Fodor's is a venerable and reliable name in travel, and its site is always worth the trip. Lonely Planet, with more than 150 guides specializing in low-cost tripping to out-of-the-way places, is for the goatee and love-bead set. Epicurious Travel covers exotic destinations, and has an excellent airfare bargains page. The Rec.Travel Library is a searchable archive chock-full of information and links to outside sources. The Travel Channel offers ideas, recommendations, and online chat forums. Yahoo!'s Metro sites (hit the More Yahoos button) list neighborhood-specific content for many metropolitan areas. Use the CitySearch guides to zero in on the right local resources; finally, Excite's guide is a links list extraordinaire.
| The Great Outdoors Recreation Pages are for the backpacking crowd, and mainly cover U.S. trails and parks. |
| On Beyond Atlas: MapsOnUs; Perry-Castañeda Library Map Collection; and Navtech Driver Directions provide maps, directions, and even weather. |
Travel agents, airlines, and hotel bookings abound on the Web. Travelocity, with an excellent interface and interactive map feature, will help you book everything but haggling sessions with shopkeeper at the bazaar. Expedia's travel agent will make plane, hotel room, and car rental reservations. It also offers discussion forums and a handy currency converter. Go Explore's content ranges from airline and rental car reservations to listings of bed and breakfasts in the U.S. With a simple interface, reservations.com offers a basic service; look elsewhere to book a complicated itinerary. The Internet Travel Network lets you choose a human agent who actually books the trip you've decided upon. PC Travel bills itself as "Your Airline Ticket Outlet."
| In the Sky: United Airlines has flight reservations and travel tips; American Airlines is equally helpful. You can also check out Delta, Northwest, and British Airways for services from online reservations to e-mail newsletters to flight info. |
Vagabond Monthly is all about stories, from confessions of urban campers to spiritual quests to Bakersfield. Roadside America revels in Americana: everything from the cheesiest of tourist attractions to the arcane and bizarre. MapQuest has an interactive worldwide atlas. Former flight attendant Diana Fairechild sees to your in-flight comfort in Healthy Flying. The MCW International Travelers Clinic provides links to international health organizations and bulletins: U.S. State Dept. travel warnings, W.H.O. info, and even the CIA World Factbook.
| With Eagle Creek gear, electrical gadgets, and modem adapters, Travelers Emporium Online Store has the goods for the digital nomad. |
| Strictly Continental: European Rail Travel Index; European Travel Commission; and European Travel Network want to make your vacation trouble-free. |
International Cities
Europe
The Americas
Africa/Asia/Australia (all those "A" continents)
Best two-for-one site: Internet Alaska hosts the Anchorage Convention and Visitors Bureau and Gary King's Alaskan Experience. Most definitive food guide: The Anchorage Restaurant Guide has a search engine that can pinpoint the type of salmon you'll eat tonight. Best guide for meandering day-trippers: AT Community has an interactive walking tour of Anchorage. Wary of snow drifts?: The Alaska Climate Research Center will give you the annual snowfall, current temperature, and forecast for the entire state. And what about oil spills?: The Valdez Museum and Historical Archive tells you how the Klondike Gold Rush and the Exxon Valdez oil spill could affect your visit to the land of the midnight sun.
Surprise best city guide: Excite's City.Net covers Austin better than homegrown resources. Coolest music guide: The Austin Chronicle spells out the music scene as well as any alternative weekly. Kitchiest name: Texas Monthly's WWW Ranch works its theme over the entire site, and has travel tips and a food section. Spiciest Texas BBQ: The Austin Dining Guide covers both BBQ and "finer" restaurants, and even has coupons for some of the joints it mentions.
Prettiest city guide: BostonWeb runs through Boston hotels, night life, restaurants, and special events, with local trivia thrown in as a bonus. Most patriotic Revolutionary War site: The Old North Church: Learn about the lanterns that signaled Paul Revere's ride to Lexington ("One if by land, two if by sea."). Best search engine: Boston Magazine: Now you can explore the "Best of Boston 1997" with opinions on entertainment, food, and neighborhoods. Best link list: Boston Area Map of WWW Resources gives you all of Beantown. Most fanatic Celtics site: The Boston Celtics WWW Server claims it is "the original and first" site to bring critical scores, schedules, and salaries to the Web. Most '80s TV show site: The Bull and Finch Pub boasts that it is the inspiration for the infamous bar.
What's the deal here?: Discover the magic that is Branson, the contrived showcase for country-western acts deep in the Ozarks. The site offers online hotel reservations and show schedules. Discounted tickets can also be bought online. Strangest attractions: Branson-USA Online: Don't miss the extensive write-up on the Polynesian Princess Dinner Cruise and Silver Dollar City. Largest restaurant: Dolly Parton's Dixie Stampede. Experience "the fun, the fabulous feast, and the romance" in this 1000-seat dining theatre. Most official site: The Branson Connection has a search engine to ferret out those Bransonian treasures.
Most specialized city guide: Chicago's Home Page runs the gamut from sightseeing to restaurants and lodging. Yeastiest site: Golden Prairie Brewing Company. Take the virtual tour before you go (so you can actually remember something about the brewery). Where's Bruce Willis?: The House of Blues wails in the Windy City. The site provides the schedule of the Chicago club, as well as message boards and a chat room. Quick and concise: Accutravel covers attractions and shopping, as well as renting a car and finding a place to stay. Best autumn city guide: In October, the 1997 Chicago International Film Festival honors the best new movies and videos.
The basic skinny: Hometown Dallas offers resources on entertainment, dining out, and a special visitors' center section to make sure you feel welcome in the big D. Best grassy knoll site: Do we really have to spell out what the Sixth Floor Museum is about? Check out its exhibits and FAQ. Quirkiest native's perspective: Dallas View features oddball legends and trivia. Coolest blues bar guide: Tracy Lee Chaffin riffs with authority. Scary site: Dallas Cowboys. Scarier site: Dallas Cowboy Cheerleaders.
Coolest movie site: Fargo. Get the inside details on Joel and Ethan Coen's killer flick. Just the local news, please: In-Forum covers the real-world Fargo. Best emergency response site: The Fargo Fire Department Fire site delivers everything from early Fargo history to fire safety tips. Tastiest fajitas guide: A la Carte Guide to Restaurants and Lodging for North Dakota. Most industrious tourism site: They practically begs you to come to North Dakota. You'll get historic landmark, hiking, and biking listings. (Wait, is North Dakota in Saskatchewan or Manitoba?)
Best cyber-cafe: Surf past the "Hawaii 5-0" MIDI file on the splash page to get great local color and links from the Internet Cafe. Hippest city guide: Planet Hawaii provides a twist on traditional tourist info and activities: It includes info on volcano tours via prop planes. Wow! Coolest adventure site: Adventure @ Hawaii. Its motto is "Escape into Paradise," and it gives you just that, including information on hang-gliding, skydiving, kayaking, and skiing. Yes, skiing. Best luau site: Dining places on Oahu provides a search engine to find the perfect poi. Want to learn Hawaiian Slang-lish?: Extreme Hawaii.
Yes, this town has ambiance: The L.A. Weekly listings include Yuppus Trendis Epidermis (tattoo parlors), and the Cliterati (transgender bookstores). Best museum site: L.A. County Museum of Art. Glitziest star-watching guide: Los Angeles Times Entertainment. Just plain morbid--yet somehow ... fun: At the Unofficial Los Angeles County Coroner's Office Gift Shop you can buy a black mariah bank, or get info on Grave Line tours. Big pants central: Southern California Raves. Big hair central: The L.A. Rock 'n' Roll Roadmap tells you about every bar, club, and spandex joint on Sunset Strip.
Best casino roundup: Las Vegas Hotels and Casinos lists all the big-name venues, with hotlinks that take you directly to glitz and glam galore. Best site to practice at before buying your chips: Virtual Vegas. There's more to this town than just gambling: Scope Magazine serves up great attitude, with reviews of restaurants, galleries, bars, and bookstores. Oh, and did we mention sleazy sex? Best quickie wedding info: VegasPages. Site that feels least like Vegas: Desierto Azul. Yes, it isn't all Sodom and Gommorrah.
Most thorough city guide: Nashville.Net offers music, shopping, and sports information, from rock climbing to ice hockey. Hippest electronic newspaper: Nashville Scene provides insightful features (for example, on alternative country music), classifieds, and a dining and events guide. Tunes galore: Nashville Online posts audio files to help budding songwriters get their start in the music business. Stop on by if you're an industry exec--or just plain curious. Best place to find country karaoke tapes: The Nashville Collection. Best spelunking guide: The Upper Cumberland Grotto.
The name says it all: Best of New Orleans includes details on Mardi Gras, listings for clubs and restaurants, personals, and classifieds. Spookiest tours: Talismanic's Web site describes haunted tours, voodoo tours, cemetery tours.... You get the idea. Best voodoo site: Read up on Marie Laveau, mambos, and Gris-Gris at the New Orleans Historic Voodoo Museum. Spiciest site: The Gumbo Pages provides more than just jambalaya on New Orleans and environs. Letting it all hang out: The French Quarter offers a map of the district, as well as Mardi Gras dates through 2001. Get out your calendars.
Most comprehensive local guide: Total New York Urban Access will tell you where to get a pedicure or have your camcorder repaired. The fine arts: The Knitting Factory has schedules of performances and live broadcasts. Best simulation for nervous newbies: The Central Park Web site. Everything from military history to birding. Tastiest New York City beer guide: Tells you about free beer tastings, as well as bars and brew pubs. But is it safe?: The New York Subway Finder helps you navigate the Big Apple via the most infamous of public transportation vehicles. Prettiest museum site: The Whitney Museum of American Art. Leftist slants: The Village Voice Worldwide retains local flavor in its arts and restaurants reviews. A total must: A Social Climber's Guide to Manhattan tells you where to go, how to dress, and whose name to drop.
Most officious Disney site: Disneyworld's 25th anniversary is the focus here, but you can see Mickey and the gang at Disneyland, too. Hotel reservations accepted. Best virtual tour: Mr. Whoopie's Disneyland Adventure will spark that craving to go to Disneyland like nothing else. You're in Orlando, and you're sick of Mickey: Orlando Tourism. Most thorough Anaheim guide: Anaheim's Official Web site is devoted to tourism.
Best beer guide: Philadelphia Online, from the Daily News and Inquirer, is packed with news, tourist info, and Beer Philadelphia. He didn't really discover electricity: The Franklin Institute Science Museum has a huge site, with many virtual exhibits, as well as a coupon to print out to save $1 on admission. Woo-hoo! Yo! Adrienne!: LibertyNet leads you through Philly neighborhoods. Best going-out guide: Philadelphia Magazine. In search of the perfect hoagie: Mark Glicksman lays out Philly food.
They look so ... natural: Until the Padres and Chargers get their acts together, the Zoo is still the city's pride and joy. Get the official facts here. So you wanna be a native?: The Local Guy's Guide to San Diego will take you way beyond that zoo thing they've got going on down there. After 38 years in one spot, you'd have the inside dope, too! Hottest beach guide: Life in La Jolla. Is there anything more important in life than coconut oil and sex wax? Most peculiar food guide: Virtually California covers San Diego, from restaurants and farmers' markets to unique Japanese dietary supplements.
Most thorough city guide: S.F. Bay Guardian Online. Baghdad by the Bay is more than just a pretty bridge and some crab vendors. This guide will lead you through all the nightlife that makes The Net's home base so special. Best guide to the Castro: Q San Francisco, the Gay and Lesbian City Guide, has S.F.'s gay and lesbian Mecca very well dialed. Best South of Market tour: Blasto, a Web-development company in Multimedia Gulch, shows off its design skills with hot listings for the city's clubbing district. For peace of mind: Northern California Earthquake Data Center. For foggy peace of mind: Rocument, Inc. gives you a flavor of Haight-Ashbury in the '60s, and links to the hippie culture still thriving in the area.
Big theater town: The Santa Fe Opera Company is famous for its breathtaking productions. Find out why here. Best city guide: Sante Fe Convention and Visitor's Bureau. Best Native American guide: Viva New Mexico has extensive links to the Pueblo Indian culture. Hippest bicycle tours: Roam through Santa Fe and beyond through New Mexico Mountain Bike Tours. The Collector's Tour: Santa Fe has a great art gallery and studio pages, and explorations of 30 kinds of Santa Fe art.
Hippest local city guide: The Caustic Seattle Compendium. Random local Dave Curry leads you through his haunts and dives. "And if your fake ID is bogus, forget about the 21+ clubs." Best glossy city guide: HotWired's The Rough Guide to Seattle. Punk, not grunge: Ten Things Jesus Wants You to Know has club and live event listings. Cheesiest place to rent for your wedding reception: The Seattle Space Needle. Best trivia guide: The Seattle Public Access Network is cleanly designed, and lets you know that there are 166 miles of unpaved streets in the city.
Best city guide: The Washington, D.C. Convention and Visitors Association includes weather, maps, lodging, and dining. They's gots Fonzie's jacket: The Smithsonian Institution's site gives exhibition and tour info for its many museums, art galleries, and programs. Bill? Hillary? Anyone home?: Welcome to the White House. Find out whether you can come in and set a spell with America's number-one dude. Most extensive links list: Washington Web. Best monument guide: The Lincoln Memorial Virtual Visitor Center leads you through the history, building, and restoration of this tribute to our 16th president.
Coolest budget guide: Lonely Planet offers the best general facts and travel info on the country, with a section devoted to Buenos Aires. Best nuevo tango site: A Home for Astor Piazzolla focuses on the Argentine music genius--think Miles playing the bandonion--and has interviews, sound files, and links to additional homages to the master. Most useful subway guide: The Subway system of Buenos Aires uses a database to calculate routes within and outside the city. It also displays a list of stations and a map to help you get oriented. Where's the beef?: The Ministry of Economy and Public Works and Services of Argentina has got the scoop on edible cattle.
Best Cockney-English dictionary: Virtual London covers sightseeing, live music listings, and has a search engine to illuminate the pea-soup fog city. Best online hotel reservations: Hotel-UK. Culture everywhere: The Elgin Marbles, the Rosetta Stone, and the Portland Vase all live electronically at the British Museum's site. It also houses information on special exhibits. Best place to see the Queen: The official site of Buckingham Palace gives you a brief history and admission charges for the Queen's shack. Bloodiest site: The Tower of London hosted many a blood-fest, and this site revels in them. It also discusses future management of the monument as cash cow. Brush up on your history of King's Road: It's Online is a zine with enough attitude even for the punk scene.
Nairobi Getting started: The Karen Blixen Museum and much more resides in Africa Online's About Kenya. From culture to wildlife to images of old Nairobi, it even has railroad schedules. Best spy ... er ... tour guide: Kilimanjaro Adventure Travel books tours throughout East Africa. There's also info on entry requirements, Kenya embassies, and a CIA Factbook on the country. Most cultural site: KenyaWeb, "Kenya's Definitive Internet Resource" provides extensive sections on the culture, history, and economy. Holiest guide: African Missions Resource Center. For feminists: Women in Africa's page on West Kenya has lots of external links, and also takes you to a huge section on African resources for females. Best online room-booking source: Travel Industries Inc. |
Most comprehensive guide: Les Pages de Paris has more than 7000 pages of information. But it's worth the download: hotels, hostels, schedules, monuments, and pictures. For ex-pats: Paris Anglophone focuses on cafe listings, classifieds, and Paris-Zoom, an interactive photographic journey through the city. Best Eiffel Tower tour: Webmuseum Paris Tours provides the history of the world's most visited paying monument, and outlines walks through the city, with many images and annotation. Mona Lisa-est site: Peruse the collection online, and you may only need to spend two days at this most famous museum. Most underground guide: Random local Jean-Christophe Patat created Magic Paris to express his love for his city; it mysteriously explores the metro and other underground anomalies. Best place to can-can: The Moulin Rouge still has the equivalent of Las Vegas showgirls strutting their stuff. You can book a reservation here (at a whopping $100 per person). Best place to find those long-lost Parisian relatives to stay with: Bernard Debreil is a genealogist with a database of 14,000 people who is willing to chat (via IRC) about it.
Getting started: Czech Travel Net has online hotel reservations, a virtual city tour, and lots of tourist info. Best guide to beer at its source: Radio Prague covers Czech news in RealAudio; consider it the English version of what the locals are doing, from Plzen to Praha. Most beautiful images of the city of a hundred spires: Giving schedule info and great images of the city's landmarks, this virtual tour shows off the golden city. A moment of silence: The Jewish Museum, located in the former Jewish ghetto, offers visitor info at its site. Most underground advice: Dog Leg guide runs through the sidestreets and quirky sites of Prague like a local, covering cyber-cafes, places to exchange money without being ripped off, and traveler's tales. For film buffs: Covering film and festival news, the Prague International Film Festival takes place in late June.
Best guide to street-name changes: The Saigon Guidebook has lots of information, from transportation to events, even holidays. Let's make some money!: Journey to Vietnam offers travel info as well as commercial business opportunities. Cash in on the fad! Best online magazine: Vietconnection tells you about Air Supply's recent Saigon concert, what the construction of the Saigon South parkway means to travelers, and about adventures with fruit. Best photo guide: Although it's called Ho Chi Minh City by .asiatours it covers hotel, attraction, and tour info. Best links: WWW Links to Ho Chi Minh City looks hideous, but comprehensively (compulsively?) lists resources; it's part of the European Travel Network . You don't really want to rent a car, do you?: Cycle Vietnam recounts the journey of two cyclists from Hanoi to Saigon (1200 miles) through Vietnam.
Extreme vacationing: Costa Rica Experts is a tour company that goes only to Costa Rica, thus its boastful name. The site covers white-water rafting to jungle exploration, with additional info available by e-mail. Best diving and fishing guide: Costa Rica TravelWeb covers hotels, too. Wow, this place is popular: Costa Rica Center has tourist info, a section on culture, and the Foundation for Science and Space Education pages. Most cringe-inducing site: Rock-ola's is a cheesy American-style dive in San Jose with a painfully ugly online presence. Bitchin'-est surfer site: Surfing Adventures offers advice to independent travelers heading for one of the world's premier surfing zones. Hit Pacific and Caribbean waves on a single day.
Most apt title: The Best in Sydney is interactive and opinionated. On the cheap: TNT Online Magazine covers budget traveling throughout Australia, with an excellent section on getting to, and around, Sydney. Best area guide: Openworld City Guides, provides info on Sydney through New Zealand, giving you local climate, maps, and money tips. Hippest art scene guide: Discover Sydney, as well as straightforward travel info about the city. Best place to start planning your trip to the Games: Sydney 2000 Olympic Games. Let the countdown begin! Best Australian Web Site: More links to Oz than you can imagine!
Best nightclubbing guide: Tokyo Journal is technically well-prepared with remarkably rich content. This should be the anglophone's first stop. Most beautifully designed museum site: Hara Museum offers extensive pages on its collection of contemporary art and features on special exhibitions. Best bathhouse listing: Tokyo Q, for the modern-day sento user, has weekly news and reviews, and a section on "little adventures in Tokyo." Best out-of-town guide: The Japan Times Online provides listings for museums, festivals (matsuri), and galleries throughout Japan. Most thorough movie and restaurant listings: The Shanshiro line. Best business guide: Tokyo Kaleidoscoop gives great businesses news and analysis. Its Hot Asia section has links all over the Pacific.
Coolest designed guide: Red Iguana: Living Like a Local () takes you through city living, weekend escapes, and a calendar of events for both tourist and resident. Best place to book a room online: Vancouver Travel has loads of tourist info. Most 19th-century site: Victoria and Vancouver Island Travel Guide (which covers the island of the same name next to the city) gives you the Empress Hotel for high tea as well as tours, weather, and bed and breakfasts. Most flowery site: Butchardt Gardens home page includes visitor info, historical background, and an online store. Best place to check out totem poles: The Museum of Anthropology at the University of British Columbia shows you all the carvings from the Northwest Coast.
Local/Metro/Regional
