18 tourist attractions in North America
Known for
Big-city skylines, vast national parks, theme parks, long road trips and the ancient Maya cities of Mexico
Must-see countries
the United States, Canada and Mexico
Must-see landmarks
the Statue of Liberty, the Grand Canyon and Niagara Falls
Best time to visit
Late spring and early autumn in the north, winter for the south and the Caribbean, summer for the mountains
Can't-miss countries in North America
United States
Explore the United States in detail runs from New York and Washington to the canyons and national parks of the American West.
Canada
Explore Canada in detail reaches from Toronto and Old Quebec to the Rocky Mountains and the Pacific coast.
Mexico
Ancient Maya and Aztec cities, colonial silver towns and the beaches of the Yucatán and the Pacific, with a food culture known around the world.
Costa Rica
The heart of Central America's rainforests, with volcanoes, cloud forests and wildlife on two coasts, a byword for eco-travel.
Cuba
The largest Caribbean island, its capital of vintage cars and sea-worn colonnades wrapped around old fortress walls, with tobacco valleys and white-sand cays.
Guatemala
Highland Maya markets, the colonial streets of Antigua beneath its volcanoes and vast rainforest ruins deep in the Petén.
1. Statue of Liberty
No monument stands for North America to the wider world like the copper figure on Liberty Island. France gave it to the United States for the centenary of independence and it was dedicated in 1886, its torch raised over the harbour where generations of migrants first saw the continent. Ferries run from Battery Park in Manhattan and from Liberty State Park in New Jersey, and the same ticket carries on to the immigration museum on Ellis Island. Most visits take in the pedestal and the museum; the crown is booked far ahead.
Sculptor: Frederic Auguste Bartholdi · Dedicated: 1886
Location: Liberty Island, New York Harbor, New York City, United States
Access: Ticketed ferry, island museums free, crown by reservation
2. Niagara Falls
The most famous waterfall in North America drops on the border between Ontario and New York State, and the Canadian bank keeps the head-on view. Horseshoe Falls curves away from the Ontario shore, and together the three falls carry more water than any other in the region. Niagara Parks runs the promenade level with the crest, the boats that push into the spray, the tunnels of Journey Behind the Falls and the lights that colour the water after dark. Toronto is about ninety minutes away by road.
Falls: three, led by Horseshoe Falls · Shared with: New York State
Location: Niagara Falls, Ontario, Canada
Access: Free to reach the falls, Niagara Parks attractions ticketed
3. Chichén Itzá
The great Maya city of the Yucatán carries Ancient America onto every list of the continent, and it is the most visited archaeological site in Mexico. El Castillo, the stepped pyramid of Kukulcán, holds its centre, built so that the spring and autumn equinoxes throw a shadow serpent down the northern stair. Around it spread the great ball court, the Temple of the Warriors and the round observatory the Maya used to track Venus. A UNESCO World Heritage Site since 1988, it lies inland from Cancún and Mérida.
Civilisation: Maya · Heritage: UNESCO since 1988
Location: Tinum, Yucatán, Mexico
Access: Ticketed, open daily, busiest around the equinoxes
4. Grand Canyon
No landscape in North America is cut on the scale of the Grand Canyon, where the Colorado River has worn a mile down through the rock of northern Arizona over millions of years. More than five million people come a year, most to the South Rim, where a free shuttle links the overlooks and the rim walk needs no plan at all. Maintained trails drop from there towards the river, a descent far harder coming back up than going down. The quieter North Rim opens only in the warmer months.
Depth: about 1.6 kilometres · Heritage: UNESCO listed
Location: Northern Arizona, United States
Access: Ticketed park entrance pass, no timed entry to drive in
5. CN Tower
Toronto arranges itself around a concrete column 553.3 metres tall, finished in 1976 and left as the tallest free-standing structure on earth for the next 32 years. Lifts climb the shaft to the main observation level, where a glass floor looks straight down on the rail yards and an outdoor terrace opens to the wind off Lake Ontario. Higher again, the SkyPod ranks among the highest viewing platforms in the Western Hemisphere, and EdgeWalk sends harnessed groups around the rim of the pod. It anchors the downtown skyline beside the lake.
Opened: 1976 · Height: 553.3 metres
Location: Front Street West, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
Access: Ticketed, EdgeWalk booked separately
6. Teotihuacán
An hour north of Mexico City stand the ruins of Teotihuacán, the largest city of ancient Mesoamerica, laid out on a grid a thousand years before the Aztecs gave it the name it carries. The Avenue of the Dead runs for kilometres between the Pyramid of the Sun, among the biggest in the Americas, and the smaller Pyramid of the Moon, with the feathered-serpent temple of Quetzalcoatl at the southern end. Who built the city and why it fell are argued over to this day. A UNESCO World Heritage Site, it draws more visitors than almost any ruin in the country.
Civilisation: Mesoamerican, pre-Aztec · Heritage: UNESCO since 1987
Location: San Juan Teotihuacán, State of Mexico, Mexico
Access: Ticketed, open daily, the pyramids can no longer be climbed
12 secret spots across North America
Yosemite
Granite domes like El Capitan and Half Dome tower over a glacier-carved valley of waterfalls, meadows and giant sequoias in the Sierra Nevada.
Location: California, United States
Yellowstone
The world's first national park, a super-volcano of geysers, hot springs and bison herds where Old Faithful still erupts on a rough schedule.
Location: Wyoming, United States
Antelope Canyon
A slot canyon on Navajo land where shafts of light drop between wave-sculpted sandstone walls, entered only on a guided tour.
Location: Arizona, United States
Wynwood Walls
An open-air museum of huge street murals that turned a warehouse district of Miami into a colour-soaked gallery.
Location: Miami, United States
Banff National Park
Canada's oldest national park, turquoise glacial lakes and pine valleys under the Rocky Mountains, with hot springs at the town's edge.
Location: Alberta, Canada
Butchart Gardens
A worked-out limestone quarry turned into sunken flower gardens near Victoria, replanted for every season.
Location: Vancouver Island, Canada
Old Quebec
The only walled city north of Mexico, its ramparts and stone lanes climbing to the Chateau Frontenac above the river.
Location: Quebec City, Canada
Peggys Cove
A working fishing village on wave-battered granite, its 1868 lighthouse among the most photographed in Canada.
Location: Nova Scotia, Canada
Tulum
Cliff-top Maya ruins above a Caribbean beach on the Riviera Maya, the only walled Maya town built on the coast.
Location: Quintana Roo, Mexico
Viñales Valley
A valley of limestone mogotes and tobacco farms worked by ox and hand, a UNESCO cultural landscape in western Cuba.
Location: Pinar del Río, Cuba
Monteverde Cloud Forest
A misty mountain cloud forest laced with hanging bridges and zip lines, alive with quetzals, hummingbirds and orchids.
Location: Puntarenas, Costa Rica
Tikal
Steep Maya pyramids rising above the rainforest canopy of the Petén, one of the largest cities of the ancient Maya world.
Location: Petén, Guatemala
Dishes to try across North America
Hamburger
A grilled beef patty in a soft bun with cheese, pickles and sauce, sold everywhere from roadside stands to city diners.
Poutine
Fries under cheese curds and hot gravy, a late-night staple that began in rural Quebec and spread across Canada.
Tacos al pastor
Pork marinated with chillies and pineapple, shaved off a vertical spit into small corn tortillas with onion and coriander.
Ropa vieja
Shredded beef stewed slowly with peppers, tomato and cumin, the national dish of Cuba, served with rice and plantains.
Pupusas
Thick, handmade corn flatbreads stuffed with melted cheese, refried beans, or pork, traditionally topped with a tangy cabbage slaw called curtido. A comforting staple from El Salvador.
Jerk Chicken
Chicken marinated in a fiery blend of allspice and Scotch bonnet peppers, slow-cooked over pimento wood for a smoky, spicy kick that defines Jamaican cuisine.
North America destinations still to discover
Chicago
Things to do in Chicago gather along Lake Michigan, from the Bean and the Art Institute to the towers of the Loop.
Boston
Things to do in Boston follow the Freedom Trail through the redbrick birthplace of the American Revolution.
Nashville
Things to do in Nashville centre on the honky-tonks of Lower Broadway, the home of country music.
Orlando
Things to do in Orlando run from the theme parks of central Florida to the lakes and gardens downtown.
Atlanta
Things to do in Atlanta span the civil-rights landmarks, a giant aquarium and the leafy parks of the New South.
Vancouver
Things to do in Vancouver sit between the Pacific and the mountains, from Stanley Park to Granville Island.
Washington, D.C.
The United States capital, laid out around the National Mall, with its free Smithsonian museums and marble memorials.
Seattle
A Pacific Northwest port under the Space Needle, ringed by water and mountains, with Pike Place Market at its core.
Montreal
Canada's French-speaking metropolis, with a walkable old town, a mountain park and a deep cafe and festival culture.
Mexico City
Mexico's high-altitude capital on an Aztec lake bed, with the Zocalo, Frida Kahlo's house and a great anthropology museum.
Cancún
A Caribbean resort strip on the Yucatán, the gateway to Maya ruins, cenotes and the reefs of the Riviera Maya.
Havana
Cuba's sea-worn capital of pastel colonnades, vintage American cars and fortress walls above the harbour.