The Charts

Rankings nobody paid for

No sponsored rows — the formula is the editor. Every list below is computed from the same transparent ratings you can read on any detail page, and each section says exactly how it was built. If a place is here, it earned it; if it isn’t, it didn’t.

Top Destinations

Highest blended Ratist score across all twelve destinations. Fame is not a tiebreaker.

  1. 1TO

    Tokyo

    Japan

    9.2
  2. 2HA

    Hội An

    Vietnam

    9.1
  3. 3MC

    Mexico City

    Mexico

    9.0
  4. 4CT

    Cape Town

    South Africa

    9.0
  5. 5LI

    Lisbon

    Portugal

    8.9
  6. 6QU

    Queenstown

    New Zealand

    8.9
  7. 7RO

    Rome

    Italy

    8.9
  8. 8CU

    Cusco

    Peru

    8.9

Top Stays

Highest score among every stay in the catalog — a great guesthouse outranks a mediocre resort here, every time.

  1. 1RH

    Ryokan Hoshikage

    Tokyo · Asakusa

    9.1
  2. 2PL

    Poplar Lodge Arrowtown

    Queenstown · Arrowtown

    9.1
  3. 3PD

    Palacete do Carmo

    Lisbon · Baixa

    9.0
  4. 4RZ

    Riad Zaytoun

    Marrakesh · Kasbah

    9.0
  5. 5SH

    Sōwa House

    Tokyo · Yanaka

    8.9
  6. 6CV

    Casa Volcán

    Mexico City · Roma Norte

    8.9
  7. 7RQ

    Riad Qamar

    Marrakesh · Medina

    8.9
  8. 8CK

    Casa Killa

    Cusco · San Blas

    8.9

Top Experiences

Highest score among all experiences. Duration, price and operator size play no part — only the rating.

  1. 1AP

    Al Pastor After Dark: A Taco Walk

    Mexico City

    9.1
  2. 2MS

    Milford Sound Coach, Cruise & Waterfalls Day

    Queenstown

    9.0
  3. 3MC

    Market-to-Table Cooking Class with River Ride

    Hội An

    9.0
  4. 4CM

    Cape Malay Cooking in a Bo-Kaap Home

    Cape Town

    9.0
  5. 5TC

    Tremé & Congo Square: Where the Music Started

    New Orleans

    9.0
  6. 6FT

    Fira to Oia: Guided Dawn Caldera Hike

    Santorini

    9.0
  7. 7AT

    Azulejo Tile-Painting Workshop

    Lisbon

    8.9
  8. 8TB

    Teotihuacán Before the Buses

    Mexico City

    8.9

Top Eats

Highest score among all eateries, from street stalls to tasting menus — the plate decides, not the tablecloth.

  1. 1MK

    Menya Kōden

    Tokyo · Shinjuku

    9.3
  2. 2TE

    Taquería El Trompo de Cobre

    Mexico City · Roma Norte

    9.2
  3. 3TS

    The Silwerboom

    Cape Town · Constantia

    9.1
  4. 4RN

    Raíz Negra

    Mexico City · Polanco

    9.0
  5. 5BM

    Bánh Mì Cô Hạnh

    Hội An · Ancient Town

    9.0
  6. 6TR

    Tussock Ridge

    Queenstown · Fernhill

    8.9
  7. 7FV

    Forno Vicolo Rosso

    Rome · Testaccio

    8.9
  8. 8TM

    Tante Mel's Po-Boys

    New Orleans · Bywater

    8.9

Hidden Gems

Score ≥ 8.5, rating count below the median — the anti-popularity chart. Excellent places the crowds haven't found.

Go before everyone else does; then act like you always knew.
RH

Ryokan Hoshikage

Stay · Tokyo

9.1
PL

Poplar Lodge Arrowtown

Stay · Queenstown

9.1
TS

The Silwerboom

Eatery · Cape Town

9.1
PD

Palacete do Carmo

Stay · Lisbon

9.0
RZ

Riad Zaytoun

Stay · Marrakesh

9.0
CM

Cape Malay Cooking in a Bo-Kaap Home

Experience · Cape Town

9.0
TC

Tremé & Congo Square: Where the Music Started

Experience · New Orleans

9.0
FT

Fira to Oia: Guided Dawn Caldera Hike

Experience · Santorini

9.0
SH

Sōwa House

Stay · Tokyo

8.9
CV

Casa Volcán

Stay · Mexico City

8.9
RQ

Riad Qamar

Stay · Marrakesh

8.9
CK

Casa Killa

Stay · Cusco

8.9

The Overrated Index

The most-rated, least-loved — popularity outrunning quality. Rating count in the top 40% of its kind, score under 8.6.

Not bad places, necessarily — just places whose lines are longer than their scores deserve.
CF

Coconut Forest Basket Boat Ride

Experience · Hội An

7.0
480 ratings
IT

Il Terrazzo del Pantheon

Eatery · Rome

7.1
640 ratings
HB

Hotel Beauregard

Stay · New Orleans

7.2
610 ratings
GC

Golden Circle Classic Coach Tour

Experience · Reykjavík

7.2
592 ratings
TW

The Wakatipu Grand Resort

Stay · Queenstown

7.3
688 ratings
CL

Caldera Lumière

Eatery · Santorini

7.3
560 ratings
VE

Vatican Express: Skip-the-Line Highlights

Experience · Rome

7.3
540 ratings
HS

Hotel Suzunari Shinjuku

Stay · Tokyo

7.4
762 ratings
TS

Tagus Sunset Sailing Cruise

Experience · Lisbon

7.4
466 ratings
SC

Sunset Crown Oia

Stay · Santorini

7.6
730 ratings

Value Kings

Ranked by score per √dollar — quality divided by the square root of what you actually pay, so cheap-and-great beats cheap-and-fine.

Prices shown are all-in — taxes and fees included, because that’s the number your card sees.

Stays · all-in nightly

  1. 1TL

    Tamarind Loft Hostel

    Hội An

    8.4
  2. 2SH

    Saqra House Hostel

    Cusco

    8.2
  3. 3DN

    Dar Nakhla Hostel

    Marrakesh

    8.3
  4. 4CT

    Casa Tlaco Hostel

    Mexico City

    8.2
  5. 5MH

    Miradouro Hostel

    Lisbon

    8.4
  6. 6KC

    Kloof Corner Backpackers

    Cape Town

    8.1
  7. 7CC

    Coconut Creek Homestay

    Hội An

    8.8
  8. 8WO

    Wander Owl Hostel

    Tokyo

    8.2

Experiences · per person

  1. 1CF

    Coconut Forest Basket Boat Ride

    Hội An

    7.0
  2. 2SL

    Silk Lantern Workshop in a Merchant House

    Hội An

    8.8
  3. 3LH

    Lion's Head Sunrise Hike

    Cape Town

    8.9
  4. 4CW

    Chinchero Weaving Cooperative: Dye to Loom

    Cusco

    8.9
  5. 5TC

    Tremé & Congo Square: Where the Music Started

    New Orleans

    9.0
  6. 6MC

    Market-to-Table Cooking Class with River Ride

    Hội An

    9.0
  7. 7SP

    San Pedro Market & Picantería Crawl

    Cusco

    8.6
  8. 8FT

    Fira to Oia: Guided Dawn Caldera Hike

    Santorini

    9.0

Curious how the underlying scores are built? Read how ratings work — the whole formula, weights and all.