Top 10 Trending Airbnb Destinations for Summer
Intrepid Airbnb users are spinning the globe and making plans way beyond their local beaches this year. Want to take a page from their travel journals? Consider these cities.
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Photo By: Airbnb
Photo By: Airbnb
Photo By: Airbnb
Photo By: Airbnb
Photo By: Airbnb
Photo By: Airbnb
Photo By: Airbnb
Photo By: Airbnb
Photo By: Airbnb
Photo By: Airbnb
Valenciennes, France
Just south of the French-Belgian border on the well-traveled Escaut river, Valenciennes boasts a world-class art museum, a monument to one of the city’s favorite sons (the painter Antoine Watteau), multiple UNESCO World Heritage Sites and a noble hodgepodge of architecture’s greatest hits that dates, in some cases, all the way back to the 12th century. This charming two-person townhouse, in turn, boasts exposed brick, rustic ceiling timbers, ample natural light and a prime location at the center of town. Paris is so 2018.
BOOK NOW: Airbnb, Starting at $57/night
Changsha, China
Don’t let the ultra-modern look of this stylish city loft fool you: the recorded history of Hunan’s capital city spans more than three thousand years, and the metropolis owes its character to both its 21st-century commitment to the media arts and urban planning that occurred, in some cases, over two millennia ago. Make the trip to Changsha for its incomparable cuisine, neon-drenched nightlife and extraordinary heritage. And pack light; the region gets hot (that is, up to 100 degrees Fahrenheit) in the summer.
BOOK NOW: Airbnb, Starting at $55/night
Matsudo, Japan
The bedroom community of Matsudo is just over 12 miles northwest of the center of Tokyo, and thanks to lightning-fast local trains, you can be in the heart of big city in a mere 16 minutes. If nature is more your speed, stay closer to home and head to Hondoji Temple, which features spectacular foliage and blooms all year long. This serene rental is in Tateishi, a riverside neighborhood known for its late-‘40s retro character.
BOOK NOW: Airbnb, Starting at $111/night
Marigot, St. Martin
The capital "city" of the French side of St. Martin prides itself on being considerably more laid back than Philipsburg, its counterpart on the Dutch side (where you’ll find the island’s airport, cruise port, and a wealth of casinos and nightclubs). Marigot is all about sidewalk cafes with authentic French and Caribbean cuisine, a laissez-faire attitude and, if you’re feeling especially free, the clothing-optional beaches associated with it. (If you prefer to retreat to more buttoned-up island tourism, there’s no border between the two sides of the island, and you can go back and forth as you please.)
BOOK NOW: Airbnb, Starting at $80/night
Wuhan, China
Created in the early 20th century by the merging of three villages, the "triple play" capital of China’s Hubei Province is both a major business and shopping destination and an ideal place to appreciate some of the country’s most remarkable landscapes. On the south bank of the Yangtze River, the massive East Lake anchors a series of scenic areas that includes the world’s longest riverside park, botanical gardens, recreational areas, cultural institutions and more. Yellow Crane Tower — the city’s symbol, first built in the second century — is also an excellent vantage point for taking in the views.
BOOK NOW: Airbnb, Starting at $30/night
Dorado, Puerto Rico
Fifteen miles west of San Juan on the north coast of Puerto Rico, Dorado first became an upscale vacation destination when the Rockefeller family built a private compound (and, later, a hotel and golf club) there. In the ‘60s, the jet set took over, and everyone from JFK to Elizabeth Taylor headed south from the mainland to revel in resort life. Golfers (and surfers) still flock there — and if the buzz around its newest resorts is to be believed, it’s on its way to being the place to see and be seen once again.
BOOK NOW: Airbnb, Starting at $157/night
Vieques, Puerto Rico
Vieques took a direct hit when Hurricane Maria struck Puerto Rico in 2017, and its largest hotel has yet to reopen — but regrowth is well underway, led by smaller commercial properties and Airbnbs. That’s fitting, given that Vieques was once a U.S. Navy bombing site and is now predominantly a dazzling wildlife refuge teeming with biodiversity (and world-famous for its bioluminescent bay). The diminutive island’s history hasn’t always been peaceful, but time and time again, it’s found a way to flourish (in rather spectacular fashion).
BOOK NOW: Airbnb, Starting at $709/night
Rio Grande, Puerto Rico
Puerto Rico’s Rio Grande municipality is a stone’s throw from El Yunque National Forest (which happens to be the only rain forest in the national forest system) and it should go without saying that stays in the area include complimentary lullabies from local tree frogs and tropical birds. Visitors also enjoy some of the most secluded beaches on the island, world-class golfing and hikes with spectacular views.
BOOK NOW: Airbnb, Starting at $76/night
Yeosu, South Korea
Three and a half hours from Seoul on South Korea’s East China Sea, Yeosu is a stunning coastal retreat that’s as good-looking by night as it is during the day. The port city played host to a World Expo in 2012, and bridges and buildings erected for the occasion erupt in a kaleidoscope of color after the sun goes down. Visitors head to Yeosu’s local fish markets for the catch of the day, but they don’t bring it home: instead, vendors direct them to nearby restaurants, where their selections are prepared on the spot.
BOOK NOW: Airbnb, Starting at $38/night
Bragg Creek, Canada
Travelers with a taste for the great outdoors are gorging themselves on Bragg Creek, a quaint town on southern Alberta’s Elbow River that offers summer guests more than a hundred miles’ worth of hiking, biking and horseback riding trails. Just 20 miles from Calgary as the crow flies, Bragg Creek is a world away: the old-fashioned hamlet’s permanent population is fewer than 600 residents. Activities abound there, but the pace is blissfully slow.
BOOK NOW: Airbnb, Starting at $524/night