Travel and leisure worlds best 2022

The top islands, cities, hotels, cruise lines, airports, and more — as voted by the readers of Travel + Leisure.

Published on July 12, 2022

Travelers are once again exploring the world with gusto, and, as always, our intrepid readers have led the way. For this edition of our annual survey, hundreds of thousands of you reflected on recent journeys and shared your thoughts on hotels, islands, outfitters, national parks, and much more. Cheers to the best readers—and finest travel experiences—on the planet!

What are the World's Best Awards?

The World's Best is a travel awards program run by Travel + Leisure and based on an annual reader survey.

When do the World's Best Awards take place?

The 2022 World's Best survey was open for voting from October 25, 2021 to February 28, 2022. The results appear in the August 2022 issue of Travel + Leisure magazine and on T+L's website. The 2023 survey will be in the field from October 24, 2022 through February 27, 2023 (dates subject to change).

What categories are included in the survey?

Readers can rate airlines, airports, car-rental agencies, cities, cruise ships, destination spas, hotels, hotel brands, islands, tour operators, safari outfitters, and U.S. national parks. The ratings for cruise ships are combined to generate scores for cruise lines. For more details about the survey methodology, click here.

Can respondents vote more than once for a company, destination, or property?

We allow each survey respondent to vote only once for each candidate. Duplicate votes are eliminated from the results.

What does it mean for something to be a WBA Hall of Fame honoree?

A Hall of Fame designation means that the business or destination has been voted onto a given World's Best Awards list for the past 10 years (consecutive).

How do you prevent cheating?

The World's Best Awards survey is maintained and monitored through a secure website by digital marketing firm M&RR. T+L and M&RR use automated and manual strategies to prevent and correct fraud.

How can readers nominate a company or destination for the World's Best Awards?

Reader nominations for additions to the 2023 survey will be accepted in Fall 2022. Please note: There is no need to re-nominate candidates on an annual basis.

Are World's Best Awards candidates allowed to promote the survey?

Yes, candidates can promote the World's Best Awards survey through email, social media, videos, room drops and any other type of creative outreach that abides by the promotional rules. Promotion guidelines are posted here.

I'm on the World's Best Awards rankings. Can I use the Travel + Leisure logo in promotional materials?

For more information about licensing World's Best-related logos for promotional use, please submit a request here.

I have a question about the awards. Who should I contact?

Please submit any questions not answered on this page to the email address linked here.

Is there an official World's Best Awards hashtag?

Yes! It is #TLWorldsBest.

  • Oaxaca, Mexico Named World's Best City and Ischia, Italy Wins for Best Island Overall
  • Best Resort Hotel in the Continental U.S. Is Pickering House Inn in Wolfeboro, New Hampshire
  • Charleston, South Carolina Tops Best U.S. Cities List, with New Orleans Taking the No. 2 Spot and Santa Fe Coming in at No. 3

NEW YORK - Travel + Leisure announces the top travel destinations and companies in the U.S. and around the globe, according to the World's Best Awards 2022 readers' survey. From cities, islands, national parks, and hotels to cruise lines, airlines, airports and more, the complete results of this 27th annual survey are now featured on TravelandLeisure.com/worlds-best and in the August issue of Travel + Leisure, on newsstands July 22.

The World's Best Hotel is Rosewood Castiglion del Bosco in Montalcino, Italy. Grace Hotel, Auberge Resorts Collection, in Santorini, Greece, is ranked second best hotel in the world, and Waldorf Astoria Maldives Ithaafushi is third best among hotels globally.

Pickering House Inn in Wolfeboro, New Hampshire is the Top Resort Hotel in the Continental U.S., followed by White Elephant Palm Beach in Florida and Under Canvas Mount Rushmore in Keystone, South Dakota, ranked No. 2 and No. 3, respectively. The Lowell in New York City is the Top City Hotel in the Continental U.S.; the Top Island in the Continental U.S. is Mackinac Island in Michigan; and the Top U.S. National Park is Yellowstone.

"As travel continues to rebound and people look for new trip ideas and inspiration, I'm thrilled to share this incredible resource of our readers' favorite places and companies," said Travel + Leisure Editor in Chief Jacqui Gifford. "You'll find destinations that are transporting and offer a distinct sense of place–whether your focus is on reconnecting with nature or immersing yourself in local cultures. Congratulations to this year's honorees for their excellence in hospitality and for creating standout experiences that appeal to all types of travelers."

TRAVEL + LEISURE TOP 10 WORLD'S BEST CITIES 2022

  1. Oaxaca, Mexico
  2. San Miguel de Allende, Mexico
  3. Ubud, Indonesia
  4. Florence, Italy
  5. Istanbul, Turkey
  6. Mexico City, Mexico
  7. Chiang Mai, Thailand
  8. Jaipur, India
  9. Osaka, Japan
  10. Udaipur, India

TRAVEL + LEISURE TOP 10 U.S. CITIES 2022

  1. Charleston, South Carolina
  2. New Orleans, Louisiana
  3. Santa Fe, New Mexico
  4. Savannah, Georgia
  5. Honolulu, Hawaii
  6. New York, New York
  7. Chicago, Illinois
  8. Alexandria, Virginia
  9. San Antonio, Texas
  10. Boston, Massachusetts

The Travel + Leisure World's Best Awards is a leading barometer of the places and companies that appeal to some of the most passionate and discerning travelers out there. In the 27 years that the World's Best Awards readers' survey has been published, Singapore Airlines is the only honoree to be named a No. 1 winner in its category – World's Best International Airline — every year. For the first time, Hawaiian Airlines wins for Best Domestic Airline, with newcomer Breeze Airways coming in at No. 2 and JetBlue Airways ranking third.

The 2022 results — featuring more than 100 lists including the Top 100 Hotels, Best Domestic Airlines, Best Islands in the World, Best Resort Hotels in Hawaii, Top Caribbean Resort Hotels, Best Hotels in Paris, Best U.S. National Parks, Best Domestic Airports, Best Mega-Ship Cruise Lines, and Best Safari Outfitters, among many others — are now posted on www.TravelandLeisure.com/worlds-best. There are also several new regional hotel lists this year, such as Top Hotels in cities including Boston, Austin, Copenhagen, and Madrid, among others, as well as Top Resort Hotels in Montana and more.

TRAVEL + LEISURE WORLD'S BEST AWARDS 2022 WINNERS OVERALL

  • WORLD'S BEST CITY: Oaxaca, Mexico
  • WORLD'S BEST HOTEL: Rosewood Castiglion del Bosco, Montalcino, Italy
  • WORLD'S BEST HOTEL BRAND: Oberoi Hotels & Resorts
  • WORLD'S BEST ISLAND: Ischia, Italy
  • WORLD'S BEST MEGA-SHIP OCEAN CRUISE LINE: Celebrity Cruises
  • WORLD'S BEST LARGE-SHIP OCEAN CRUISE LINE: Disney Cruise Line
  • WORLD'S BEST MIDSIZE-SHIP OCEAN CRUISE LINE: Viking Cruises
  • WORLD'S BEST SMALL-SHIP OCEAN CRUISE LINE: Paul Gauguin Cruises
  • WORLD'S BEST INTIMATE-SHIP OCEAN CRUISE LINE: Quasar Expeditions
  • WORLD'S BEST RIVER CRUISE LINE: Viking Cruises
  • WORLD'S BEST INTERNATIONAL AIRLINE: Singapore Airlines
  • WORLD'S BEST DOMESTIC AIRLINE: Hawaiian Airlines
  • WORLD'S BEST INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT: Singapore Changi Airport
  • WORLD'S BEST DOMESTIC AIRPORT: Savannah/Hilton Head International Airport, Georgia
  • WORLD'S BEST SAFARI OUTFITTER: Travel Beyond
  • WORLD'S BEST TOUR OPERATOR: DuVine Cycling & Adventure Co.
  • WORLD'S BEST CAR-RENTAL COMPANY: National Car Rental
  • WORLD'S BEST INTERNATIONAL DESTINATION SPA: Rancho La Puerta, Tecate, Mexico
  • WORLD'S BEST DOMESTIC DESTINATION SPA: The Ranch Malibu, California
  • WORLD'S BEST U.S. NATIONAL PARK: Yellowstone

Jacqui Gifford will host Toast & Post, a virtual celebration that kicks off tomorrow at 3 p.m. ET on Instagram Live @TravelandLeisure to honor the World's Best Awards 2022 winners. Raise a toast to this year's honorees and post a picture using the hashtags #TLWorldsBest and #TLToast, and tag @TravelandLeisure tomorrow and in the weeks ahead.

For more content about the Travel + Leisure World's Best Awards 2022, visit @TravelandLeisure on Instagram and @TravelandLeisureMag on TikTok.

For the complete World's Best Awards 2022 survey methodology, visit travelandleisure.com.

ABOUT TRAVEL + LEISURE

Travel + Leisure is the preeminent voice for the sophisticated traveler, serving up expert intelligence and the most immersive travel lifestyle content anywhere. Travel + Leisure captures the joy of discovering the cultural pleasures the world has to offer—from art and design to shopping and style to food and drink—and provides compelling reasons to get up and go. Reaching an audience of more than 30 million, the Travel + Leisure media portfolio includes the U.S. flagship magazine, travelandleisure.com, newsletters, the Let's Go Together podcast, the World's Best Awards franchise, an extensive social media presence, and international editions in China, India, Mexico, and Southeast Asia. Launched in 1971, Travel + Leisure is part of the Dotdash Meredith publishing family and is owned by Travel + Leisure Co. (NYSE: TNL).

What is the number one rated hotel in the world?

1. Burj Al Arab, Dubai. The Burj Al Arab has often been described as the world's first “seven-star hotel” or "the most luxurious hotel in the world" since opening its doors in 1999.

Who owns travel and leisure?

Travel + Leisure magazine was purchased from American Express Publishing by Time Inc. (which would later be acquired by Meredith Corporation) on October 1, 2013. In 2021, Wyndham Destinations acquired Travel + Leisure from Meredith Corporation.

How do I cancel Travel Leisure magazine?

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What does travel and leisure do?

Travel + Leisure Co. is the world's leading membership and leisure travel company, with a portfolio of nearly 20 resort, travel club, and lifestyle travel brands.