Wellington named one of the must visit cities of 2023 by Rough Guides

Zealandia is a highlight of any trip to Wellington say the NYT and Rough Guides. Photo / Supplied, Wellington NZ

The Kiwi capital city might be a second stop on tourists’ itineraries, but international travel guides have picked Wellington as one of the hottest destinations to visit next year. Wellington appeared in the top tips of both a prestigious British travel guide and the New York Times this weekend as New Zealand’s must-see city for 2023.

The great harbour of Tara earned a place on Rough Guides’ “Best travel destinations in 2023″.

Picked by editors, local experts and a readers’ poll, New Zealand was ranked as the number “one dream destination” overall during the Rough Guides 2023 reader travel survey - so Wellington was a natural pick for the guidebook.

“We had to include it in our best travel destinations in 2023,” said the Rough Guides’ Joanne Owen.

“After much debate, we went for Wellington, partly because it’s another host city for the 2023 FIFA Women’s World Cup.”

The cultural hub will be hosting nine games during the tournament, which kicks off in July, adding to the buzzy atmosphere.

Wellington leans into its reputation as the 'Windy City'. Photo / WellingtonNZ, Supplied

Although most international travellers tend to touch down in either Christchurch or Auckland the guides say that the arts and food scene are worth a detour in their own right.

“While it’s true to say that if you’re heading to New Zealand, you won’t want to spend all your time in a city, Wellington warrants a sizable chunk of your time.”

Advising tourists on the Interislander to block out some time to sample the celebrated dining scene which boasts “more places to eat and drink per capita than New York City,”

The Rough Guides weren’t the only guides drawing parallels to American cities.

This weekend, The New York Times’ 36 Hours Guide highlighted Te Whanganui-a-Tara as an equal of the world’s great cities.

San Francisco of the south: Wellington invites comparisons to many cities. Photo / Supplied, Wellington NZ

The American publication couldn’t resist comparisons to San Francisco, Seattle and of course “the Windy City” Chicago.

The city’s obsession with steep streets of “clapboard homes”, craft beer and coffee made it a long-lost soulmate of the Western Pacific Seaboard.

“As locals often remind one another, you can’t beat Wellington on a good day, when the water sparkles, the sky is impossibly blue and the coasts, forests and hills are at their most enjoyable,” said writer Natasha Frost.

The Times’ top picks for anyone with a day in the city was a visit to the Zealandia wildlife sanctuary, a trip to Te Papa, and the Wellington’s “zany heart” of Cuba Street.

Cycling marine parade and venturing as far as Mirimar - for the obligatory Wētā Workshop tour - the “Pacific Rim cuisine” of the Rita restaurant on Aro street got a special shout out for its distinctive flavours and easy atmosphere:

Fig-leaf ice cream, Lions’ Mane (Pekepeke-kiore) rolled chicken, with “unstuffy service and cheek-by-jowl tables.”

Excellent dining is reliably easy to find - even if one of Welly’s elusive “good days” are not.