2022 was a year full of trips to exciting cities, mainly in Europe this year, after a two-year hiatus due to COVID, so I decided to do a countdown of my favorite cities of the year.

5. Madrid, Spain

Coming in at Number 5 is Madrid, Spain. We spent a short three nights here in June of this year, with our two youngest kids. Madrid is amazing because it can be whatever you want it to be. It can be fast-paced and exciting, or very chill with lots of siesta time. It can be full of high culture with its ridiculous amount of art museums, or you can explore some of the more gritty areas full of tiled artwork and graffiti. You can eat at super fancy restaurants, or make it an evening full of tapas. I absolutely loved my second trip to this gorgeous city, and it was a perfect introduction to Europe for the kids. My favorite parts of Madrid were our tapas tour, our art museum extravaganza, and the Vinitus restaurant on the Gran Via.

4. Chicago, Illinois, USA

I always say that Chicago is the greatest city in the world. I feel so lucky to live here, I’m a total homer, and I can’t leave Chicago off this list. Chicago is a city of neighborhoods, and each one is super unique and contributes heavily to the vibe of the city as a whole. We have world class museums here. We have, in my opinion, some of the best restaurants in the world here. We have incredible hotels and shopping. We have young, but very impressive architecture. We have all of the sports, and even if our teams are not doing very well, our stadiums are still packed full of fans. Chicago is connected to the most cities in the world via our incredible international airport – O’Hare, currently undergoing even more expansions and upgrades in order to make it a truly special travel hub. Don’t hesitate to come here because of media-hyped violence or rumors about our terrible winter weather. You will friggin’ love it any time of year! My favorite things in Chicago this year were the Shedd Aquarium, shopping at Eataly, and eating at Oriole and Roister.

3. Valletta, Malta

Valletta was the big surprise of the year. Our oldest picked Malta for her High School Graduation Trip and I was a little skeptical, not knowing much about the country. We made our home base in Valletta at the Domus Zamittello Hotel and this city, the smallest capital city in Europe, was so full of beauty and charm that we almost didn’t want to leave. We spent almost a full three days exploring this tiny city, and there was still much left there that we didn’t even get to. The vibe here is chill, but with an undercurrent of a bit of sizzle, beaconing you to peep around each corner to see what little shop or cafe will welcome you there. History abounds in Valletta, and any history buff will have their fill of things to do and see. The architecture here is unique and bright – all of the buildings are pretty much built out of the same Maltese limestone, so it is very light in color, but the windows and doors are often painted in rich tones, drawing your eyes up and around with every step. My favorite things in Valletta were our food tour, the Muza art museum, St. John’s Co-Cathedral, and eating at Noni.

2. Antigua, Guatemala

Oh, Antigua, you are so small and cute and full of life! We only spent two nights in this amazing, old city this year in February, and I immediately regretted booking so few nights when we left our hotel for Lake Atitlan. I love Central America, and after visiting nearly every country in Central America, I think Antigua might be my favorite city of them all. I love the town square, full of markets on the weekends, and a bustling, if not hustling, vibe. It is beautifully flanked by lovely stucco buildings as well as the busted-out, earthquake ravaged Cathedral. The devastation from earthquakes of the past can be viewed almost everywhere, and the fact that there are almost no buildings more than two-stories high attest to this danger as well. But the ruins add to the charm of this UNESCO Heritage Site, which will ensure that it will never change. Even when they are fixing the streets, the cobblestones are saved and reused.

Antigua is not very big, totally walkable, and is based on a grid system, so it is super easy to find your way around. It is filled with expats from all over the world, so it’s also super easy to find just about any kind of cuisine you want to eat. Antigua is known for its Spanish Language classes, because everyone here speaks Spanish properly and slowly, and it’s easy to understand even for novices. There are adorable artisan shops and cafes and restaurants around every corner. There’s a huge amount of hotels and other accommodations to choose from. There are volcano views everywhere you look. We ate and drank extremely well here. My favorite things here were shopping around town, especially at Tabacos y Vinos for cigars and wines, eating at El Refectorio and Meson Panza Verde, and having beers on the rooftop at Antigua Brewing Company. Check out my full overview in my Guatemala Itinerary.

1. Barcelona, Spain

OK, OK, I don’t want to sound basic, or totally unoriginal, but there are REASONS why Barcelona is one of the busiest and most popular tourist destinations in the world. I had very low expectations for Barcelona, preferring the countryside, generally, to big cities in Europe. This place, however, really took my breath away, and deserves the top spot on my 2022 list of best cities. We spent four nights here and barely scratched the surface of what you can do, and see, and experience. One of the main reasons, for me, that Barcelona was so great, was the vibe of the city. It is so incredibly pleasant, it’s as though the city itself is welcoming you and saying, “I’m so glad you are here!” with every single step you take. Around each corner is a new, unexplored-to-you world full of charm, I never got sick of it (even though I got very sick at the end!). You could spend an entire day just exploring La Bocqueria and sampling the incredible local foods from nuts and spices to the world famous Iberico ham. You can get lost in the best way, enjoying the small side streets in this city.

We stayed in the Gothic Quarter at Hotel Neri, which is part of why our trip was so great. We stayed in the small apartment building across from the actual hotel, and had a very nice sized pool to splash around in to cool off in the afternoons after a morning of heavy touring. I absolutely loved this hotel, and fully expect it to make my Top 5 Hotel list for 2022 as well. Check out my full review here.

The Gothic Quarter is hyped up all over social media and every travel resource you can find for a reason. Its charming, winding streets are narrow, and lead to unknown treasures at every turn. There are cute and unique shops everywhere, and when I had a short afternoon to myself, I couldn’t take 20 steps without stopping into a shop to check out their wares. Tapas bars and restaurants abound here, and it is impossible to find bad food in this city. The architecture is unique, and full of history.

No mention of Barcelona can go without at least a brief discussion of Gaudi architecture. One of the absolute highlights of the year for me was visiting the Sagrada Familia. This place is so massive, so unique, and so colorful that it literally can take your breath away. My heart truly leapt entering this incredible place, and I am so glad that it is still unfinished. Our tour guide joked that you can come back every year and see how things have changed at the basilica – we all laughed, but then I thought twice and really think it’s a great idea! If only there was more time (and more money!).

We also had one of the best meals of the year here in Barcelona, at Cocina Hermanos Torres. This was our kids’ first Michelin Starred experience and it left nothing to be desired. There are not enough superlatives to describe our experience here, so I’ll just direct you to my full article about our dinner, here.

So there you have it. I am not sure if I will be doing a City list every year, especially since in 2023 we are doing mainly tropical trips instead of city trips, but who knows! Thanks for following along on my city adventures this year!