Some travel lists come from a small panel of editors in a room. Condé Nast Traveler's Readers' Choice Awards go the other way: this year's edition, the 39th, drew a massive 798,867 votes from readers choosing their favourite hotels, cities, islands, cruises, airlines and more. The 2026 results are now out, and the best-cities list is the one most travellers will head straight for.
So what did nearly 800,000 avid travellers reward? A few themes stand out from the way the vote is described. Readers went for grand, atmospheric palace hotels in Morocco, signed up for Amazon river cruises, and once again fell for New York City's high-energy buzz. In other words, the winning list mixes the familiar mega-cities people never tire of with more adventurous picks and off-the-beaten-path experiences — useful signal if you're torn between a safe big-city break and something further afield.
Because the ranking is reader-driven rather than critic-driven, it reflects where people actually travelled and loved, not just where looks good on Instagram. Cities earn their spot on repeat visits and word-of-mouth recommendations, which is arguably a better predictor of whether you'll enjoy a place than a one-off inspection. The full gallery has also been refreshed with updated information, so even if you followed the awards in earlier years, the 2026 version reflects what's currently true on the ground — new openings, changed entry rules and the like.
It's also a one-stop inspiration board. Beyond cities, the same vote produces ranked lists of hotels, resorts, spas, islands and cruise lines, so if one winning city catches your eye, you can usually pair it with a reader-approved place to stay or a way to arrive — handy when you're building a trip from scratch.
For click.holiday readers, the takeaway is simple: use the list as a shortlist, then dig into practicalities. If a Moroccan city or a top-rated American destination makes your cut, check shoulder-season prices, entry requirements and how crowded peak months get before booking. Awards tell you where the love is; good planning makes sure the trip lives up to it. The complete city ranking, along with every other category, lives in the source gallery — worth a browse if you're mapping out the next year or two of travel.
