Nearly three quarters of Americans are planning on going on vacation this summer, and Austin is climbing up the national hot list of the best summer destinations of 2026.

The Austin-Round Rock-Georgetown metro ranked as the third-best summer travel destination in WalletHub's annual study, which compared 100 of the largest U.S. metro areas across 41 metrics based on travel costs and hassles, local costs, attractions, weather, and activities and safety.

The U.S. metros that rounded out the top three are Atlanta-Sandy Springs-Alpharetta, Georgia (No. 1) and Orlando-Kissimmee-Sanford, Florida (No. 2).

Austin's 2026 ranking is up two spots from last year's report when the city was the fifth best summer travel destination.

Here's how the Capital City stacked up in the six main categories:

• No. 10 – Attractions
• No. 18 – Activities
• No. 21 – Weather
• No. 21 – Local costs
• No. 47 – Safety
• No. 57 – Travel costs and hassles

The study found air travel to Austin — though not entirely cheap — is relatively easy thanks to plenty of short nonstop flights from other major cities. Austin's reputation as foodie city and its outdoor recreational activities also bring in a lot of summer tourism.

"One reason why Austin is a great destination is that it’s really easy to find affordable restaurants that are rated at least 4.5 stars out of 5 on Yelp," the report's author wrote. "Austin offers a mix of culture and outdoor fun, boasting a high number of attractions including the Bullock Texas State History Museum as well as shopping centers, music venues, food festivals and hiking trails."

The suburbs also attract tourists looking for fun things to do that aren't just in central or downtown Austin, like checking out new restaurants in Round Rock and Georgetown.

Visitors taking an extended trip to Texas can also visit San Antonio-New Braunfels, which ranked as the 11th best summer travel destination in the U.S. and is the most conveniently located neighbor from Austin. Houston-The Woodlands-Sugar Land and Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington also ranked among the top 25 and landed in the No. 20 and No. 21 spots, respectively.

The top 10 best summer travel destinations in 2026 are:

• No. 1 – Atlanta-Sandy Springs-Alpharetta, Georgia
• No. 2 – Orlando-Kissimmee-Sanford, Florida
• No. 3 – Austin-Round Rock-Georgetown, Texas
• No. 4 – Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-Virginia-Maryland-West Virginia
• No. 5 – Urban Honolulu, Hawaii
• No. 6 – Tampa-St. Petersburg-Clearwater, Florida
• No. 7 – Philadelphia-Camden-Wilmington, Pennsylvania-New Jersey-Delaware-Maryland
• No. 8 – Salt Lake City, Utah
• No. 9 – Cincinnati, Ohio-Kentucky-Indiana
• No. 10 – Richmond, Virginia