The USA: New York, California and the National Parks — Where to Go and What to Try
The USA is a vast country where every state feels like a separate journey. Here you'll find big cities with skyscrapers and museums, ocean beaches, deserts and national parks that draw visitors from all over the world. We've gathered the essentials: the places not to miss, what to try and how to keep your trip relaxed.
Key points
- The country is huge: it's better to pick one or two regions than to try to see everything in a single trip.
- Between distant cities it's faster to fly, while the national parks are easiest to explore by car.
- Sales tax is usually not included in the price on the tag, and tipping is customary in cafés and restaurants.
- Mobile internet is useful from the very first minutes: maps, taxis, bookings and navigation on the road.
New York
New York can't be seen in one go. The skyscrapers of Manhattan, Central Park, Times Square, the Brooklyn Bridge and world-class museums. Every neighbourhood has a life of its own: from the galleries and restaurants of Brooklyn to waterfronts with views of the Statue of Liberty.
California: the ocean and big cities
California means San Francisco with the Golden Gate Bridge and its cable cars, Los Angeles with Hollywood and its beaches, and between them a scenic road along the ocean, with cliffs and small towns. From here it's also easy to reach Yosemite National Park, with its granite walls and waterfalls.
The Grand Canyon and the Southwest
The Southwest is a land of deserts and canyons. The Grand Canyon is breathtaking in its scale, especially at sunrise and sunset, and nearby are the red rocks of Sedona, Monument Valley and the stone arches of Utah. Many people start this kind of route in Las Vegas.
Florida and the South
Florida means a warm sea almost all year round: the beaches and Art Deco districts of Miami, the islands of the Florida Keys and the Everglades swamps with their alligators. Further west lies New Orleans, with its jazz and Creole cuisine.
What to try
American cuisine is very diverse — every region has its own favourite dishes.
- Burgers and barbecue — especially smoked meat in the southern states.
- New York-style pizza — big, thin slices eaten on the go.
- Seafood on the coasts: crab, shrimp and oysters.
- Mexican food in California and Texas: tacos and burritos.
- Pancakes with maple syrup for breakfast.
- Key lime pie in Florida and cheesecake in New York.
Good to know before you go
A few tips will help you feel confident in the USA.
- Entry requirements depend on your citizenship — check them in advance and sort out your documents before the trip.
- Sales tax is added to the price at the till, so the final amount is usually higher than the one shown.
- Tips are a normal part of the bill: they're left for waiters, bartenders and taxi drivers.
- The sockets here are a different type from those in Europe — you'll need an adapter.
- Distances are long: allow more time for travel than the map suggests.
Staying connected
In the USA you need the internet from the very first minutes: to call a taxi from the airport, plan your route, find parking or show your hotel booking. You can install your eSIM at home over Wi-Fi, so after landing you won't have to hunt for a SIM card at the airport or stand in queues. When a plan's validity begins is shown on the checkout page before you pay: for some plans it starts at the first connection in the destination country, for others on installation or right after purchase. Your main number stays in your phone, and calls and messages to it keep arriving as usual, under your carrier's terms.
Choose an eSIM for your trip to the USA in our shop — the plans for the USA are gathered on this page, and the installation details will arrive at the email address you enter at payment. Enjoy your holiday!
Sources and further reading
- Use eSIM while traveling internationally with your iPhone · Apple Support
- How to use an eSIM with your Galaxy phone · Samsung Support
