloaf dish made with Mangalica pork, which is an Hungarian breed of domestic pig. Prized for its fatty marbled meat, it’s often referred to as the “Kobe beef of pork”.

5. Molnar’s Kurtoskalacs

Kurtoskalacs refers to a traditional Hungarian and Romanian dessert . Known as spit cakes or chimney cakes, they’re made by wrapping yeast dough around baking spits then roasting them over charcoal.

While roasting, the cakes are basted with melted butter to create a shiny caramelized crust. When cooked, the cakes are dusted with ground walnut or powdered cinnamon, though other ingredients can be used.

Crisp on the outside but soft and buttery on the inside, these kurtoskalacs are absolutely delicious. We enjoyed them so much we wound up getting a second serving filled with soft serve ice cream . Wow!

POINTS OF INTEREST IN BUDAPEST

To help you better understand where everything is, I’ve pinned the places recommended in this Budapest travel guide on this map. Follow the link to open the live map in a new window.

HOW TO GET AROUND IN BUDAPEST

Getting around Budapest is easy. It’s a very walkable city but it also has an extensive metro, tram, bus, and ferry system. You can use the Bolt app to book rides and the city has a bike sharing system called BuBi Bike.

I enjoy walking so I got around mostly on foot, but I did use the tram, metro, bus, and ferry at some point during our trip. Transportation was never a problem.

If you plan on going sightseeing and using public transportation often, then a Budapest Card may be a good investment.

I’ll discuss the different modes of transportation in more detail below but I suggest downloading the Google Maps app ( iOS | Android ) if you haven’t already. It’s accurate and reliable and will tell you all the possible ways to get from point A to point B using any city’s public transportation system.

Public Transportation

Budapest’s public transportation system is extensive and efficient. It’s comprised of the metro, trams, buses, the suburban railway, and ferries. I’ll describe each mode of transportation in more detail but listed below are a few key points to remember.

• To use public transportation in Budapest, you’ll need to purchase single tickets at HUF 350 each. They’re available in blocks of ten for HUF 3,000. We bought ours at the airport arrival terminal but tickets can be purchased from ticket offices at most metro stations and from BKK Ticket vending machines. You can also purchase single tickets on buses but they’ll cost HUF 450 each.
• As soon as you board, it’s important to validate your ticket . Once it’s validated, it’ll be good for 80 mins during the day and 120 mins at night.
• Single tickets are valid only for single uninterrupted trips WITHOUT transfer on trams, buses, and the suburban railway. Transfers are allowed only on the metro. If you need to make a transfer during your journey, then you can purchase a transfer ticket (instead of a single ticket) for HUF 530.
• Budapest travel cards that give you an unlimited number of trips for 24 hrs, 72 hrs, and 1 week are also available. These are different from the Budapest Card . You can read more about Budapest travel cards and other types of tickets on the BKK website .

The Budapest Metro consists of 4 lines – M1 (yellow), M2 (red), M3 (blue), and M4 (green). Lines operate daily from 4:30AM till 11:30PM. As described above, transferring between metro lines using single tickets is allowed. Follow the link for a Budapest Metro map .

Budapest’s tram system is more extensive than the metro with over 30 lines operating on almost 160 km (100 miles) of track. I used these yellow trams more often than the metro as they provided a more scenic way of getting around the city.

Follow the link for a map showing the tram, metro, and suburban railway system in Budapest. Most tram lines operate from 4:30AM till 12:30AM.

There are two types of buses in Budapest – regular buses and trolley buses which are electric buses attached to overhead cables. Depending on where you are and where you need to go, buses may be more convenient than trams or the metro.

In our case, Google Maps advised us to catch a trolley bus from Széchenyi Baths back to our hotel. With Google Maps, you don’t need to have a city’s public transportation system memorized which is why it’s such a valuable travel tool.

HEV (Suburban Railway)

The HEV is Budapest’s suburban railway network. You can use it to reach the city’s outer limits and beyond, like on a day trip to Szentendre for example. Single tickets are valid within the city limits but you’ll need an extension ticket to go beyond.

BKK Boat (Ferry) – Service Temporarily Suspended (Jan 2023)

Single boat tickets cost HUF 750 each. It may not be the most efficient means of transport but it’s a great way of experiencing the Danube without paying for a river cruise .

In our case, we took the scenic Tram 2 which runs along the Pest waterfront to Boraros ter H (Petofi hid) ferry terminal. From there, we took a ferry to Kossuth Lajos ter M to visit the Hungarian Parliament building.

Bolt / Taxi

Bolt is the Uber of Budapest but instead of unmarked cars, it uses taxis. If you need to book a ride safely in Budapest, then this is your best option. You can download Bolt on iTunes or Google Play .

I read that you should never hail cabs in Budapest because some taxi drivers are out to scam tourists. If you need to catch a taxi, then go only with a reputable company like Fotaxi. You should call them to send a taxi your way but if you can, then it’s best to book one with Bolt.

BuBi Bikes is Budapest’s bike sharing system. To use these lime green bikes, you’ll be charged a one-time fee of HUF 120. This gives you three free minutes of use, after which you’ll be charged HUF 40 per minute.

You can purchase your BuBi Bike ticket with a bank card using the touchscreen terminal at docking stations. However, MOL Bubi app reviews are poor so it may be better to purchase it through the MOL Bubi website instead.

HOW MANY DAYS TO STAY / BUDAPEST TRAVEL ITINERARY

We enjoyed Budapest so much that we want to go back and stay for at least a month. Obviously, not everyone has a month, but there’s so much to see and experience in Budapest that first-time visitors should stay for a minimum of three days.

Three full days will give you enough time to see the top attractions in Budapest and explore the city’s many cool neighborhoods.

Here’s an abridged version of our Budapest travel itinerary which suggests what you can do with 3 days in Budapest . Be sure to click through to the full travel itinerary for more details.

BUDAPEST TRAVEL TIPS

1. plan your trip with sygic travel.

I’ve been using Sygic Travel for many years now. It’s a trip planning app that allows you to pin points of interest on a map then group them together by location to create as efficient an itinerary as possible. You can download it for free on iOS or Android .

2. Stay Connected in Budapest

Having a reliable internet connection is a must these days, even more so when you’re away on a trip. You’ll need it to navigate, do research, and stay connected on social media. Having access to Google Maps alone justifies the cost.

We brought Pokefi devices with us so we didn’t need to rent any in Europe. But if you want to stay connected in Budapest, then you can purchase an eSIM through Klook .

3. Validate and Keep Your Ticket

Always remember to validate your ticket as soon as you board public transportation or enter a metro station. Inspectors may ask you to present your ticket so be sure to keep it with you for the entire duration of your journey. Getting caught without a validated ticket will result in a hefty fine.

4. Get a Budapest Card

If you plan on using public transportation often and visiting many of the city’s top attractions, then a Budapest Card may be a worthwhile investment.

It’s valid for 1-5 days and will entitle you to unlimited travel on public transportation along with a slew of benefits like free entry to museums, walking tours, luggage storage, and discounts at thermal baths and restaurants.

You can purchase the Budapest Card on Get Your Guide . Check out the Budapest Card website for more information.

5. Check for Budapest travel deals

There are many ecommerce websites that offer deals on tours and other travel-related services. For your trip to Budapest, I suggest checking out Get Your Guide . It’s a leading travel booking platform that offers a wide selection of deals on walking tours, transfers, and more.

6. Rent a Car

Transportation in Europe is easy and efficient, but one of the best ways to explore the continent is by renting a car. It gives you the most freedom.

We didn’t rent one in Hungary but we did rent cars in Spain and Santorini . It gave us the freedom to go wherever we wanted, whenever we wanted.

If you’re considering renting a car to explore Hungary and central Europe, then you can do so through Rentalcars.com .

7. Get Travel Insurance

We don’t always get travel insurance. It depends on where we’re going, what we’ll be doing, and how long we’ll be away for. For this trip to Europe, it was a necessity.

Whenever we do feel the need for insurance, we get it from SafetyWing or Heymondo. They’re both popular travel insurance companies used by many digital nomads. You can follow the links to get a free quote from SafetyWing or Heymondo . Get 5% off on Heymondo when using our link.

8. Bring the Right Power Adapter

Hungary has Type C or Type F electrical outlets so be sure to bring the right power adapters for your devices. Electrical voltage is 230V and the standard frequency is 50Hz.

I’m hardly an expert on Budapest but I do hope that you find this travel guide useful. I’m only sharing some of the things I learned from our trip. If you have any questions or suggestions, then please leave them in the comment section below.

Thanks for reading and have an amazing time in Budapest, the jaw-dropping Hungarian city fittingly known as the Paris of the East!

These are some of the things we brought with us to Budapest. For a complete list of our travel gear, have a look inside our backpack . (NOTE: The following links are Amazon and other affiliate links.)

Some of the links in this Budapest travel guide are affiliate links, meaning we’ll earn a small commission if we make a sale at no added cost to you. We only recommend products and services that we use ourselves and firmly believe in. We really appreciate your support as this helps us make more of these free travel guides. Thank you!

Found this article useful? Help us help other travelers by sharing it!

Sunday 1st of August 2021

I was hoping to find a current summary of traveling to Budapest. We have a trip planned for late September. Are tourist attractions open? Are street vendors and such for that authentic food back from covid? Is it someplace else on your site that maybe I didn't see? Realize that things are changing daily and what you report today may not be true in two months; but a current summary would be helpful.

Thank you. An informative site and I appreciate everything else you do. Just looking for a simple what's happening now summary.

JB & Renée

Tuesday 10th of August 2021

Hi David, this is more a general travel guide and does not reflect the current situation due to Covid. Perhaps the Visit Hungary website has the information you need.

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PLUG, ADAPTORS & VOLTAGE IN BUDAPEST

When traveling to Budapest, it’s essential to understand the plug types, voltage, and the need for adapters or converters to ensure that your electronic devices work seamlessly. Here’s what you need to know:

Plug Types:

• Type C: This is the most common plug type and has two round pins. It is similar to the Europlug and works with devices that have 2.5A plugs.
• Type F: This plug type is grounded and has two round pins with a grounding pin at the top. It is suitable for devices that require a connection to the earth for safety reasons.
• Hungary, including Budapest, operates on a standard voltage of 230V with a frequency of 50Hz. Make sure your devices are compatible with this voltage to avoid damaging them.

Adapters and Converters:

• Adapter: If your devices have Type C or Type F plugs and are compatible with 230V, you will only need a plug adapter to fit your device into the Hungarian outlets. Plug adapters are readily available at most electronics stores and travel supply shops.
• Converter: If your devices have a different plug type or require a different voltage (e.g., 110V), you will need a voltage converter in addition to a plug adapter. Voltage converters are bulkier and more expensive than plug adapters. Check your device’s specifications to determine if it can handle the higher voltage.

Purchasing Adapters:

• You can find plug adapters in Budapest at electronic stores, supermarkets, or at the airport. If you want to ensure you have the right adapter before your trip, you can purchase one in advance online or at a travel supply store in your home country.

Using Devices Safely:

• Double-check the voltage requirements of your electronic devices. Most modern devices (laptops, smartphones, cameras) are designed to work on a wide voltage range (usually 100-240V), making them compatible with the Hungarian voltage.

Common Adapter Configuration:

• If you’re using devices with standard European plugs, you should be able to use them in Budapest with no issues. However, it’s still a good idea to carry a plug adapter in case you encounter outlets that don’t match your device’s plug configuration.

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US to Budapest electric adapter and or converter - Hungary Forum

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US to Budapest electric adapter and or converter

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I have two adapters. One says So. Eruope and the other says No. Europe. They both have round plug inserts but one seems thicker than the other. Which shall i use?

Do I need the converter as well as the adapter?

5 replies to this topic

There is a lot of missing information from your post. Perhaps you should read this website: https://www.ricksteves.com/travel-tips/phones-tech/electric-adapters-converters

Once you read and understand it, if you still need help, please refine your question.

Hello upgreyders,

Heed the above advice. Know this - depending upon the device you need electricity to here in Europe, you may need a power converter or you may only need an adapter plug only. These are very different.

What are you bringing that needs power? Check that device(s) to see the approved power input. For example, many computers are 110/240, meaning they will run on power normally found Stateside and in Europe - so only an adapter plug is necessary.

However, other devices are built to only run on one power voltage or another, therefore a converter is needed. I had a colleague come over years ago and brought her curling iron. It was 110 only and used an adapter plug, thinking it was fine. Well, it wasn’t and unfortunately burnt off a large section of her hair. I share this not to scare you, but to confirm indeed your inquiry is an important one - and one where the details are necessary.

Happy travels.

By in large, electronics are fine...they work on both voltages. Where you tend to have issues is with anything that heats...curling iron, hair dryer, toaster, cappuccino maker. Things with motors like fans or mixers are iffy.

Hungarian outlets have recessed plugs...the two prong extension or deep socket plug will both work. But the two prong extension often won't work for laptops as they have a three prong US plug.

This works best

https://www.amazon.com/Ceptics-Grounded-Universal-Adapter-Germany/dp/B007YKUWN4

This also works for two pronged US plugs

https://www.aliexpress.com/i/2255800010228039.html?gatewayAdapt=4itemAdapt

You will have issues with something like this because it will not work in a recessed socket. Notice the two prongs come out of a flat surface.

https://www.boxwave.com/universal-to-european-outlet-plug-adapter/bwpd/gkt/

Have never had a problem plugging in my iPhone or MacBook with just an adaptor plug.

Generally best not to mess about with high ampage devices designed for Us voltage on European. Often ends in grief.

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Hungary Hotels and Places to Stay

Recommanded travel adapters :

Hungary electrical outlets : do I need a travel adapter?

You're going to travel to Hungary and you don't know if your electric devices (your computer, mobile phone, battery charger...) will be able to work there?

To know if you need a travel plug adapter to go to Hungary, you have to consider 3 things : the shape of the plugs , the voltage and the frequency of the current delivered by electrical outlets in Hungary.

Electrical outlets (sockets) and plugs used in Hungary

Plug adapter for Hungary

If none of your usual plug is compatible, you should buy a travel adapter to be able to plug your electric devices in Hungary ( please visit our selection on Amazon for more details ).

Prepare your travel to enjoy your stay in Hungary

What is the type of electrical outlets and current in hungary.

The type of electrical outlets used in Hungary is type C and type F. Type C outlets have two round pins, while type F outlets have two round pins with two earth clips on the sides.

The current used in Hungary is 230 volts AC, with a frequency of 50 hertz.

How can I charge the battery of my phone or computer in Hungary?

Charging the battery of your phone or computer in Hungary is quite straightforward. The electrical system in Hungary operates at a voltage of 230 volts and a frequency of 50 Hz. Here are a few steps to follow:

1. Check the voltage and frequency requirements of your device. Most modern smartphones and computers are designed to work with a wide range of voltages (e.g., 100-240V) and frequencies, so you may not need a voltage converter or transformer.

2. If your device's power adapter has a removable plug, you will need a plug adapter to match the type of outlets used in Hungary. In Hungary, the standard plug type is the European type C or F, which has two round pins. Plug adapters are easily available in most electronics or travel stores.

3. Find an electrical outlet. In Hungary, the standard socket type is the European type C or F, which accepts two round pins. The sockets usually provide 230 volts of electricity.

4. Connect your device's power adapter to the plug adapter (if necessary) and then plug it into the electrical outlet. Ensure a secure connection.

5. Check if your device is charging. Most phones or computers will display a charging indicator on their screen or LED indicator lights. If it begins to charge, you're all set!

It's important to note that while the steps mentioned above are general guidelines, it's advisable to consult your device's user manual or contact the manufacturer for specific instructions on charging your particular phone or computer model in Hungary.

Which power adapter should I buy for Hungary?

You should buy a power adapter that is suitable for Hungary. The power plugs and sockets in Hungary are of type C and F. Type C sockets have two round pins, while type F sockets have two round pins with two earth clips on the sides.

When buying a power adapter, make sure it is compatible with these types of sockets. It should allow you to plug in your devices and safely convert the voltage to match the standards in Hungary, which is 230 volts at a frequency of 50 Hz.

It is recommended to purchase a universal power adapter that can be used in multiple countries, including Hungary. These adapters usually come with interchangeable plugs that can be easily switched according to the socket type of the specific country.

What are the 20 largest cities in Hungary?

The 20 largest cities in Hungary are:

• Nyíregyháza
• Székesfehérvár
• Szombathely
• Zalaegerszeg
• Nagykanizsa

The 9 Best Power Adapters for European Travel of 2024

Keep your devices charged and moving your trip along

We independently evaluate all recommended products and services. If you click on links we provide, we may receive compensation. Learn more .

TripSavvy / Chloe Jeong

One thing you don't want to forget on your next trip to Europe ? The right power adapter. Without it, you won't be able to keep the electronics and devices you need juiced up and ready to go. But finding the right one can be tricky: Each region of the world has its own outlet shape, so you'll need to find the one that works for your travel destination—or invest in a universal one. Also, consider the number of devices you'll likely bring and how much you're willing to spend.

Final Verdict

• What to Look For

Why Trust TripSavvy

Best overall, foval voltage converter.

User-friendly

Not suitable for heat tools

While many modern devices can transition automatically between different voltages, some can't. This is where the Foval Power Step-Down Converter comes in. Although priced higher than most adapters, it converts 220/240 volts to 110/120 volts, allowing you to use your single-voltage American appliances in Europe seamlessly. Plus, it has a European power cable and three removable adapters for the U.S., the U.K., and Australia, so you can also use it for other trips. This made it convenient for our product tester, Rebekah Joan , to travel with the device, only needing to attach the correct adapter, plug it into a socket, and press the power button to get it to work.

With two standard U.S. plugs and four 5-volt USB ports, you can charge an array of devices simultaneously—just make sure that the total wattage doesn't exceed 200. "It started making a quiet whirring noise, and in a second or two, our devices were charging at a normal pace," Joan said. "We charged plenty with it, including our phones, a portable charger, and our camera. Other than the expected slight delay, everything ran smoothly."

The converter automatically shuts down to prevent overloading, overheating, or short-circuiting, limiting hazards to you and your devices. Be wary of using curling irons, hair dryers, or hair straighteners, as Foval notes that it isn't designed to be used with these tools. It is only compatible with devices within the 110-to-120-volt range, which includes most American devices. What makes up for this is the converter's small size, measuring 4.8 x 3.1 x 1.5 inches for a device that "will save you space and money," according to our tester. There is also a detachable 5-foot cord for easy packing.

Out Power: 230 watts max | Dimensions: 4.8 x 3.13 x 1.47 inches | USB Ports: 4

TripSavvy / Rebekah Joan

Best Universal

Haozi universal travel adapter.

Covers Europe and beyond

Generous warranty

Not compatible with heat tools

In addition to a single AC power socket, the HAOZI Universal Travel Adapter features two USB ports—all of which can be used simultaneously. It's FCC, CE, and RoHS certified, while a lifetime guarantee gives you confidence in your purchase. The downsides? It's not suitable for use with high-powered appliances, including hair dryers, and at 2.2 x 3.2 x 2.6 inches, it's slightly bulkier than your standard single adapter.

If you travel frequently, consider investing in the HAOZI All-in-One Universal Travel Adapter rather than limiting yourself to one exclusively for Europe. Product tester Rebekah Joan tested the adapter's reliability abroad and noticed a slight delay in the electricity getting from one point to another. "After those few initial seconds, it charged our devices smoothly and without making a sound," she said. "We did notice a slight issue with some of the prongs getting stuck on the way out, but it was easily fixed by wiggling the slider back and forth."

Travelers from North America may need a voltage converter for non-dual-voltage devices, but Joan found that the adapter worked as well with a converter as it did alone. This is also an excellent purchase for those planning a European trip with stops in countries that don't accept the standard Type E/F plug. Interchangeable input and outlet sockets allow you to use the power adapter in more than 150 countries.

Out Power: 660 watts max at 110 volts, 1,380 watts max at 230 volts | Dimensions: 3.2 x 2.2 x 2.6 inches | USB Ports: 2

Best Lightweight

Ceptics world travel adapter kit.

Packs easily

Covers several regions

Comes with a travel pouch

Only supports dual-voltage electronics

If you often travel abroad for business, a compact and reliable adapter system is in order. That's what you get with the all-in-one World Adapter Kit from Ceptics. It has two U.S.-grounded inputs, two USB ports, and a USB-C cable.

No matter where you're headed, this lightweight (12.8 ounces altogether) kit has you covered. Six international adapters easily switch out and provide Quick Charge 3.0 power in North America, the United Kingdom, most of Europe, Australia, Japan, parts of Africa, the Middle East, China, and more. Features such as built-in surge protection and voltage indicator LEDs add peace of mind. Unfortunately, this system does not convert voltage, i.e., it is not curling iron friendly.

Out Power: 1,250 watts | Dimensions: 2.75 x 1.5 x 3.75 inches | USB Ports: 2

Best Budget

Orei power adapter plug.

Hair dryer compatible

Updated model

Excludes some big tourist countries

The OREI European Power Adapter Plug is a no-frills, cost-effective solution for American travelers to Europe and Russia. It is compatible with Type E/F plugs and should work in most countries except Italy, Switzerland, and the U.K. Plus, it fits into the recessed, circular plug sockets found in many parts of Western Europe and standard square-faced sockets.

Its newly improved design features internal metal interfaces for better conductivity. The power adapter plug has a maximum capacity of 250 volts ​and can accommodate devices that require up to 3,000 watts of power (including most hair dryers). Be aware, though, that it is only suitable for dual-voltage appliances. You can use the dual ports to charge two devices simultaneously—which is especially handy in hotel rooms with limited plug sockets. The universal input accepts plugs from most countries except South Africa.

Out Power: 3,000 watts max at 250 volts | Dimensions: 1 x 1 x 1 inches | USB Ports: 0

Best for the U.K.

Ceptics travel adapter plug.

Great value

Sleek design

Limited geographic utility

Designed in the U.S., the Ceptics Type G Travel Adapter Plug keeps things simple for those planning a vacation to the U.K. (where standard European adapters won’t work). The plug also works for British Overseas Territories and ex-colonies within Europe, including Gibraltar and Cyprus, as well as other destinations like Hong Kong and Dubai. Your purchase includes three adapters, allowing you to simultaneously utilize all the sockets in your hotel room.

Each power adapter features two inputs, both of which accept two-prong polarized U.S. plugs or three-prong grounded U.S. plugs. They have a maximum load rating of ​250 volts and are suitable for dual-voltage appliances only. The product’s limited lifetime warranty means you can return faulty adapters for a free replacement.

Out Power: 2,500 watts at 220-240 volts | Dimensions: 1.5 x 1.5 x 1.75 inches | USB Ports: 2

Best for Switzerland

Tessan swiss outlet adapter for us to switzerland.

Charges up to three devices

Power light

All ports face the same way

Must be paired with a converter

The TESSAN Swiss Outlet adapter has three different charging ports: two for USB charging and one for standard U.S. prongs. The USB charging ports can charge up to 2.4 amperes and are compatible with all USB charging devices, such as your phone, camera, tablet, and more. It is also the ideal size for travel, measuring just 2.8 x 2.1 x 2.67 inches, and can be used in Switzerland, Liechtenstein, and some areas of Rwanda. Plus, the adapter features a blue indicator light to tell you when it is on or off.

A converter is needed with this adapter, as it is only compatible with devices between the range of 100 to 250 volts.

Out Power: 2,500 watts at 250 volts max | Dimensions: 2.8 x 2.1 x 2.67 inches | USB Ports: 2

Best for Italy

Orei adapter plug.

CE certified and RoHS compliant

Each piece can charge two devices

Supports almost any traveler in Italy

Very specific utility

If you’re planning a trip to Italy , the OREI USA to Italy Travel Adapter Plug is your best choice. The two-pack includes two Type L plugs for charging devices in Italy and the microstate of San Marino. Both adapters feature dual inputs, which allow them to accommodate two U.S. plugs at the same time. One of the inputs is universal and can accept plugs from any country except those that use Type M plugs (e.g., South Africa, Eswatini, and Lesotho). The adapters are also free of substances such as lead, cadmium, and mercury, giving you added peace of mind.

Out Power: 3,000 watts at 250 volts | Dimensions: 1.5 x 1.5 x 1.5 inches | USB Ports: 0

Best for France

Tessan type e/f plug adapter.

Supports up to five devices

Limited compatibility range

Although this type of E/F plug can be used in other parts of Europe, such as Germany and Spain, it is especially great if you plan on taking a trip to France. The adapter is considered to be five in one, with two AC outlets for standard U.S. prongs and three USB ports to charge multiple devices at once. It may only be compatible with devices between 100 and 250 volts, but the plug has an impressive max capacity of 2,300 watts and is lightweight.

Out Power: 2,300 watts at max 230 volts | Dimensions: 3.62 x 2.85 x 1.77 inches | USB Ports: 3

Best Design

Mogics super bagel.

Innovative, self-contained design

Auto-reset fuse

Comes with a case

May not work in South Korea

It is tempting to reach for universal adapters to cover all your current and future travel plans. However, these tech powerhouses tend to be bulky and frustrating to pack. MOGICS has crafted a clever device to combat this—and it doesn't hurt that it's super cute as well.

The Super Bagel is a universal power adapter that features two types of USB ports, and the type C is capable of fast, 18-watt charging when used independently. The MA1 adapter pops out of the center and features four different plug configurations for use in the U.S., U.K., European Union, and Australia. The bagel section houses five AC sockets and a handy 3-foot-long extension cord to reach any wall outlet.

Out Power: 18-20 watts via USB ports | Dimensions: 1.57 x 3.57 x 3.57 inches | USB Ports: 2

Traveling comes with its share of stressors, so why not eliminate the headache of trying to find a compatible charging system on the ground in your destination and pick up the FOVAL Voltage Converter before you leave? It covers large tourist hubs, comes with a 5-foot cable, and has an automatic shutoff feature if something goes wrong. If you plan to venture to other countries besides Europe, the HAOZI Universal Travel Adapter is an excellent choice.

What to Look For in a Power Adapter

Universal use.

The general rule is that the more universal the plug, the bulkier it is. If you’re taking a backpacking trip across Europe—or traveling with just a carry-on—get an adapter only designed for Europe. You won’t need the weight or size of one designed for Australia or South America, for example—so why bother?

Number of Devices

Consider a charging station if you’re a gadget head bringing plenty of electronics. They can handle multiple electronics on the same strip, with USB charging ports and regular outlets to spare. Sure, they’re a little more expensive, but it’s one (or three) fewer things to leave behind in a hotel room.

Simpler adapters tend to be cheaper. Think about how much you want to spend, particularly if this is your first trip out of the U.S. If you have future trips in mind, consider spending a bit more on an adapter that can do more.

Check the adapter’s packaging or online description to see what countries or regions it’s marked as compatible with. 

A universal adapter connects you to many regions’ types of plugs in one single unit. Plug adapters, on the other hand, have different plugs you swap out depending on the region you’re in. Universal adapters tend to be on the bulkier side (a common style is a cube with outlets for multiple regions and even USB chargers built into it). A plug adapter keeps a little lower profile, so if you’re making a point to travel light and are only going to a region or two, this might be your best bet. 

Check the voltage of your electronics against the voltage your adapter says it’s converting. (If you’re unsure what it is, Google or look at the instructions or manual for your device.) The voltage shouldn't be an issue for most generic devices and things like hair straighteners.

Jessica Macdonald is a freelance writer based in South Africa specializing in travel, scuba diving, and wildlife conservation. Besides TripSavvy, Macdonald has written about her scuba diving experiences for Scuba Diver Life and is a two-time winner of The Telegraph's Just Back travel writing competition. She also has been TripSavvy's Africa expert since 2016.

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Guide,tips and tricks for Budapest travelers

Plug sockets in Hungary | Budapest plugs

In Hungary,all the electrical appliances use standard 220-240V and 50 Hz.

If you are coming to Budapest from UK,USA,ASIA,Australia or Arab world, you may need to buy the right socket converter for your mobile charger. What plugs are used in Budapest? What is Budapest plug type?what adapter do i need for Budapest? are some of the questions going through your mind when planning Budapest trip.

Not having the right converters for your chargers may cause challenges when your phone battery runs out. Not only the travel adapter but a good backpack or smart luggage is a must when traveling to Budapest. You should definitely check Horizn-Studios smart luggage collection with battery banks that are tested to be used on airplanes.

If you are looking for shopping at Vaci Street in Budapest and plan to stay in historic 5 star hotels nearby, do check the following.

• Emareld Hotel
• Parisi Udvar
• InterContinental Hotel
• Korona Mercury Hotel

Table of Contents

Shops for charger converters in Budapest

In Budapest,You can buy converters for mobile chargers from physicals stores,like MediaMarkt,Euronics,and bestByte.Although these companies do provide online order options.

You can also check alza.hu, which provides universal travel adapters at cheaper rates compared to the other mentioned stores.

Additionally these can also be purchased from shops named Elelmiszer and bigger Tesco/SPAR super markets.

MediaMarkt,Euronics and Bestbyte have their stores in shopping malls in Budapest.

The shopping malls are Corvin Plaza,Arena,Allee,WestEnd Shopping Mall.

While Elelmiszer shops can be found on random places in Budapest.

Travel adapter in Hungarian

If you plan to buy an adapter in Budapest,make sure you know the Hungarian for it, as in some places, you may not find English speaking representatives.

Adapter has almost the same spellings in Hungarian but pronounced differently.

However, the “travel adapter” is called “utazo adapter”.

If you are looking for a fold-able universal travel adapter, you can check Földelt univerzális utazó adapter.

Budapest plug sockets

The electric sockets in Budapest are of type C and F.

The most common plug in Budapest is F type socket.

These are sockets with a circular area and can accept plugs with two male pins with round shape and no third pin.

Do Budapest supermarkets have charger converters?

Yes you can buy charger converters and plug converters in Budapest from Tesco and SPAR.

Although not all the supermarkets have these charger converters but in bigger shops,the are available.

If you do not find in these super markets,visiting an electronics store is a good option.

Where to buy best quality adapters in Budapest

The best quality adapters in Budapest can be purchased from international stores like alza.hu , mediamarkt, euronics and BestByte.

Although not all the adapters in these stores are of good quality,but considering the variety available there,you can definitely find the one based on your desired price.

Where to buy cheap mobile adapters in Budapest

The best prices for Budapest plug adapters can be found in shops called “elelmiszer”.

These shops can be located randomly on the street/roads of Budapest.

As these shops are selling a wide collection of items, the cheaper mobile adapters may also come with average quality.

Budapest plug adapter shops near Keleti Station

There is an elelmiszer from a walking distance from Keleti Station,where you can buy mobile charger converters.

Additionally,there are a few mobile shops at a walking distance from the Keleti station selling such accessories.

You can also visit TESCO in Arena Plaza which is 15 mins walk from Keleti station.

Are plug adapters cheaper in Budapest

Mobile adapters in Budapest are not cheap,specially, in international electronics stores.

However,in Chinese shops called Elelmiszer, these are somehow at a better price.

Budapest is quite expansive in terms of electronics. However, if you are looking for a wide variety of online electronics stores in Budapest, Alza.hu is the recommended one.

Hence,if you are traveling from another country to Budapest for few days, its better to buy a universal charger to ease your life in Budapest.

 Online shops for buying Hungarian adapters

Two famous websites in Hungary for buying converter adapters are EMAG and ALZA.HU .

Although prices on these websites are cheaper  for Budapest plug types, but delivery cost makes it the same as buying from an electronics store.

Hence,if you are a traveler to Budapest, it is better to buy these from physical stores.

Does Hungary use EU plugs?

Yes Hungarian plug types are same as in other European Union countries,excluding United Kingdom and Ireland.

If you are traveling from Spain,Germany,France,etc, those plug chargers should work OK in Hungary,with exception of Switzerland. Hence,it is better to buy a universal adapter on your next Hungarian trip.

Universal adapters price in Budapest

If you are thinking to buy universal adapter within Budapest considering it is cheap. Think again,as depending upon the quality and brand, a universal adapter in Budapest will cost between 18 to 28 USD/EUR/GBP.

Kinds of adapters in Budapest

Either you are coming from USA or Australia,Great Britain or Canada, you will mostly find Hungarian to other country adapters in Budapest Electronics shops. Hence, best option for you to buy in Budapest are the universal adapters.

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United States to Hungary Travel Power Adapter to Connect North American Electrical Plugs to Hungarian Outlets for Cell Phones, Tablets, eReaders, and More (2-Pack, Black)

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About this item.

• TRAVEL FROM NORTH AMERICA TO HUNGARY EASIER with a TWO-PACK of quality plug adapters. Designed specifically to be an electrical outlet adapter for Hungary, you can charge and use your favorite devices during your trip!
• SUPERIOR CONSTRUCTION with reinforced prongs, sturdy fireproof ABS plastic, and copper components rated to 6 amps; don’t gamble with inferior and dangerous lookalikes
• COMPACT AND LIGHTWEIGHT, simple to use with no easily-broken moving parts or unnecessary pieces you don’t need
• USE WITH ALL YOUR PORTABLE ELECTRONIC DEVICES including phones and tablets, e-Book Readers, and nearly all modern dual-voltage electronic devices. Do not use with irons, hair dryers, lamps, or appliances
• LIFETIME WARRANTY: Have peace of mind knowing this adapter is assured to work in all modern HUNGARIAN outlets. Travel smarter with power adapters made to be used in Hungary.

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• Adapter for Pragu...

Adapter for Prague/Vienna/Budapest/Munich

I will be travelling to Prague, Vienna, Budapest and Munich in June. I am looking for adapter to use when I travel to those cities. When I searched on internet, I found out that there is "Type C" plug for most Europe and "Type E/F" for Germany. Do I need to buy two different types of plug/adapter to use in Munich and eastern Europe?

This Continental-style $1 adaptor works in all those countries. Check that your appliances or chargers say (in tiny print) that they accept voltage 110-240, so that you don't also need an electrical converter.

The Type "C" plug is a two wire plug and does not ground you appliance. The Type "F" plug has a ground contact on the side of the plug.

My US flat prong to "C" round prong adaptor has a clever cutout to allow the US round ground prong to for the Type "C" adaptor. However it is not a grounded connection.

As the others have said, the Plug Adaptor used for the continent is the Euro / Schuko model with two round pins. The diameter of the pins is different in some countries, but any plug adaptors of that type should work. I'd suggest packing at least two, as they're easy to misplace.

If you're using appliances which require a ground connection, you'll need additional Plug Adaptors which may be different for the countries you're visiting. While grounded plugs can be used with the two pin (non-grounded) adaptors, I prefer to have the ground connected in products that are designed for that. I've found that THIS Plug Adaptor works well in a variety of countries since it works both with outlets that have a protruding ground pin as well as those that use the grounding "ears".

wepraise316,

If all youre going to do is this one off trip, then get that specific model/type.

but if you will be returning back for more, look at some others with more options.

i got the adapters with several all in one and also USB ports to charge my e devices.

just some food for thought.

happy trails.

For two pronged plugs, all these counties use type C (two round prongs). For three pronged plugs, Prague, Vienna and Budapest use type F, and Germany uses type G.

A type C plug will fit in C, F and G outlets. So, if you are taking two prong appliances (like cell phones and iPods), all you need is a type C, two pronged adapter.

As Ken pointed out, you can get adapters that will work in both F and G outlets. If you are taking any three prong appliances (like many laptops), you should get one of these.

Germany, Austria and Romania all use CEE 7/4 aka Schuko aka 'Type F' sockets. The Czech Republic uses CEE 7/5 aka 'acu 2P+T' aka 'Type E' sockets, i.e. the French system.

Because both systems are in the CEE seven series, you can use the following plugs in all these countries: CEE 7/16 aka Europlug aka 'Type C' (ungrounded), CEE 7/17 aka Big-Europlug (ungrounded) and the CEE-7/7 aka Franco-German hybrid plug (grounded)

Additionally you can of course use grounded CEE 7/4 aka 'Schuko' aka 'Type F' plugs in Germany, Austria and Romania, but not in the Czech Republic. Conversely you can use the grounded CEE 7/5 aka 'acu 2P+T' aka 'Type E' in the Czech Republic, but not in Germany, Austria and Romania.

If you are making other purchases from the Travel Store, throwing in a plug adapter for $1 makes sense, but if that is all you are buying, it costs $6 for shipping, making it a $7 adapter. I know you can get a So. Europe adapter from Ace Hardware for about $5.

An Ace No. Europe adapter has 4.8 mm diam pins, and will only fit in a Schuko style receptacle in northern Europe, but not in a receptacle in Italy. The So. Europe adapter has 4.0 mm diam pins and will fit in all receptacles.

Understand that the 2 pin Europlug in Europe are only rated for 2½ amps, which means they should not be used for hair dryers, etc. Also, it is not polarized (one blade wider than the other), so any protection provided by the polarized plug is lost. And, the plug is not grounded, so if you you have an appliance with a grounding plug (third round pin), that safety feature will also be lost.

This topic has been automatically closed due to a period of inactivity.

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Travel Plug Adaptor for Hungary

Please be aware that whilst a travel adaptor will allow you to physically plug a UK plug into a different socket it will not change the voltage or frequency of the supply.

Voltage - The mains voltage in Hungary is 230 V which is compatible with all UK appliances (UK voltage is currently specified as 230 V +10% / - 6%).

Frequency - The frequency in Hungary is 50 Hz which is the same as the UK.

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WhatPlug.info

Guide for the traveller with plugs

How to use plugs from United Kingdom in Hungary

Plugs, sockets, adapters and other information needed for travelling from United Kingdom to Hungary in this page. If you want a report for other countries, re-start the wizard to find to electric adapters for your trip here .

Quick Chart at-a-glance

If you are electrical savvy, perhaps the previous chart is all you need. If this is not the case, you can continue reading and discover what the chart is saying!

Plugs and Sockets at each country

In United Kingdom the following plugs are used: (includes London, Bath, Oxford, Cambridge, Brighton.)

Considerations for the United Kingdom

It is likely you will only find plugs-type "G" in the UK. Plugs type "D" and "M" are considered "old" and not common. They are are still used nowadays to differentiate low-power lighting circuits. So please don't try to use an adapter on them for high-power equipments like hair-dryer or even battery chargers. We keep "D" and "M" plugs in our database as we don't know your exact destination and you might find one next to a bed table. As a rule of thumb , you will probably be fine with the type "G" in hotels and big cities.

... and in Hungary you will use: (includes Budapest, Pécs, Eger, Szeged, Kecskemét, Sopron, Debrecen.)

Budapest Parliament

We have a post " Plugs & Travel Adapters for your next trip to Europe ", maybe you want to read it.

Exact voltage

Perfect! This is very good! You will not need any sort of voltage adapter (they are always big, heavy and they can't handle too much energy. i.e. might have problems with hairdryers). You can plug your devices to the electric network grid in Hungary without requiring a voltage adapter.

Different plug systems

Sorry, none of the plugs used in both countries are common. You will definitelly need plug adapters, please continue reading for more information.

Lists of adapters you can use in your travel:

Adapter: generic

This adapter allows you to use plugs type: A, B, C, D, E, F, G, H, I, J, K, L, M, N into outlets type: E, F.

This adapter allows you to use plugs type: A, B, D, G, I, M into outlets type: C, E, F, L.

This adapter has a safety protection so you don't plug only one terminal into the adapter while touching the other with your finger, because it is generic, when you buy it pay attention to this safety mechanism. Overall a good adapter that has the earth connection pass-though (notice the metallic connector on the side.)

Adapters you can buy

You can buy the following multi-purpose adapters from Amazon. Please also take a look at the recommended gadgets for your trip.

Equal Hertz

This is the perfect situation. You will not have any clock shift issue with the same Hertz.

Elérhetőségeink

ALKOSS VELÜNK!

Programmal és információkkal kapcsolatos megkeresések: [email protected]

Sajtó és kommunikáció: Széplaki Nóra –  [email protected]

Helyszínbérlés: Lukács Áron – [email protected]

ADAPTÉR Cím: 1111 Budapest Bercsényi utca 10. Nyitvatartás: Az Adaptér programjai előtt egy órával nyílik a tér. A programokat ide kattintva találod!

Az Ajtónyitó az Adaptér kéthetente megvalósuló nyílt napja, amikor bátran bejöhetsz hozzánk! További információkért kattints ide.

ADAPTÉR MŰHELY Cím: 1111 Budapest Lágymányosi utca 5.

Az Adaptér programjai előtt egy órával nyílik a tér. A programokat ide kattintva találod!

Az Adaptérben inspirációs, edukációs és alkotó programokon vehetsz rész. Ezek mindegyike azt szolgálja, hogy közelebb kerülj az intézmény négy nagy témájának (jövő humán értékei; társadalmi evolúció; automatizáció; ökológia) valamelyikéhez és új módszereket, technológiákat sajátíts el, melyek segítségedre lehetnek a mindennapokban. Bővebb információt aktuális programjainkról a programtárunkban találsz.

Az  Adaptér  inspirációs terében digitális technológiákat használó, installatív art&tech élményelemeket találhatsz, melyek segítségével  közelebb kerül hozzád az Adaptér világa és inspirálódhasz a tanulásra és az alkotásra!

Bővebb információkért kattints ide.

Ha szeretnél saját podcastot vagy vodcastot fejleszteni, azt megteheted az Adaptér stúdiójában. Bérlési és kapcsolódási lehetőségeinkről érdeklődhetsz az [email protected] címen, bővebb információkat pedig a Szolgáltatások menüpontban találsz.

Ha van egy programod, ami illeszkedik az Adaptér szellemiségéhez és elhoznád hozzánk, a teremfoglalási lehetőségekről érdeklődhetsz az [email protected] címen, bővebb információkat pedig a Szolgáltatások menüpontban találsz.

Ha van egy programod, ami szerinted illeszkedik az Adaptér programstruktúrájába, és szeretnél hozzánk kapcsolódni, keress minket bátran az [email protected] címen.

Az Adaptér Műhelyt az Adaptér inspirációs és edukációs terétől (1111 Budapest Bercsényi utca 10.) körülbelül 60 méterre található, (1111 Budapest Lágymányosi utca 5.) külön épületben találod meg. Az Adaptér Műhely várhatóan 2023. decemberében nyílik meg és lesz elérhető az érdeklődők számára.

IRATKOZZ FEL HÍRLEVELÜNKRE!

Elolvastam és egyetértek az Adatvédelmi tájékoztatóban foglaltakkal

KÖVESS MINKET!

Szeretnénk veled alkotni.

[email protected]

LÁTOGASD MEG AZ ADAPTERET!

ADAPTÉR | KREATÍV TECHNOLÓGIAI TUDÁSBÁZIS

1111 BUDAPEST BERCSÉNYI U. 10

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• It List 2024 Overview: It List 2024

The 100 Best New Hotels of the Year

• The Best New U.S. Resorts of 2023
• The Best New Affordable Luxury Hotels of 2023
• The Best New International Resorts of 2023
• The Best New Cruise Ships of 2023
• The Best New City Hotels of 2023
• The Most Luxurious New Hotels of 2023
• Hotels + Resorts
• It List 2024 The 100 Best New Hotels of the Year The Best New U.S. Resorts of 2023 The Best New Affordable Luxury Hotels of 2023 The Best New International Resorts of 2023 The Best New Cruise Ships of 2023 The Best New City Hotels of 2023 The Most Luxurious New Hotels of 2023 CLOSE Part of It List 2024

It List 2024: The best new hotels of the year, all visited and reviewed by Travel + Leisure's expert editors and contributors.

Since 1971, Travel + Leisure editors have followed one mission: to inform, inspire, and guide travelers to have deeper, more meaningful experiences. T+L's editors have traveled to countries all over the world, having flown, sailed, road tripped, and taken the train countless miles. They've visited small towns and big cities, hidden gems and popular destinations, beaches and mountains, and everything in between. With a breadth of knowledge about destinations around the globe, air travel, cruises, hotels, food and drinks, outdoor adventure, and more, they are able to take their real-world experience and provide readers with tried-and-tested trip ideas, in-depth intel, and inspiration at every point of a journey.

Our annual guide to the most game-changing hotel openings (and reopenings) has taken Travel + Leisure editors and contributors to 39 countries on six continents. We started with a list of more than 200 soon-to-open hotels, and T+L editors and reporters visited nearly 130 of them over the last 12 months. The endeavor brought us to a swish, antiques-filled hot spot in Fort Worth , Texas’s Cultural District; a hideaway that breathes big personality into Spain’s little-known wine region of Priorat; and an all-inclusive ski resort in Hokkaido, Japan , among other intriguing new hotels redefining the destinations around them.

Related: Our Hotel Values

Ahead, the 100 very best new hotels, including hidden gems in Morocco and reborn icons in Mexico and Hawaii. And, for the first time, the best newly launched luxury cruise ships. We’ve divided our picks into six categories to help you find the right escape for your travel mood. And we’ve noted, at the end of each entry, properties that have accessible rooms and common spaces that meet or exceed ADA or similar, country-specific rules. 

Read on for T+L’s 2024 It List — we’ll see you at the rooftop pool. 

— Edited by Maya Kachroo-Levine and Danielle Pointdujour

Hotels by Category

The full 100, 1 hotel hanalei bay, kauai.

Nina Ruggiero/Travel + Leisure

Once in a while, a hotel lands in a new place feeling like it’s always belonged there. The 1 Hotels brand and the Hawaiian island of Kauai were destined to be a match: They share a dedication to sustainability and a reputation for lush greenery. When 1 Hotel Hanalei Bay opened its doors in February 2023, the first thing locals and returning visitors noticed was that unlike its predecessor, the stark-white St. Regis Princeville, it didn’t stand out. On Kauai, that’s a good thing. A khaki-green exterior, rooftop gardens, and a host of endemic plants mean the hotel blends into its surrounding hills, leading all eyes straight to Hanalei Bay. And the bay is well deserving of the spotlight: as if its clear, swimmable waters weren’t enough, the skyline is dominated by the peaks of Mount Makana — also known as Bali Hai, the start of the otherworldly Na Pali coast — and the vibrant rainbows that appear in the sky almost daily. From the ocean-facing rooms and open-air restaurants to the pool with a view, everything at 1 Hotel Hanalei Bay is built for enjoying this incredible backdrop, blurring the lines between indoors and out. The Bamford Wellness Spa is focused on Hawaiian plant medicine, with personalized facials and massages that make use of local scrubs and honeys. The spa also offers sensory stimulation like hyperbaric oxygen therapy and a zero-gravity float chamber. The new Within Wellbeing program, a first for the 1 Hotels portfolio, curates four- and seven-night retreats focused on personal growth, longevity, balance, nutrition, and more. The 8,000-square-foot Anatomy gym offers personal training and fitness classes daily, and the signature restaurant, 1 Kitchen , serves organic vegetables grown on site, sustainably and locally caught seafood, and biodynamic wines. The hotel makes a concerted effort to support Hawaiian businesses, from the designers in its boutique and the juices and coffee at Neighbors , its all-day café, to its partnerships with nearby farms, surf schools , guides, and nonprofits including the Kauai Humane Society . From $1,200/night. Accessible hotel. — Nina Ruggiero

21c Museum Hotel St. Louis

Courtesy of 21c Museum Hotels

Opening in August 2023 with the not-so-hidden agenda to breathe new life into one of St. Louis’s most historic neighborhoods, this 173-room property — Missouri’s second 21c Museum Hotel — has proven that it is indeed fun to stay at a YMCA. Before the renovated, 10-story neo-Renaissance building found a second life as a hotel, it housed the downtown St. Louis chapter of the YMCA for nearly a century. Today, instead of luring guests with team sports and weight rooms, this Locust Street location does so with art exhibitions, culinary extravagances, and well-curated guest rooms. The building’s Wes Anderson–esque facade was renovated by the preservation pros at Perfido Weiskopf Wagstaff + Goettel , while Bill Rooney Studio reimagined the guest rooms and architecture firm Hufft designed the public spaces. True to the brand’s ethos, the hotel only showcases art from the 21st century, each piece hanging from an unexpected place, like on the walls lining the YMCA’s former basketball court — gloss floors, suspended running track, and all. Altogether, there is more than 14,000 square feet of art exhibition space, all designed to double as event space hosting community activities like altruistic happy hours supporting a different local nonprofit each month. Even the hotel rooms act as mini galleries, featuring unconventional layouts and exclusive artwork from artists with strong ties to Missouri, like Carmon Colangelo. Designers brought in custom Rookwood Pottery tiles to replicate the historic inlays of the basement fitness and swim club, where the phrase “Swim for Life” is still etched on the pool floor, preserving a piece of YMCA history. In contrast, new culinary additions bring a fresh appeal to the hotel — I loved the Northwest Coffee at Good Press cafe and the playful, Spanish-style tapas and cocktails at Idol Wolf restaurant. From $161/night. Accessible hotel. — Kristy Alpert

Anantara Convento di Amalfi Grand Hotel, Italy

Housed in a 13th-century Capuchin convent, Anantara Convento di Amalfi 's church has been meticulously maintained, as have its Arab-Norman cloisters, where a Franciscan friar leads walking meditations and luxury wedding ceremonies between the cliffs and the sea. Inside, convent benches still line simple, dimly lit halls, inspiring quiet moments of contemplation, though the bougainvillea-draped exterior corridors are just as appealing. Convento is built high into a cliff overlooking one of the most beautiful sections of the Amalfi Coast, serving a sparkling blue view that’s best enjoyed by day from the infinity pool or a table at La Locanda della Canonica , where pizza by legendary Neapolitan pizzaiolo Gino Sorbillo is plated on colorful ceramics. By night, yachts light the dark waters below, adding to the romance of fine-dining restaurant Dei Cappuccini , where chef Claudio Lanuto creates tasting menus using fresh seafood and vegetables from the on-site monks’ garden. The sea is also on display from the outdoor gym and each of the 52 beige-and-white rooms and suites — where reflections of the sapphire Mediterranean offer the only pop of color, save for bowls of bright yellow Amalfi lemons. The only exception is the Suite del Priore (formerly home to the convent prior), with a ceiling covered in preserved frescoes above the four-poster bed. The serene neutral color palette extends to the spa , which includes a hammam and uses Valmont skin care products. Amalfi’s town center is a short walk away, and the hotel arranges some of the area’s most breathtaking excursions , from private sunset cruises and scenic hikes to helicopter tours. From $1,401/night. Accessible hotel. — Nina Ruggiero

Anantara Koh Yao Yai Resort & Villas, Thailand

Courtesy of Anantara Koh Yao Yai Resort & Villas

The 40-minute speedboat ride from Phuket to the new Anantara Koh Yao Yai brought me to a secluded property in the middle of Phang Nga Bay. The 27-acre paradise sits on a quiet, powdery stretch of sand shared only with elusive hornbills and macaques. Built from the ground up, Anantara Koh Yao Yai’s 148 rooms are spread across a handful of buildings: two-story penthouses and cozy villas, all featuring private plunge pools, plus family-friendly suites outfitted with darling bunk beds and slides. A minimalist design runs through every butler-serviced room: sleek wood paneling, woven headboards, marble baths with soaking tubs, and copious amounts of light pouring in through floor-to-ceiling balcony doors. The same aesthetic carries over to the 10,00-square-foot spa with a hammam as well as the resort’s main, silver gray–tiled infinity pool overlooking the water. The indoor-outdoor Beach Restaurant serves an ambitious international menu — sushi, pastas, and much more — which excels thanks to fresh, local ingredients. For a more hands-on culinary experience, I tried a cooking class at the on-site Spice Spoons culinary school and learned to make green curry, pad Thai, and mango sticky rice with an expert chef. From $750/night. — Tanvi Chheda

andBeyond Punakha Valley, Bhutan

Chris Schalkx

Luxury safari operator andBeyond’s first property outside Africa and South America, andBeyond Punakha River Lodge is a game-changer for Bhutan. After locating a lush plot of land along the roaring Mo River in the Punakha Valley, the company worked with Fox Browne Creative, known for its high-end African safari camps, to bring the vision to life. The lodge’s eight suites meld the brand’s signature safari-style tents with Bhutanese details such as ornate timber frames, shingled roofs, and kaleidoscopic textiles (woven by Renew, a nonprofit dedicated to women’s empowerment). Bathrooms open onto outdoor showers and have skylights above the soaking tubs, making them perfect for stargazing. The spa features herbal hot-stone baths and poolside loungers with views of the Himalayas. Adventure seekers can opt for bike rides in the mountains and whitewater rafting, complete with elaborate picnics. The lodge also offers guided tours to the gold-trimmed Punakha Dzong, one of the country’s oldest fortresses, and jungle hikes to frozen-in-time villages. From $890/night, all-inclusive. Accessible hotel. — Chris Schalkx

Angama Amboseli, Kimana, Kenya

Emli Bendixen

In the south of Kenya, everybody looks for elephants, but it’s the birds you notice first: lilac-breasted rollers, grey-crowned cranes, turacos, kingfishers, and hornbills. The wildlife is as varied and eye-catching as the landscape, which is dominated by the spectacular Mount Kilimanjaro. No wonder high-end safari operator Angama chose this spot for its new lodge , a follow-up to the game-changing Angama Mara, which opened in 2015. The new property, with its 10 spacious suites, sits in the private Kimana Sanctuary, a 5,700-acre tract filled with wildlife, including antelope, buffalo, elephants, giraffes, impalas, and warthogs. With an infinity pool, excellent farm-to-fork cuisine, and a bar lounge, Angama Amboseli makes for a plush home base for forays into Amboseli National Park. From $1,650 per person, all-inclusive.​ Accessible hotel. — Paul Brady

Bowie House, Auberge Resorts Collection, Fort Worth, Texas

Denny Lee/Travel + Leisure

Arriving at Bowie House on a Friday night, I was surrounded by fun-loving Texans in cowboy hats and fur vests leaving their Rivian SUVs with the valet. They walked through the art- and antiques-filled lobby, richly adorned with Texas longhorns, cowhide-upholstered club chairs, wool rugs, and a riot of horse-themed objects: paintings, statues, photographs, saddles. The wood-paneled bar overflowed with elegantly dressed women laughing over bottles of wine; older couples slurping down oysters by the fireplace, families carving into steaks in the Bricks & Horses restaurant, and young professionals perusing the impressive art (all collected by the hotel’s charismatic owner, Dallas businesswoman Jo Ellard). The equestrian theme continues upstairs in the 88 rooms, each of which is furnished with comforting touches like bar carts, art books, woven leather headboards, and dimmable lighting. Of course it’s no accident that the hotel is practically next door to the Will Rogers Memorial Center, a premiere venue for horse competitions and livestock shows. (When I visited, there was a stock show and rodeo going on.) Now those riders, cowboys, and cowgirls have a place to hang out, in all their western finery. From $609/night. Accessible hotel. — Denny Lee

Broadwick Soho, London

Courtesy of Broadwick Soho

Broadwick Soho ’s mishmash of florid patterns and bold colors make it hard not to fall for this endearingly eccentric London property. Its aesthetic has proven to be catnip to the artists and actors who’ve always patronized Soho, central London’s most louche and creative district. At the ground-floor reception, finished in pretty pinks, big-bucks artworks by Bridget Riley and Francis Bacon are displayed without fanfare. Truth is, they’re easily missed in the midst of so much aesthetic flamboyance. Look out for drinks cabinets secreted within adorable brass elephants, handcrafted by Jaipuri artisans; pretty illustrated countertops specially made in Positano, Italy; and a glitzy mirrored cabinet in The Nook, a residents-only lounge where hotel guests can peruse a British-inflected record collection including classics from Sade and The Rolling Stones. There are opportunities to mingle with locals at rooftop bar Flute, where the gorgeous, golden onyx-topped bar counter is offset by some good-humored kitsch: animal-print fabrics, cork-clad walls, palm-print carpets. This might be a lighthearted spot, but they take cocktails seriously; a bartender educated me on Soho’s long standing as a center of mixology before presenting me with a perfect paloma, and the atmospheric city views from the terrace make this a top spot for date nights. Named for the owner’s mother, dimly lit basement restaurant Dear Jackie is more discreet and feels fun and indulgent — my rich, punchy puttanesca pasta was delicious and a good value at less than $20. Sated on all the delights of Soho, within and beyond the hotel, guests can retire to one of 57 comfy, characterful rooms finished in soft pastels, distinguished with unique artworks, and generously stocked with toiletries by chic Sicilian outfit Ortigia. From $753/night. Accessible hotel. — John O'Ceallaigh

Bulgari Hotel Tokyo

Courtesy of Bulgari Hotels & Resorts

“We bring the art of Italian living wherever we go,” Silvio Ursini, executive vice president of Bulgari Hotels & Resorts , told me at the opening of the Bulgari Hotel Tokyo . The 98-room property, which occupies the top five floors of the 45-story Tokyo Midtown Yaesu tower, is the eighth in Bulgari’s small, luxurious portfolio (a ninth, in Rome, opened in June). It feels like a Roman holiday in Japan — where both arigato gozaimasu and grazie mille are completely acceptable ways to thank someone for a glass of Champagne. Guests can choose from an Italian restaurant helmed by Niko Romito, an acclaimed chef born and raised in Italy, or an eight-seat omakase counter from chef Kenji Gyoten, known for his Michelin three-starred restaurant in Fukuoka, Japan. The hotel’s design is a pastiche of Japanese artistry. In my room, the ceilings were hand-painted with five layers of gold paint by local craftspeople and were second only to the alluring black granite bathtub. My favorite Italian design piece was the one I visited each morning, when I would take the elevator to the 40th-floor, and plunge into the spa’s 15,000-square-foot pool. Its floor is breathtaking, made of mosaic tile and Venetian glass in an entrancing shade of green that glimmers gold when natural light shines through the water. From $1,700/night. Accessible hotel. — Maya Kachroo-Levine

Cap Karoso, Sumba, Indonesia 

Frédéric Lagrange

Nothing builds anticipation like a 45-minute drive between corn fields and the sapphire Indian Ocean, on a road lined with flora so lush vines spill onto the pavement. It wouldn’t have taken much to enchant me after that trip, but the welcome I received at Cap Karoso , a 15-acre beachfront resort on an undeveloped island east of Bali, still managed to overdeliver. The staff greeted me by name and handed me an indigo ceramic cup containing a heavenly hibiscus-coconut elixir: precisely the type of off-the-grid charm that makes this 47-room, 20-villa property so singular. The food and drink from the Beach Club restaurant and Apicine Bar were flavored with local ingredients — think papaya spritzes and handmade gnocchi with Sumba cashew foam, courtesy of executive chef Antoine LeVacon and consulting mixology maestro Nico de Soto. The guest chef–only restaurant Julang stimulated my tastebuds with dishes like king prawn with asparagus, cardamom foam, and ponzu sauce courtesy of Tokyo-born chef Katsuaki Okiyama, the guest chef during my stay. This is a place well equipped for downtime, thanks to the Malala Spa, which uses healing herbs and rituals for its treatments, and has two picturesque pools, sunlit accommodations with generous bathtubs, and commissioned artwork that plays on motifs from ancient Sumbanese culture. Nearby, traditional Marapu villages, crystalline lagoons, and surf breaks are also ripe for exploration. Fiery sunsets mesmerized me from the beach, where at low tide locals fished for their dinners, but nothing captivated me quite like my interactions with the predominantly Sumbanese staff, who are overwhelmingly warm. From $300/night. — Kathryn Romeyn

Capella Sydney

Samantha Falawée/Travel + Leisure

When Capella Sydney opened in March 2023, the news created a buzz. That might have been because it was Sydney ’s first luxury hotel to open in almost a decade — and is housed in a handsome, early 1900s building in the heart of the city that once held Australia’s Lands and Education offices. Or it may have been because it was the first property outside of Asia from the Singapore-based Capella Hotels & Resorts, which was voted the No. 1 hotel brand by readers in last year’s World’s Best Awards. Walking into the lobby entrance, I passed four multimedia pieces by aboriginal artist Judy Watson that depict motifs of the Indigenous Eora, the original inhabitants of the land on which Sydney now stands. Hanging from the ceiling of Aperture, the indoor courtyard-garden area serving finger sandwiches and afternoon tea, is a mesmerizing, flower-like light installation by Dutch duo Drift — the only other one like it is housed in the permanent collection of the Rijksmuseum in Amsterdam . In the hotel’s 192 rooms, dramatic black steel window frames and soothing dove-gray marble blend unobtrusively with a warm, neutral palette. Brasserie 1930 has a modern but cozy atmosphere. My eggs Benedict, served on a fluffy crumpet with truffle hollandaise, sautéed kale, and smoked Berkshire ham, was so delicate and delicious, I ordered it every morning of my stay. In the evening, I headed to the McRae Bar to try craft cocktails inspired by popular drinks of the late 1800s to early 1900s – and was  surprised to come across a local “Culturist,” a rotating cast of local experts from mixologists to magician Harry Milas , who delighted me, along with a handful of guests, with a sleight-of-hand show. The hotel is located within walking distance to the city’s Royal Botanic Garden, the ferry and train stations at Circular Quay Wharf, and the Sydney Opera House. After a day spent sightseeing, I headed to Auriga Spa on the sixth floor. Swimming in the 66-foot heated pool, under a glass ceiling flooded with sunlight, was the perfect relaxing moment. From $650/night. Accessible hotel. — Samantha Falewée

Carlton Cannes, a Regent Hotel, France

Courtesy of Carlton Cannes, a Regent Hotel

As I opened the door to my beachfront room at the Carlton Cannes, a Regent Hotel , I was greeted by a perfectly framed view of a lone yacht perched on a lightly rippled Mediterranean Sea. The scene was so quintessentially Côte d’Azur that it felt scripted just for my arrival. Considering this property’s silver-screen credentials, maybe it’s not so far-fetched a thought. The address of choice for Hollywood’s A-list since the first Cannes Film Festival in 1946, the Carlton, like the most-loved cinema hits, was due for a modern remake. After a two-year closure, La Grande Dame, as the hotel is known along La Croisette, has emerged with a new swagger, whether that’s from the false ceilings pulled away to reveal hidden frescoes in the lobby; a refreshed dining scene that includes Rüya, the French Riviera’s first Anatolian restaurant; or the rooms, smartly restyled in soft grays, light pinks, and off-whites. The color palette was deliberately chosen by designer Tristan Auer to showcase the region’s famous light as it streams through the bay windows. With its heritage-listed belle époque facade relatively untouched, the hotel’s biggest change is felt on the side facing away from the sea. Gone is an unsightly car park, replaced by two expansive wings split into a clutch of exclusive branded residences and an immense 10,770-square-foot penthouse. Tucked inside this new horseshoe form is a tranquil garden, Cannes’ largest infinity pool, and enough space to fit an ice rink come winter. From $550/night. Accessible hotel. — Chrissie McClatchie

Casa Pestagua, Cartagena, Colombia

Kiko Kairuz/Courtesy of Casa Pestagua

Thanks to a $15 million renovation, one of Cartagena’s most beautiful colonial mansions now shines as a 16-room boutique hotel, Casa Pestagua . The 18th-century facade blends seamlessly into the charming squares, cobblestoned streets, and colorful buildings of the historic Old City, and inside, guests enjoy amenities that include a bar and a gym. AniMare, the restaurant, serves both traditional dishes like ceviches and seafood cazuela — a stew made with coconut milk and vegetables — and more contemporary offerings like açaí bowls. For guests in need of a break from the city, the hotel offers day trips to Barú Island; you can even stay overnight in one of six beachfront bungalows (exclusive to guests of Casa Pestagua and its sibling property Casa San Agustín) for an additional cost. From $500/night. ​ — Susmita Baral

Cayo Levantado Resort, Dominican Republic 

Courtesy of Cayo Levantado

As the only resort occupying the palm-fringed Cayo Levantado island off the coast of Samana Bay, this luxury all-inclusive wellness property, which opened its doors in the summer of 2023, whisks guests away to a serene world that blends ancient traditions with modern practices. Travelers get a sense of what’s to come as soon as the resort’s private boat approaches the island’s Victorian-inspired dock, where turquoise waters backed by lush tropical greenery conceal 218 spacious guest rooms, suites, and villas with private plunge pools and patios. Dominican architect Ramón Emilio Jiménez has done a spectacular job of introducing a sense of place by incorporating local materials and handmade decor like palm leaf-shaped sconces and Guayacán wood trays. However, the highlight of Cayo Levantado is the wellness experiences, which are organized around four “paths”: refresh, restore, relax, and renew. For each, guests can choose from a long list of activities such as breathwork classes, yoga, sound baths, Tibetan singing bowl meditation sessions, cold plunges, and even a Shamanic cleansing ceremony — many of which take place in the resort’s open-air wellness center. 

Nutrition is also an important part of any stay. Some of my favorite meals were at the resort’s Santa Yuca restaurant. This idyllic open-air space serves healthy dishes, like a fantastic grilled watermelon salad with avocado cream sauce, prepared with ingredients that literally grow right next to the tables. From $450 per person per night, all-inclusive. — Dobrina Zhekova

Château des Fleurs, Paris

Mr. Tripper/Courtesy of Château des Fleurs

The family-run Vivre Bertrand Hospitalité group has been having quite the opening season in the Triangle d’Or section of Paris’s eighth arrondissement with the debut of Château des Fleurs , a boutique escape just off the Champs-Élysées. Designed by Barcelona firm Quintana Partners, the 37-room hotel is a highly designed flurry of custom flourishes, from the Gaudí-inspired doors to the elegantly sculpted wooden gym equipment to the ebullient motif of carved wooden balls that pops up throughout the lobby, evocative of the bubbles in the glass of Champagne that greets guests staying in a suite. With hammam-style showers and a railway-style dressing area, tufted velvet sofas and a claw-foot tub within feet of the bed, the Belle Époque sanctuaries can be hard to leave. What feels most 21st-century about this 1910 hotel is that the lobby bar and snug micro-restaurant, Oma, which means “mother” in Korean, is as much a meeting space for guests and city residents as it is for pulling out a laptop to work. From $490/night. Accessible hotel. — Christine Muhlke

Club Med Kiroro Grand, Hokkaido, Japan 

Lydia Price/Travel + Leisure

With its new property in Japan, Club Med has achieved an enormous feat: making it easy for families to take a far-flung international ski trip. The brand’s latest all-inclusive resort, Club Med Kiroro Grand , is on the northern island of Hokkaido, where heaps of fluffy snow are blown in on Siberian winds. The towering 266-room property immerses guests in an enchanted forest. You’ll find giant sculptures of woodland creatures, mushroom-shaped light fixtures, and foliage-covered ceilings in the sprawling complex, which includes an indoor pool, a kids’ campus, and a spa. My favorite amenity was the outdoor onsen, where I soaked in mineral-rich spring water every afternoon. The main dining hall serves a diverse spread of comfort food designed to please the broad range of nationalities staying at the resort. Dishes included bulgogi, pad see ew, and roasted chicken with mashed potatoes — all freshly made by Kiroro’s chefs and bursting with layers of flavor. Apart from the multicultural buffets, the resort houses three specialty restaurants. My eight-course sushi feast at Ebisu was a masterpiece made almost exclusively from local ingredients. Not to be outdone, barbecue restaurant Kaen served the most succulent Wagyu beef I’ve ever tasted, with other Hokkaido-sourced produce like scallops, pork, and salmon on the guest-manned grills. And at the lively Ogon, I took a crash course in making my own Japanese hot pot. All three restaurants are mere steps away from the lobby doors; in fact, everything at Kiroro Grand is less than a 10-minute walk away from the guest rooms, making long treks schlepping skis and disgruntled children a thing of the past. From $2,250 per person for seven nights. Accessible hotel. — Lydia Price

Como Le Montrachet, Burgundy, France 

Courtesy of COMO Hotels and Resorts

Though new to the scene, Como Le Montrachet — the luxury hospitality group’s first venture in France — is quickly becoming a go-to for local and visiting Burgundophiles alike. At the head of Puligny-Montrachet’s sleepy town square, this breezy inn combines contemporary design with its sturdy, rustic, 19th-century bones, and even in its infancy drew a consistent crowd for dinner at adjoining restaurant Le Montrachet. The wine selection is, of course, world-class — it’s never difficult to find great wines when in France (especially in Burgundy), but the Le Montrachet team truly takes the selection and service to the next level in its quest to highlight the region’s best at a variety of price points. Apart from a few local winery visits (a must), my time spent here revolved around the seasonally driven menu and its accompanying pours, each with a sommelier’s anecdote or two. And I’d be remiss to not call out the cheese cart, which could easily be considered life-changing, although certainly not for the faint of heart. Accessible from Paris, Dijon, Lyon, and nearby Beaune, Como Le Montrachet is an epicure’s sanctuary, and an unpretentious one at that (you certainly don’t need to be a wine expert to feel welcomed here). And in true Como fashion, each of the hotel’s common areas and guest rooms are directly inspired by the surrounding environment — a theme that defines Le Montrachet’s culinary program in a holistic harnessing of terroir. From $377/night. Accessible hotel. — Céline Bossart

Como Metropolitan Singapore

Last September, the Singapore-based Como group unveiled Como Metropolitan Singapore , the brand’s first hotel in its home country. Located on Orchard Road — the city-state’s famed shopping and lifestyle hub — the hotel is part of Como Orchard, an immersive experience spread over 19 floors, which showcases the group’s strengths in hospitality, wellness, fashion and cuisine. Designed by Atelier Ikebuchi and Milan-based Otto Studio, the interiors feature clean lines, contemporary aesthetics, and furniture from noted Italian brand Giorgetti. A bonsai tree marks its discreet entrance, while the lobby features a huge LED display of flowers by artist Thomas Hilland and locally sourced coffees served by Bruno, the robot barista. The 156 rooms are full of thoughtful touches, such as amenities from wellness brand Como Shambhala, butler hatches, and refillable water bottles. A newly launched Sleep Dreams package encourages deep relaxation in your room using a device that plays low-frequency sound waves. Como Shambhala offers yoga, pilates, a 1,500-square-foot gym, and innovative treatments like hot and cold immersion therapies. (I tried the Oxygen Therapy, which involved destressing in a lightly pressurized hyperbaric device.) International dining concepts like Cedric Grolet Singapore and Cote Singapore draw both travelers and locals to the property; the former serves Grolet’s exquisite fruit and flower-shaped pastries, sandwiches, and teas. Cote Singapore — the Michelin-starred U.S. restaurant’s first international outpost–blends American steak preparations with Korean BBQ, offering top-quality beef cuts and a lively, clubby atmosphere best described as “sexy Yakuza den.” From $300/night. Accessible hotel. — Shamilee Vellu

Curtain Bluff, Antigua

Courtesy of Curtain Bluff

Tucked away on Antigua’s southwest end, this 72-room property recently unveiled a multimillion-dollar renovation that combines old-school elegance with modern flair. It’s evident in the details: the rattan chairs from the ‘80s that have been re-lacquered; the classic turquoise and green bedding now juxtaposed with contemporary tiling. This delicate dance between welcoming the new and continuing the legacy of late founders Howard and Chelle Hulford is what makes Curtain Bluff one of the most coveted resorts in Antigua. The resort’s new two-story, state-of-the-art wellness center is a hideaway, complete with an infinity pool overlooking the ocean, an expanded fitness center, and a yoga pavilion. After your massage, retreat to the upper balcony to take a dip in the cliffside Jacuzzi. The resort’s most popular suites have been outfitted with marble soaking tubs and large walk-in showers that leave you feeling energized and ready for the day. Guests will still find all the familiar amenities that make Curtain Bluff so special: five full-size tennis courts, delicious Caribbean-French dishes at restaurants Sea Grape and Tamarind, and a host of sports and water activities for families. Be sure to carve out time to sample the resort’s international wine cellar during a tasting with head sommelier Glouster St. Ville. From $1,850/night. Accessible hotel. — Jasmine Grant

Dawn Ranch, Sonoma County, California

Maya Kachroo-Levine/Travel + Leisure

The spicy, amber-rich scent of cedar greeted me before I saw the wooden cabins at Dawn Ranch , which form a horseshoe around a grassy lawn dotted with cornhole boards and a giant Connect 4 set. The whimsy of this redwood-shaded hideaway from the hospitality group behind Marram Montauk reflects the carefree energy of Guerneville, a town on the Russian River. The 87 accommodations include seasonal glamping tents, but I opted for a cottage, which had a double-sided fireplace lined with green tile. The property has its own dock on the river and is just 14 miles from both Healdsburg’s posh wineries and the Pacific coast. Guests can also borrow bikes for a quick jaunt to the famed 1,400-year-old Colonel Armstrong redwood. Don’t let the allure of Sonoma fine dining pull you away from the Ranch’s restaurant: helmed by two Argentine chefs, it has South American undertones, with dishes like yellowfin tiradito at dinner and Paraguayan chiapas , a gluten-free cheesy bread, for breakfast. From $450/night.​ Accessible hotel. — Maya Kachroo-Levine

Eliamos Villas Hotel & Spa, Kefalonia, Greece

Courtesy of Eliamos Villas Hotel & Spa

Covertly nestled on a cypress-clad hillside on Kefalonia island, this unpretentious, all-villa hotel in a profoundly soothing setting is a rare find on Greece’s Ionian Sea. Eliamos Villas Hotel & Spa was born out of a love for the sprawling, fertile isle shared by London-based interior architect and designer Maike Gruna and her Greek-Australian husband with Kefalonian roots. Gruna crafted 12 minimalist, honey-hued stone villas that meld inconspicuously with surrounding olive groves. Two-bedroom sea-view villas, framed by beamed timber ceilings and dressed in neutral tones, stand out as Eliamos’ premium offering, each with an expansive terrace. En suite bathrooms feature walk-in showers, matte earthenware sinks, and soul-grounding pale gray concrete floors. Beside Villa 103’s private saltwater infinity pool, I sunk into a plush sunbed and tuned into soporific island time as distant sailboats floated on electric, indigo waters. At the exceptional alfresco restaurant, chef Sokratis Maligkanis turns out creative, seasonal Mediterranean comfort fare amid a riot of pink and violet wildflowers and aromatic herbs like sage and rosemary. He sources hyperlocal raw materials like forest mushrooms foraged from looming Mount Ainos for luscious risotto. Ripe summer peaches are marinated and laced with extra-virgin olive oil, making for a sweet alternative to classic tomato salad. Foodies, take note — only guests can dine here. For the fitness-minded, there’s a communal lap pool and an all-wood outdoor gym where yoga classes are also held. Hop on a complimentary e-bike to explore nearby beaches or rent a motorboat and reach isolated coves. To completely unwind, book an in-villa massage or reflexology treatment. From $384/night. — Helen Iatrou

Estelle Manor, Oxfordshire, England

Courtesy of Estelle Manor

Don’t let the stately Jacobean facade fool you: There’s nothing stuffy about Estelle Manor , a 60-acre estate in the green pastures of Oxfordshire, about an hour northwest of central London. A country offshoot of the U.K. capital’s private club Maison Estelle, the resort is all Roaring Twenties, devil-may-care razzle-dazzle. It all feels cinematic and delightfully British, including the way the house car — a Land Rover, naturally — clatters over the pebbles of the tree-lined drive and the cheery apricot glow of the fire that seems to flicker in sync with the DJ. The 108 guest rooms are outfitted in a flamboyantly aristocratic style: tasseled pillows, faded kilim fabrics, four-poster beds, and lacquered mini-bars crammed with everything from elderflower kombucha to collagen eye patches. Amenities include a gym, a co-working space, a chic boutique, and three good restaurants: the Billiards Room, a buzzy Chinese venue; the Glasshouse, which serves heritage vegetables and Cotswolds chicken; and the Brasserie, with seasonal favorites like Oxford-cheddar soufflé and Alaskan king crab. From $500/night. Accessible hotel. ​— Nicole Trilivas

Explora Journeys’ Explora I

Paul Brady/Travel + Leisure

It’s not every day a new cruise line arrives. The debut of the remarkable Explora I was a moment years in the making for Explora Journeys , the upstart luxury operator that aims to bring a European sensibility to the world of vacations at sea. So far, the project is a smashing success, thanks to the ship’s low-key vibe, standout food and beverage, and intriguing itineraries that visit in-demand ports in Northern Europe, the Mediterranean, and the Caribbean. My own August 2023 trip on Explora I , from Copenhagen to Hamburg, Germany, included fulfilling visits to places such as Oslo and the town of Stavanger, Norway, a gateway to adventurous hiking with a postcard-perfect Old Town. The ship itself was also a destination, with its abundance of outdoor space — including an alfresco fitness center — and pools at seemingly every turn. The 461 suites, all of them with balconies, are filled with luxurious touches such as Frette linens and robes, heated marble floors, and Dyson hair dryers. But Explora I truly shines when it comes to food: During the week I was aboard, it was impossible to find a bad meal — and I was often astonished at the quality of, in particular, the pasta served in the Emporium Marketplace and the sushi on offer at Sakura, two of the nine restaurants aboard. The most ambitious of them all is Anthology, a rotating-chef concept that has seen a residency from seafood whiz Mario Ulaissi, known for his Michelin three-starred restaurant on Italy's Adriatic coast, and that recently welcomed Emma Bengtsson, from Aquavit , in New York City. Much has been made of Explora I ’s Rolex boutique — the first on any cruise ship — but for my money, the other shops on board were more interesting: the company has tapped family-owned businesses around the world to create capsule collections of resort wear, handbags, fragrances, sunglasses, and beautiful gifts that can’t be found elsewhere. From $2,050 per person for a six-day sailing. Accessible ship. — Paul Brady

Faraway Martha's Vineyard, Massachusetts 

Elizabeth Rhodes/Travel + Leisure

Martha’s Vineyard — with its golden beaches, illuminated lighthouses, seafood shacks, and periwinkle hydrangea bushes — is the prototype for a classic New England summer escape. And while structured navy stripes and fish paintings have their place, Faraway Martha’s Vineyard trades the old-school nautical aesthetic found throughout the Vineyard for something breezy, refined, and whimsical. Owner Blue Flag Partners and design firm Workshop/APD transformed the Vineyard’s beloved old Kelley House and its surrounding buildings into the second Faraway location (the first opened on Nantucket in 2021). Bohemian influences from the 1960s and ‘70s are felt throughout the 58 guest rooms and suites — which range from standard rooms in Kelley House to two-bedroom suites in the adjacent houses — and in the lobby, with ceiling-high bookshelves adorned with bursts of jewel-toned florals and black-and-white tapestries. I was one of the first to check into the totally reimagined Edgartown hotel in July, prime time for a seaside stroll and a lobster roll — both of which I found just a short walk from the hotel’s central location. The hotel’s restaurants honor the location’s historic roots with a fresh take: The Newes From America, an Edgartown institution that actually predates the hotel by a few centuries, serves classic pub fare, while the lush outdoor Pelican Club offers tropical cocktails and delicious sushi (I ordered The Pelican maki roll and the spicy tuna crispy rice). At the center of the property sits a new pool lined with loungers and cabanas, a large hot tub, and a fitness center. From $695/night. Accessible hotel. — Elizabeth Rhodes

Fontainebleau Las Vegas 

Connie Zhou/Courtesy of Fontainebleau Las Vegas

Since Fontainebleau Las Vegas was first announced in 2005, there has been an infusion of more than $3.7 billion into this 67-story resort. And after walking though its cantilevered porte-cochere, inhaling the intoxicating scent of celebrated designer Jeff Leatham’s floral installations, I can say, as a Vegas local, that it’s been worth the wait. Beyond the lobby is an impressive art collection including a 46-foot sculpture by Urs Fischer and paintings by Richard Prince. The design, curated by the resort’s creative director Peter Arnell and executive vice president of design John Rawlins, feels cohesive, especially with a six-acre pool deck that boasts every aquatic feature imaginable, from serenity pools to full on bacchanals. The nearby spa features a performance sauna where professional dancers use choreographed towel flicks to warm the guests, and the massive co-ed thermal area is the city’s largest, with hydrotherapy pools, cold plunges, a snow shower, a salt-mist cave, and an herbal inhalation room. Rooms start at a generous 488 square feet and feature striking views of the Strip and Las Vegas Valley; I particularly loved the massive sunken tub in my Royal Suite. There are 36 restaurants and bars: my favorites included Kyu (an Asian-inspired, wood-fired BBQ) where the nam prik –sauced kale chips and wagyu tartare mixed with brûléed bone marrow was a revelation; Papi Steak, serving some of the city’s best prime selects; and Ito, where booking one of the 12 seats at the swank omakase counter affords access to the resort’s super-exclusive members’ club, the Poodle Room, before and after dinner. For more convivial pursuits, visit the on-site outpost of white-hot Miami nightclub Liv and Liv Beach. From $300/night. Accessible hotel. — David Morris

Four Seasons Resort Peninsula Papagayo, Costa Rica

Courtesy of Four Seasons Hotels and Resorts

The Four Seasons Resort Peninsula Papagayo , originally opened in 2004, got a major update that finished at the end of 2023, including an expanded kids’ club, a reimagined, adults-only, infinity-edge pool with cabanas and chairs for rental, and a spectacular beach club. I was particularly fond of the new Virador Beach Club , which invites you in with its neutral palette and amazing Mediterranean eats. (The labneh and moussaka were two of my favorite noshes, but the whole menu, orchestrated by chef Khaled Natour, offers something truly different on the Gold Coast.) The property also has a new wellness shala, basically a serene tree house hovering over the resort and gazing out toward the water. The architectural marvel perfectly blends with its environment, and I found it immediately relaxed me before my sound-healing session, in which the vibration of gongs and sound bowls lulled me into a trance. Next, I visited the separate spa building for a Tsuru Cacao Ancestral Ritual before retiring to the hydrotherapy pools. The property is sprawling, at 120 acres, which you can explore on foot or e-bike, and the activity roster is impressive — golf on the 18-hole Arnold Palmer–designed green, local rum tastings, and surfing lessons are all on offer. Whether you venture out to the waves on a standard board or get a lesson on the new eFoil surfboard that’ll have you floating above the water, it’s all about pura vida . From $1,200/night. Accessible hotel. — Samantha Leal

Gardiner House, Newport, Rhode Island 

Michael P.H. Clifford/Courtesy of Gardiner House

Entering the newly opened Gardiner House in Newport, Rhode Island, felt like stepping back into the Gilded Age. Inspired by the Gardiner family’s 1860s mansion, the luxury 21-key boutique hotel is located on Lee's Wharf — a piece of prime real estate facing Newport’s idyllic marina. Though it opened in fall 2023, just as Newport hit the off-season, Gardiner House turned the city’s hospitality scene on its head by quickly becoming a social hub for stylish locals and in-the-know winter visitors. The heartbeat of the hotel is the Studio Bar and lounge right off the foyer, where art-littered, dark-green walls; a real-wood fireplace; and an eclectic assortment of velvet sofas, comfy accent chairs, and oversized ottomans strike the perfect balance between cozy and chic. There’s a variety of delicious craft cocktails to choose from, and a small menu of light bites: yellowfin with avocado, kobe beef sliders, and truffle fries were my favorites. The property’s culinary portfolio will expand this spring with the debut of a second-floor Mediterranean restaurant with an outdoor terrace and floor-to-ceiling windows offering an unobstructed view of Newport Harbor. Most of the rooms and suites have harbor views, too, plus simple, beachy decor and thoughtful amenities — Matouk linens and Ortigia toiletries, for example — throughout the space. Guests can walk to Thames Street, Newport’s buzzy downtown area, in less than a minute where a myriad of mom-and-pop shops, vintage boutiques, and restaurants await. From $725/night. Accessible hotel. — Annie Archer

Gran Hotel Mas d'en Bruno, Priorat, Spain

Located in Tarragona, a province roughly an hour-and-a-half outside of Barcelona, Gran Hotel Mas d’en Bruno is set between hilltop villages, undulating country roads, and the Siurana River. On arrival guests pass through rows of Grenache grapes before being welcomed into a 500-year-old building, complete with arched windows and terra-cotta rooftops. Consider the 24 rooms to be siblings; some have soaking-tubs, others fireplaces. All the marble, from the coffee tables to the Catalonia-sourced alabaster lamps, hails from Spain. Organic shapes echo throughout the hotel, which comprises the main house (or masia ) and the separate atelier annex, which holds a few of the guest rooms and sits along miles of vines owned by winery Clos de L’Obac. The rounded edges of the bed headboards and wood accents seamlessly merge with exterior features such as terraces or balconies. Once the former site of an olive press, the spa offers a single treatment room, as well as a hot tub and a stone-walled soaking pool. The restaurant, which has views of the property’s swimming pool and proprietary vineyards, transforms from morning to night. During the day, enjoy lunch at Tarraco, which combines Mediterranean and Italian fare, and after sunset try the tasting menu with local wine pairings at Vinum (à la carte offerings are also available). Arrange for a rock-climbing or hiking excursion in Serra de Montsant Natural Park or opt for a bike ride through the region (four electric bikes are complimentary). From $450/night. Accessible hotel. – Alexandra Cheney  

Highland Base Kerlingarfjöll, Iceland 

Courtesy of Highland Base – Kerlingarfjöll

Iceland is famous for Ring Road, the 820-mile route circling the island, but tucked in the center of the country is a remote region known as the Highlands. It’s hard to access, with only a few unpaved roads, and in the winter, you must be driven there by a guide. Now, at the edge of the Kerlingarfjöll mountain range, a new hotel — Highland Base — is letting travelers post up in comfort. “We're basically putting a destination here in the middle of the island,” Magnús Orri Marínarson Schram, Highland Base’s general manager, told T+L. The journey here typically takes four hours from Reykjavík, but mine took six due to unpredictable weather — and the destination was worth every minute of the journey. Highland Base has 46 hotel rooms, six one-bedroom private lodges, seven huts, and a campsite. My room had all the luxe amenities I could ask for, but didn’t feel too out of place in the middle of nature thanks to the earthy tones that match the exterior landscape. The underground passageway connecting the hotel rooms to the main building was a nice touch for guests (read: me) who didn’t want to face the outdoor elements before every meal. The menu featured hearty, seasonal dishes like mushroom soup made with coconut cream; Icelandic lamb soup with rutabaga and potatoes; and pan-fried Arctic char. But the real gem is the daily waffle bar, which is a touching tribute to the site’s past: It used to be a ski school that served waffles to kids after their lessons. Opening this year is a sauna and three geothermal pools with water sourced from the nearby hot springs; Kerlingarfjöll has the third-largest geothermal area in all of Iceland. From $430/night. Accessible hotel. — Susmita Baral

Hotel 1928, Waco, Texas

Courtesy of Hotel 1928

Over the past decade, Joanna and Chip Gaines have won fame for making old homes in and around their hometown of Waco, Texas, new again. On their TV show Fixer Upper, they uncovered countless shiplap walls and helped popularize the modern farmhouse trend. Their shoppable Magnolia empire now offers everything from wallpaper to kitchenware to baked goods — and, with the recent opening of Hotel 1928 , luxurious lodgings in downtown Waco.

Hotel 1928 — in a Moorish Revival building constructed in, yes, 1928 — might be the couple’s most remarkable fixer-upper yet. The former Shriners temple had sat largely empty since the 1990s. With AJ Capital, owner of the soon to be Hilton -operated Graduate Hotels , Joanna and Chip restored the elaborate plasterwork inside and out, buffed and polished the original terrazzo floors, and created 33 sumptuously furnished rooms and suites. The hotel is now a sparkling showcase for Joanna’s evolving but always elegant aesthetic, with moody, black walls and red, vintage area rugs in the public spaces; plush, pink sofas and floral-upholstered banquettes in Bertie’s, the rooftop bar; and stunning deep-green tile paired with white marble in the expansive bathrooms. What truly sets the Hotel 1928 apart is its devotion to local history as well as Texas’s rich culture. Up and down the halls, you’ll find framed vintage images by local photographer James Jasek, who has been shooting Waco since the 1950s. One of famed author Larry McMurtry’s typewriters sits in the corner of the library. A signature scent blending the state’s legendary cedar with sandalwood and jasmine infuses the building (candles are available in the gift shop). And at your preferred wakeup time, a gentle knock on your door will announce the arrival of your coffee — a custom blend by Texas’s own Merit Coffee Co . From $375/night. Accessible hotel. — Jeff Chu

Hotel Bardo Savannah, Georgia

Savannah is known for its antebellum architecture, its Southern hospitality — and its fabled ghosts. And now there’s a luxury resort that channels all three. Opened in February, Hotel Bardo Savannah occupies a Southern Gothic terra-cotta mansion on Forsyth Park, 30 acres of green space surrounded by historic homes and Spanish-moss-draped oak trees. During a pre-dinner stroll, I wandered the streets of restored Victorian homes without seeing a single bachelorette party or a horse-drawn carriage (common sights in the city’s more touristy areas to the north). On my return, the hotel beckoned like an urban oasis, with friendly valets in olive green uniforms welcoming me back by name. Entering the lobby, I found a warm, festive space furnished with circular club chairs, marble-topped tables, and potted palms. The welcoming décor continues in the 149 guest rooms and suites — think pole-wrap headboards, green velvet chairs, and brass lamps. My “Bardo” suite was particularly huge, with a full kitchen, six-person dining table, and plush daybed under a 12-foot-high turret. Saint Bibiana, the hotel’s hot-ticket Italian restaurant, is housed in a separate three-story mansion. There I had a delightful dinner that included fresh oysters, silky burrata and perfectly cooked pasta before heading to Club Bardo, a members-only lounge on the second floor, for cocktails. Hotels often try to make their guests feel like locals, and Bardo has succeeded in this goal by inviting its neighbors to join in the fun. By 10 p.m. the club was buzzing with well-dressed couples, flirty singles, and young professionals sipping wine and Negronis. From $450/night. Accessible hotel. — Denny Lee

Hotel Casa Lucia, Buenos Aires

Courtesy of Hotel Casa Lucia

If Casa Lucia ’s walls could talk, they’d tell you it was the tallest building in Latin America when erected in 1929. Set in the upper-crust neighborhood of Recoleta on a sycamore tree– and neoclassical building–lined street, the 20-story art deco skyscraper debuted after a year-long renovation under the flag of Spanish lifestyle brand Único Hotels . Breaking from tradition, the new iteration swings open the hotel’s wrought-iron gates to directly connect the slick lobby bar and signature Cantina restaurant to Calle Arroyo’s vibrant tableau of sidewalk cafes, art galleries, and cocktail haunts. The atrium entrance, gleaming in polished checkerboard marble, is home to a new showpiece brass-and-wood bar that serves cocktails and more than 400 wines by the bottle. Evening hangout Le Club Bacan is a handsome candlelit cocktail and tapas bar with a private members’ club, while Cantina pays homage to Argentina’s polo heritage and culinary roots with helmets and mallets mounted on walls and a menu appealing to the local palate (read: delicious beef and wine). Of the 142 rooms and suites, choose one on an upper floor with a balcony to take in panoramic cityscapes and a bird’s-eye views of Rio de la Plata, as well as contemporary Argentinian artwork, hand-woven lampshades, and photographs of the beautiful doors of Buenos Aires, which hang over every bed. Soon, a serene spa will open with a 52-foot pool, sauna, steam room, and massage and reflexology offerings. From $600/night. Accessible hotel. — Nora Walsh

Hotel Honeyrose Montréal, a Tribute Portfolio Hotel 

Courtesy of Hotel Honeyrose Montreal

At Honeyrose , a new downtown Montreal hotel, bold design gestures mean Insta-ready surprises everywhere: a swirling lobby staircase, pressed-flower bar tables, and black-and-white murals in the common areas. While Honeyrose is part of Marriott’s Tribute Portfolio brand, its owners amped up the local flavor by tapping stellar Montreal talent. Architects from Provencher Roy designed the sleek guest rooms — among the city’s biggest — with bathroom amenities from local organic brand Idoine and art from Montreal painter Roxy Peroxyde, who adds floral face tattoos to traditional portraits. Homegrown design guru Zébulon Perron dreamed up the naval-inspired, ground-floor Commodore restaurant, where a wooden crown hovers over a glossy circular bar. French bistro fare here includes an epic Niçoise salad, Gruyère-slathered onion soup, and an ethereal crème brûlée. I was thrilled to see coffee sourced from my local roastery, Atwater Market’s beloved Brûlerie aux Quatre Vents. Montreal-based set designer Juliette Sarrazin outfitted the buzzy, fifth-floor Muze lounge with pink flamingos, birdcages, and 1970s swing seats on the massive terrace. The 15th floor houses a T-shaped pool and Precor machinery–equipped gym with city views through floor-to-ceiling windows. You won’t find a better location if you’re here for one of the city’s big cultural events, like the Montreal International Jazz Festival . Honeyrose borders the Quartier des Spectacles ― literally, the “neighborhood of shows” ― with its concert halls, outdoor performance venues, and museums. Access to the city’s speedy, efficient Metro is across the street, and Old Montreal is a 15-minute stroll south. From $269/night . Accessible hotel. — Michael Kaminer

Hotel La Palma, Capri, Italy

Courtesy of Hotel La Palma

Expectations were high when the prestigious Oetker Collection — the brand behind legendary properties like the Hotel du Cap-Eden-Roc on the French Riviera and The Lanesborough in London — took over Capri’s most historic hotel just steps from the famed Piazzetta. Originally opened in 1822 as the Locanda Pagano, the new design draws on this rich heritage, with ceiling frescoes in the lobby and neoclassical furniture. The color palette consists of varying shades of aquamarine, from the striped lounge chairs by the pool to the upholstery in the 50 rooms and suites, as if the hues of the Mediterranean on a bright summer day were used to decorate the space. Acclaimed chef Gennaro Esposito opened a namesake restaurant at La Palma serving simple coastal cuisine like zucchini tartare and sole meunière. The ground-floor bar and the rooftop restaurant, Bianca, are a bit more casual — by Capri standards, anyway — and provide the perfect spot for a pre-dinner spritz. But the hotel’s secret weapon is the beach club, Da Gioia, occupying a prime position in Marina Piccola. Anyone can book a table for a lazy lunch of caprese salad and lobster linguini on the deck overlooking the sea, but only hotel guests can use the lounge chairs on the pebble beach. After a day in the sun, visit the spa for a facial, using skincare products by Tata Harper and Augustinus Bader, before freshening up for dinner. From $1,028/night. Accessible hotel. — Laura Itzkowitz

Hotel San Fernando, Mexico City

Hugo Campoy/Courtesy of Hotel San Fernando

Did you know San Fernando is the patron saint of the Spanish Army Corps of Engineers? The designers from Bunkhouse, the creative Austin, Texas–based hospitality group, reveled in such off-beat details of Hispanic culture when they reimagined the Edificio San Fernando, an elegant art deco apartment building from 1947, as a boutique hotel in La Condesa, one of CDMX's leafiest and most charming neighborhoods. The Hotel San Fernando is a loving celebration of mexicanidad that recalls the genteel beauty of the city in the post-war era, when it was a sleepy mountain capital where a few cars trundled down broad, leafy avenues and artistic celebrities like Diego Rivera and Frida Kahlo were bringing the country's Indigenous culture into the mainstream. The hotel’s 19 rooms spread over five floors feel like spacious apartments, with original casement windows, contemporary furnishings from local design studio La Metropolitana, and (in many cases) their own kitchens and lounge rooms. Bunkhouse's designers say they were inspired by the Mexican idea of sobremesa , the dreamy after-meal time when diners relax into conversation and take a respite from their hectic lives. The sense of entering a serene refuge from the 21st century begins as you pass through the original curved doors to the lobby, which is adorned with striking green tiles, stained-glass windows, hanging textiles, and decorative lamps from the Oaxacan-based studio Oaxifornia. The polished-stone and wood stairway leading upstairs is overflowing with potted plants, giving a calming, tropical greenhouse effect (there is no elevator), while the attached Lounge Fernando extending onto the sidewalk serves tasty small bites (try the fried shrimp tacos), an array of creative margaritas, and Mexican natural wines. Drinks can also be taken to the sun-dappled rooftop, which doubles as a breakfast patio for guests in the mornings. And because San Fernando opens into the heart of La Condesa, an array of fine restaurants, bars, cafes, parks, clothing boutiques, and art galleries are only a stroll away. From $225/night. — Tony Perrottet

Hôtel Swexan, Dallas 

Marco Galloway/Courtesy of Hotel Swexan

There’s a reason Hôtel Swexan is putting Dallas on the radar for luxury city stays since its opening last summer. The paradoxical name takes Swiss and Texan to form a singular word and a thoroughly considered approach to hospitality and design. The 134-room, 20-floor hotel building was designed by famed architect Kengo Kuma — making it his third in Dallas’s growing bounty of world-famous architecture. From the moment of entry, I felt the warmth of Texas hospitality and the remarkable influence of sophisticated and traditional European design. The intimate foyer eases your senses into a relaxing and indulgent atmosphere and the guest rooms are lavishly comfortable with just the right amount of residential feel. The floor-to-ceiling windows reveal city views while the spacious marble bathrooms give a spa-like experience with Le Labo products and a dramatic bathtub that fills from the ceiling. Staying at Hôtel Swexan transports you away from Dallas while also very much anchoring you to the best the city has to offer. A standout feature of the property is its ability to act either as a full retreat you’ll never want to leave or as a home base for exploring the city’s museums, entertainment venues, sporting events, and walking trails. There are five unique food-and-beverage concepts within the building from rooftop to basement. The most notable is the seventh-floor steakhouse, Stillwell’s. Its midcentury ranch atmosphere and the zero-waste beef program of locally raised Akaushi cattle make this a contender for top tier steakhouses in a city known for them. In between meals and lounging poolside under the Texas sun, a visit to the gym is a must — the sprawling, cutting-edge fitness center would impress even a professional athlete with its choice of equipment, outdoor terrace, cold plunge, and saunas offering a plethora of ways to work out or relax. Beyond the expansive list of on-property features, what steals the show here is the level of service. Our stay was made memorable by the personalized touches for us and the over-the-top-attentive staff. With its intentional design details, top-quality service, and offerings in wellness and dining, Hôtel Swexan sets a new standard for city hotels. From $432/night. — Mariah Tyler

JW Marriott Jeju Resort & Spa, South Korea 

Ben Richards/Courtesy of JW Marriott Jeju Resort & Spa

Formed by a volcanic eruption thousands of years ago, South Korea’s Jeju Island puts on a show: Idyllic fishing villages are flanked by glistening black basalt, cascading waterfalls gurgle against dormant volcano backdrops, and rugged shorelines dotted with azaleas abound in the UNESCO World Heritage Site. In the southern city of Seogwipo, JW Marriott Jeju Resort & Spa sits on a quiet cliffside overlooking a rugged coastline, forested hillsides, and the crouching tiger–shaped Beomseom Island in the distance. Led by designer Bill Bensley, the property pays homage to Korean culture, with walls made of quilting fabric called jogakbo , and ceiling lights shaped like traditional Korean scholars’ hats, called gat . The property features 197 guest rooms, including 28 suites, with hanok-inspired wooden walls and balconies that reveal panoramic views of the cobalt East China Sea. Five on-site restaurants highlight local Jeju delicacies like the Udo peanut, apple mangos, and a crispy black pork belly – which executive chef Joon Ko salts for three days and slow cooks for three hours. Other amenities include four pools, a spa, a gym, and a sundrenched lounge where I enjoyed afternoon tea and desserts like citrus sponge cake topped with green mandarin cream. Ask the hotel how you can swim with Jeju’s famous haenyeo female divers, whose sustainable practices and daily catches like abalone and urchin have been feeding their communities and hotels for decades. From $827/night . Accessible hotel. — Kristin Braswell

Kona Village, A Rosewood Resort, Island of Hawaii

Courtesy of Rosewood

Kona Village , once a celebrity haven on Hawaii’s Big Island, shuttered in 2011 after an earthquake off the northeastern coast of Honshu, Japan, generated a devastating tsunami, and reopened this past summer as part of the Rosewood Hotels & Resorts’ portfolio. When my husband and I arrived eight days into Kona’s new chapter, we met return guests — the old resort amassed a hefty cult following, counting Steve Jobs among its biggest fans — eager to revisit their old rooms. Sure enough, you can still book the six legacy hales that survived the tsunami, though along with the 144 new stand-alone villas, these have been upgraded by designer Nicole Hollis with improvements that include palapa-shaded decks, outdoor showers, and Hawaiian accents such as fans, hats, paddles, and kapa -printed pillows. We spent one afternoon on a sailing canoe, gliding three miles out into the Pacific, and followed that with a soak in the 82-foot Shipwreck Pool. At around 3 p.m. a cart brimming with bright-green coconuts came around, which we drank from in a sumptuous black-stone hot tub. We feasted at the four restaurants and bars — each of which has its own mai tai recipe, by the way — starting our day with Hawaiian malasada donuts at Moana and ending it with wood-fired local ahi tuna at Kahuwai Cookhouse, our toes in the sand as we watched the sunset. From $1,800/night. Accessible hotel. — Maya Kachroo-Levine

KuKaya Lodge by The Bushcamp Company, South Luangwa National Park, Zambia

Courtesy of The Bushcamp Company

At KuKaya , the latest lodge from safari outfitter The Bushcamp Company , just a few miles from the main entrance to Zambia’s South Luangwa National Park, guests choose their own adventure. I had my pick of private game drives day or night, or thrilling walking safaris. Each of the lodge’s six thatched-roof tents comes with luxurious interiors, plush bedding, separate living areas, full kitchens, and glass walls that open completely for indoor-outdoor living and wildlife viewing opportunities. There’s ample outdoor space, too, and every tent has a fire pit and private plunge pool, so you can enjoy the scenery in total solitude. I found my solitude was only interrupted by vervet monkeys giving me a mile-long stare from the trees above, a tower of giraffes walking to the water’s edge, a pride of lions stalking their prey, and endangered African wild dogs playing along the riverbed just a few feet away. Each night, guests are invited to dine at KuKaya’s outdoor restaurant, where they’re served an astonishing meal of fruits and vegetables grown at Bushcamp’s private garden, fish caught in the river just down the street, and even local mango dried on-site, ensuring the lowest carbon footprint possible. Just be sure to close the door to your outdoor shower before you leave; the monkeys really are just waiting to ransack your room. From $590 per person per night. — Stacey Leasca

La Fantaisie, Paris 

Jérôme Galland/Courtesy of La Fantaisie

Faubourg-Montmartre, a stretch of the ninth arrondissement that’s often passed over by non-Parisians, is now attracting a crowd of creatives at La Fantaisie . Camouflaging with the boulangeries and bistros of villagey Rue Cadet, the only sign of the hotel entrance is the rattan tables lining the sidewalk cafe out front. The rest of the hotel, by Swedish design darling Martin Brudnizki, isn’t nearly as discreet. The 73 rooms and suites are themed around the oasis-like courtyard garden, originally designed by celebrated 16th-century master gardeners Jacques and Jean Cadet (the market street is named after the brothers). Pistachio, coral, and pale lemon are the dominant shades splashed everywhere, from the ceilings and Sicily-inspired ceramics to the velvet bar stools of Dominique Crenn’s restaurant, Golden Poppy. An homage to California’s state flower — and a link to the chef’s Michelin three-starred Atelier Crenn in San Francisco — the winter garden eatery unfolds around a centerpiece olive tree with mirrors dangling like Christmas ornaments and faux fleur poppies sprouting behind floral fabric–swathed banquettes. With culinary royalty like Crenn at the helm, pescetarian dishes take risks that pay off — scone-like banana pancakes with a dollop of smoked osciètre caviar, corn waffles checkered with smoked trout roe, and carrot and mussel sabayon were standouts. Even if you’re visiting in winter like I was, the rooftop Bar Sur Le Toit’s Mediterranean garden is still in bloom (herbs are plucked for Crenn’s signature cocktails). If you’re feeling jet lagged, the holistic philosophy from the subterranean Holidermie wellness sanctuary extends to minibar offerings like a botanical-based sleep elixir and melatonin-infused gummies placed on the nightstand at turndown. From $378/night. Accessible hotel. — Lane Nieset

Mandarin Oriental, Costa Navarino, Greece

Margarita Nikitaki/Travel + Leisure

They say breakfast is the best part of the day (and many a hotel stay). At the Mandarin Oriental Costa Navarino, they are right: smiling waiters in relaxed linens bring you a ginger kombucha shot and warm pastries while you ponder whether to order the Peloponnesian porridge made with trahanas (fermented wheat with goat’s milk) or the Greek-style eggs Florentine with spanakopita stuffing and feta dill hollandaise. Before you’ve made up your mind, you’re presented with the paramana , a tray of dainty sweet and savory dishes that changes daily. Almost everything is sourced within a 50-mile radius of the resort, from the sheep’s milk yogurt and honeycomb to the organic tomatoes drizzled with extra virgin olive oil. With some fifteen million olive trees, the region of Messenia (a 3.5-hour drive from Athens) is the agricultural heartland of the Peloponnese and home to a rare trove of ancient ruins. Greece’s first Mandarin Oriental pays homage to the abundance of local products and artisans, as well as the country’s myths and legends: There are olive oil tastings, textiles inspired by folk costumes, electric bikes for exploring the Gialova lagoon — a rich habitat for migrating birds — and boat trips to pay homage to the heroes of the battle of Navarino, which took place on the placid bay that is visible from every sun-drenched suite and villa of the 99-key resort. The curvy, glass-fronted buildings are embedded in the hillside and enveloped by greenery, creating a sense of space and openness. It requires serious willpower to venture out when there’s Ormos Beach Club, a sexy swim-up pool bar for slushie cocktails; Pizza Sapienza, an okamase pizza bar that will change your relationship with carbs forever; an indoor-outdoor lap pool that seems to float between sea and sky, and a serene spa that blends Eastern and Mediterranean botanical remedies. From $1,095/night. Accessible hotel. — Rachel Howard

Maroma, A Belmond Hotel, Riviera Maya, Mexico

William Jess Laird/Courtesy of Belmond

Mexican architect Jose Luis Moreno was scouting for a home by plane when he first saw the 200-acre piece of land that would eventually become Maroma , the Riviera Maya’s first luxury resort, which opened in 1995. By 2021, the white stucco property, by then part of the Belmond group, was ready for a glow-up. After a two-year closure and $45 million design overhaul by London-based Tara Bernerd & Partners, Maroma now fully channels the joy of Mexico. Some 700,000 clay tiles were sourced from Jalisco for the 72 rooms and suites, but strategic pops of yellow — on an umbrella by the saltwater pool or woven into loaner guest caftans by female artisans in Chiapas — are what caught my eye. Chef Curtis Stone crafts a menu of fire-roasted meats and seafood at Woodend, while at Casa Mayor, executive chef Daniel Camacho sources 90 percent of his ingredients from within Mexico, including surprises such as a regional coffee of the day. (I loved the beans from Veracruz.) The electric-white beach is still the main draw, but when you need a break from the sunshine, a small-batch tequila and raicilla tasting in the private cantina awaits. From $1,095/night.​ Accessible hotel. — Jacqueline Gifford

Mollie Aspen, Colorado 

Courtesy of Mollie Aspen

By the time I made it to Mollie Aspen in January, only a month into the hotel’s life, Rihanna and A$AP Rocky had reportedly already been through. That’s Aspen for you. Rihanna’s pick, unsurprisingly, hits; the hybrid lobby-restaurant-cafe is cozy without the in-your-face, capital-m Mountain Vibes. (Read: no taxidermy.) At the restaurant, furnished with soft brown banquettes and deep chestnut leather couches, I had a winter salad with roasted squash and a perfectly smashed burger on a toasty sesame bun. Mollie’s food and drinks are by Death & Co. , and as a longtime fan of the cocktail empire that brought us now-classic cocktails like the mezcal-aperol Naked & Famous, I mostly came to the new hotel to eat and drink. I ended my Saturday night at the hotel with fried, powdered sugar–dusted zeppole and a Pineapple Express, a non-alcoholic cold brew and Seedlip concoction that could give even the best espresso martini a run for its money. It was a perfect drink to nurse while warming my hands by the slate and marble–lavished fireplace, but I’m eager to return in the summer when the third-floor rooftop terrace bar will open with exceptional views of Aspen Mountain and an al fresco plunge pool. The design of the 68 rooms match the muted common space aesthetics — all by Brooklyn, New York–based Post Company , whose work shows up twice more on It List this year: natural wood and butter-soft black leather, Maison Balsac tinted glass water pitchers, Parachute sheets, grid-patterned rugs, and of course, mountain views. From $500/night. Accessible hotel. — Maya Kachroo-Levine

Nay Palad Hideaway, Siargao Island, Philippines

Courtesy of Nay Palad

This resort on the soft sands of Siargao Island, a 90-minute flight from Manila, has been reborn. It used to be Dedon Island, an upscale tropical hotel from the owners of outdoor furniture company Dedon, until 2021’s Typhoon Odette all but leveled the property. In June 2023 it rose again, as Nay Palad Hideaway . You can expect warm, thoughtful service, and the resort staff can arrange activities, like island-hopping yacht excursions and picnic lunches under coconut trees, that are just right for jealousy-inducing selfies. But you should take time to enjoy the comfort and charm of your villa, too. Whether you’re staying in a tucked-away garden unit surrounded by sweet-smelling spider lilies or hiding out with your crew in the three-bedroom Perlah Villa, these spacious dwellings are sanctuaries in themselves. Most of the furniture was made by artisans from Siargao and evokes the easy-breezy vibe of island life: oversize wooden headboards carved with jungle motifs, woven loveseats that swing from the ceiling, and baskets in the shape of crabs. In addition to these quirky details, however, what elevates the 10 pointy-roofed villas is their size — each has indoor and outdoor showers, a private patio large enough for yoga sessions, and a secret loft space that can act as a separate lounge or extra bedroom. From $1,780/night.​ — Chadner Navarro

Nolinski Venezia

Guillaume de Laubier/Courtesy of Nolinski Venezia

Venice may be slowly sinking, but the enchanting canal-filled city proved irresistible to Evok Collection , the group behind a handful of boutique hotel brands in France. Its first property in Italy recently opened in the 1929 Stock Exchange building near Piazza San Marco and brought some French je ne sais quoi (and superlative croissant-making skills) to La Serenissima. Entering the red-carpeted foyer, head to the ground-floor restaurant, Il Caffè, which serves an excellent fritto misto in an intimate dining room with exposed brick walls or the adjacent courtyard. Upstairs, the design becomes even more show-stopping. Off the colonnaded second-floor lobby is the cozy Library Bar, replete with floor-to-ceiling bookshelves stacked with more than 4,000 books, a piano, velvet banquettes, and a Marc Chagall–inspired ceiling mural by French artist Simon Buret. Housed in the former council chamber’s auditorium, the Palais Royal Restaurant sports a glamorous midcentury air and serves an à-la-carte breakfast menu worth waking up for, especially those buttery French croissants and pain au chocolat. Though the hotel owners are French, there are nods to Venice, including around 600 Murano glass objects, some in the shape of an octopus, a recurring motif. The 43 rooms and suites are beautifully decorated with stucco headboards, mango wood paneling, and bathrooms featuring mosaic tiles and Japanese Toto toilets. Suites come with a separate sitting area, a bar stocked with complimentary full-size bottles of premium liquors, and elegant cocktail glasses in which to drink them. Fancy a midnight soak? A small indoor pool on the top floor festooned with gold mosaic tiles is open 24/7. From $851/night. Accessible hotel. — Laura Itzkowitz

Norumbega Inn, Camden, Maine

Courtesy of Norumbega Inn

Just north of Camden, Maine, on Route 1, the towering, turreted “ Castle by the Sea ” has been winning the hearts of road-trippers and romantics for the better part of 130 years. After an overhaul by owners Will Tims and Brett Haynie, who purchased the property in 2022, the interiors of this Gilded Age treasure now live up to the grand facade. New York City–based design firm Studiocake was tapped to collaborate on the refreshed look, which is inspired by the home’s original owner: an inventor and globetrotter named Joseph Baker Stearns. The finishes and furnishings layer old and new, and give guests the impression that they’ve been spirited away to a storied country estate. You might encounter a pressed-flower collage by artist Tricia Paoluccio across from an antique chest of drawers, or one of Greta Grossman’s midcentury modern Grasshopper lamps perched next to a Baroque-inspired carved wooden chair with tapestry cushions. Norumbega’s 11 rooms each have their own selling point, such as the curving leaded-glass panes of the turret room, the second-floor gallery in the library room, or the sweeping views of Penobscot Bay from the top-floor balcony. If you can bear to leave your room, there’s a lounge with a grand piano and a well-stocked library waiting downstairs, along with a basement game room, a bar overlooking the grassy back lawn, and a covered porch where you can hang out in warm weather with a cocktail and a pulpo snack plate whipped up by the property’s Peruvian chef. From $229/night. — Lila Harron Battis

North Island Okavango, Botswana

Martin Harvey/Courtesy of Natural Selection

North Island Okavango ’s greatest luxury is its exclusivity. Set amid tall ebony trees on the edge of a lagoon frequented by elephants and hippos, the idyllic camp has just three tents — and it’s really a stretch to call them “tents,” though their roofs are indeed made of canvas. Each luxurious suite has 850 square feet of indoor space — living room, bar area, one-and-a-half bathrooms — and 650 square feet outside. They all have indoor and outdoor showers as well as a soaking tub with lagoon views. While the furnishings are carefully chosen, the decor — contemporary African baskets, fine woodwork, flat-weave rugs — never steals attention from the stunning surroundings. That all-too-rare feeling of immersion in nature continues when you’re out on safari. North Island, part of the Natural Selection portfolio of camps and lodges, sits in a section of the Okavango with few other safari camps, so you’ll rarely see other tourists. Wildlife is plentiful — on my trip, I spotted not just lions and leopards, but also sitatungas, an unusual amphibious antelope. And because of North Island’s prime location in the Okavango Delta’s neck, there are year-round opportunities to travel both on land and by water, either by the local dugout canoes called mokoro or by motorboat, which are ideal for viewing hippos, crocodiles, and birdlife. The solar-powered camp’s design honors its environment in other ways, too: North Island Okavango’s tents and the network of decks on which they sit can be totally deconstructed, with no permanent trace on the fragile ecosystem. And because the surrounding concession belongs to a community trust, a portion of the revenues directly supports five nearby villages. From $1,395 per person per night. — Jeff Chu

Oceania Cruises’ Vista

Nick Tortajada/Courtesy of Oceania Cruises

The new Oceania Vista is in a class of its own; no really, it’s the first in Oceania Cruises ’ new Allura class. Of its 11 bars and restaurants, three are entirely new to the Norwegian Cruise Line Holdings–owned brand — including a high-end cocktail spot called Founders’ Bar, serving 26 intricate drinks that use house-made syrups and top-shelf booze like Whistle Pig and parsley-infused Grey Goose. As Oceania levels up, the cruise line has produced a ship that feels more like a floating resort than the vessels that came before. There’s pickleball; a health-conscious restaurant, Aquamar, serving made-to-order salads and pressed juices; and a coffee shop that looks like one in walking distance of my home in L.A. (marble counters, gold accents, leather bar stools) and pulls an espresso shot of similar quality. Vista has more suites than others in the Oceania fleet, too: There are 14 Oceania Suites (up to 1,200 square feet); eight Vista Suites (up to 1,850 square feet); and three Owner’s Suites with Ralph Lauren Home decor and two massive terraces (2,400 square feet). But the most hotel-like touch? A celebrity chef–driven restaurant, Toscana, where Giada De Laurentiis — the ship’s godmother — supplied two recipes for the menu. As someone who watched a lot of Everyday Italian in the early aughts, I was particularly excited to try her signature, Capri-inspired lemon spaghetti, and lemon-cream sauce with grilled shrimp and capers didn’t disappoint. From $2,499 per person for a seven-night sailing. Accessible ship. — Maya Kachroo-Levine

One&Only Aesthesis, Greece 

On the Athens Riviera, 10 miles from the city center, Greece’s first One&Only seems to float along the tranquil Saronic Gulf. Spacious “residences,” designed for families and groups of friends, unfold onto private stretches of beach, and waterfront bungalows have wooden docks and ladders that descend to the water. The stay is more akin to a Mykonos vacation than a city break, yet I could get to the Acropolis in less than an hour. Though the tavernas and wine bars of Athens beckoned, I was reluctant to miss any meals at the resort, where chef Paco Morales — known for the Michelin three-starred Noor, in Córdoba, Spain — has a pop-up that serves chicken croquettes topped with ras al hanout mayo and delicate, flash-fried calamari stuffed into a brioche. The food wasn’t the only luxury: the country’s first Guerlain Spa, where I indulged in an ultra-hydrating facial, made it even harder to leave the resort. From $1,620/night.​ — Maya Kachroo-Levine

One&Only Za’abeel, Dubai 

Courtesy of One&Only Resorts

In Dubai, change is intentional — and the opening of One&Only One Za’abeel , the O&O brand’s first hotel in the heart of a major city, is no exception. In the affluent Za’abeel district, the hotel is connected to an adjoining tower by the world’s longest cantilever , the 750-foot-long Link, a concept by Japanese architecture firm Nikken Sekkei that hovers more than 300 feet above the ground. Inside, the resort vibe is brought to life by noted Aman designer Jean-Michel Gathy, with a soothing color palette and rich textures that pay homage to the country’s desert landscapes. The 229 rooms and suites continue the elegance with sand, taupe, and gold tones, marble floors, and carpets so soft you’d sleep on them if there wasn’t already a plush, king-size bed calling your name. Floor-to-ceiling windows draw your eyes to the horizon over Old Dubai or the futuristic skyline of Downtown Dubai, depending on your room. Relaxation is built into the resort’s ethos, with a three-floor spa, the Longevity Hub by Clinique La Prairie. I enjoyed a 90-minute Longevity Path to Detox treatment, a three-step process that involves phytotherapy and hydrotherapy. But where the intentionality behind One&Only One Za’abeel shines is in its cuisine. In step with Dubai’s plans to become a major culinary destination , the resort offers 11 exceptional restaurants and six chefs known for their Michelin-starred restaurants (chef Anne-Sophie Pic of London’s La Dame De Pic , for example). From the inventive street food at StreetXO by chef Dabiz Muñoz (try the paella pollo and caviar) to the interactive Andaliman, where dishes like the Jimbaran-style grilled red snapper are prepared tableside, each restaurant feels like a destination in its own right. Even indecisive eaters will find a home at the upscale food hall, Arrazuna, where sampling everything is expected. To wind down, grab a sunbed at Tapasake Pool Club, take a dip in the 393-foot-long infinity pool, the longest in the UAE, and watch the sunset. From $835/night. Accessible hotel. — Danielle Pointdujour

Otro Oaxaca, Mexico

Courtesy of Otro Oaxaca/Design Hotels

Directly across the street from Oaxaca’s Baroque cathedral Santo Domingo, Otro Oaxaca boasts perhaps the best views and most coveted location of any hotel in the cobblestoned city. The newest opening from Mexican boutique hotel firm Grupo Habita , Otro is its fourth installment in the state of Oaxaca. Otro is just a short walk from some of the city’s most tempting restaurants, museums, and attractions, yet it offers guests a tranquil respite from the clamor. The neo-vanguardist hotel, with its natural palette of reclaimed wood, adobe, brick, and iron, is a dream for design aficionados, and each of its 16 utilitarian rooms includes surprising pops of color, like green–coated aluminum bed frames with built-in bedside tables and burgundy suede blackout curtains. On the rooftop, guests can take in the panoramic views of Oaxaca’s central valleys while lounging on French terry cloth daybeds lining the lap pool. For those who prefer more private swimming quarters, book an hour-long slot at Otro’s subterranean plunge pool, meant to mimic a cenote. I happily spent 60 minutes luxuriating in the underground space before heading to dinner at Otro’s restaurant. I started my meal by choosing from a wide selection of mezcals, the menu offering everything from espadín to rare agave spirits like tepeztate and tobasiche . Otro’s dinner menu highlights the bounty of Oaxacan seafood, with fish delivered daily from the coast. The stone crab pâté toast with fermented black garlic — at once sweet, savory, and with generous hunks of meaty crab — is a must-order. From $300/night. — Catherine Tansey

Palihouse Hyde Park Village, Tampa, Florida

Courtesy of Palisociety

Accessed from a street-level scene of upscale boutiques and restaurants in one of Tampa’s most sought-after residential neighborhoods, Palihouse Hyde Park Village made me feel like I was arriving at a friend’s house. Inside I found a two-story lobby with checkerboard terrazzo floors and a coffered white oak paneling; elsewhere in the property I spotted other surprising touches, like a three-tier, hand-blown glass chandelier, a framed collection of vintage Hermès scarves, and handmade Mexican ceramic tiles. The hotel’s living-room-style lounge, the Lobby Bar, is perfect for cocktails and conversation, and serves breakfast plus an all-day bar menu featuring classic burgers, lobster tacos, and tuna tartare. Tucked away down art-filled corridors are 36 rooms outfitted with Smeg mini fridges, custom wallpaper and drapery, and a cocktail bar stocked with artisan spirits, tools, and tumblers for in-room cocktail hour. Outside in the leafy Hyde Park Village neighborhood, you can browse boutiques, bike along the nearby bayfront, or just picnic on pizza under the shade of a live oak. From $305/night. Accessible hotel. — Terry Ward

Pelorus Private Island, Australia

Jason Ierace/Courtesy of Pelorus Private Island

The Indigenous Manbarra people, custodians of Australia’s Palm Islands for millennia, believe this small, northeastern archipelago was formed when the Rainbow Serpent emerged from the Queensland tablelands and lay down in the ocean. The islands, strewn across the Coral Sea, are the vertebrae of its spine. On the northernmost island, known as Pelorus, North Palm, or Yanooa, an $8 million property with five lavish residences has opened, promising the most exclusive – and inclusive – accommodation on the Great Barrier Reef. Access to this isolated idyll is by helicopter (30 minutes) or motor yacht (five hours) from the Queensland city of Townsville. At the southwestern tip of a 1,000-acre tropical island, guests are greeted with chilled towels and Champagne before hosts Grant Logan and Kate Hawkins settle them into their reclusive hideaway. The modernist pavilion-style building features an infinity pool and generous interior spaces of neutral tones and native timbers to ensure the eye is always drawn to the saturated blues and greens of your playground: the Coral Sea. Days are as active or sedentary as you desire, with every imaginable water toy – Jet Skis, Seabobs, water bicycles, and a motorboat – at your disposal for island or outer reef explorations. Craving company, a spa treatment, or a quick lesson in marine science? Sibling resort Orpheus Island Lodge, a short speedboat ride across the strait, has a restaurant, day spa, and marine research center. From $13,067 per night for two people. Accessible hotel. — Kendall Hill

Pendry Newport Beach, California

Courtesy of Pendry Newport Beach

Nestled in the heart of Newport Beach’s Fashion Island, the latest addition to the Pendry portfolio promises to establish itself as an Orange County icon — following in the footsteps of its long-loved sibling property, Montage Laguna Beach , 11 miles down the road. In true younger sibling form, Pendry Newport Beach is Montage’s cool, trendy foil that comes alive at night. After the sun sets on the cabana-lined pool and fireside Jacuzzi out back, a vibrant atmosphere unfolds at Bar Pendry, where locals mingle with hotel guests over craft cocktails. After joining in the revelry with a smoky bourbon for him and a tropical, toasted coconut–topped concoction for me, my fiancé and I ducked into the hotel’s private wing for a more subdued nightlife scene at the members-only Elwood Club . The club hosts a coastal Italian restaurant, Viamara , and a cozy sports pub where we swung our way through a few rounds in the Topgolf Swing Suite. But the late-night highlight is its cabaret, where we sat in a velvet booth listening to live jazz over two glasses of red. At Set Steak & Sushi , dinner is an event in its own right as bluefin tuna pizza, Peking duck, and prime steaks are served beneath glowing lanterns on a romantic terrace, or inside a stylish nautical-themed dining room. The 40-ounce tomahawk still regularly makes its way into our dinner conversations. Spread throughout a 20-story tower, the hotel’s 295 guest rooms, 114 of which are suites, are sleek and contemporary, offering a spacious home base from which to explore the area. You won’t wake up on a beachfront, but you will find yourself close to must-visit spots such as Balboa Island, Crystal Cove, and Corona del Mar. Take advantage of Pendry’s Ride & Drive program and grab keys to a Cadillac at no charge, or strap on a helmet and take out a Scott e-bike. If you’re traveling with little ones, don’t worry, Paintbox, the on-site kids’ club, will entertain them while you’re out. Or, you may decide to use your kid-free time to pamper yourself at the spa; it’s the only Spa Pendry with a MediSpa machine and cryotherapy. From $396/night. Accessible hotel. — Nina Ruggiero

Raffles Boston

Courtesy of Raffles Boston

The 137-year-old Raffles hotel brand is finally making a splash in North America — and in Boston, of all places. Opened in September and set in a 35-story tower in the well-heeled Back Bay neighborhood, it is as smashing as you’d expect. On arrival, I was whisked to the 17th-floor Sky Lobby, which has wraparound views of the skyline. My room was sumptuous, with sophisticated gold and black touches that gesture to the brand’s Asian roots. Butler service was discreet and attentive — after check-in, I found a chilled cranberry cocktail called the “Boston Sling” (a nod to the Singapore Sling, which was created at the flagship property in 1915) waiting in the room’s glass-fronted wooden bar. From $700/night.​ Accessible hotel. — Elizabeth Cantrell

Raffles London at The OWO 

Flora Stubbs/Travel + Leisure

In a city where splashy new hotels seem to pop up on a weekly basis, how do you make sure your property makes the biggest splash of them all? In the case of Raffles London at The OWO , it went something like this: Purchase the landmarked Old War Offices from Britain’s Ministry of Defense (rumored listing price: $450 million). Lavish more than $1.25 billion on restoring its hallowed corridors, along which Sir Winston Churchill famously strode, making decisions that altered the face of history as he went. (The wood-paneled office in which he decided to enter World War II is now part of the Churchill Suite, bookable for $29,000 a night.) To keep things contemporary, install a gleaming, 27,000-square-foot Guerlain spa over four subterranean floors and invite Argentine chef Mauro Colagreco, known for his Michelin three-starred restaurant on the French Riviera, to oversee three of the hotel’s nine restaurants, including an eponymous dining room focused on the finest ingredients from the British Isles. The effect of all this? Every bit as dazzling as you might expect. Stepping through The OWO’s Portland Stone portico on Whitehall Street, I was wowed by the Grand Staircase, above which a 26-foot Murano glass chandelier hangs like a benevolent planet. Up on the third floor, my boots sunk into the deep, cream and ruby-red carpets now lining the building’s 2.5 miles of corridor, along which boy scouts once delivered messages by bicycle. I stayed in a suite named after Vera Atkins, a British-Romanian spy — one of eight female politicians, spies, and public figures around whom the hotel’s expansive corner suites are themed. Thierry Despont, the late Parisian interiors star, sprinkled his fairy dust over all of The OWO’s 120 accommodations; the Atkins suite had an updated art deco look, with curvaceous velvet banquettes and heavy-cream accents to brighten up all the wood paneling and parquet. Speaking of spies, “James Bond” author Ian Flemming regularly visited the OWO’s library (now the restaurant Mauro Colagreco), and the building itself has appeared in no fewer than five Bond movies, as the MI6 offices. There may be stiff competition among high-end London hotels, but there can be few that deliver a more quintessentially British experience than this one. From $1,385/night. Accessible hotel. — Flora Stubbs  

Regent Hong Kong

Susmita Baral/Travel + Leisure

Regent Hong Kong has been a fixture in the city’s Kowloon area since 1980, but it just reopened after a massive two-year renovation. Walking onto the newly renovated property felt like entering a secret oasis in a city of 7.4 million people. The hotel presents like a sanctuary, starting with the Feng Shui fountain outside and the terrace with lush landscaping and three infinity pools. My room had a window-front daybed and a deep soaking tub from which I could enjoy the views across the city’s iconic Victoria Harbor and Hong Kong Island. And should you, like me, not want to leave unless absolutely necessary, know there are excellent on-site dining options. The hotel is home to seven restaurants and bars, including Michelin two-starred Lai Ching Heen ; an outpost of Nobu; and Harbourside, where guests can indulge in an elevated daily buffet for breakfast and lunch. I found myself crippled with decision fatigue on what to eat for breakfast — the local specialties, the continental breakfast, the fresh-baked pastries, or all of the above? The answer was obviously D, all of the above. From $767/night. Accessible hotel. — Susmita Baral

Regent Seven Seas Cruises’ Seven Seas Grandeur

Courtesy of Regent Seven Seas Cruises

Regent Seven Seas Cruises’ sixth ship, the Seven Seas Grandeur , sailed its inaugural season in December, joining sibling ships Seven Seas Explorer and Seven Seas Splendor as the newest member of the luxury fleet. The cruise line is a favorite among Travel + Leisure readers for its gorgeous ships and all-inclusive pricing that covers unlimited shore excursions, dining at specialty restaurants, and even round-trip airfare. Grandeur lives up to its name thanks to stunning, art-filled spaces designed by cruise ship interior experts Studio Dado: signature restaurant Compass Rose is enchanting with interiors inspired by a fairy-tale forest; the Observation Lounge sparkles with an undulating chandelier and swanky bar; and the $11,000-per-night Regent Suite has a private en suite spa and custom Treesse mini pool. As I boarded Grandeur for the ship’s inaugural sailing, I was mesmerized by the grand staircase and glittering chandelier. And with a maximum capacity of 744 guests, I found it easy to take time to myself in the myriad of quiet spots tucked throughout the ship, whether in the Serene Spa and Wellness area, in the Library, or on the Sports Deck overlooking the ocean. Seven restaurants include specialty steakhouse Prime 7, pan-Asian restaurant Pacific Rim, and breakfast and lunch buffet La Veranda, which refines the cruise buffet experience with daily specials like paella and sushi. Several bars and lounges, a pool and hot tubs, a casino, Broadway-style productions, and cooking classes at the Culinary Arts Kitchen make the ship a destination in itself, though guests will want to take advantage of those included excursions on Caribbean, Central American, North American, and European itineraries, ranging from seven to 16 nights, during the ship’s 2024 season. From $4,669 per person for a seven-night sailing. Accessible ship. — Elizabeth Rhodes

Roost Detroit

Matthew Williams/Courtesy of ROOST Detroit

Tucked inside Detroit’s iconic Book Tower, this Roost location merges the comforts of a contemporary home with the elegance of a bygone era. The building’s past and future blend seamlessly, thanks to a transformative renovation by the real estate firm Bedrock Detroit. The painstaking restoration, conducted over a seven-year period, invokes the structure’s Italian Renaissance–revival style, originally conceived by architect Louis Kamper in the 1920s, which includes awe-inspiring arches and a romantic rotunda that now floats above an all-day café and wine bar. The property has been updated with a contemporary art collection curated by the Library Street Collective gallery and features pieces by local creatives Senghor Reid and Sydney James. Travelers staying in one of the property’s 117 apartment suites will love the spacious floor plans, some of which feature Detroit river views.

But the details are what define the guest experience: stellar service, Le Labo Santal 33 amenities, elevated electronics from Sonos and Samsung, and colorful Fortessa glassware are just a few ways this property defies the expectations of a standard extended stay. Roost is also an ideal hideaway for remote work: a 3,000-square-foot study also serves as a co-working space and lounge that features private booths and retreat-ready conference rooms. There are several restaurants, including a chic rooftop bar named Kampers, but Le Supreme is the one that stands out. This Parisian-inspired brasserie has vintage-inspired decor. I parked myself in a booth and ordered a rhubarb and rosé-filled Mon Cheri cocktail, which paired well with the peppercorn-crusted filet mignon and a shrimp, avocado, and mâche salad. From $289/night. Accessible hotel. — Keyaira Boone

Rosemary, Marrakesh

Marina Denisova/Courtesy of Rosemary

Hidden behind a hand-carved cedar door, Rosemary is the latest example of the creative energy sizzling through this ancient city. The five-bedroom guesthouse was designed by Belgian artist Laurence Leenaert, who founded the ceramics and textile brand Lrnce, known for its cool, artsy aesthetic. Working with more than 30 local artisans, she used materials sourced in Morocco — including stained glass from Meknes, pots from Safi, and marble from Rabat. Every inch of the riad is an expression of her imagination, from the abstract drawings hand-carved into sandstone tables to the colorful murals made from zellige tiles. Squint and you’ll notice that each of the tiles in the bathroom is a miniature painting; find out more in the ceramic and plaster workshops that turn Rosemary into a creative hub. From $236/night.​ — Chloe Sachdev

Rosewood Munich 

Davide Lovatti/Courtesy of Rosewood

Entering the Rosewood Munich , a hotel 10 years in the making, feels like walking into your friend’s living room (granted, your most stylish friend’s living room), with a grand lobby where you can sink into plush seating while sampling the local sweets the hotel puts out to satisfy your sugar cravings. Cuvilliés, the brasserie open to both guests and locals, is one of the poshest new restaurants in Munich, with ingredients sourced from the region, including Helmut Schlader Alpine caviar, wagyu beef from Tegernsee, and lamb from a breeder in Jochberg. Guests can retire to their apartment-style rooms, decked out in bespoke furnishings and all-marble baths. The most luxurious accommodations, though, are Rosewood’s five houses, with unparalleled amenities like full kitchens, massive soaking tubs, private courtyard terraces, and more than 2,600 square feet of living space. My favorite spot at the hotel is much smaller: the ultra-exclusive speakeasy, 100B, hidden on the property. During my visit to the hotel, I caught a rare glimpse inside the space to find soft, red velvet furnishings accent rich, dark-wood walls, made all the better by its top-shelf drink offerings, including hard-to-find bottles of Pappy Van Winkle and other rarified liquors. The only way in is to butter up a bartender, who may or may not acknowledge its very existence. From $865/night. Accessible hotel. — Stacey Leasca

Sha Wellness Clinic Mexico

Courtesy of SHA Mexico

Wellness culture reaches its apex at Sha Wellness Clinic , open since January 2024 in Costa Mujeres, Mexico, just north of Cancun. The 100-room property, with 35 privately owned residences, offers an all-inclusive, immersive wellness experience in four- to 21-day programs. Guests engage in wellness therapies, ranging in scope from the medical – intravenous oxygenation, for instance – to the therapeutic, like Shiatsu massage. Upon arrival, each traveler receives a state-of-the-art evaluation, assessing everything from body composition to vascular age to muscular strength, to determine specific wellness needs. My own four-day Rebalance & Energize program included sessions with a Chinese medicine specialist for acupuncture and energy healing; a consultation with a head nutritionist for a meal plan; various overall health assessments with the clinic’s physicians; a Tibetan sound bowl session; and a water-based treatment called the hydroenergetic detox, in which I was wrapped in seaweed and massaged by machine. Shamadi, the nutrition-focused fine-dining venue, serves sophisticated, multicourse menus both inside and outside, on a terrace overlooking the sea. (A second restaurant, Earthy, focused on live-fire cooking, is set to open soon.) When they aren’t meeting with the clinic’s trained professionals, guests are also welcome to use the property’s hydrotherapy circuit, infinity pools, and fitness facility, or snorkel at the largest coral reef in the Northern Hemisphere. During my stay, a swim with a school of stunning barracuda, shimmering in Caribbean sunlight, proved particularly restorative. Four-night program from $5,600, all-inclusive. – Hannah Selinger

Shinta Mani Mustang, Nepal

Elise Hassey/Courtesy of Shinta Mani Mustang

There are still wildly beautiful and enchanted pockets of the world to discover, and this new property — imagined by celebrated interior designer Bill Bensley — is right in the heart of one: the ancient Kingdom of Mustang in Nepal, close to the border of Tibet. From the outside, this U-shaped structure, built using local Baglung stone, resembles a monastery. But inside, thanks to Bensley’s historical research and taste for rich color and pattern, it feels like an elegant, colorful palace. Large public spaces are appointed with a mix of antique Mustang treasures, lampshades decorated with cascading yak hair, and pops of orange and yellow. When not on daily excursions to nearby temples and villages, guests can visit the resort’s spa, which is overseen by a doctor of traditional Tibetan medicine. Each of the 29 rooms has a spacious bathroom — many with deep tubs — as well as woven tiger rugs on the polished black wood floors, and felt blankets from a Nepal-based workshop that supplies Hermes. But none of it can begin to compete with the view of Mount Nilgiri through the floor-to-ceiling windows. From $1,800/night, with a five-night minimum. Accessible hotel. — Gisela Williams  

Silversands Beach House, Grenada 

Courtesy of Silversands

Just three minutes from the airport — and steps from Portici Beach — the latest from luxury hospitality brand Silversands is a 28-room resort with hillside rooms offering panoramic views and canopied beachfront suites that almost touch the surf. All are designed with relaxing neutral tones, artwork handpicked by the property’s Egyptian developer, Naguib Sawiris, and floor-to-ceiling windows and doors that lead to expansive terraces or decks. The restaurant, Azzurro, blends Caribbean and Mediterranean cuisines in dishes like pasta topped with coconut-​and-panko-crusted shrimp and island-inspired sorbets. There are three more restaurants for guests to enjoy, as well as the longest pool in the Caribbean, at the bigger Silversands Grand Anse, 15 minutes away via Mercedes-Benz shuttle. From $700/night. Accessible hotel. ​ — Danielle Pointdujour

Silversea’s Silver Nova

Courtesy of Silversea Cruises

Carrying 728 passengers, Silver Nova is big for the luxury sector, but boasts a hugely important metric: a capacious passenger space ratio — that is, the number of guests relative to the size of the ship. Simply put, this ship offers more elbow room per passenger than almost any other cruise vessel. Silver Nova is wrapped in glass, with an asymmetrical layout; the funnel is positioned off-center, so is the pool, offering an expansive, uncluttered pool deck. Many features of the brand-new ship recall previous Silversea successes, my favorite of which is the S.A.L.T. (Sea And Land Taste) program, expanded for Silver Nova . S.A.L.T. perks include a gorgeous, sea-facing lab for hands-on culinary lessons (at no additional cost), plus a new concept, the Chef’s Table, where an 11-course menu is prepared for just 24 diners. All facets of the S.A.L.T. ecosystem, including ingredients, a bar, lectures, and shore excursions, are keyed to the region Nova is sailing. While food is a drawing card for Silver Nova , accommodations also received a revamp. Tied to the theme of bringing the outside in, there are brilliant new suites found in the aft starboard corner of the ship, with wraparound balconies revealing a 270-degree view.  This is where you can tuck me in when I win the lottery and head off on a world cruise. But until then, Silver Nova will summer in Alaska and spend northern hemisphere winters in Australia and New Zealand, places where top-deck views should prove ceaselessly rewarding. From $3,250 per person for a seven-night sailing. Accessible ship. — David Swanson

Silvestre Nosara Hotel & Residences, Costa Rica

Juan Tribaldos/Courtesy of Silvestre Nosara

If there is a formula for building a hotel that immediately makes you feel at home, Chris Ingham Brooke and Ilya Korolev, the owners of Costa Rica's newest boutique stay, Silvestre Nosara , have nailed it. Maybe it's because the nine-key property is also where Brooke and his family live, or perhaps it's because every single detail of the spacious residences was executed with the utmost consideration for the comfort and privacy of families. Each apartment-like residence has two bedrooms and two en suite bathrooms, plus floor-to-ceiling French doors that open to patios or balconies. The ground-level residences feature lush private gardens with saunas and cold-plunge bathtubs. The kitchens come with fully stocked refrigerators, and if you run out of something, the concierge team is happy to run out and get it from a nearby organic food store. Guests can head to the two-level rooftop for breakfast; the roof is also where you'll find the hotel's infinity pool and cabanas, surrounded by a canopy of trees providing shade from the ground. Naturally, if you've come all the way to Nosara with your family , you're probably here to soak up the sun and catch a few waves. So grab a complimentary board from the hotel's surf school and head straight down the hotel’s jungle path to the famous Playa Guiones, just five minutes away. From $960/night, with a three-night minimum. — Dobrina Zhekova

Singita Mara River Tented Camp, Serengeti, Tanzania

Courtesy of Singita

The most low-key property in Singita’s illustrious East African lineup is also the most exclusive. Singita Mara River Tented Camp is one of only a few permanent camps in the sought-after Lamai wedge, a spit of savanna sequestered from the vast Serengeti National Park by the Mara River. Reopened after a complete rebuild that saw infrastructure from the old camp cleverly repurposed, the camp is sexy and sustainable, and channels the adventurous spirit of a mobile operation — while still providing every imaginable creature comfort. Over 20 African designers and makers were commissioned to add their creative stamp to the new camp. The six well-spaced tents have king-size beds, outdoor tubs, and beaded Maasai artworks by Sidai Designs , an Arusha-based female collective. The chic but utilitarian interiors are done in bold blues and reds, inspired by traditional Maasai blankets. Compact design solutions like mobile wardrobes add to the clutter-free vibe; there’s even a canvas-clad mini-bar stocked with local beers, homemade fruit cordials, Champagne, and vegan chocolate. Like all Singita lodges, the hub of the camp is a bar where smoothies, cappuccinos, and craft cocktails are served by the 100-percent Tanzanian staff. The camp’s prime riverfront site guarantees front-row seats to all the predator-prey action during migration season, but sightings remain impressive year-round, thanks to plentiful resident plains game, including herds of buffalo and elephants, and all the big cats. Suites from $2,045 per person per night. — Jane Broughton

Six Senses Crans-Montana, Switzerland

Imagine you took a quiet, sleek spa with darkened windows and hushed hallways and deposited it onto a Swiss mountainside in an old ski town in the most skiable part of the Valais region, and you get the idea behind Six Senses Crans-Montana . In a town that still feels ripped from a 1987 calendar (in a good way!), the property is like a portal to the future that you can ski right into — or out of. And when you enter that portal from the cold slopes, a “ski concierge” will be waiting to rush your gear into a warm room to dry before it’s delivered to you again on your way out in the morning. My favorite parts of the 45 room-resort were the views of the Alps and the huge soaking tub in my room. Byakko, a lacquered jewel box of a Japanese restaurant on the second floor, serves sushi and other dishes not quite local to the Rhône Valley. The more woodsy Wild Cabin, on the first floor, is where you can have your smoothies for breakfast, pizzas at lunchtime, or game-heavy dinners. A local charcuterie and cheese course is served every evening in the lobby bar. But the pièce de résistance is the spa, a steamy subterranean waterworks with hot tubs and cold plunges, two full-size pools, and toasty massage rooms. From $1,090/night. Accessible hotel. — Devin Friedman

Six Senses Rome

Courtesy of Six Senses Hotels Resorts Spas

The Eternal City has plenty of exclusive hotels where the brass is polished to a shine and the Negronis flow easily (see: the famed Hotel de Russie terrace). The new Six Senses , a 96-room temple to wellness, smack on Via del Corso and a five-minute walk to the Trevi Fountain, is a welcome departure from all that tradition. Fresh off a red-eye from New York City, I tested “biohacking” remedies at the subterranean spa, slipping on a blue-light facial mask, a back massager, and Normatec compression socks to shake off the jet lag, before making my way to a sprawling series of Roman baths — utterly palatial, by any city hotel standards. And though the property is housed in a 15th-century palazzo, with a central marble staircase that transported me back to the Renaissance, the overall vibe feels fresh and relaxed thanks to Milan-based designer Patricia Urquiola. In a nod to well-being, the rooms are designed to soothe, from the spare, cocciopesto-covered walls to the divine Naturalmat organic mattresses. They also give you a sense of place — contemporary photos of ancient Roman busts crown the beds — and if you're willing to splurge, the license to live like a local. Book a deluxe junior suite with a terrace, and you can enjoy a bottle of wine outdoors with the rooftops of the city seemingly at your fingertips. The travertine-clad lobby embraces warm earth tones, with plants and a skylight bringing the outdoors in; for true alfresco living, don’t miss the Notos Rooftop, a combination yoga studio, restaurant, and farmers market. How very 21st century is that? From $1,083/night. Accessible hotel. — Jacqueline Gifford

Slieve Donard, Northern Ireland 

From a distance, you could easily mistake Slieve Donard for a castle. The sprawling Victorian resort first opened 125 years ago as a railway hotel, becoming the grande dame of Newcastle, a small seaside resort town in Northern Ireland’s County Down. Marine & Lawn Hotels & Resorts — a brand with a collection of five historic properties located near some of Scotland and Northern Ireland’s best golf courses — completed Slieve Donard’s renovation in September. The transformed lobby and guest rooms highlight Northern Ireland’s natural beauty and the property’s heritage, and reimagined restaurants update the grandeur of the hotel’s heyday. J.J. Farrall’s, named after the hotel’s architect, serves afternoon tea and refined Irish cuisine at dinner; the Percy French, Lighthouse Lounge, and the Wolf offer more casual snacks and drinks. I was immediately struck by the hotel’s plush interiors, striking facade, and stunning views of the Irish Sea and the Mourne Mountains. Many of the 180 rooms look out over the Mournes, designated an Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty — and home to Slieve Donard, the highest mountain in Northern Ireland and the hotel’s namesake. Beautiful hikes, Game of Thrones tours, and whisky distilleries are among the most popular things to do in the area, but many visitors come here for one thing: golf. The property is located right next to the Royal County Down Golf Club, which dates back to 1889 and is home to the Championship Course, widely recognized as one of the most beautiful in the world. From $286/night. Accessible hotel. — Elizabeth Rhodes

Son Bunyola Hotel & Villas, Mallorca, Spain

Courtesy of Son Bunyola Hotel & Villas

A stay at this sprawling property on Mallorca’s sunbaked western coast feels like a visit to a billionaire’s home, and in a sense, it is. Son Bunyola is the newest in Richard Branson’s Virgin Limited Edition hotel collection. The centerpiece of the 1,300-acre plot is a 16th-century manor, which houses 26 rooms and suites. There are also three multi-bedroom villas, one of which is built into a defense tower that dates back to the 13th century. The design team managed to make these storied structures feel like a home away from home. The result is an exclusive Mediterranean hideaway where guests spend their days sunning on yachts, sipping Mallorcan wines, and indulging in ancient Moroccan rituals at the spa. Nights are filled with seven-course tasting menus and starry views. It’s an adult playground, and that’s by design. Thankfully, when you check out, you can take the handmade espadrilles in your room with you, to continue the relaxation at home. From $703/night.​ Accessible hotel. — Jennifer Bradley Franklin

Southern Ocean Lodge, Kangaroo Island, Australia 

GEORGE APOSTOLIDIS/Courtesy of Southern Ocean Lodge

When Southern Ocean Lodge first opened on an island off the coast of southern Australia in 2008, it set the bar for all-inclusive eco-lodges in Australia with its spectacular setting, striking design, and precise yet easygoing hospitality. But the resort burned to the ground in one of the devastating bushfires of 2020. Sheltering underground with smoke seeping into their bunker, longtime managers John Hird and Alison Heath vowed to rebuild. Their employer, Baillie Lodges, agreed, and the lodge reopened this past December. The 25 terraced suites have been updated to include soaking tubs, double vanities, and master controls for zoned lighting. Furnishings are smartly positioned — I could count the night stars through the floor-to-ceiling windows from bed — and the suites have also been angled to provide maximum privacy and views of the surf on the beach below. Chef Tom Saliba makes ample use of island ingredients, like hand-fed partridges, which he barbecues, and mushrooms for whipped tofu with panisse at breakfast. The lounge features a 1970s-style central fireplace and plenty of comfortable seating, but perhaps its greatest charm is a wide-open bar generously stocked with ingredients, a cocktail book that guests are encouraged to use to mix their own drinks, and bar accoutrements. The wine cellar is filled with southern Australian bottles to wander in and grab. The expanded spa now includes warm pools and cold plunges, plus a sauna, and those looking for adventure can book guided tours to spot fur seals and endangered sea lions. From $2,213/night. Accessible hotel.­ — Betsy Andrews

Tanda Tula Safari Camp, Greater Kruger National Park, South Africa

Courtesy of Tanda Tula

At this reimagined camp in the Timbavati , one of South Africa’s lesser-known private nature reserves, there are 180-degree views of the Nhlaralumi River, which is dry for much of the year, allowing for feet-in-the-sand sundowners and barbecues after immersive game drives. Part of the Greater Kruger region, the reserve is known for guaranteed, year-round sightings of leopards lurking in riverine thickets, large herds of buffalo, packs of wild dogs running free, and numerous prides of lions — including rare white lions. But perhaps the real luxury of choosing this intimate camp is that you’ll rarely bump into other safari cars while exploring the ecosystem, unlike reserves located inside Kruger that can be overrun with tourists. The interiors of the nine off-grid suites channel a strong sense of place through homegrown design that feels refreshingly modern, while still honoring the intricate patterns of traditional Tsonga motifs. Everything is steeped in the colors of the surrounding bush — including the deep aubergine of the purple pod cluster leaf, an indigenous tree. Sleek, statement bathrooms lead to open-air showers, private plunge pools, and incredible views. The service feels easy and intuitive, whether you’re arranging a massage in your suite or ordering lunch on your deck. Menus are in sync with the seasons and champion fresh produce grown by small-scale local farmers. Uplifting people is part of Tanda Tula’s DNA: through the work of the property’s foundation, your stay helps fund educational opportunities and scholarships for bright young minds, as well as an adult literacy program for staff. Suites from $1,338 per person per night. Accessible hotel. — Jane Broughton

The Fifth Avenue Hotel, New York City

William Abranowicz/Courtesy of The Fifth Avenue Hotel

The buzz on social media surrounding the debut of The Fifth Avenue Hotel was hard to ignore — especially with Sarah Jessica Parker as host of the grand opening. The Fifth, as those in the know call it, brought new life into Manhattan’s hospitality scene with 153 rooms and suites decorated in a maximalist style by the firm of designer du jour Martin Brudnizki. The interiors are defined by rich colors; luxurious tapestries; artwork like Queen Mary, a portrait by Alanna Airitam; and Murano-glass chandeliers that provide an air of fantasy. Café Carmellini, from chef Andrew Carmellini, is reminiscent of the HBO series The Gilded Age, with lush fabrics and balcony seating overlooking the dining room. But instead of icy glares between the Astors and the Russells, you’ll find delicious dishes like lobster cannelloni and rabbit cacciatore. Before you head back to your room, have a nightcap at the Portrait Bar. The Cebu Island, an inspired cocktail blending rum, scotch, and Midori with a variety of tropical ingredients, deserves a buzz of its own. From $895/night. Accessible hotel. ​— Danielle Pointdujour

The Georgian, Santa Monica, California 

Douglas Friedman/Courtesy of The Georgian

The First Lady, as The Georgian is often referred, first opened its doors in 1933 and quickly became a hangout for the Hollywood A-list crowd. In a sea of white buildings lining Ocean Avenue in Santa Monica, California, The Georgian’s not-quite-Tiffany & Co. blue facade with gold trim pops. The eight-story hotel reopened in 2023 after an extensive renovation, and for Blvd Hospitality co-owners Jon Blanchard and Nico Rusconi, deciding what stayed and what went was a grand undertaking. Stayed: the original bathrooms in the 56 guest rooms, including the antique tile work, and that unquestionably Georgian blue facade, which is echoed in the bellhops’ baby-blue uniforms. Another vintage nod: The Georgian Room restaurant hosts Spaghetti Sundays, where I feasted on house-made garlic bread, spaghetti in a hearty marinara sauce, and Grandpa Tony's Meatballs, all a nod to the Red Griffin, the restaurant The Georgian housed in the ‘50s. Currently, the hotel offers a total of 84 guest rooms (including 28 suites), two open-to-the-public restaurants, an art gallery (with new exhibitions opening every two weeks), a library curated by Lee Kaplan of Arcana Books , a Peloton-outfitted gym, and a sultry, U-shaped lobby bar. A feast for the eyes, textures and colors fill every space. Pink chairs and yellow booths populate the outdoor terrace, coral-colored feathered lamps and mustard floor-to-ceiling curtains are seen throughout the lobby, and black-and-white images of Santa Monica line the walls. In the guest suites (one of which is named after Blanchard’s son, Hudson), there are record players and art deco–inspired bars, complete with a quartet of buttons that read like a directory: “Champagne,” “dessert,” “book club,” and “the usual,” the last of which is meant for repeat guests and their beverage/room service order of choice. From $700/night. Accessible hotel. — Alexandra Cheney

The Hotel Maria, Helsinki, Finland

Courtesy of The Hotel Maria

Founded by an Olympic champion and named for Empress Maria Feodorovna, the cosmopolitan mother of Russia’s last tsar, Helsinki’s The Hotel Maria has ambitions as rarefied as its pedigree. In 2020, Finnish developer (and three-time Olympic gold medalist) Samppa Lajunen acquired a parcel of mostly 19th-century buildings in the elegant Kruununhaka neighborhood and set out to convert them into the five-star hotel he believed Finland’s capital needed. The result is a 117-key property that blends glossy international luxury with Nordic sensibilities in a way that feels classic, even pleasantly old-school, as well as purposefully Finnish. The spa, for example, provides guests with an opportunity to try out the national obsession by alternating between sauna and cold plunge. And, throughout the hotel, 200 dreamlike, silvery paintings of iconic flora and fauna by homegrown artist Pia Feinik are on display. Thanks to quirks of the historic structures, every room is unique. Entry-level guest rooms are spacious and well-appointed, and those seeking something more distinctive can choose from 38 suites, including the sprawling, kitchen-equipped Imperial Suite, which feels like the pied-à-terre of a minor royal. Perhaps as an antidote to the winter darkness, around 180 chandeliers blaze in Maria’s rooms and public spaces, most strikingly in the sleek Bar Maria, where clusters of stylized glass icicles glow softly overhead. At the hotel’s hushed and refined flagship restaurant, Lilja, local ingredients like reindeer and cloudberry are foregrounded, and elbow room abounds (Finns like their personal space). Although Helsinki is often visited only as a day trip off a Baltic cruise, it’s a city with a welcoming, walkable center that rewards a longer stay, especially with The Hotel Maria as an unabashedly fancy — though not stuffy — home base. From $487/night . Accessible hotel. — Maggie Shipstead

The Hoxton, Brussels

Courtesy of The Hoxton

In the rapidly developing Northern Quarter of Brussels, close to the Bruxelles-Nord railway station, is a 198-room outpost of The Hoxton , the U.K. hotel brand’s first in Belgium. Concrete architraves adorning the windows, which local architecture practice 51N4E left intact, are a stark yet nostalgic reminder of the building’s industrial and corporate past as the former IBM Tower. But the interiors, courtesy of in-house creative team Aime Studios, exude warmth and softness. For instance, the striking double-height lobby is filled with plants, in homage to the 19th-century botanical garden that once stood nearby. This greenery is juxtaposed with artwork (the lower level doubles as the Hox Gallery) and a smattering of glamorous vintage furniture snagged at flea markets and secondhand shops across the region. Public spaces are buzzy: Cantina Valentina, the Peruvian-style restaurant, is packed with locals devouring ceviche and tequeños against a backdrop of artist Madeleine Schilling’s dreamy botanical mural. There’s also Tope, a rooftop taqueria, where artist Claire de Quénetain’s painted pink ripple wallpaper is enjoyed alongside jalapeño margaritas, cacti, and heady views of the city. After a frothy, orange flower-scented Pisco sour nightcap in one of the lobby’s cocooning chairs, guests head up to their color-blocked rooms, a mélange of deep red, cream, and sky blue punctuated by striped headboards, long oval-shaped glass room dividers, and velvet sofas. Bathrooms, outfitted with confetti-pink pedestal sinks, exude an equally delightful retro feel. From $217/night. Accessible hotel. — Alia Akkam

The Inn at Mattei’s Tavern, Auberge Resorts Collection, Los Olivos, California

Courtesy of Inn at Mattei's Tavern/Auberge Resorts Collection

The Inn at Mattei’s Tavern finally brings a luxurious place to stay to Los Olivos, a gem in the Santa Ynez Valley with a population of 1,132 that was crowned America’s best small food and culture town by T+L in 2023. The delightful 1880s property is pristine and enchantingly symmetrical, with guest houses coated in a gleaming layer of white paint and a red-shingled water tower sitting in the middle of an idyllic, greenhouse-flanked lawn. During my first evening, I crossed this perfect patch of grass to the Tavern restaurant for a round of martinis and just-out-of-the-oven focaccia, followed by clams served with a slab of pork belly in a garlicky broth. I then slipped down the hall to the Bar, housed in the tavern that original owner Felix Mattei opened in 1886, to finish my evening with a spicy red blend from the Santa Rita hills and a chocolate soufflé doused in caramel sauce. I loved strolling into town to taste wine at Dragonette Cellars , Story of Soil , and the beloved Stolpman Vineyards Fresh Garage — just a small sampling of the 27 wineries within walking distance of the hotel. There’s also the cute Los Olivos General Store and a new restaurant from the chef behind the Michelin-starred gem in nearby Los Alamos , Bell’s . But spending time at the hotel was equally tempting. On my last day, I gave in and just lazed by the pool, where I lunched on duck wontons and grilled shiitakes at the alfresco Gin’s Bar — named for Gin Lung Gin, the head chef at Mattei’s in the 1910s. From $950/night. Accessible hotel. — Maya Kachroo-Levine

The Lafayette Hotel & Club, San Diego

Courtesy of The LaFayette

After opening in 1946, The Lafayette Hotel & Club in San Diego quickly became a celebrity hot spot. Bob Hope, its first guest, owned a penthouse apartment there. Johnny Weissmuller, of “Tarzan” fame, designed the pool. Confirmed visitors included Ava Gardner, Frank Sinatra, and Katharine Hepburn; local lore says Marilyn Monroe might have checked in with a politically powerful friend of hers. Over the subsequent decades, The Lafayette’s star flickered. Three years ago, local restaurateur Arsalun Tafazoli bought the hotel, and after a stunning, $31-million renovation, The Lafayette reopened this past summer. While the landmarked exterior is largely unchanged, the interior shouts loudly with new life. The Brooklyn, New York–based firm Post Company orchestrated the unabashedly maximalist design: sofas and chairs with leopard print, zebra stripes, and bold florals; multicolored Mexican Talavera toilets; hand-painted murals; one custom wallpaper featuring kimono-clad women, another with jungle-dwelling bush babies. Look closely at the bedside reading lamps and the posts of the canopy beds, and you might spot snakes; Tafazoli sees the creatures as avatars of revitalization because of how they shed their old skins. And this isn’t style over substance: There are Sferra linens on the beds, Diptyque toiletries in every bathroom, and even stationery custom-printed with the guest’s name on the desk in every room. Listen up; famed music producer Swizz Beatz curated the soundtrack. The Lafayette’s exuberant eclecticism continues in its bars — there are three, including The Gutter, where you can play skee-ball and shuffleboard while you drink — and its restaurants, most notably Quixote, where Mexican-born chef José Cepeda serves modern takes on venerable family recipes. From $248/night. Accessible hotel. — Jeff Chu

The Lana, Dubai

Courtesy of The Lana

The Middle East debut for the Dorchester Collection is just another sign that when it comes to hospitality, Dubai is on the level of London, Paris, Rome, and Los Angeles. And The Lana still manages to stand out in a crowded field. That’s partly because of its location in Marasi Bay Marina, an upscale new development. The striking Foster & Partners building is avant-garde, while the interiors, from designers Gilles & Boissier, are more subtle, with soft pinks and sandy beiges that nod to the surrounding desert and elegant touches such as textured wallpaper and rich wood paneling in the 225 rooms and suites. There’s also a Dior spa and a trio of notable restaurants helmed by celebrated chefs — Martin Berasategui, Jean Imbert, and Angelo Musa. Locals are already clamoring to get into the rooftop bar, High Society, where I took in the skyline, martini in hand. From $925/night. Accessible hotel.­ — Chrissie McClatchie

The Leela Ashtamudi, A Raviz Hotel, Kerala, India

Courtesy of The Leela Palaces Hotels and Resorts

On the banks of Kerala’s second largest lake, Ashtamudi, The Leela offers visitors the chance to experience the unhurried beauty of Kerala’s backwaters. Tourist traffic on Ashtamudi is substantially lower than at Kerala’s other waterways, like the sought-after Kumarakom Backwaters and Alleppey Backwaters. While the new hotel is still a work in progress — a bar and restaurant, among other things, are not yet open — it is arguably the best in this underappreciated region. On a recent trip, I saw no tourists as I took the hotel boat around the lake in search of brackish water dolphins, only fisherfolk tending to their nets. After a morning on the lake, I had lunch at the hotel overlooking the lakeside garden. Here, guests can have a chef prepare the fish they catch on their trip, or visit a local market with one to buy produce and cook it together. Later that day, I enjoyed an Abhyanga treatment at The Leela’s spa, where the masseurs kneaded my travel-weary back. The hotel’s 93 rooms and suites are tastefully done up; where some rooms feature traditional Kerala mural work drawn from Hindu myths, others carry modern art. The furniture, too, is a mix of colonial and contemporary. The room to book: the Royal Heritage suite that offers an expansive view of the lake, sunset included. From $97/night. Accessible hotel. — Prasad Ramamurthy  

The Peninsula London

Will Pryce/Courtesy of The Peninsula London

The Peninsula brand, which operates a 96-year-old flagship in Hong Kong as well as properties as far-flung as Beverly Hills and Istanbul, spent 35 years looking for the right address in London. They found it on a prime corner overlooking Wellington Arch, in the heart of Belgravia. The eight-story building, its Portland-stone facade a nod to British craftsmanship, opened to the public in 2023. The timing couldn’t have been better — or worse — depending upon how you look at it, as the British capital is experiencing a luxury hotel boom. So what sets The Peninsula London apart? That location, for one. I was able to walk to Harrods and Buckingham Palace in 15 minutes, and yet still feel tucked away from the fray, thanks to the quiet courtyard, anchored by two 120-year-old Japanese maple trees, and the subterranean, forest-themed spa. The 190 rooms, designed by Peter Marino to soothe with their neutral, calming tones, start at a very generous 549 square feet. But the biggest perk might be the in-room technology, a Peninsula signature, so seamless I could charge all of my devices on a bedside table (some cord-free) without unpacking an adapter. If some parts of the hotel lean classic, others skew more whimsical, including the rooftop Brooklands Bar & Restaurant by Claude Bosi, themed around race cars and aviation (even if you don’t eat there, have a peek at the replica Concorde suspended from the dining-room ceiling). And Canton Blue, the formal Chinese restaurant, is a true feast for the eyes with its displays of suspended porcelain cups, plates, and antique musical instruments. Full from the excellent soup dumplings and Peking duck, I left my table at 11:30 p.m. — and the room was still abuzz. From $1,600/night. Accessible hotel. — Jacqueline Gifford

The Pinch, Charleston, South Carolina

Matthew Williams/Courtesy of The Pinch, Charleston

Just off of King Street in Charleston, South Carolina, the flicker of gaslight beckons those in the know down a cobblestone alley to The Pinch . Housed in a collection of 19th-century buildings, the property was brought to life by design and management company Method Co . Its 22 rooms and suites, plus three extended-stay residences, are furnished tip to toe in sumptuous materials — walnut herringbone floors, zellige tiles, burnt-orange velvet sofas, marble farmhouse sinks with unlacquered brass fixtures — but the overall feel is playful and easygoing, never fussy or formal. The hotel is also home to The Quinte, a moody, wood-paneled oyster bar that retains traces of its billiards parlor past, and Lowland, a fine-dining spot in a historic townhouse across the alleyway. Presiding over the culinary show is James Beard Award–winning executive chef Jason Stanhope, who gestures to Southern classics without veering into cliché. At Lowland, unexpectedly inspired dishes such as a celery salad with dates and cheddar stuck with me well after I pushed back from the table. The Pinch is just right for a long, leisurely stay, with washer-dryers in every room and kitchens that bear the design fingerprints of a true cook: hooded gas ranges, a full lineup of kitchen tools, and enough place settings to invite friends for dinner. It’s the details that make this place sing: there’s a white-noise machine by the bed, a burr grinder for the freshest coffee, a minibar lineup that nails the high-low mix (An adaptogenic zero-proof spritz? Yep. Moon pies? Also yep.). Pair all that with extended-stay discounts and a price tag that feels refreshingly reasonable, and a multiweek Charleston residency starts to look less like a pipe dream and more like an ideal plan for shaking off the midwinter blues. From $300/night. Accessible hotel. — Lila Harron Battis

The Restoration Asheville, North Carolina 

Blake Shorter/Courtesy of The Restoration Asheville

Front-door access to the best trails in the Blue Ridge Mountains, James Beard Award–winning restaurants, abundant breweries, and a thriving art scene have made Asheville, North Carolina, one of T+L readers’ favorite American cities . But what’s long been missing is an elevated hotel in the heart of downtown. Enter The Restoration Asheville , a 60-key property from The Restoration Hotel Collection (which has a flagship property in Charleston ) that opened in April 2023. My room had a green suede chaise lounge and a dramatic, oversized church-window mirror. I appreciated the Appalachian touches throughout the property, like floor-to-ceiling murals by local painter Scott Allred depicting the nearby mountains. The library-themed lobby and the adjacent streetside patio are excellent places for coffee and people-watching. I also appreciated the variety of dining options, including The Exchange restaurant, which has upgraded Southern favorites, like a jalapeño- and buttermilk-battered fried chicken sandwich and a trout and chicory caesar salad, and The Draftsman, a basement-level bar with a bowling alley and skee-ball. But if you’ve come to Asheville, you’ve come to eat and drink your way through the city . I recommend brunch at Chai Pani or Cúrate , dinner at Neng Jr.’s , and cocktails at Anoche , a snug mezcal bar in the River Arts District. Plus, the new S&W Market , a food hall and taproom in a soaring art deco building, is next door to the Restoration. From $225/night. Accessible hotel. — Elizabeth Cantrell

The Ritz-Carlton, Naples, Florida

Courtesy of The Ritz-Carlton, Naples

The Ritz-Carlton, Naples , to me, has always embraced its status as a social hub with gusto. I’ve seen many an anniversary dinner, Champagne toast, and lavish, eggs Benedict–stuffed brunch celebrated on these grounds. Kids splash away in the wave-shaped family pool; adults indulge in stiff cocktails with their shoes off at Gumbo Limbo, the seaside restaurant; and everyone relaxes under the spell of that old-school, Ritz-Carlton service. Now, this 38-year-old resort – reopened after Hurricane Ian and a $100-million-plus glow up — leans more new school in its design. I was still greeted by a fleet of staffers outside the grand porte-cochere, but the lobby interior is less claustrophobic. Gone are the dark-wood beams, chandeliers, and thick carpet; in their place are brass accents and floating crystal pendants suspended above a marble-topped bar, the hot reservation on a Saturday night. The airy, nautical feel also extends into all 474 guest rooms, where I was impressed by the grasscloth headboards, the built-in bedside reading lamps, and the full-size bottles of Diptyque amenities. Seventy new suites and the largest Ritz-Carlton Club lounge in North America lie in the 14-floor Vanderbilt Tower, an addition that flows so well with the original building, you can’t really tell what’s old and new. Other fun tweaks include a new adults-only pool, 10 poolside bungalows (all named for Florida islands) with en suite bathrooms, and Sofra, which, unlike Gumbo, favors lighter dishes like heirloom tomato salad accompanied by barrel-aged feta and grilled whole sea bream. With dining trends moving the way they are these days, this Mediterranean spot, like the resort itself, will soon be the talk of the town. From $1,100/night. Accessible hotel. — Jacqueline Gifford

The Rome Edition

Nikolas Koenig/Courtesy of The Rome EDITION

The first thing you notice about The Rome Edition is its ideal location, a 10-minute walk from both the Borghese Gardens and the Trevi Fountain. Inside, you’re struck by the floor-to-ceiling green velvet curtains designer Patricia Urquiola chose to contrast with the travertine walls of the lobby, while boxy white sofas echo the straight-lined architecture. The 91 guest rooms feel minimalist, even with beds swathed in Italian linens and marble bathrooms stocked with Le Labo amenities. Cobalt-blue and lime-green upholstery pop against the white-oak paneling in the restaurant Anima, helmed by Paola Colucci, the chef behind Trastevere cult favorite Pianostrada. Diners rave about the pillowy focaccia topped with mortadella, smoked ricotta, pistachios, honey, and orange zest. For drinks, choose from the Jade Bar, the Punch Room, and the Roof, which offers memorable city views. From $747/night.​ — Laura Itzkowitz

The Rounds at Scribner’s, Hunter, New York 

From left: Chris Mottalini/Courtesy of The Rounds; Paul Brady/Travel + Leisure

Does the perfect cabin in the woods exist? It does now. A new hotel within a hotel in New York’s Catskill Mountains promises forest bathing without the grit, a dose of nature while keeping it hygge. A set of just 11 cabins, inspired by the shape of yurts, they’re up the hill from Scribner’s Catskill Lodge , the destination lodge that’s popular with city families seeking an escape and groups of friends intent on a ski weekend without the hassles of flying. Picture the Muji Hotel Ginza , crossed with the chicest Airbnb A-frame you’ve ever seen in Joshua Tree, California, and you’ll have a feel for the cabins at the Rounds. Designed by Post Company (known for their work on Mollie Aspen , nearby upstate gem Inness , and The Lake House on Canandaigua ), the stand-alone cottages here are a fusion of Scandinavian and Japanese motifs, along with several contemporary features: oiled white-pine floors and trim, linens and cottons, an outdoor cedar soaking tub, angular accent lights, and a freestanding gas-fueled fireplace. In the five suites, a large sunken sitting area is the focal point, below a small skylight that affords plenty of natural light. (Another showstopper: the Calacatta Viola marble pedestal sink in the bathroom.) Guests have the full run of the main Scribner’s lodge, which has an array of games and activities (bocce in the summer, ice skating in colder months), plus a full-service restaurant, Prospect, where I sat at the bar and ordered the winter harvest salad and a pork chop with Morita chile sauce. The wine list features plenty of natural finds, including several from New York State. Those staying in the Rounds have their own communal spot, the Apex Lodge, a low-key place to grab a morning coffee or evening brew and check with the staff about hiking trails or local restaurants. While it’s certainly possible to simply veg out here, bouncing from one’s private deck to the soaking tub, there’s a nightly ritual that’s worth emerging for: once the sun sets, and the fire in the Lodge’s midcentury modern chiminea gets going, there’s no better place to be, s’mores in hand. From $450/night. Accessible hotel. — Paul Brady

The Singapore Edition

Courtesy of The Singapore Edition

With a slew of ambitious newcomers opening their doors and long-standing stalwarts emerging from floor-to-ceiling refurbishments, 2023 was a banner year for Singapore's hotel scene . Among the most-anticipated new arrivals was The Singapore Edition , the first Southeast Asian outpost of the buzzy, design-minded hotel group launched by nightlife guru Ian Schrager (of NYC's Studio 54 fame) and Marriott International. Those familiar with the brand will clock its hallmarks from the get-go: A sculptural staircase takes center stage in the marble-floored lobby; oversized artworks dot the common areas; and the 204 guest rooms channel the brand's signature minimalism through straight-lined furnishings in soothing palettes of ivory and oak. Even the Punch Room, the punch-focused cocktail bar now found at almost a dozen Edition hotels across the globe, made its Singapore debut swathed in eye-popping Yves Klein blue. But the hotel is far from a copy-and-paste affair. Uniquely Singaporean touches include lush indoor gardens that nod to the city's tropical greenery, and louvered window panels inspired by the homes that once dominated this neighborhood, called the Orchard Road district. Similarly fresh is The Edition Singapore’s signature restaurant, the aptly named Fysh, where Australian chef and self-proclaimed “fish butcher” Josh Niland serves up wildly innovative fin-to-tail creations such as noodles from fish bone, tuna merguez sausage, and sweet ice cream — really! — from fish eyeballs. From $400/night. Accessible hotel. — Chris Schalkx

The St. Regis Kanai Resort, Riviera Maya, Mexico

Courtesy of The St. Regis Kanai Resort

While all of the five-star service and amenities associated with The St. Regis brand are here (including the acclaimed 24-hour butler service and the nightly Champagne sabering), this Riviera Maya, Mexico, resort presents a significant break from tradition. About 40 minutes from Cancun, in the gated Kanai community, is an airy, architectural marvel that makes the most of its stunning natural setting — while still protecting it. The curved, overlapping circular design by Mexican architectural firm Edmonds International was inspired by the stellar constellation Pleiades. It reminded me of a bright-white UFO, gently hovering over lush green vegetation. Yes, it hovers: To achieve a minimal footprint, the entire resort is set on stilts above the surrounding mangroves, which bleed into the adjacent 620-acre Sian Ka’an Biosphere Reserve, a UNESCO World Heritage Site. The view from my sleek, spacious room looked out on the mangroves, with the smooth, white-sand beach and cerulean water beyond. The 143 rooms and suites (all with patios and many with private infinity pools) feature locally inspired details like green marble sinks nodding to Mexico’s cenotes, ceramic light pendants that evoke the stars above, and wood-carved headboards reminiscent of ancient Maya textiles. When I tired of the beach, I moved between the two pools, the spa with its hydrotherapy circuit, the well-curated boutique filled with Mexican-crafted creations, and the hotel’s eight bars and restaurants. I especially loved escaping to the library when I needed a break from the hot sun, sampling the Maya cacao and teas on offer. From $1,099/night. Accessible hotel. — Devorah Lev-Tov

Todos Santos Boutique Hotel, Mexico

Fernando Marroquin/Courtesy of Todos Santos Boutique Hotel

During the pandemic, a media-shy Mexican family of shoe tycoons visited Todos Santos, the enchanting oasis an hour up the coast from Los Cabos, and bought a cobweb-collecting lodge housed in the historic villa of a 19th-century sugarcane baron (as one does). With zero hospitality experience but a keen eye for design, the optimistic hoteliers renovated extensively and opened the Todos Santos Boutique Hotel in January, giving the building the thoughtful, exquisite inn its handsome Spanish Colonial–style bones deserve. Potted palms nearly skim the black coffered ceilings in the open-air lobby, where twin stone staircases cascade down to the pool, sunken like some chic little lagoon where tasseled khaki umbrellas have sprouted along the edges like mushrooms. The lush landscaping and surrounding brickwork — including a new-build casita housing four suites and upping the existing room total to 10 — give the space the cloistered vibe of a Mexican riad . With checkerboard marble floors in the lobby, a gold-framed art collection, impeccable woodwork covering La Copa bar, and emerald-tiled bathrooms, every new material feels considered and luxurious. Every preserved element feels historically purposeful, even the bullet holes peppering the foyer walls from a long-ago gunfight. Honestly, who wouldn’t kill for this property? From $796/night. Accessible hotel. — Adam Erace

Trunk(Hotel)Yoyogi Park, Tokyo 

Courtesy of Trunk

Since opening its first location in Harajuku in 2017, the Trunk brand has distinguished itself as Tokyo’s go-to cool-kid hangout. Its latest iteration, Trunk(Hotel) Yoyogi Park , opened in September just steps from one of the city’s largest green spaces. The rooftop infinity pool provides views of the cityscape and the park’s tree canopy, best enjoyed over a cocktail from the oyster bar. The minimalist design, from Japanese architect Keiji Ashizawa and the Danish firm Norm Architects, mixes rough materials with high polish, adding washi-paper pendant lights by Kojima Shoten of Kyoto and Ariake paper-cord chairs. Some of the 25 rooms have terraces facing the park, freestanding bathtubs, and copper-trimmed room dividers. Pizzeria e Trattoria L’Ombelico offers all-day dining, and is best known for Tokyo-Neapolitan-style pies — made with an extra punch of salt. From $405/night.​ — Kristin Braswell

Ulum Moab, Utah

Courtesy of ULUM Moab

Ulum Moab is the first outpost of Ulum, a new brand from glamping hospitality giant Under Canvas. The concept was born from Under Canvas Moab guests' requests for "more comfort in nature," said Matt Gaghen, CEO of Under Canvas. And it certainly delivers: Despite technically staying in a tent, not once did I feel like I was roughing it. My 360-square-foot tent had a king-size bed, a queen-size sofa bed, temperature control, a rain shower, a 70-square-foot deck, and a bathroom stocked with Aesop amenities. The glamping resort, which sits on 200 acres of desert with views of 100-foot cliffs and the Looking Glass Arch, has 50 tents, hot and cold dipping pools, and a lobby with floor-to-ceiling windows to enjoy the stunning views. The concierge can point guests to nearby hiking and biking trails at various state parks, whitewater rafting, horseback riding, and rock climbing at Looking Glass Arch — and you’re just an hour away from both Canyonlands National Park and Arches National Park . What took my breath away was the stargazing on clear nights; Moab is known for its low light pollution and uses International Dark Sky standards to keep it that way. The on-site cafe and restaurant serve breakfast and dinner, with a heavy emphasis on local, seasonal ingredients and Southwest-inspired flavors. Even the cocktail and mocktail offerings are inspired by local flora. From $629/night. — Susmita Baral

Umana Bali, LXR Hotels & Resorts, Indonesia

Elspeth Velten/Travel + Leisure

Skirting the edge of a cliff above Bali’s southernmost point sits Hilton brand LXR’s newest resort: the 72-villa Umana Bali . On an island where resorts are clustered in major tourist centers like Seminyak, Nusa Dua, and Jimbaran, LXR’s first resort in Southeast Asia is refreshingly off the beaten path in the village of Ungasan. The resort’s Balinese pride is on full display, starting from the traditional welcome ceremony that greeted me on arrival and continuing with the property’s terraced layout (a nod to Bali’s iconic tiered rice fields) and the jewel-box of local desserts in all colors of the rainbow at breakfast. Each of Umana’s one-, two- and three-room villas encircle their own massive infinity pools, with access directly from the primary bedroom (and a secret path to a tropical outdoor shower). Inside, villas are studded with touches from Bali designers like Kevala Ceramics and locally made sandals, beach bags, and sun hats for use during a stay. These local accents are complemented by top-of-the-line amenities like Sonos speakers and Toto Washlet toilets. I grabbed a sun hat while taking advantage of the hotel’s easy access to Melasti Beach, which has, in my opinion, some of the clearest water in Bali. During my stay, the Umana staff made everything on my Bali wish list happen: I enjoyed a morning village walk through the local market and past the temples at Ungasan, participated in a private sound healing session in the resort’s beautiful spa, and felt totally catered to when I brought up my pregnancy-related dietary restrictions. Whether I ate on-site at Commune or Oliverra, or indulged in an in-villa breakfast, I never had to mention a specific restriction twice. From $750/night. Accessible hotel. — Elspeth Velten

Vermelho, Alentejo, Portugal

Rodrigo Cardoso

While today, few travelers can point to the tiny village of Melides on a map, that could soon change with the opening of Vermelho , the first hotel from legendary shoe designer Christian Louboutin. Portuguese architect Madalena Caiado made the property look like the centuries-old monasteries found throughout the region; Louboutin, the king of red-lacquered soles, selected every eye-catching interior detail. Opulent carpets? Yes. A chandelier shaped like a celestial sea urchin? Absolutely. An installation of 100 ceramic bird heads by the artist Elisabeth Lincot? You bet. Many pieces were pulled from Louboutin’s personal collection, including vintage prints and intricately designed textiles. Vermelho’s centerpiece is a cocktail lounge with an ornate silverwork bar made by Sevillian jeweler Orfebre Villareal. The restaurant, Xtian, serves classic Portuguese dishes with international flavors. Each of the 13 rooms and suites has a different look, but all come with enormous tiled tubs and colorful Frette robes. Outdoors, noted landscape designer Louis Benech has added peaceful gardens and a heated natural swimming pool. From $322/night. Accessible hotel. ​​ — Lindsay Cohn

Villa Mabrouka, Tangier, Morocco

Chris Wallace

Nearly 30 years after first arriving in Morocco in 1966, Algerian-born couturier Yves Saint Laurent and his partner, Pierre Bergé, bought Dar Mabrouka, a whitewashed villa in Tangier overlooking the Strait of Gibraltar, and made it their summer home. In 2019, more than 10 years after Saint Laurent’s death, English designer Jasper Conran purchased the property, renamed it Villa Mabrouka , and transformed it into a 12-suite hotel. During my stay, I couldn’t help being reminded of the Chateau Marmont in Los Angeles—partly because of the laid-back, house-party atmosphere, and partly because of the eclectic design style. The mélange of pieces in the Marrakech Suite (formerly Saint Laurent’s bedroom) included an inlaid pearl table from Syria, a Kermit-green cashmere throw from India, and Moroccan lanterns. The gardens overflow  with 6,500 new plants, shrubs, and trees, as well  an emerald herringbone tiled pool. The newly constructed dining gazebo has a trompe l’oeil wallcovering painted by the English artist Lawrence Mynott, and serves a can’t-miss Berber tagine. From $490/night . Accessible hotel. — Chris Wallace

Volga Hotel, Mexico City

Courtesy of VOLGA

I barely knew where to rest my eyes at the architecturally inventive Volga Hotel , the latest offering from the Mexican hospitality group Hamak that takes the concept of a "design hotel" to new levels. Perhaps guests should think of it as an urban cenote — or at least that’s what Javier Sánchez, one of the three Mexican architects behind this hotel, which opened its doors fall 2023 in the trendy neighborhood of Cuauhtémoc, wants you to think. The aesthetic experience begins when approaching the hotel from the street: its Brutalist, fortress-like exterior gives no clue as to the magic that lies within. Once inside, guests descend a circular stairway made of shining copper, down into near darkness, to the reception desk and lobby located one floor underground, where raw-concrete walls sprout exuberant plants. The 50 spacious rooms have the spare, calming aesthetic of a Japanese ryokan , with natural materials — wood, volcanic rock, brass, and Turkish marble — and are stocked with scented bath amenities from local company Aromaría. All have interior balconies with curved wooden screens that offer privacy when shut, or slide open to offer ringside seats to the courtyard far below, which is occupied during mealtimes by a fine-dining Mexican-Mediterranean restaurant run by the celebrity chef Edo Kobayashi. The reservations-only lounge, the Music Room, is where hip young Mexicans sip mezcal- and tequila-forward cocktails as local DJs play, but the outside world is not entirely ignored. Take the elevator to the rooftop during the day and you step out into an explosion of brilliant sunshine and a bar serving "ethnobotanical" drinks around a heated lap pool with 180-degree views of the city. From $416/night. — Tony Perrottet

Courtesy of W Budapest

In July, the W Hotel brand opened its grandest property yet, in the Hungarian capital’s UNESCO-listed Drechsler Palace. The W Budapest is the revival of an architectural gem that also showcases W’s new creative direction: grounded in elegance and sophistication, without foregoing the brand’s fun side. On entering the hotel, guests walk through archways made from an intricate metallic mesh — a modern "second skin" designed to represent the building’s new life. Other details that blend past and present, and celebrate the city's history, can be found throughout the interior — from the wave-like glass ceiling covering the courtyard to the mirrored walls that create an optical illusion in the underground spa, a nod to Hungarian escape artist Harry Houdini. In fact the serene spa, with its aromatherapy steam room, Finnish sauna, and heated relaxation pool, is one of the hotel’s highlights, and offers a welcome moment of tranquility in the heart of this busy city. I had a phenomenal de-stress massage that cured all signs of jet-lag and fatigue. Another way to unwind? Head to the hotel's underground speakeasy, Society25, where head bartender Stefano Ripiccini has dreamt up a cocktail list inspired by the Belle Époque. From $326/night. Accessible hotel. — Dobrina Zhekova

Warren Street Hotel, New York City 

Simon Brown/Courtesy of Warren Street Hotel

When Joni Mitchell wrote, “They paved paradise and put up a parking lot,” she certainly wasn’t singing about Warren Street. In quite the opposite turn of events, British designer Kit Kemp and her Firmdale Hotels group took a soulless parking lot in New York City’s Tribeca neighborhood and erected its very own turquoise steel-and-glass paradise from the ground up. Bursting with contemporary art and Kemp’s signature prints, the Warren Street Hotel quickly secured its spot as my happy place in New York; even on the cold, gray first week of February, I found it was impossible to hold onto a sour mood upon entering. In its 69 unique rooms, colors and patterns mix in unexpected ways, creating the feeling that anything could happen. In addition to her beloved London lineup , this is Kemp’s third NYC hotel. She’s the creative mind behind the Crosby Street Hotel in SoHo and The Whitby Hotel in Midtown, but the opening of Warren Street may be her most whimsical creation yet. She worked on the project with her daughters, Willow and Minnie Kemp, and the mother-daughter connection is undoubtedly what injected such warmth into the stylish property, particularly in its suites and residences. Mine came with a bookshelf-lined lounge, fireplace, and marble soaking tub with a TV hung beside it, beckoning me to stay in for the night. Some are even outfitted with the ultimate city luxury: private terraces with manicured gardens. Regardless of room type, expect floor-to-ceiling windows and a space that will entice you to linger a little bit longer and order breakfast in bed. (Yes, even with downtown Manhattan waiting outside.) Still, don’t keep all your meals behind closed doors. Downstairs, the Warren Street Bar & Restaurant , an all-day brasserie with a big personality, was already drawing locals when I visited in the hotel’s first month. From $925/night. Accessible hotel. — Nina Ruggiero

Wilderness Usawa Serengeti, Tanzania

Courtesy of Wilderness

The main attraction of virtually any Serengeti safari is invariably the great migration, the 1,200-mile mass journey of more than 2 million wildebeest and zebra each year. Chasing that magnificent natural spectacle is especially thrilling at Usawa , a new roving camp from luxury safari company Wilderness , which migrates along with the animals, following the herds across nine sites in Tanzania’s Serengeti National Park. The camp starts the year in the southern part of Serengeti National Park, in Kusini (where the calving season runs from January to March), and makes it all the way to Bologonja in the north (where wildlife famously crosses the Mara River). Each of the camps is identical, with six canvas-wrapped guest tents featuring king-size beds, all-natural skin care products, and colorful decor like woven blankets and upcycled glassware — all handmade by Tanzanian artisans. Usawa, which means “balance” in Swahili, is also fully off-grid, operating via a combination of solar panels, portable sewage tanks, and mobile batteries. The light footprint means wildlife is never disturbed as camps are manually erected and deconstructed, making game drive–worthy sightings possible even from your tent — and leaving no trace behind once Wilderness packs up and moves to the next location. Sustainability plays a part in the culinary offerings as well, with elevated traditional recipes like creamy  mtori  plantain soup and spicy curry showcasing fresh veggies and meat from Tanzania’s robust farming communities. Most satisfying of all at Usawa, however, is the chance to see one of nature’s greatest phenomena up-close, year-round: dramatic Mara River crossings by the thousands, big cats and other predators in action, and the birth of hundreds of calves in a single day. From $950 per person per night, with a minimum two-night stay. — Jackie Caradonio

Yowie Hotel, Philadelphia

Bre Furlong/Courtesy of Yowie

Shannon Maldonado opened Yowie , a tiny shop in Philadelphia’s Queen Village neighborhood, in 2017, garnering a devoted following with her ever-evolving collection of cool, highly curated wares. In what feels like a natural evolution, last July, the designer opened a boutique hotel where nearly every item in the rooms is available to purchase. If walking through her shop is like getting a glimpse into Maldonado’s dynamic world, checking into the Yowie Hotel is getting to live inside it, even just for a night. The 11-room hotel is situated on the city’s historic South Street, anchored on the ground floor by the new Yowie shop and Wim, a bright, minimalist cafe. Accommodations range from a cozy room with a king-size bed to a two-bedroom suite, and while each space is outfitted with a kitchen and splashed in her calculated mashup of contemporary furniture, color, and custom art, no two are the same. Yowie is an invisible service hotel, which means in lieu of a check-in desk, you’ll get a welcome text with a code to unlock the doors. It’s all the more impressive, then, that even without the traditional hotel trappings, the designer and her team manage to impart so much warmth into the guest experience. Find a poster by the elevator with this month’s neighborhood happenings, a drawer full of goodies you may have forgotten to pack in the hallway, and a handwritten welcome note alongside a few paper guides recommending the staff’s favorite Philly spots in your room. And since there’s no lobby, I didn’t have to walk through the shop or cafe, but I wanted to for a salted caramel latte and a spiced carrot toast at Wim, and to pick up a few ceramic cereal bowls I admired in the room, as a way to bring a little piece of Yowie home. From $215/night . Accessible hotel. — Regan Stephens

It List 2024