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ALEXANDRIA, Va — The city has been nominated for "Best Small City in the U.S." in the 2026 Condé Nast Traveler Readers' Choice Awards and is seeking public votes to maintain its position among the nation's top small cities.
Alexandria has held a top-three ranking since 2023, finishing third in 2025, behind Charleston, South Carolina, and Santa Fe, New Mexico, while surpassing destinations including Savannah, Georgia, and Honolulu, Hawaii.
Visit Alexandria is conducting a campaign to encourage residents and visitors to vote for the city at cntraveler.com/vote, rating Alexandria as "excellent" across all categories. Voting closes June 30 at 11:59 p.m.
"Your vote means highlighting the stories of our vibrant small business community, energizing historic destinations, and the greater community, making this an important milestone for Alexandria," Visit Alexandria said in announcing the nomination.
The awards, described as the travel industry's longest-running and most prestigious accolades, draw responses from more than 757,000 Condé Nast Traveler readers nationwide who rate their travel experiences to offer a comprehensive look at destinations they want to revisit.
Alexandria has been a consistent performer since the "Best Small City" category was created in 2018, achieving top-three status in 2019, 2021, and maintaining it since 2023.
Visit Alexandria highlighted the city's unique position as a top small city located minutes from Washington, D.C., which frequently ranks among the top large cities in the same awards. "Visitors can stay in one location but experience two of the nation's best cities," the tourism organization noted.
The campaign also encourages support for Alexandria hotels, including Archer Old Town Alexandria, Hotel AKA Alexandria, Hotel Heron, Hyatt Centric Old Town Alexandria, Morrison House and The Alexandrian.
Voters are automatically entered to win an eight-day cruise for two to Italy and Norway on Viking's Italian Sojourn journey, a prize provided by Condé Nast Traveler.
Visit Alexandria conducts an extensive get-out-the-vote campaign each year, viewing the recognition as crucial to the city's tourism marketing efforts. Research shows that rankings in top-tier publications like Condé Nast Traveler and Travel + Leisure influence travel decisions and help solidify Alexandria's reputation as a premier destination.
Winners will be celebrated in the November issue of Condé Nast Traveler.
