Country guide · US

United States

19 destinos y fiestas · 2 normas y tabúes

Foto: Mgimelfarb · CC0

Before you go

Lectura obligada antes de ir

Línea rojaConducción

Driving in the US: what to do when police pull you over

Signal right and pull over safely to the right
Roll down your window after stopping, before the officer reaches you
At night, turn on the interior light
Keep both hands on the wheel and ask passengers to keep their hands visible too

Getting out and walking towards the police car
Suddenly reaching for the glovebox, a pocket or under the seat

Sudden movements may be read as a threat and become dangerous. The wording of the rules varies slightly between states.

Sin verificarFuente: Texas Department of Public Safety driver handbook

TabúPropinas

USA: tipping is almost always expected

Restaurants with table service: 15–20% of the pre-tax bill
Bartenders: US$1–2 a drink, or 15–20% of the bill
Taxis: 15–20% of the fare, at least US$1
Hotel housekeeping: US$2–5 a day

Not tipping at restaurants with table service

Not illegal, but seen as very rude.

Verificado el 19 oct 2026Fuente: Emily Post Institute: tipping guide

Festivals

Fiestas y celebraciones

feb9
New Orleans, Louisiana, USA · 9 de febrero de 2027
New Orleans Mardi Gras
Purple, green and gold floats, and the beads thrown from them caught by outstretched hands: New Orleans' liveliest carni…
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Places & local life

Lugares emblemáticos, rincones ocultos y vida local

ClásicoArizona, USA

Grand Canyon

Earth's growth rings carved by the Colorado River over two billion years — the crown of America's national parks

ClásicoWyoming / Montana / Idaho, USA

Yellowstone National Park

The world's first national park: a wilderness epic of geysers and bison

ClásicoNew York, USA

Statue of Liberty

The light of liberty given by France in 1886: the welcoming goddess of New York Harbor

ClásicoNew York, USA

Times Square

'The Crossroads of the World': the neon-lit, crowded heart of New York

ClásicoCalifornia, USA

Hollywood Walk of Fame

A Walk of Fame paved with 2,700 stars: the dream factory of the film capital

ClásicoHawaiʻi, USA

Waikīkī, Hawaiʻi

The smiling beaches of the Rainbow State, birthplace of surfing under blue skies

ClásicoCalifornia, USA

Golden Gate Bridge

A suspension rainbow in International Orange: San Francisco's calling card

GastronomíaHonolulu, Hawaiʻi, USA

Hawaiian poke

'Poke' simply means 'to cut' in Hawaiian: fishermen's offcuts mixed with salt and candlenut as a snack.

GastronomíaNew York, USA

New York bagel

A bread ring that's boiled and then baked, brought to New York by Polish Jewish immigrants.

GastronomíaNew Orleans, USA

New Orleans beignets

Square fried dough brought by French colonists, with café au lait made with chicory.

ClásicoAlaska, USA (Fairbanks)

Fairbanks

A gold-rush town where the aurora is visible on more than 200 nights a year on average.

ClásicoHonolulu, Hawaiʻi, USA

Bishop Museum

A cultural treasure house with the world's largest collection of Polynesian artefacts.

ClásicoNew Orleans, Louisiana, USA

French Quarter

New Orleans' old town: ironwork balconies, street jazz — and most of the houses were actually built under Spanish rule.

ClásicoPearl Harbor, Oʻahu, Hawaiʻi, USA

USS Arizona Memorial, Pearl Harbor

A white memorial over the wreck of a sunken battleship; the surprise attack of 7 December 1941 changed the course of the Second World War.

ClásicoLos Angeles (Mount Lee), USA

Hollywood Sign

Originally just a real-estate advert reading 'HOLLYWOODLAND', meant to stand for only a year and a half.

ClásicoSan Francisco Bay, USA

Alcatraz

The federal prison that held Al Capone; three inmates who escaped in 1962 were never found.

Ellis Island National Museum of Immigration

ClásicoNew York Harbor, USA

Ellis Island Immigration Museum

Between 1892 and 1954 about 12 million immigrants were inspected on this small island before setting foot in America.

ClásicoNew York (Manhattan), USA

Central Park

843 acres of green in the middle of Manhattan, the breakthrough work of Frederick Law Olmsted, father of American landscape architecture.