Analysis declares Atlanta No. 2 travel destination in U.S. this summer

Josh Green

Fri, 05/30/2025 – 11:27

In a new ranking of the 100 most populated U.S. metro areas as tourist destinations, Atlanta has emerged as (almost) the hottest place to be this summer.

Metro Atlanta scored the No. 2 ranking on WalletHub’s recently released list of 2025’s Best Summer Travel Destinations, bested only by Orlando.

With the official start of summer approaching next month, WalletHub, a personal finance website that examines city trends, scored the 100 metros on 41 key indicators related to sheer fun, budget-friendliness (think: cheapest flights and average cost of a two-person meal), and other factors.

The six main categories for judging were: travel costs and hassles; local costs; attractions; weather; activities; and safety.

Metro Atlanta’s strong showing (other cities such as Decatur, Sandy Springs, and Alpharetta were included) has a lot to do with the World’s Busiest Airport, “in part because the shortest flights from major cities don’t require any connections and can cost as little as $219,” according to the study.

Top five Best Summer Travel Destination rankings for 2025 and a sampling of metrics used. WalletHub

Beyond Orlando and Atlanta, WalletHub’s top five tourist-destination cities for 2025 are Washington D.C., Honolulu, and Austin, respectively.

Here’s how Atlanta stacked up across all metrics, according to WalletHub’s rundown:

2nd – Travel costs a hassles

19th – Number of attractions

2nd – Diversity of attractions

2nd – Cost of cheapest flight

59th – Duration of cheapest flight

35th – Cost of three-star hotel

15th – Weather

8th – Activities

35th – Safety