PHOTO BY DAVE DICELLO

Pittsburgh is the only U.S. city to make Lonely Planet’s “Best in Travel 2025,” where it’s being lauded for its “affordability, unpretentiousness and cultural heritage.”

It ranks No. 6 in the top 10 must-visit cities in the world rated by Lonely Planet, which also lists the top 10 countries and top 10 regions, which in the U.S. includes the Lowcountry in South Carolina and Georgia and the Pacific Northwest’s Mount Hood and the Columbia River Gorge.

This is the first time that Pittsburgh has made the list in the 15 years the rankings have been compiled, according to Gabrielle Beamon, Lonely Planet spokeswoman.

“What a feeling Pittsburgh inspires,” according to the guide’s description. “This city effortlessly combines its industrial past with its artisanal present — its affordability and charm draws all manner of artists and creators. Walk around Butler Street [in Lawrenceville] to witness the alchemy at local coffee shops, boutiques, independent restaurants and breweries. Soon you’ll understand Pittsburgh’s particular brand of magic, at once disarming and familiar.”

Lonely Planet, which has been producing travel guides for more than 50 years, relies on a team of international experts, including editors, writers, family and friends and other contributors, to curate the 30 must-see destinations each year. The places are chosen for their “topicality, unique attributes and experiences, including food, history, architecture, art, vibrant local culture and natural beauty, along with their ongoing commitment to sustainability, community and diversity.”

“We have a pretty in-depth selection process,” says Nitya Chambers, senior vice president of content/executive editor at Lonely Planet, who happens to have grown up in Pittsburgh. She graduated from Franklin Regional Senior High School and Carnegie Mellon University. She says someone nominated Pittsburgh for the list “and then I was an advocate for it.”

“I feel like it has a really unique charm. And I think I have the benefit of seeing the organic story of Pittsburgh over the last two decades because so many of my close friends and family have moved back and settled there…And so I feel like I’ve really seen kind of an amazing evolution of Pittsburgh, and I thought it was worth a place on the list.”

The guide quotes Pete Kurzweg, owner of Lorelei in East Liberty and The Independent Brewing Company and Hidden Harbor in Squirrel Hill. “Pittsburgh’s affordability makes it accessible — for small business owners, for artists, for tech start-ups, for restaurateurs — and its accessibility makes it vibrant,” he said.

It also features a video of Chancelor Humphrey walking through parts of Pittsburgh. He’s the creator of Keep Pittsburgh Dope and was a Pittsburgh Magazine 40 Under 40 honoree in 2021.

This is not the only top acknowledgement Pittsburgh has received this year. In April, the National Geographic publication, “Here, Not There,” by Andrew Nelson, listed Pittsburgh among 100 unexpected travel destinations in the world. 

At least for Lonely Planet fans and travelers, there apparently is a passion for the Keystone State. This Lonely Planet honor for Pittsburgh was passed just 300 miles westward from, ahem, Philadelphia, which was named a top 10 must-see city in 2024. The City of Brotherly Love rated just a notch above Pittsburgh, at No. 5. 

Chambers says that both Pittsburgh and Philadelphia have a “unique hometown energy” and they’re in an interesting part of the United States, where history meets the future.

“I think one of the things that’s really fun about this list is the way that it starts a conversation,” Chambers says. “And I feel like Pittsburgh is always worthy of that conversation. I feel like it is really exciting to see people get passionate about a place that they should go. And Pittsburgh always inspires that.

“I just think it’s a great time for Pittsburgh.”

Here are the Lonely Planet’s lists of top cities, regions and countries for 2025:

Top Cities

Toulouse, France

Pondicherry, India

Bansko, Bulgaria

Chiang Mai, Thailand

Genoa, Italy

Pittsburgh, USA

Osaka, Japan

Curitiba, Brazil

Palma de Mallorca, Spain

Edmonton, Canada 

Top Countries

Cameroon

Lithuania

Fiji

Laos

Kazakhstan

Paraguay

Trinidad & Tobago

Vanuatu

Slovakia

Armenia

Top Regions

Low Country and Coastal Georgia

The Terai, Nepal

Chiriqui, Panama

Launceston & the Tamar Valley, Australia

Valais, Switzerland

Giresun & Ordu, Turkiye

Bavaria, Germany

East Anglia, England

Jordan Trail