By Larry Olmsted

As far as tourist destinations go, few cities can rival the likes of New York, Washington, D.C., Las Vegas, Orlando and Los Angeles. But if you haven’t been before, each of these places can overwhelm and easily fill an entire week.

The solution?

Cities well designed to be visited in a weekend–or better yet, a long weekend. The best weekend cities offer at least one or two marquee attractions like world-class museums or monuments, a unique cultural atmosphere and enough great food to let visitors know they are somewhere special–all for less money and easier navigability.

Read my top 10 list of great cities for a weekend getaway …

  Award-winning travel journalist Larry Olmsted is a Contributing Editor to US Airways Magazine and Cigar Aficionado Magazine and “The Great Life” columnist for Forbes.com