United States

📊 Quick Facts for Your Travel guide to the United States

• Capital: Washington, D.C.💡 New York City is the largest city
• Currency: US dollar (USD)💡 Cards accepted almost everywhere. Check today's rate
• Language: English💡 Spanish is widely spoken
• Population: About 342 million💡 2026 estimate
• Area: About 9.83 million km²💡 50 states and Washington, D.C.
• Time zones: Six main zones💡 New York UTC−5, Los Angeles UTC−8. Convert times
• UNESCO sites: 26💡 Including the Statue of Liberty, Grand Canyon and Okefenokee (2026)
• Power: 120 V, plug types A and B💡 Bring an adapter (and check your devices)

ℹ️ Figures in this travel guide to the United States are 2026 estimates from official and international sources.

📍 Where Is the United States?

The United States stretches across central North America from the Atlantic to the Pacific. It borders Canada to the north and Mexico to the south, with the Gulf of Mexico and the Caribbean to the south-east. Alaska lies north-west of Canada, and Hawaii is in the middle of the Pacific, about 5 hours by air from California. US territories include Puerto Rico and Guam.

The country is vast: New York to Los Angeles is a 6-hour flight. For most trips, pick one or two regions. Check the distance from your city with our distance calculator.

📅 Best Time to Visit the United States

The best time to visit the United States depends on where you go, but April–June and September–October are the sweet spots for cities and national parks, with mild weather and smaller crowds. Summer (July–August) is peak season for Yellowstone, Alaska and family trips, but it is very hot in the south-west (Las Vegas and Death Valley often pass 40 °C). Autumn brings fall foliage in New England. Winter is ideal for Florida, Hawaii, Arizona and ski resorts in Colorado and Utah, while the north-east is cold and snowy. The Atlantic hurricane season runs from June to November.

📅 Use the seasons in this travel guide to the United States to match your trip to the weather, festivals and prices you want.

🛂 USA Visa & Entry Requirements (ESTA)

ESTA for Visa Waiver visitors: citizens of about 40 Visa Waiver Program countries, including the UK, most EU countries, Australia, New Zealand, Japan and South Korea, can visit for up to 90 days with an approved ESTA. The fee rose to about US$40 in late 2025, and an ESTA lasts two years or until your passport expires. Canadian citizens need only a passport. Everyone else needs a B-2 tourist visa, which now carries an extra US$250 "visa integrity fee" on top of the application fee (ESTA travellers do not pay it).

• PassportAn e-passport valid for your whole stay (6 months is safest).
• ESTAApply at least 72 hours before travel on the official CBP site only.
• Not eligible for ESTATravellers who have visited certain countries (such as Iran, Cuba or North Korea) since 2011 need a visa.
• Main airportsNew York JFK, Los Angeles (LAX), Miami (MIA), Chicago (ORD) and Atlanta (ATL); US preclearance is available at Dublin, Toronto and other airports.

🔗 Official sources: ESTA (official CBP site) · US Department of State: visas. Entry rules change, so always confirm before booking and avoid paid look-alike sites.

🛂 Entry rules in this travel guide to the United States were last checked in October 2026.

🗽 10 Best Places to Visit in the United States

These are the places we recommend most in this travel guide to the United States, with the best months to see each one.

🗺️ 7-Day USA Itinerary: New York & Washington, D.C.

A classic first trip on the East Coast: New York and Washington, D.C., linked by Amtrak train. (For the West, see the "With more time" ideas below.)

Follow this route from our travel guide to the United States day by day, or shorten it to fit your trip.

1. New York: arrive; Times Square and the view from the Top of the Rock at night.
2. New York: the Statue of Liberty and Ellis Island, the 9/11 Memorial and the Brooklyn Bridge.
3. New York: Central Park, the Metropolitan Museum and a Broadway show.
4. New York: the High Line, Chelsea Market and Brooklyn's DUMBO and Williamsburg.
5. Washington, D.C.: Amtrak (about 3 hours); the Lincoln Memorial at sunset.
6. Washington, D.C.: the Capitol, the Smithsonian museums (free) and the White House.
7. Depart: Arlington National Cemetery or Georgetown, then fly home from D.C.

➕ With more time: fly west for a road trip from Las Vegas to the Grand Canyon, Zion and Bryce, or drive California's Highway 1 from San Francisco to Los Angeles. Teachers and families: our U.S. Geography Kit: 50 States & Capitals is a printable unit for grades 3–6, great before a family road trip.

💵 How Much Does a Trip to the United States Cost?

The United States is expensive, especially New York, San Francisco and Hawaii. These are approximate daily costs per person in 2026, excluding flights. Use our currency converter to see them in your own currency.

💡 All prices in this travel guide to the United States are per person, per day, and change with the season and exchange rates.

💵 Listed prices usually exclude sales tax (0–10% depending on the state), and tipping is expected: 18–22% in restaurants, $1–2 per drink, and about $2–5 per night for hotel housekeeping. Many hotels add a nightly "resort" or "destination" fee, so check the final price.

💡 Safety & Travel Tips for Your Travel guide to the United States

The United States is generally safe for visitors. Stay alert in big cities at night, avoid empty subway cars and keep valuables out of sight in parked cars, where break-ins are common in San Francisco and Los Angeles. In national parks, respect wildlife (never approach bison or bears), carry plenty of water in the desert, and check for wildfires, storms and hurricanes. Health care is very expensive, so buy travel insurance with medical cover. In an emergency, call 911.

🏨 Best Hotels in the United States: 8 Top Picks

Stay in Midtown or Lower Manhattan in New York, near the National Mall in D.C., and inside national parks for the best early starts.

🔎 How we chose for this travel guide to the United States: hotels are picked for location, reputation and a spread of cities, parks and styles. Prices and availability change daily, so the buttons open live Booking.com results for each property.
🤝 Affiliate disclosure: hotel buttons are affiliate links. If you book through them, AtlasWise may earn a small commission at no extra cost to you. It never changes which hotels we list.

🎓 Top Universities in the United States

The United States is home to many of the world's highest-ranked universities and the largest number of international students.

🔎 How we chose for this travel guide to the United States: the leading universities in the United States by reputation and research. Last checked: October 2026.

🍔 American Culture & Food

American culture is famously diverse, shaped by Native American nations and by immigrants from every continent. Sport is everywhere, from American football and baseball to basketball, and big holidays such as Independence Day (4 July), Halloween and Thanksgiving are celebrated in style. Hollywood, jazz, blues, country and hip-hop all started here.

Regional food is the real treat: New York pizza and bagels, Texas barbecue, Southern fried chicken, Cajun gumbo in New Orleans, Maine lobster rolls, Tex-Mex, Chicago deep-dish, California fish tacos and a classic burger and milkshake from a diner.

📚 Trusted Resources for Your Travel guide to the United States

• Brand USA (GoUSA)Official tourism site
• National Park ServicePark fees, passes and alerts
• UNESCO: United StatesWorld Heritage Sites in the United States

Finished this travel guide to the United States? 🌍 More North America guides: Canada · Mexico · Bahamas · Jamaica · Costa Rica
⚖️ Compare the United States with other countries in Compare Countries.
🏛️ Planning a bucket list? See the 20 best World Heritage Sites to visit.