How to spend a single day in the world's most popular cities
How to spend a single day in the world's most popular cities
Your next 24-hour adventure, planned.
https://www.tripadvisor.com/Articles-lvhiBOTkfvSQ-One_day_itineraries.html
By Meredith Carey
Sure, a single day doesn’t feel like hardly enough time to experience a city like Barcelona, Osaka, or New York. But once you come to terms with the fact that you can’t see everything, you’ll be surprised to see just how much you can squeeze into 24 hours. Here, we’ve gathered one-day itineraries to some of our top Traveler’s Choice destinations. Let them serve as inspo for your next stopover or as a little taste of what you could get up to on a short (but maybe not quite 24-hour) visit.
For urban adventures
Covent Garden in London.Image: Management/Tripadvisor
London
When to go: March or April, when rainfall is at its lowest
What you can fit into a single day: On such a short trip, focus on the iconic spots. Walk along Westminster Bridge and the South Bank for photo ops with Big Ben, Westminster Abbey, and the London Eye. Book ahead for afternoon tea at Fortnum & Mason or the British Museum’s cafe. Shop your way through pedestrian-only Covent Garden, and then eat your way through Dishoom Covent Garden’s renowned, Mumbai-inspired menu.
Barcelona
When to go: April and May, when spring weather allows you to spend lots of time outside but the summer crowds haven’t descended yet
What you can fit into a single day: You’ll see tons of Gaudí, including the iconic Basilica de Sagrada Familia—join an early morning skip-the-line guided tour to get the most out of your time. Plus, you can shop (and eat) your way down the pedestrian-only Las Ramblas, spend the evening at the Museu Picasso, and enjoy a late-night flamenco show at the Palace of Catalan Music.
Dubai
When to go: November to March, when outside temperatures and humidity are bearable
What you can fit into a single day: Your 24 hours here will be the perfect mix of inside and outside—a necessity even in Dubai’s (slightly) cooler winter. Plan for sunrise brunch at At.Mosphere, on the 122nd floor of the Burj Khalifa; shopping at the enormous, indoor Dubai Mall; and sometimes on the sand at Kite Beach.
Reykjavik
When to go: June and July, when you have more daylight hours to explore, thanks to the midnight sun
What you can fit into a single day: Whether you’re taking advantage of Icelandair’s stopover program or just spending the night before a road trip, you’ll have plenty of time to get a taste of Reykjavik. Wake up early for cinnamon rolls at Brauð & Co before wandering the Einar Jónsson Museum’s sculpture garden. Shop your way down the main drag, Laugavegur, then grab dinner at Scandinavian ROK. Just leave room for a late-night hot dog at Bæjarins Beztu, which stays open until 6 a.m. on the weekends.
For spending a full day outside
Slot canyon in The Narrows, Zion National Park.Image: Matt Pirrall/Getty Images
Zion National Park, Utah, USA
When to go: May or September, when crowds and temps are high, but the park is fully accessible
What you can fit into a single day: If you visit between March and November, hop on the shuttle that’ll take you to easier routes like the Pa’rus Trail or the more challenging, 16-mile Narrows route. Or, let a guide take on all the planning and join the Coral Sands Half-Day Canyoneering Tour or 3-Hour Guided E-Bike Tour. And if you don’t have outdoorsy gear on hand, know you can rent what you need for the day from Zion Outfitter, just outside the park.
Positano, Italy
When to go: Late September or early October, when the weather is Goldilocks-level perfect, and crowds have died down
What you can fit into a single day: Grab breakfast and a coffee from Casa e Bottega, which is up on a hill and offers a photo op of the colorful hillside homes the town is known for. Make sure to pack a swimsuit so you can enjoy the rocky Positano Spiaggia (temps will still be in the late 70s, plenty warm for a swim). Then head out on a sunset cruise with Blue Star Boat Tours.
San Diego
When to go: San Diego is sunny year-round, so there’s no bad time to visit, but families should prioritize October when kids eat, stay, and play for free
What you can fit into a single day: Kick off your trip with a coffee and some harbor seals at the La Jolla Cove—you can explore on your own or join the La Jolla Sea Cave Kayak Tour. Then, take a slow walk down the Mission Beach Boardwalk, which is dotted with tons of bookstores, craft breweries, and independent shops you can pop in and out of. (Be sure to grab an ice cream at the locally beloved An's Dry Cleaning and Stella Jean's.)
Aruba
When to go: Mid-January to March are Aruba’s sunniest months, but it’s a great destination year-round, as it’s not in the Caribbean’s hurricane zone
What you can fit into a single day: You can spend every last second of your daylight hours at the beach (Eagle Beach, to be specific), but there’s more to Aruba than just its stunning stretches of sand. If you want a little adventure, head to Arikok National Park to hike one of the many trails or swim in the Conchi natural rock pool. For a mix of shopping, snacking, and sunning, head to Palm Beach—it’s fringed by a ton of great restaurants, plus the Butterfly Farm and Bubali Bird Sanctuary.
For non-stop eats
Rooftop at Palazzo Petrucci Pizzeria (L); Margherita pizza at Palazzo Petrucci Pizzeria (R).Image: Management/Tripadvisor
Naples, Italy
When to go: March to May and September to October, when the weather is perfect for a pizza crawl
What you can fit into a single day: You’ll want to make time for spots like the Museo Archeologico Nazionale di Napoli, where you’ll see treasures unearthed at Pompeii, and the opulent Palazzo Reale. But really, you’re here for Neapolitan pizza. There’s a string of pizzerias on Via dei Tribunali—Pizzeria Donna Sofia ai Tribunali and Palazzo Petrucci Pizzeria are both can’t-miss stops—but Impasto 55 should be your go-to if you want to get away from the more crowded spots.
Osaka
When to go: October and November, when the foliage around Osaka Castle is peaking
What you can fit into a single day: Hungry? Good. Consider this a full-day food marathon, with a few shopping breaks in between. You can snack on sushi and kushikatsu skewers in Shinsekai and okonomiyaki in Dotonbori, or learn to cook it all yourself. If you want to leave the planning to the pros, there are tons of great food tours that will give you a quickfire view of the city’s culinary scene.
New York City
When to go: Each season in NYC has its perks, but visit in February for lower fares (and lots of two-for-one deals) or September for great weather
What you can fit into a single day: You can tackle a lot of Manhattan in 24 hours—from its southern tip (where you can pick up the Circle Line’s Statue of Liberty Super Express Cruise and see the New York Stock Exchange and National 9/11 Memorial & Museum) to Central Park. When it comes time for meals, you’ll have plenty to choose from in the South Street Seaport, Chelsea Market, Urban Hawker food hall in Midtown, and pizza joints spread across the city (Bleecker Street Pizza is a fave).
Marriott’s largest hotel completes ballroom, convention space renovation
https://hotelsmag.com/news/marriotts-largest-hotel-completes-ballroom-convention-space-renovation/
Orlando World Center Marriott, the world’s largest Marriott property, has completed a comprehensive renovation of its Grand Ballroom and surrounding convention spaces, introducing updated design elements and expanded amenities for event planners and attendees.
The redesigned Grand Ballroom spans more than 36,000 square feet and offers 14 configurable spaces. Renovation work includes new carpet, wall coverings, airwall coverings, entry doors, trim, and contemporary chandeliers, along with upgraded lighting and sound systems.
“This transformation reflects our commitment to providing world-class event experiences,” said Robert Bray, general manager of Orlando World Center Marriott. “Every detail has been carefully designed to blend sophistication with adaptability.”
The renovation extends beyond the ballroom. Foyer areas received new communal and soft seating to support work and networking, and public restrooms were modernized. The hotel also added three large-scale digital boards in key areas of the convention space for branding and sponsorship opportunities, complementing existing digital boards at the entrance and porte-cochere.
The updated design features a gray and blue color palette with energy-efficient LED lighting throughout. The full convention offering totals more than 500,000 square feet of flexible function space, ranging from boardrooms to one of the largest pillar-free ballrooms in the world at 105,000 square feet.
Guest accommodations include hard-surface flooring, expansive workstations with ample outlets, walk-in showers, in-room refrigerators, high-speed Wi-Fi, and private balconies overlooking the 200-acre resort and Walt Disney World.
The property features 10 dining outlets, a 400,000-gallon lagoon pool, seven waterslides, a kids’ splash zone, and a 575-foot lazy river.
Ashford Trust sells again, this time in Florida
The sale of an Embassy Suites in Florida is part of the REIT’s strategy to optimize its portfolio (and value to investors) through asset sales.
https://www.hotelinvestmenttoday.com/Deals/Mergers-and-Acquistions/Ashford-Trust-sells-again-this-time-in-Florida?
DALLAS — Ashford Hospitality Trust, the Dallas-based REIT that is attempting to right-size its portfolio to grow its EBITDA and value to investors, has announced the sale of another hotel: the 160-key Embassy Suites by Hilton Palm Beach Gardens PGA Boulevard in Palm Beach Gardens, Florida.
The hotel was acquired by Joe Lubeck, the CEO of Tampa, Florida-based American Landmark Apartments, for $40 million, according to the Commercial Observer. The hotel, built in 1990 on a 3.2-acre site, features 8,500 sq. ft. of meeting space.
The announcement came as Ashford Trust said it has successfully closed on the sale of four hotels (three of which had been previously disclosed) and has entered into definitive agreements to sell an additional two hotels.
Ashford Trust President and CEO Stephen Zsigray said these six transactions are part of the REIT’s ongoing strategy to optimize its portfolio through strategic asset sales. He said the majority of proceeds will be used to pay down mortgage debt, and together, these sales are expected to result in more than $60 million in future capital expenditure savings.
“We continue to aggressively refine our hotel portfolio through strategic divestitures,” said Zsigray. “We remain focused on maximizing shareholder value, and these sales accomplish all three of our strategic objectives: improved cash flow after debt service, significantly reduced future capital expenditure obligations, and lower portfolio leverage.”
The transactions that were previously disclosed include:
- The 252-key Hilton Alexandria Old Town in Virginia, sold to Chicago-based Lodging Capital Partners for $58 million in an all-cash deal.
- The La Posada de Santa Fe Resort & Spa in New Mexico sold to New Mexico-based Abo Empire for $57.5 million.
- The Hilton St. Petersburg Bayfront in Florida sold to Delray Beach, Florida-based Kolter Group for $96 million.
The REIT said these transactions generated $252.5 million in gross proceeds, or $280,000 per key. When adjusted for the REIT’s anticipated capital expenditures of $57.6 million, the sale price represents a 6% capitalization rate on net operating income or a multiple of 14.5 times Hotel EBITDA for the 12 months ended December 31, 2025. Excluding the anticipated capital spend, the combined sale price represents a 7.4% capitalization rate on net operating income or a multiple of 11.8 times Hotel EBITDA.
Ashford Trust also announced two pending transactions in which the REIT has entered into definitive agreements with undisclosed buyers for the 168-key Lakeway Resort & Spa in Austin for $37.8 million and the 150-key Embassy Suites by Hilton Dallas Near the Galleria for $17 million.
Those two sales are expected to be completed by May and are subject to normal closing conditions. The REIT said that when adjusted for the company’s anticipated combined capital expenditures of $2.5 million, the sale price represents a 4.8% capitalization rate on net operating income or a multiple of 16.2 times Hotel EBITDA for the 12 months ended December 31, 2025. Excluding the anticipated capital spend, the combined sale price represents a 5% capitalization rate on net operating income or a multiple of 15.5 times Hotel EBITDA.
In February, during the REIT’s Q4 and year-end 2025 earnings call, he said the company is currently marketing and negotiating off-market transactions on 18 additional hotels (including these transactions). In December, Ashford Trust formed a special committee “to evaluate strategic alternatives to maximize shareholder value, including a potential transaction.”
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