Los Angeles (LA) is the California city that attracts the most tourists, consistently ranking as the top destination due to its iconic entertainment industry (Hollywood), diverse neighborhoods, world-class museums (Getty Center), beaches (Venice Beach, Malibu), and year-round attractions like Universal Studios Hollywood, drawing millions of international and domestic visitors annually. San Francisco and San Diego are also major tourist hubs, but LA leads in overall visitor numbers and tourism spending.
No surprise here: Los Angeles is the ultimate star-studded destination for global travelers. There is almost too much to do in the vast Southern California city.
In California, Los Angeles, San Diego, and San Francisco received the highest number of new arrivals. However, Los Angeles, San Diego, and San Francisco also ranked in our top 10 for departures.
West coast, best coast
Los Angeles, or LA, is one of the most well-known cities in the world. Hollywood stars, the TV & movie industries, and gorgeous beaches all make LA a popular vacation spot. Check out our guide below on what makes Los Angeles famous.
One of the beautiful towns in California is Carmel-by-the-Sea, also known simply as Carmel. This town is a European-style town on the Monterey Peninsula popular with tourists.
Santa Rosa Ranked #1 Safest City in California. Santa Rosa has been ranked the #1 safest city in California for 2025, and was ranked as the city with the fewest traffic fatalities per capita nationwide.
France is the #1 tourist destination in the world continuously for more than 30 years. Over 102 million tourists travelled to France in 2024, contributing approximately $77.1 billion in tourism receipts, which averages to about $755 per visitor.
Laguna Beach real estate is arguably the most beautiful along the entire Southern California coast. It's not just the sandy beaches and Pacific Ocean views, but the vast green spaces of the surrounding hills and canyons.
1. Atherton. Topping the list, Atherton has long held the title of not only the richest city in California, but also one of the wealthiest in the entire United States. Nestled in the heart of Silicon Valley, Atherton is home to venture capitalists, CEOs of major tech companies, and generational wealth.
Amador City, located in the heart of the state and about six hours from L.A., is officially the smallest in area, covering just 0.53 square miles, and the least populated, with only 205 residents. All of this according to the latest 2020 census.
Revealed: California's Most Fun Cities
1. New York City, NY. There's no other city quite like New York City. In 2023, New York attracted over 9 million international visitors, making it the most visited city in the United States for overseas travelers.
WalletHub also ranks the Most Fun Cities in America and California scored well in that one too: San Francisco and San Diego both made the Top 10. To plan your next trip to those two hubs, check out some of the amazing things to do in both San Francisco and San Diego.
The top 10 most visited cities in 2025
Times Square is the most visited public (not privately owned) tourist site in the United States, with about 50 million visitors annually. Times Square is the most visited public (not privately owned) tourist site in the United States, with about 50 million visitors annually.
Dubai had by far the largest international visitor spending in the world in 2018 at 30.82 billion U.S. dollars.
Change the focus to property crime and Orange County cities with a population not much higher than 50,000 dominate the top ten, with seven of the ten places ranking in the top ten being located in Orange County, including (in ascending order of violent crime rate) Aliso Viejo, Laguna Niguel, Lake Forest, Mission Viejo, ...
According to a list compiled by Wallethub, the unhappiest city in California is San Bernardino. Other U.S. cities that rank among the unhappiest include Cleveland, Ohio, Memphis, Tennessee, Birmingham, Alabama, Huntington, West Virginia, and Jackson, Mississippi to name a few.
Irvine is the top City in California, and the fifth best City in America to live in. Niche.com takes many factors into consideration when determining the best cities to live in, including public schools, housing, jobs, outdoor activities, commute, weather, diversity, and more.
According to a list compiled by WalletHub, the least healthy city in California is San Bernardino ranking 166th. Fontana, Moreno Valley, and Bakersfield also ranked low on the list of the healthiest places to live in the state.
In U.S. News & World Report's 2025–2026 “Best Places to Live” list, Palo Alto topped all California cities, placing 16th nationwide.
The city is known for its beautiful parks, friendly people who reside there, low crime and great schools. With Irvine's population expected to continue growing, this California city is sure to become an even more popular area for living and business.