North America · country guide
USA travel guide
Iconic cities, epic road trips and the world's first national park
Grand Canyon. Photo: Lennart Sikkema, CC BY 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons
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The USA is a country of big contrasts: New York's skyscrapers, the canyons and deserts of the south-west, California's coast, the music of New Orleans and Nashville, and wild national parks such as Yellowstone and Yosemite.
It is too big to see in one go, so most trips focus on one region. The east coast is a 7 to 8 hour flight from London, and the west coast about 11. British visitors need an ESTA before flying.
Top places to visit in USA
- 1
New York City
Central Park, Broadway, world-class museums and the classic skyline.
+ Add to bucket list - 2
Grand Canyon
A mile-deep canyon carved by the Colorado River. The South Rim is open all year.
+ Add to bucket list - 3
San Francisco
The Golden Gate Bridge, cable cars and the start of the Pacific Coast Highway.
+ Add to bucket list - 4
- 5
- 6
- 7
Miami & the Florida Keys
Art Deco South Beach and the island-hopping drive to Key West.
+ Add to bucket list - 8
Trip ideas
One week: New York City
- Manhattan (5 nights)
- Brooklyn
- Day trip to the Hudson Valley
Two weeks: West Coast road trip
- San Francisco (3 nights)
- Yosemite (2 nights)
- Las Vegas (2 nights)
- Grand Canyon (2 nights)
- Los Angeles (4 nights)
Best time to visit USA from the UK
Best value: Jan, Mar–Apr, Sep–Nov. Apr–Jun and Sep–Oct for most regions; Dec–Mar for Florida. Busiest and priciest: May–Aug, Dec.
Each bar is the average temperature in Washington, D.C. for that month, and its colour shows the season for visitors: best value (good weather, fewer crowds and lower prices), busiest and priciest, or quiet (off-peak, sometimes because the weather is poorer).
- Our pick: September and OctoberThe warmest of the best-value months (14–21°C), with fewer crowds than peak season.
- Peak season: May–Aug, DecUsually 3–26°C. The busiest time, so book flights and rooms early and expect higher prices.
- Quiet season: FebAround 1°C. The cheapest and least crowded time, but cold, so pack layers.
- Warmest: July (26°C) · coolest: January (0°C)A 26°C swing between the warmest and coolest months.
Temperatures as a table
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 0.1 | 1.3 | 5.8 | 12.2 | 17.6 | 22.8 | 25.8 | 25.1 | 21.3 | 14.4 | 7.8 | 2.8 |
Festivals and events
- Mardi Gras Feb–Mar · New Orleans
- SXSW Mar · Austin
- Fourth of July Jul · Nationwide
- Macy's Thanksgiving Parade Nov · New York
Festival dates move from year to year: check before you book.
Getting there from the UK
Direct flights from London, Manchester and Edinburgh to more than 20 US cities, from about 7 hours to New York.
- Flight time
- About 7h 45m
- Distance
- 5,877 km
- Main airport
- JFK
- Time difference
- -5 h (east coast) to -8 h (west coast); Hawaii -10 h or -11 h
Flight times are straight-line estimates for a direct flight from Heathrow; journeys with a change take longer.
Practical info and travel guidance
- VisaApply online before you goESTA before you travel, stays up to 90 days
- HealthcareNo free healthcareYou pay for treatment, so travel insurance with medical cover is essential.
- LGBT+ travellersLegal and broadly accepted
- Women travellersNo specific FCDO warningTake the usual precautions.
For British passport holders, summarised from the FCDO's advice for USA, checked October 2026. FCDO page last updated 18 August 2026. Rules change: read the official FCDO travel advice for USA before you book and again before you go.
Open USA on the map Log it as visited, drop pins for the places you went, or plan it as your next trip.