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Every town in Vermont

From the lake-flat streets of Burlington to the ski-lift villages tucked into the notches — every town we cover, hand-described from the ground.

Centro

5 towns

LAKESIDE CITY

Burlington

Vermont’s biggest town, pinned between Lake Champlain and the University of Vermont — walkable, opinionated, and never quite as urban as it thinks.

Stays in Burlington

MUSEUM TOWN

Shelburne

Just south of Burlington — home to Shelburne Museum’s 39-building campus and the Vanderbilt-era Shelburne Farms on Lake Champlain.

Stays in Shelburne

NORTHERN

Franklin County

Bordering Canada in the northwest.

Stays in Franklin County

NORTHERN

Grand Isle County

Composed of islands in Lake Champlain in the far northwest.

Stays in Grand Isle County

CENTRAL

Chittenden County

Positioned on the western side along Lake Champlain (home to Burlington).

Stays in Chittenden County

Sierra

9 towns

CLASSIC SKI TOWN

Stowe

The postcard Vermont ski town — Mount Mansfield looming over a white church steeple, and prices to match the view.

Stays in Stowe

BIG MOUNTAIN SKI

Killington

The Beast of the East — Vermont’s biggest ski resort with a raucous access-road scene, and not much else off-season.

Stays in Killington

MAD RIVER VALLEY

Waitsfield

The lower half of the Mad River Valley — a covered bridge, a working farm scene, and the last village before Sugarbush ski country.

Stays in Waitsfield

SUGARBUSH VILLAGE

Warren

Tiny village at the south end of the Mad River Valley — Warren Store, a covered bridge, and Sugarbush a mile up the mountain road.

Stays in Warren

RESORT MOUNTAIN

Stratton

Purpose-built mountain resort with a pedestrian village at the base — polished, family-focused, and priced for the New York crowd it draws.

Stays in Stratton

OKEMO TOWN

Ludlow

Old mill town at the base of Okemo Mountain — more of a real town than most ski destinations, cheaper than its neighbors, and rebuilding after 2023's floods.

Stays in Ludlow

FAR NORTH MOUNTAIN

Jay Peak

Vermont’s snowiest ski resort, 5 miles from Quebec — legendary powder, an indoor waterpark, and complicated recent history.

Stays in Jay Peak

FAMILY SKI RESORT

Smugglers' Notch

Family-focused ski resort on the north side of Mount Mansfield — linked to Stowe over the notch road in summer, cut off from it once VT-108 gates shut for the winter.

Stays in Smugglers' Notch

NORTHERN

Lamoille County

Located just south of Franklin and Orleans.

Stays in Lamoille County

City

8 towns

STATE CAPITAL

Montpelier

The smallest state capital in America — 8,000 people, a gold-domed statehouse, and one main street you’ll walk in ten minutes.

Stays in Montpelier

COLLEGE TOWN

Middlebury

College town with a proper waterfall right downtown and enough independent restaurants to justify the detour.

Stays in Middlebury

WORKING CITY

Rutland

Vermont’s second-largest city — not pretty, honestly cheap, and the practical base for Killington skiers who don’t want resort prices.

Stays in Rutland

BREWERY HUB

Waterbury

The unlikely food and beer capital of Vermont — Ben & Jerry’s, Alchemist, and enough breweries to plan a whole weekend.

Stays in Waterbury

CENTRAL

Washington County

Situated in the center, containing Montpelier, the state capital.

Stays in Washington County

CENTRAL

Addison County

Located on the western border south of Chittenden.

Stays in Addison County

CENTRAL

Orange County

Located in the east-central section next to the New Hampshire border.

Stays in Orange County

SOUTHERN

Rutland County

Situated on the western side just south of Addison.

Stays in Rutland County

Vega

9 towns

PRESERVED VILLAGE

Woodstock

The most photographed village in Vermont — Rockefeller money kept it perfect, and the room rates reflect that.

Stays in Woodstock

OUTLET & FLY-FISHING

Manchester

Split personality town — colonial Manchester Village with marble sidewalks up the hill, outlet shopping on Route 7 below.

Stays in Manchester

ARTSY RIVER TOWN

Brattleboro

Southern Vermont’s counterculture holdout — bookstores, art co-ops, a farmers market that’s a scene, and the Connecticut River at the bottom of Main Street.

Stays in Brattleboro

HISTORIC CORNER

Bennington

The historic southwestern corner of Vermont — Battle Monument, Robert Frost’s grave, Bennington College, and cheap rooms.

Stays in Bennington

GORGE VILLAGE

Quechee

Small village 15 minutes from Woodstock — home to Vermont’s deepest gorge and the Simon Pearce glassworks in an old woolen mill.

Stays in Quechee

PRESERVED VILLAGE

Grafton

Tiny, meticulously restored 19th-century village — Windham Foundation preserved it, Grafton Village Cheese still makes cheese there, and there are more cows than people.

Stays in Grafton

SOUTHERN

Windsor County

The largest county by area, running along the eastern border next to New Hampshire.

Stays in Windsor County

SOUTHERN

Bennington County

Located in the southwest corner bordering New York and Massachusetts.

Stays in Bennington County

SOUTHERN

Windham County

Positioned in the southeast corner bordering Massachusetts.

Stays in Windham County

Henares

5 towns

NORTHEAST KINGDOM

St. Johnsbury

The gateway to the Northeast Kingdom — a 19th-century Fairbanks Scale fortune left the town a museum, an athenaeum, and a genuinely eccentric downtown.

Stays in St. Johnsbury