Girls’ trips are a popular way to turn a short break into a shared experience, and the U.S. and Canada offer no shortage of places to go. From major nightlife hubs to more affordable city escapes, there are plenty of options on paper. However, not every city offers the same mix of fun, convenience and value.
For readers planning a weekend away, the right destination can make a big difference. A strong girls’ trip city needs more than nightlife. It also needs good brunch options, hotels, shopping, safety, walkability and costs that make sense for a short stay.
That is why we ranked major cities across the United States and Canada based on one question:
Which cities deliver the best overall girls’ trip experience?
To compare cities fairly, we evaluated each destination across seven core factors:
- Nightlife & Cocktail Scene: bars and cocktail venues per capita
- Wellness & Leisure: spas and casino venues
- Accommodation Options: hotel availability relative to population
- Shopping Scene: number of shopping venues
- Brunch & Café Scene: restaurants and cafés per capita
- Safety & Accessibility: crime levels combined with walkability
- Affordability: overall cost based on hotels, food, and drinks
Finally, all metrics were normalized to a 0–100 scale. Each category was weighted equally to produce the final Girls’ Trip Score.
“With travel costs still shaping short breaks, girls’ trips are becoming less about choosing the biggest city and more about finding the best overall value. This ranking shows that some of the strongest destinations are not traditional tourism heavyweights. Instead, they are cities that combine brunch, nightlife, wellness, shopping and affordability in a way that works especially well for a weekend getaway.”
— Canada Sports Betting analyst
Key Findings
United States Key Findings
- Oakland, CA ranks No. 1 with a Girls’ Trip Score of 60.3. It combines strong nightlife, standout brunch density and balanced affordability.
- Irvine, CA ranks No. 2 with a score of 57.9. It leads the U.S. for wellness and leisure, with 84 spas and leisure venues per 100k.
- Honolulu, HI ranks No. 3 with a score of 56.9. It also offers the highest hotel availability, at 56.4 hotels per 100k.
- Boston, MA stands out for safety, with one of the highest Safety & Accessibility scores at 71.4. It also has a solid brunch and café scene.
- Memphis, TN stands out for affordability, scoring 89.1. However, it records the lowest safety score among ranked cities.
- Detroit, MI ranks last overall with a score of 16.6. It has limited hotel availability, low wellness density and fewer shopping options.
- New York, Los Angeles and Chicago all rank outside the top 20. Each city performs weaker on hotel availability per capita than several higher-ranked destinations.
Canada Key Findings
- Vaughan, ON ranks No. 1 with a Girls’ Trip Score of 59.0. It performs especially well for wellness, shopping and brunch density.
- Windsor, ON ranks No. 2 with a score of 51.8. It leads Canada for nightlife, with 45 bars and cocktail venues per 100k.
- Mississauga, ON ranks No. 3 with a score of 40.8. It offers a balanced profile across affordability, safety and overall city experience.
- Brampton, ON ranks No. 10 with a score of 25.2. However, it has the highest affordability score in Canada at 85.3.
- Vancouver, BC ranks No. 9 with a score of 26.3. It combines one of the highest safety scores with a strong brunch and café scene.
- Toronto, ON ranks last overall with a score of 13.7. Its lower ranking is linked to affordability, nightlife density and hotel availability.
Best Cities for a Girls’ Trip in Canada (2026)
Canada’s strongest girls’ trip destinations are clustered across Ontario, Alberta, British Columbia and Saskatchewan. As a result, the ranking shows where weekend-friendly city breaks are most concentrated.
The top cities perform well across the full experience. This includes going out, brunch options, hotels, shopping, safety and overall value.
Top 5 in Focus
Vaughan, ON ranks No. 1 with a score of 59.0. It is driven by a standout wellness and leisure scene, strong shopping density and a high brunch and café scene.
Windsor, ON ranks No. 2 with a score of 51.8. The city leads for nightlife, with 45 bars and cocktail venues per 100k people.
Mississauga, ON ranks No. 3 with a score of 40.8. It offers a balanced profile, with steady affordability, solid safety and consistent performance across categories.
Saskatoon, SK ranks No. 4 with a score of 29.3. Its position is supported by strong hotel availability and steady affordability.
Ottawa, ON ranks No. 5 with a score of 28.8. It combines strong safety with a well-rounded mix of brunch and shopping options.
Beyond the Top 5
Cities ranked 6 to 10 continue the same pattern seen across the top of the list. Calgary and Edmonton benefit from strong hotel availability. Meanwhile, Surrey stands out for its brunch and café scene.
Vancouver, BC ranks No. 9 with a score of 26.3. It combines one of the highest safety scores with a strong brunch and café scene.
Brampton, ON ranks No. 10 with a score of 25.2. However, it has the highest affordability score in Canada and a solid brunch and café scene.
At the other end of the ranking, Toronto, ON ranks last overall with a score of 13.7. Its lower score is linked to affordability, nightlife density and hotel availability.
Best Cities for a Girls’ Trip in the United States (2026)
The U.S. ranking highlights a mix of West Coast, Midwest, Southern and island destinations. Therefore, strong girls’ trip options are spread well beyond the usual major-city picks.
The leading cities stand out for different reasons. Some perform well for nightlife and brunch density, while others offer stronger affordability, hotel availability or safety.
Top 5 in Focus
Oakland, CA ranks No. 1 with a score of 60.3. It combines strong nightlife, standout brunch density and balanced affordability.
Irvine, CA ranks No. 2 with a score of 57.9. It leads the U.S. on wellness, with 84 spas and leisure venues per 100k.
Honolulu, HI ranks No. 3 with a score of 56.9. It offers the highest hotel availability and also performs well for safety.
Madison, WI ranks No. 4 with a score of 45.5. It is supported by strong affordability, solid nightlife and steady safety.
Boise, ID ranks No. 5 with a score of 39.7. Its position is driven by high affordability and consistent performance across key categories.
Beyond the Top 5
Cities ranked 6 to 10 continue the same pattern seen across the top of the list. Portland and Milwaukee offer strong nightlife relative to their size. Meanwhile, Pittsburgh stands out for safety and affordability.
San Francisco, CA ranks No. 9 with a score of 30.7. It is supported by strong safety and a solid brunch and café scene.
Charlotte, NC ranks No. 10 with a score of 30.1. It combines high affordability with strong hotel availability.
At the other end of the ranking, Detroit, MI ranks last with a score of 16.6. The city has limited hotel availability, low wellness density and fewer shopping options.
While this study looks at casino venues as one part of the girls’ trip ranking, not every getaway needs an in-person casino stop. Canada Sports Betting regularly reviews Online Casinos Canada options, helping users compare safer and more informed ways to play from home.
Methodology
Scope and Sample Selection
This study ranks the best cities for a girls’ trip across the United States and Canada. Cities in each country were assessed separately.
As a result, U.S. cities were ranked against other U.S. cities. Canadian cities were ranked against other Canadian cities.
The analysis includes cities with populations above 250,000. The initial list of cities was sourced from sitemaps.com, with data compiled at the city and state or province level.
Cities with missing or incomplete data across the evaluated metrics were excluded from the final ranking.
Data Collection and Metrics
Cities were evaluated across seven core categories that reflect the overall girls’ trip experience:
- Nightlife and Cocktail Scene
Measures bars, nightclubs and cocktail venues per 100,000 residents
Source: OpenStreetMap API - Wellness and Leisure Scene
Measures spas and casino venues per 100,000 residents
Sources: OpenStreetMap API, Casino.ca, Casino City - Accommodation Options
Measures hotels per 100,000 residents
Source: Booking.com datasets - Shopping Scene
Measures shopping venues per 100,000 residents
Source: OpenStreetMap API - Brunch and Café Scene
Measures restaurants and cafés per 100,000 residents
Source: OpenStreetMap API - Safety and Accessibility
Combines crime levels and walkability
Sources: Numbeo, Walk Score - Affordability Score
Based on hotel prices, meals, drinks and café costs
Sources: Booking.com, Numbeo
Data Standardization
All metrics were normalized to a 0–100 scale. Lower cost values were reversed so that higher scores always indicate more favorable outcomes.
Final Scoring
Each city’s Girls’ Trip Score is the average of all seven categories. Each metric carries equal weight.
Data Sources
- sitemaps.com
- OpenStreetMap API
- Casino.ca
- Casino City
- Numbeo
- Booking.com
- Walk Score
Full Dataset
The complete dataset used in this study is available below. It includes all cities, scores and underlying metrics.