Four days in San Diego, planned by zone: the harbor and USS Midway, Balboa Park and the zoo, Coronado and Point Loma, then La Jolla, with current fares, ticket prices and where to sleep.
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Three days in Boston, planned like a friend would: the Freedom Trail, Charlestown and the waterfront, then Beacon Hill, Back Bay and one museum, with current T fares, ticket prices and where to sleep.
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Three days in Chicago, planned by someone who has done it in every season: the Loop and the river, the lakefront and Lincoln Park, then the Museum Campus and the West Loop, with current fares, ticket prices and the few reservations that matter.
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Three days is the right length for a first Las Vegas itinerary, and the best version spends only one of them on the Strip. Here is the day-by-day plan, with honest resort-fee, parking and transit numbers, heat and budget swaps, and the Red Rock vs. Hoover Dam call.
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Four days in New York, planned by someone who has done it a dozen times: Midtown and Central Park, the harbor and the Brooklyn Bridge, Museum Mile and the Village, then the High Line and Broadway, with current fares, prices and the tickets that actually sell out.
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How many days you really need in Orlando, Disney World vs Universal (including Epic Universe), where to stay by traveler type, and a sample 5- and 7-day park order with current ticket, Lightning Lane and Express Pass prices.
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A practical 4-day Los Angeles itinerary built around traffic geography: one zone per day, from the Santa Monica beach path and the Griffith Observatory hike to Downtown’s Arts District, with honest car-versus-Metro advice, current prices and where to stay.
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How to spend 3 days in Miami without wasting money: one day on South Beach, one on the mainland neighborhoods, one out on Key Biscayne, in the Everglades or in Coral Gables, with honest costs, transit tips and where to stay.
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Big American cities reward a plan. The subway map, the museum queues and the one neighborhood that deserves a full afternoon are the difference between a trip that flows and one spent in transit. Every guide in this section is a day-by-day itinerary for first-time visitors, built around real walking distances, sensible neighborhood bases and the stops that are worth the time.
You will find routes for New York, Los Angeles, Chicago, Las Vegas, Miami, Orlando, Boston and San Diego, each with where to stay, how to get around without a car where that is possible, and what to skip. If a city is on your list for a long weekend, start with the four-day version and trim from there.
Two things hold true across almost every big US city. First, the best base is rarely the most famous neighborhood: in New York a stay near a good subway line beats a tiny room in Times Square, and in Los Angeles you pick an area for the drives you will actually do. Second, the shortest realistic stay is three nights, because the first half day goes to arrival and the last to leaving.
If you are comparing cities for a first big-city trip, New York gives the densest sightseeing, Chicago the best architecture and food for the price, Las Vegas the easiest short break, and Miami and San Diego the best mix of city and beach.
Start with: New York City itinerary, Chicago itinerary, Las Vegas itinerary, Miami itinerary
Part of USA Destinations & National Parks guides. Browse the other topics there to keep planning.