Alexandria maintains prime 10 rating on Travel + Leisure’s greatest U.S. cities checklist

Alexandria’s rating isn’t as excessive as final 12 months on Travel + Leisure’s annual “Best Cities in the U.S.” checklist, but it surely has remained within the prime 10.

Travel + Leisure introduced the winners of the 2026 World’s Best Awards yesterday (July 7). Winners have been decided by suggestions from about 207,000 readers all over the world.

Alexandria ranked ninth amongst U.S. cities simply behind New York and forward of Greenville (S.C.). The 2026 rating places Alexandria alongside different prime locations, together with Santa Fe, N.M. (#1), Charleston, S.C. (#2), Savannah, Ga. (#3), New Orleans (#4) and Chicago (#5).

This is the fifth consecutive 12 months Alexandria has earned recognition on the distinguished checklist. Last 12 months, town ranked fifth, up ten locations from the earlier 12 months. Visit Alexandria, town’s tourism group, has pursued high-profile rankings from Travel + Leisure and different publications to advertise town as a customer vacation spot.

Travel + Leisure praised Alexandria for its core Old Town district full of outlets, eating places and historic buildings, in addition to the centuries-old Old Town Farmers’ Market. Del Ray received a nod for its artwork and restaurant scene, Carlyle and Eisenhower for enterprise and innovation, and the West End for its craft brewing scene and worldwide eating places.

The metropolis additionally earned factors for its waterfront location, permitting guests to take a water taxi to D.C. or George Washington’s Mount Vernon. Other landmarks highlighted by the journal have been the African American Heritage Trails, Torpedo Factory Art Center, Manumission Tour Company, Mount Vernon Trail, Carlyle House, The Birchmere and The Athenaeum.

“Combining colonial history and contemporary style with waterfront scenery, great food, and outdoor fun, Alexandria has everything a visitor could want, and its location just minutes from Washington, D.C. is a bonus,” Travel + Leisure stated. “For the best of both worlds, a short trip via water taxi, bus, or Metrorail connects the relaxing ambiance of Alexandria with the bustling atmosphere of the nation’s capital.”

The 2026 World’s Best Award winners will probably be featured within the August challenge of Travel + Leisure that will probably be offered beginning on July 17.