travel bag 50 litre

Are you human?

Something made us think you are a bot, but don’t worry. Just press on the button below and we’ll get you back to your journey.

You might have received this message if JavaScript or cookies were disabled in your browser settings. Occasionally a plugin or extension may be at fault. If you would like to learn more, just reference Why Was I Blocked for more details.

Advertisement

The Best Carry-On Travel Backpacks

By Kit Dillon

Kit Dillon is a writer focused on bags and travel gear. He has worked for Wirecutter for a decade and lost count of the number of bags he has tested.

When you open up your favorite carry-on travel backpack, it should feel like you’re opening the door to a well-organized closet or sitting down at a clean desk, with everything in the right place and easy to reach.

This is your moment to center yourself, no matter how chaotic the journey.

What we considered

A 45-liter bag maximizes overhead space but can get heavy when fully packed; 35-liter bags tend to be more manageable.

A bag with a clamshell design opens like a book and is the easiest to pack, but a bag that opens traditionally tends to have more structure.

Ideally, a travel backpack has handles on all sides—especially the bottom—so you can pull it out of overhead bins or from under seats.

Some internal pockets are useful, but major organizing is better managed with packing cubes.

The Cotopaxi Allpa 35L Travel Pack and the larger Peak Design Travel Backpack 45L offer the best combination of features, quality, and durability. Both bags are exemplary carry-on travel backpacks that are designed for comfort, durability, and organization. Though these backpacks are great as companion bags for any trip, they’re designed to ultimately replace all of your other luggage and become your exclusive bag as you travel.

This style of packing is not for everyone, but once some people try it, they’re forever hooked. Finding the right bag is a personal choice, though, and no single bag will appeal to everyone. That’s why we also have picks that are great for people who travel for work , others that are designed to be carried over long distances , and a bag that’s basically luggage on your back .

The research

Why you should trust us, who this is for, best small carry-on bag for most situations: cotopaxi allpa 35l travel pack, best large bag for most situations: peak design travel backpack 45l, best mobile office: patagonia black hole mlc 45l, best bag for long journeys on foot: osprey farpoint 40 and fairview 40, best bag if you need a large suitcase on your back: tortuga travel backpack pro 40l, other good carry-on travel backpacks, how we picked and tested, the competition.

I’ve been covering aspects of luggage and travel bag design for Wirecutter for nearly a decade, and I have personally researched, tested, and compared hundreds of bags in that time. I personally try to do most of my travel with a single backpack, whenever possible. I spent nine months roaming around Hawaii with not much more than that, and I spent another six months nomadically couch-surfing in New York City.

I reached out to writers who specialize in traveling the world carrying everything they need in a single bag: Eytan Levy, the owner and operator of the Snarky Nomad travel website; James Feess, founder of The Savvy Backpacker ; and Sharon Gourlay, of the Where’s Sharon? travel website. I also spoke with moderators of Reddit’s r/onebag and r/heronebag forums, as well as with Chase Reeves, bag fanatic, reviewer, and owner of Matterful .

We researched and tested bags designed for those who want to travel light and stay flexible while flying, without the burden of checking luggage. For some people, the challenge of cutting down a packing list is intimidating. But if you can get past that initial hurdle, traveling with a single bag is a revelation. With fewer items, you have more time to concentrate on and appreciate the journey.

• When you’re not loaded down by heavy luggage, it’s easy to remain more mobile. And it’s easier to adjust your plans mid-trip. If you’re willing to do laundry on the road, then one bag is all you need to travel indefinitely. At its heart, one-bag travel allows you to discover more—not just about the places you’re going but also about yourself and what you really need day to day.
• Size and weight still matter. If you desire more creature comforts or more gear, or if you plan to be away for a long time across multiple climates, you’ll want a bigger travel backpack . These larger bags tend not to be carry-on-friendly, however, especially in Europe, so be prepared to check them.
• No single backpack is perfect for everyone. Before you make any purchase, consider some basic points. How much can you carry? And where do you usually visit: the city or outback? Travel gear should feel like a welcome companion—there to support you when you need it but unobtrusive when you don’t.

45-liter bag vs. 35-liter bag

Cotopaxi Allpa 35L

A versatile small pack for a week or a weekend.

This durable bag’s clamshell design makes it easy to organize your stuff. And due to its strap design, this bag can be worn on your back or carried in your hand while you’re on the move.

Buying Options

The Cotopaxi Allpa 35L Travel Pack is an easy-to-organize, comfortable-to-carry bag for getaways lasting just a few days or a whole week.

It’s one bag that can do it all. This is a great all-around bag for any traveler who’s dedicated to packing light, or for a smaller person who wants less to carry. There are handles on all four sides of this bag, so it’s easy to grab no matter where you’ve stowed it. It’s also protected by a full lifetime warranty, and it has the build quality to back that up. After more than four years of testing, this single backpack (plus a personal item ) has replaced nearly every travel bag or piece of luggage I use.

It comes in various sizes, but we think the middle-of-the-road version is the best. Cotopaxi also makes the Allpa in 28-liter and 42-liter sizes. But for us, the 35-liter bag is the best option. At 42 liters, this bag becomes heavy for most people to carry when it is fully packed, and we’d prefer that it had a more-robust hip belt. At 28 liters, the bag becomes a touch small for most people, and its internal organization feels fussy for shorter trips, such as an overnight. Cotopaxi also makes a hip pack , which is designed to fit snugly into the Allpa bag’s front top compartment. It’s a neat little addition to the bag, and it is worth getting if you like wearing fanny packs while you travel.

It’s organized, easy to pack, and easy to carry. The Allpa bag has a clamshell design, so it opens like a hard-sided suitcase—a large YKK zipper runs around three sides of the bag, allowing it to fall open into two halves when unzipped. On the right side is a deep compartment, spacious enough for two large packing cubes or half a suitcase’s worth of clothing (which you access through a mesh zippered flap). On the left, there’s space for one more medium-size packing cube behind a zippered flap. Above that there are two smaller pockets with high-visibility backing—useful when you’re looking for hard-to-differentiate personal items.

It’s secure but still accessible. The Allpa pack has two side-access zippers—great for on-the-go access, especially when the bag is hanging from your shoulder. One of these reveals a flat computer pocket with a padded false bottom; so if you drop the bag, it won’t land on the corner of your computer. The other reveals a “secret” pocket with a hidden zipper and access to the main compartment. All of the main compartment zippers are protected by security loops, which you thread the zipper through at the end of its run. This prevents anyone from subtly or quickly grabbing a zipper and opening your bag when you aren’t paying attention.

It’s comfortable to carry. The Allpa bag’s hip belt—which can be removed while the bag is on your back—is substantial enough that it’s comfortable to wear when you need it. With or without the hip belt, the Allpa bag is comfortable to carry over long distances. However, folks who have longer torsos (over 19 inches) may find that the waist belt sits a little high off the hips, unless you fully extend the shoulder straps. Speaking of shoulder straps, unlike the ones on our other picks, the Allpa bag’s straps are contoured to fit people who have large or small chests. It’s not a specifically gendered design, but our female tester noticed the improvement right away.

The Allpa pack is made with 1680-denier ballistic nylon, similar to the Tom Bihn Aeronaut 45 . (Denier is a measure of a fabric’s fiber thickness.) It feels similar to a strong canvas, but it has a more prominent weave. This is the type of bag that’s as easy to toss into an overhead compartment as it is into the back of a rusty pickup truck. And it also includes a rainfly, which is unique in this category.

Flaws but not dealbreakers

• Though this pack is well organized for packing, it’s less ideal as a mobile office. The Allpa pack has a minimal amount of administrative organization—places to keep pens and papers, spaces to hold tickets, and so forth. This is where a good personal item comes in handy. However, if you want to travel with just this one bag, there are a few nooks you can hide things in. The front organizer is deep enough that you can also fit several small organizing pouches, if you want, or the aforementioned fanny pack.
• We prefer the model without the TPU front. Cotopaxi does enjoy playing around with fabrics and colors. Sometimes the company has released the Allpa pack without the TPU-lined front panel. The TPU panel improves water resistance, but after many years of traveling with our bag, we’ve found that the TPU layering can begin to flake in spots.

Capacity: 35 liters Weight: 3 pounds 5 ounces Main compartment access: clamshell opening Style: adventurous Colors: assorted

Peak Design Travel Backpack 45L

An easily customizable large bag for long trips and expensive gear.

This bag was built with photographers in mind. Yet most travelers will appreciate its easy accessibility, clever tuck-away straps, and the elegant way the bag expands and contracts. The accessory cubes cost extra, though.

The Peak Design Travel Backpack 45L is a good choice for those carrying more expensive gear—especially camera gear. It’s also great for those who prefer a large, backpack-based packing system.

One bag provides many configurations. Some bags in this category are built to do one thing extremely well—be carried on your back. But the Peak Design Travel Backpack 45L is built to adapt. It’s the Swiss Army knife of backpacks: adjustable, customizable, and (if you spring for the extra cubes and organizers) an almost perfect system for a photographer or gearhead on the move. Most bags’ expanding mechanisms aren’t worth the extra zipper they’re built on, and they look about as attractive as a boiled ham splitting out of its plastic packaging. That’s not the case with the Peak Design: This bag looks just as good fully packed at 45 liters as it does compressed to a 30-liter daypack.

It’s expandable, with clever folds and zippers. You can access the bag through a back panel (which doubles as a computer and tablet pouch) as well as a front one (if you unzip the pass-through divider). You can also get into the main compartment via two wing-like trapezoidal flaps, which run along each side of the pack. In its natural shape, the Travel Backpack holds 35 liters, but an expansion zipper lets the bag swell to 45 liters. If you want to use the bag as a daypack, you fold in the top corners and snap them down, reducing the bag’s volume to a slim 30 liters. In this configuration, it will still feel larger than a normal daypack, but we think that’s a small compromise for being able to use one backpack as both your travel bag and your daily explorer. The bag itself consists of 400-denier nylon and polyester fabrics. It feels tough but not as tough as some other bags we’ve tested, such as the Cotopaxi Allpa.

It has fold-away straps, for easier storage. The Peak Design lets you tuck its shoulder and hip straps away when you’re not using them. But unlike any other bag we’ve ever tested, this pack has magnetic flaps on the back panel that open and close with an almost magical snap. Once you’ve played with them, you’ll wonder why every backpack doesn’t have something similar. A small, childish part of me still gets excited about tucking away the straps when I put the Peak Design into an overhead bin. Although the straps are thin, they’re still comfortable. The hip belt isn’t quite as plush as the one on the Tortuga pack; still, even when the Peak Design is fully loaded, the belt doesn’t pinch or dig into the body.

It’s great for carrying expensive gear. If you travel with a camera, you don’t have to use Peak Design’s camera cubes , but they do make carrying that gear a whole lot easier. The cubes come in five sizes. And if they’re situated properly in the bag with the provided clips, they line up with the Travel Backpack’s side-access flaps for quick access. Caleigh Waldman (a photographer for this piece and, full disclosure, my spouse) took this bag across the country for a wedding shoot. “I want this backpack,” she said after three weeks of travel. “I want to travel with it everywhere. With my cameras. Without my cameras. It doesn’t matter. I want to travel with it.”

• It’s expensive—especially if you commit to the entire system of packing and camera cubes.
• More complexity means more things that can break. The adjustable design and multiple zippers do add complexity, and complexity adds potential weaknesses. Peak Design covers all of its bags with a lifetime warranty , which should alleviate most people’s concerns. But if you’re particularly hard on your gear and still need to carry as much as possible, you might consider the Tortuga bag instead.

Capacity: 45 liters Weight: 4½ pounds Main compartment access: back-panel loader Style: minimalist and unobtrusive Color: black, sage

Patagonia Black Hole MLC 45L

Combines more organization with a simple interior.

This bag’s split interior makes organizing easy. Those who travel for work will appreciate this bag’s dedicated panels for organizing tech, books, papers, and assorted miscellaneous items.

Free Public Lands membership required, single-use discount reflects in cart

If you travel often for business and prefer a bag that’s much easier to work out of than most of our other picks, you may like the Patagonia Black Hole MLC 45L . This bag has a front panel and assorted pockets that make it feel like a small traveling office.

It’s built like luggage but organized like your office. Of all the bags we recommend, the MLC (short for Maximum Legal Carry) comes closest to being a suitcase on your back, due to its large size, simple interior, and minimal external features. The MLC is also one of the simplest bags we tested, divided into two leaves (imagine a book with only one page), with a main compartment for packing and a second compartment for document organization and tech storage. The MLC has a built-in laptop compartment that fits 17-inch laptops and is situated close to your back; this protects the computer and keeps its weight closer to your body.

Despite its size, it’s comfortable enough to carry. Most carry-on backpacks of this size, without frames, become somewhat unwieldy when fully packed. Thankfully, the Black Hole MLC bag, like the Cotopaxi Allpa, is a welcome exception to this rule. The MLC has two shoulder straps, a hip belt, and an optional shoulder strap, for easy carrying. When they're not in use, or when you’re checking your bag, all of the straps can be stowed away easily. When fully loaded, the bag was pleasant to carry—not as comfortable as the Peak Design or the Osprey, but decent enough. I wouldn’t want to carry it all day across a city, but I wouldn’t mind carrying it through an airport to a car and to a hotel.

It’s built from high-quality materials, with durability in mind. This pack is made from recycled polyester, and the fabric is woven in a cross-weave that’s very similar to what Patagonia uses in its long-lasting Black Hole series of duffle bags . This is a material I’ve come across a bunch with Patagonia gear, and I’ve tested it thoroughly; it’s very tough. The front of the bag is coated in a weather-resistant TPU, for extra protection from the elements. The bag has large YKK zippers (the industry leader) and smaller YKK zippers throughout. Unlike the Cotopaxi Allpa pack, the Black Hole MLC bag has no security loops.

It comes with one of the best repair programs and a lifetime warranty. Similar to our other picks, the MLC is backed by an excellent lifetime warranty , and we’ve always found that Patagonia’s repair program goes above and beyond other comparable companies.

• We wish the Maximum Legal Carry (despite the name) came in a few more sizes. The 45-liter capacity may be intimidating for some people, and there is no alternative.

Capacity: 45 liters Weight: 3 pounds 10 ounces Main compartment access: clamshell Style: retro Colors: tan, black, olive, green

Osprey Farpoint 40

For long distances on foot.

A great starter option for one-bag travel, this bag is easy to pack, adaptable to most situations, and sturdy enough to take with you as you travel the world.

Osprey Fairview 40

For long distances and smaller torsos.

A scaled-down version of the Farpoint, this bag has shoulder straps that are slightly lower, to keep the bag’s bulk more aligned with smaller torsos.

Updated in 2023, the Osprey Farpoint 40 and Fairview 40 packs are both built around a hiking backpack frame that’s easy to carry over long distances.

It’s built for travel but designed for hiking. The Farpoint 40 bag is well made, easy to pack, and comfortable to carry over most mid-length distances—such as walking across a city for an afternoon. (For simplicity’s sake, everything we say here about the Farpoint bag also applies to the Fairview bag.) Osprey makes excellent backpacks for hauling around, and its lifetime warranty is renowned within the industry . The Farpoint pack also has an optional messenger bag–style strap, which offers some flexibility when you’re maneuvering tight spaces like subways or crowded city centers.

It’s simple to pack, but not as spacious as it seems. Opening the bag reveals a clamshell design; it’s deep enough to accommodate most large items, yet you won’t have to fumble awkwardly with zippers once it’s time to close up the bag. The feeling you get is not unlike when you’re packing a bit of sturdy luggage, and that’s something we love about bags like this one—especially when you use packing cubes . Osprey says this bag, when fully packed, can carry 40 liters. But after using the Farpoint bag for a few years, we’ve decided that its rounded shape seems to cut into that theoretical packable space more than other bags do. In practice, the Farpoint pack’s available space is closer to—but still less than—that of the Cotopaxi Allpa 35L .

It’s the easiest bag to carry among our picks. Like all Osprey bags, the Farpoint 40 has very comfortable shoulder straps. The years of design and consideration Osprey has put into its hiking backpacks are quite evident in the Farpoint 40. After more than seven years of long-term testing this bag, we’re still surprised by how great it feels to wear when fully packed. Crucially, the straps of the Farpoint 40 stow away neatly behind a zippered panel. However, when you’re using the shoulder straps, the design forces you to also use the hip straps. Though this isn’t a huge issue, if you prefer a sleeker look or would rather have the option of using shoulder straps without hip straps, the Cotopaxi Allpa pack is more flexible, and it lets you hide the waist straps while the bag is on your back.

The Fairview 40 has the same features, in a scaled-down size. The Farpoint 40 and the Fairview 40 packs basically have the same design, but the Fairview pack is made for someone with a more-diminutive torso. It’s also slightly lighter. However, it has the features and durability of the Farpoint bag. It also has the same hip belt and adjustability. On both, the chest-strap clip is also equipped with a small security whistle that’s surprisingly loud. It’s a handy feature for anyone traveling in unfamiliar environments.

• For a smaller carry-on travel backpack, this one has little to not like. However, we do wish Osprey would trade some of the sleeker contours for a little more interior space.

Capacity: 35 liters Weight (Farpoint): 3 pounds 3 ounces Weight (Fairview): 3 pounds 2 ounces Main compartment access: front-panel loader Style: active Colors (Farpoint): green (Gopher), gray (Tunnel Vision), blue (Muted Space), black Colors (Fairview): blue (Winter Night), red (Zircon), blue (Night Jungle), black

Tortuga Travel Backpack Pro 40L

A suitcase to carry on your back.

For dedicated single-bag travelers, this water-resistant, durable bag is easy to pack and to travel with. And it’s comfortable to wear over endless miles—as long as you don’t mind the heavier weight.

The Tortuga Travel Backpack Pro 40L maximizes packing space in a bag that’s durable, water-resistant, and customizable to fit most torso lengths (there’s also a 30L version ), with plenty of organizational features to suit any digital nomad.

It’s like a suitcase, with backpack straps. The Tortuga Travel Backpack Pro 40L is built to occupy the maximum carry-on space available. It’s a nearly perfect blend of backpack and luggage. On the outside, its tear-resistant sailcloth and sealed zippers provide ample protection from sharp objects and the elements. Opening the main clamshell zipper reveals a cavernous interior and a few organizational features that make the bag a cinch to pack. The front panel is a particular standout, great for keeping track of electronics and chargers. Of all the bags we tested, the Tortuga strikes the closest balance between the carrying comfort of a hiking backpack and the space and organization of a piece of luggage.

It’s as easy to pack as luggage. When it comes to packing, the Tortuga pack has a soothingly minimal interior, as any good suitcase should. In addition to the bag’s cavernous main pocket, its interior lid has a large vented panel. The panel is too narrow to hold additional packing cubes, but it’s great for holding light jackets or doubling as a dirty-laundry bag (if you’re really committed to one-bag travel). The Tortuga is available as a 40-liter pack (the maximum space for a carry-on bag), which we tested; there is also a 30-liter version, which is compliant with some intra-European flights. The more-diminutive version is a decent choice for weekend travel or for minimalist travelers—but for those uses, we prefer the space-saving profile and extra internal organization of the Cotopaxi Allpa 35L bag.

It’s very customizable. The Tortuga pack is the most adjustable model we tested, thanks to its adjustable torso length, shoulder straps, and waist-belt system. The adjustable strap system lets you manipulate the location of the shoulder straps (video) to fit a wider variety of body sizes, in both the 30- and 40-liter versions. Of the packs we’ve tested, this one (with its included load-adjuster straps at the top, to prevent the bag’s weight from sagging toward your lumbar region) is the best at distributing its weight (4½ pounds when empty—roughly 1½ pounds more than most of our other picks, except the Peak Design ). The hip straps are removable if you need, but the shoulder straps are not stowable.

• Its straps don’t stow away. Some people, especially those who are hard on their gear, may consider not being able to remove or stow the shoulder straps (as they can with our other picks, like the Cotopaxi Allpa ) a disqualifying factor. But after years of testing, traveling with, and occasionally checking our bag, we haven’t had an issue. However, if these mysteries beneath the airport also make you nervous, you might prefer our picks with easy-to-stow straps, such as the Peak Design.
• It's heavy. We’ve fielded complaints from some testers who said that older models of this bag were too heavy for them to carry, even with the padded hip belt and adjustable straps. The additional padding does add weight. At 4½ pounds, this latest Tortuga bag is more than half a pound lighter than it used to be (the difference is noticeable), and it weighs the same as the equally large Peak Design pack. We are currently testing a new, lighter, and less-expensive version of this pack—aptly named the Travel Backpack Lite 40L —and will report back soon.  In the meantime, if you think you would struggle carrying the Tortuga, we strenuously encourage you to consider one of our more-manageable picks, like the Cotopaxi Allpa 35L.

Capacity: 40 liters Weight: 4½ pounds Main compartment access: clamshell opening Style: minimal, with a rigid construction Color: black

If you want to travel like a backpacker but also fit in at a board meeting (and you have the budget for it): Consider the Tom Bihn Aeronaut 45 . This bag’s reputation for durability, adaptability, and a low-key aesthetic make it a favorite among many dedicated one-bag travelers. And after testing it, we think it’s a great bag too. That said, for the bag to really stand out against other backpacks—and to take full advantage of its carrying adaptability—you need to buy the internal frame , the hip belt , and (if you’re traveling with a suit or jacket) the shoulder strap . On a bag that already costs $330, all of this adds up. Everything about the Tom Bihn bag (the fabric, the zippers, the quality of construction) feels like an upgrade from other bags, but it’s simply too pricey, and its design is too rarified and specific for most people. The biggest flaw, from our perspective—apart from the price—is that the Tom Bihn bag lacks a dedicated laptop pocket. In its place, the company sells laptop sleeves (a fine version if you don’t have one) that clip into the bag’s central compartment. Not everyone needs a dedicated laptop pocket, but we prefer the more secure feeling of bags that do.

We’ve narrowed our specifications for a great bag to the following list of features, ordered from most relevant to least:

• Front- or back-panel loader or clamshell opening, for the main compartment: As with any good piece of luggage, with this type of bag, you should be able to open it and see everything you’ve packed. When you have a bag with a panel-loading or clamshell design—rather than a traditional, top-opening design—you can pack and unpack it just as you would a suitcase.

• Backpack strap comfort and design: You never know when you’ll be walking farther with your bag than you’d intended. The more comfortable and well designed the straps are, the easier traveling will be. “Ideally, you want a bag’s shoulder straps to adjust to the angle of your shoulders,” said Eytan Levy of Snarky Nomad. “Good shoulder straps are the difference between an easy trip and a hard trip.”
• Hip-belt comfort and design: A hip belt transfers heavy loads from your back and shoulders onto your hips, letting your legs—not your back—bear the brunt of the weight. Just having a waist belt is a plus, but having a padded and sculpted one—especially on bags with over 40 liters of volume—makes a world of difference.
• Material quality: Durability is critical for any type of luggage, but especially for a backpack that will be your only bag. Most bags worth considering are made of nylon, which resists abrasion more than polyester fabrics of similar density. Spending more, however, can get you exotic, light, and strong materials, such as Dyneema or sailcloth.
• Weight: Once the bags arrived, we weighed each one ourselves. Most of the bags weighed within a few pounds of one another. But unless you’re very strict with yourself, by the time you’re packed for a two-week journey, all bags are going to feel equally massive, even if one is just 2 pounds heavier than another when empty.
• Stowable straps: These are nice to have, but they aren’t absolutely necessary. “The more often you need to check a bag, the more often you need to hide away the straps,” Levy said. “But if the straps are tough enough, it doesn’t matter.”
• Accessory pocket layout and design: Some people will love an accessory pocket that has a specific space for everything; others may find that feature constricting and unadaptable. We prioritized bags with simple designs that guided our packing without constraining us.
• Style: This is purely subjective. We preferred bags that had a minimalist exterior style, but not all of our picks will please everyone. Most of the people we spoke with, however, preferred not to stick out like a tourist wearing a large, colorful backpack, if they could avoid it.

During testing, we flew across the country with these bags, took weekend trips to nearby cities, lived out of them on extended trips, and tried them locally in our daily routines. We also packed and unpacked each bag, using a standardized set of weeklong travel necessities and accessories, to see how well the internal organizational features (or lack thereof) aided or got in the way of efficient packing.

This is not a comprehensive list of all of the carry-on travel backpacks we have tested. We have removed any models that have been discontinued or that no longer meet our criteria.

The Away Outdoor Convertible Backpack 45L is a rare miss from the Away team. This bag is resoundingly average for the price. Although it’s made from excellent materials, the bag is let down by its overall design, which lacks any kind of structure or attention to comfort. There are better options.

The cheap, no-frills Cabin Max Metz bag is intriguing for the price. Any bag at this price should almost be considered disposable. That said, if you need a simple bag that costs less than a seat upgrade, this might be the way to go.

The GeniusPack Travel Backpack is the only model we came across that tried to fit a suit into a travel backpack. Though some people might need that, we think those who have to travel with a suit (or clothes that require pressing) would be better off with a piece of carry-on luggage . GeniusPack now offers a second version of this bag, but our conclusion hasn’t changed.

For certain people, the GoRuck GR3 is almost worth the cost. It’s strong and simple and covered by an iron-clad repair guarantee. The removable hip belt is comfortable to wear, and it’s good at displacing the weight of a 45-liter backpack. This is a decent bag. After testing it, however, we weren’t thrilled with the internal Velcro lining for compatible Velcro packing cubes. Velcro isn’t great: It wears out, it’s difficult to keep clean, and it clings to dirt. That might seem like a small thing, but for the price, this bag should feel perfect.

The Minaal Carry-On 2.0 was designed to be a backpack for business people. But if you’re carrying it for business, you’re probably wearing at least a blazer, so you wouldn’t use a backpack in any case. If you’re a business traveler who falls more on the casual end of the business-casual spectrum, and you’re not on a budget, this is a well-thought-out pack. But we think our picks are more versatile for world travel, and they come at a better price. Minaal has since introduced a 3.0 version of this bag ; our thoughts about it remain the same.

The Osprey Sojourn Porter 46L is a slightly larger sibling of the Farpoint pack. The Sojourn Porter bag is about 2 inches longer, and it pushes right up to most airline limits. If you don’t mind possibly having to check your bag at the last minute, this would be an excellent alternative to the Farpoint pack.

This article was edited by Ria Misra and Christine Ryan.

Chase Reeves, Matterful.co , phone interview , October 10, 2018

Addison Ryan, moderator, r/onebag , email interview , September 8, 2018

Lindsay Lorraine Calderón, moderator, r/heronebag , phone interview , September 28, 2018

Meet your guide

Kit Dillon is a senior staff writer at Wirecutter. He was previously an app developer, oil derrick inspector, public-radio archivist, and sandwich shop owner. He has written for Popular Science, The Awl, and the New York Observer, among others. When called on, he can still make a mean sandwich.

Further reading

The Best Travel Backpack

For trips ranging from a week to multiple months, the Osprey Farpoint 55 and Fairview 55 carried everything we needed comfortably.

The Best Buy It for Life Backpack (Please Don’t Call It Tactical)

A buy-it-for-a-lifetime backpack should last you for years of heavy use. But as with all investments, you need to decide if it makes sense for you.

Wirecutter’s Favorite Bags, Totes, Backpacks and Carryalls

Whether you’re going to school, work, the gym, the store, or on vacay, you need a bag. Here’s the Wirecutter-recommended carrying gear we love most.

I Take This Backpack Everywhere. After Two Years, It’s Still Practically Flawless.

For two years and counting, Everlane’s ReNew Transit Backpack has been my go-to for commutes and weekend trips, thanks to its size, storage, and adjustability.

The Best Travel Backpacks of 2024

There are a lot of great travel backpacks out there, but not all of them are created equal. A travel pack needs to be comfortable to carry, easy to organize, and durable enough to withstand being toted from place to place.

From hitting the road for the weekend to spending months traveling abroad, we’ve put nearly 30 different travel backpacks through the wringer. We tallied our airline miles, punched our tickets, and put our tray tables in the upright and locked position for close to half a decade now, taking domestic and international flights to as far as Iceland and as close as 30-minute island hops. And while there isn’t a single pack that suits every traveler, we’ve highlighted a variety of designs and price points to help you find the perfect travel backpack.

Choosing a travel backpack can be a dizzying experience, and we’ve shaken down the best to sort through the static. Each pack has seen its time on the baggage carousel, hostel luggage cart, and we’ve even had a few go missing for the full experience. We fully pack and live out of these bags to test them, and in the end, we’re confident that the 15 packs collected here are the best travel backpacks available today. Check in and check them out.

For all your travel pack questions, consult our buyer’s guide , where we’ve laid bare all the essentials. Compare each of the packs using our handy comparison chart , and if you’ve still got questions, check out our FAQ section.

Editor’s Note: We updated our travel backpack guide on May 21, 2024, adding the JanSport Journey Pack as our new best budget travel pack, as well as the feature-rich and burly Able Carry Max Backpack .

• Best Overall Travel Backpack: Peak Design Travel Backpack 45L
• Best Budget Travel Backpack: JanSport Journey Pack
• Best Carrying Travel Backpack: Osprey Farpoint & Fairview 40 Travel Packs
• Best Organization in a Travel Backpack: Matador SEG45 Travel Pack
• Best Shoulder Bag: Patagonia Black Hole MLC 45L
• Best Commuter-Style Travel Backpack: Evergoods Civic Panel Loader 24L
• Best Personal Item Travel Pack: TimBuk2 Never Check Expandable Backpack

Peak Design Travel Backpack 45L

• Capacity 45 L (collapses to 35 L)
• Weight 4 lbs., 8 oz.
• Dimensions 22" x 13" x 9.5" standard, 22" x 13" x 11" expanded
• Compartment access Back panel clamshell design with #10 zipper
• Material Weatherproof, 100% recycled 400-denier nylon canvas shell; 900-denier waterproof bottom

• Compresses down to maximum airline carry-on size, and then expands once you’ve hit your destination
• Burly construction
• No details are overlooked in the design
• Side-carry handles are offset in an awkward position

Perfect is a dirty word in product design, but we’re about stumped when it comes to drumming up a quibble about the Peak Design Travel Backpack 45 L ($300). This redeye-ready clamshell design is made to the highest of standards.

It’s made of quality materials, utilizing aluminum hardware and a burly 400-denier nylon canvas — and it easily ticks all our boxes for the best overall travel backpack. The interior of the bag is split into two compartments: a larger main area for storing the majority of your kit and a secondary sleeve at the front of the bag with five zippered pockets. The main pocket also sports a foam-padded laptop sleeve and three more pockets.

One of the more impressive aspects we discovered along the bag’s inaugural leg from Seattle to Anchorage was how easily the straps of the Travel Backpack stow away into the bag. Two foam panels on the back of the bag flip away to secure them and then close with a magnetic closure — very slick. This was our favorite strap-stowage system, with the zippered panels of the Matador GlobeRider45 coming in a close second. We find the Peak Design bag compresses smaller.

Then there are the little details. An ID-size sleeve on the back panel provides all the information should your bag get separated from you. Zipper pulls thread through one another to keep what’s yours safe. And a collapsible system adjusts the bag from a full 45 L to 35 L.

In our review, there’s little about the Peak Design pack that misses the mark. The company leans heavily toward the camera-toting travelers among us, but the 45 L Travel Backpack makes no compromises and works just as well for any user group. The high price is undeniable, but for the scope of the travel pack, it’s a buy-once-cry-once purchase we would make again.

Also available in a 30L size , the range of Travel Backpacks from Peak Design is so well-thought-out that you can practically see the cogs turning in their creators’ heads. We think they make the best travel backpacks on the market.

JanSport Journey Pack

• Capacity 28 liters
• Weight 1 lb., 13.6 oz.
• Dimensions 19.5" x 12.5" x 7"
• Compartment access Zippered top access
• Material 100% 600D recycled polyester + 1680D ballistic boot
• Electronic storage 15" laptop sleeve

• Compact and clean profile
• Plush foam back panel and shoulder straps
• Compression straps on bottom of pack tote around a jacket
• Smooth-running zippers
• Good internal organization
• Laptop sleeve won't fit some large modern laptops
• Water bottle pockets sized for slimmer vessels

At $95, the JanSport Journey Pack does a lot for a little. As a campus commuter, airline personal item, or do-it-all backpack, this pack leverages its lack of specificity to make it amenable to being used on just about any day. Part of a trio of new travel packs from the legendary campus bookbag brand, the Journey surprised us with a more high-end build than expected, and for the money, it made an excellent travel companion.

While the Journey isn’t trimmed out in some of the more boutique fabrics, it is still solidly built and uses the good stuff where it counts, such as the 1680D ballistic boot material that’s reinforced with recycled car windshield liners (news to us). The 600D polyester used elsewhere has a rugged nailhead finish, and shoulders wear well.

The thick EVA foam used in the shoulder straps and back panel is cushy and applied liberally. On the inside, the laptop sleeve is lined with plush tricot material, along with an organizer pocket for stashing your readers or sunnies.

The organization of the pack is similarly uncompromising and is broken down into a spacious main compartment, front stash pocket, small bits and bobs organizer pocket, and a 15″ laptop sleeve — which easily toted our tester’s MacBook Pro safely.

When packed as a carry-on, we were able to stuff in an assortment of layers we might need along the way (rain jacket, warm puffy, hat), along with our headphones, book, travel pillow , and lunch for the flight, and still had space for an empty water bottle or two.

As a 28-liter pack, there’s no alternate sizing available and no hip belt to go along — though, in our opinion, loads this light doesn’t need one. Compression straps are limited, though you do get a set at the bottom of the pack that doubles as a dock for your beach towel, picnic blanket, or rolled-up jacket.

Like the TimBuk2 Never Check , the side water bottle pockets on this pack are really only ideal for thin bottles or flasks, and while we could shoehorn a Nalgene in there, it didn’t look happy.

Compromises aside, for less than $100, the JanSport Journey Pack doesn’t take the easy way out and phone it in with fewer materials or a more simple organizational layout. We had a pocket or sleeve for anything we needed to stash (besides a dedicated passport pocket), and the Journey made for an easy personal item on the handful of flights we took it on — easily stashing beneath the seat. If you’d rather ball out on your big-ticket luggage and just need a travel backpack that’ll plain work, this is the bag for you.

Osprey Farpoint & Fairview 40 Travel Packs

• Capacity 40 L
• Weight 3 lbs., 7.6 oz.
• Dimensions 22" x 14" x 9"
• Compartment access Zippered back panel clamshell design
• Material Bluesign-approved 450-denier recycled polyester

• Supreme suspension system offers the best carry of any pack we tried
• External compression straps limit the volume well
• Comfortably padded grab handles
• Not much internal organization

No stranger to producing supremely comfortable suspension systems, Osprey injected a good bit of its tech into the Farpoint and Fairview packs ($185), which both sport LightWire frames, load lifters, and breathable framesheet and suspension straps. Our Farpoint pack was easily the best load carrier of any we tested and a close contender for the best travel backpack overall.

Far beyond what any of the other travel packs offer, the pack even allows you to adjust the torso length — unheard of in the typical travel pack. Newly updated, these packs have been tweaked to ride the line between traditional backpacks and functional luggage, a claim we can substantiate.

The 40-liter capacity is just about the sweet spot for domestic carry-on luggage limits, and these packs make good use of the space. We could easily pack away a long weekend’s worth of travel essentials into the bag with a little space to spare.

Whereas many other travel packs stash straps away into the body of the pack, the Farpoint and Fairview move in the opposite direction with a deployable strap cover that neatly seals in the suspension for safekeeping when checked. This produces a clean profile that’s ready to be slung around, but it’s not quite as easy and quick as the magnetic panels of the Peak Design Travel Backpacks, as you need to unclip straps to tuck them away.

The interior of the pack is rather spartan, incorporating only one zippered pocket, a laptop sleeve, and two internal compression straps. We would have rather seen a bit more organizational features involved like those that the Matador GlobeRider and Topo Designs Global Travel bags incorporate, but for those who stuff more than pack, the Farpoint and  Fairview may very well punch the ticket.

With one foot on the platform and one on the trail, these packs from Osprey will get you where you’re going and carry a trip’s worth of kit with ease.

Matador SEG45 Travel Pack

• Capacity 45 L
• Weight 2 lbs., 8 oz.
• Dimensions 22" x 13.4" x 10.2"
• Compartment access Full clamshell interior, additional front zippered access
• Material 420-denier nylon exterior, 100-denier Robic Dynatec interior

• Excellent storage organization options
• High-quality, strong, and lightweight construction
• No frame to speak of
• Shoulder straps don’t pack away

Aiming to do more with less, the Matador SEG45 Segmented Backpack ($200) proposes a future free of packing cubes and splits up the bag for you, making the organization of your travel pack a breeze.

The full 45 liters of volume is shared among the five segments (6, 9, 15, 9, and 6 L) and trades volume between the full clamshell compartment and the segments. Each of these segments is accessible via its own water-resistant zippers and can be collapsed as your needs change.

We found organizing by clothing type made the most sense in our own packing, but you could even pack based on the day of the week or the use. The clamshell-accessed main compartment was ideal for holding larger items like spare shoes or quarantining spent outfits.

Known for its overbuilt but lightweight bags, Matador didn’t spare the SEG45, utilizing 420D UHMWPE-reinforced nylon in the pack body, as well as 100D Robic Dynatec weave on the interior. It should be noted that this travel backpack doesn’t have any kind of frame and will rely on being packed well to carry correctly. Because of this, this pack won’t carry as well as bags like the Osprey Farpoint/Fairview, so consider packing mostly clothing in the SEG45.

Our testers felt this bag excelled as a travel bag you might deploy once you’ve hit your destination, as it packs away into larger bags so well. Unfortunately, however, the shoulder straps don’t pack away into the bag itself, so you’ll have to wrangle them into place to keep things tidy.

No matter what you’re up to, everything has got a spot to live in the SEG45 . Need a bit less space? Matador offers the SEG28 ($250) for that.

Read Review: Dresser in a Backpack: Matador SEG42 Review

Patagonia Black Hole MLC 45L

• Weight 3 lbs., 10.3 oz.
• Dimensions 22.8" x 8.6" x 14.5"
• Compartment access Back panel zippered clamshell design
• Material 900-denier recycled polyester ripstop with a TPU laminate

• Multiple ways to carry the pack
• Many different storage and internal organization options
• Burly external fabric
• Doesn’t carry the best as a backpack

Looking to squeeze out every last liter of allowed space? Patagonia named this pack in honor of the cause: the Patagonia Black Hole Maximum Legal Carry-On 45 L ($239). This bag can be carried in a number of different ways, but we found it shined during travel as a shoulder bag.

Borrowing fabric from Patagonia’s line of burly Black Hole Duffels , the MLC 45 is made for the long haul. The 900-denier polyester ripstop is coated in a TPU laminate and feels ready to take on the surliest baggage carrier. We certainly felt no remorse in tossing the bag around.

At 45 L, the MLC is certainly right at the cusp of the maximum allowed size, but thankfully that space is well divided up inside the pack. Inside the main clamshell-accessed compartment is a blizzard of zippers and mesh pockets and dividers. Anything we tossed inside was well-stabilized.

Because there isn’t much of a frame to speak of, the Black Hole MLC doesn’t carry the best when slung over both shoulders and can sag when not entirely full. But over a shoulder with the included shoulder strap, this pack feels great and can be easily accessed on the go. This is one of the only packs in our testing to feature a shoulder strap (the other being the Topo Designs Global Travel Bag).

On top of all this, we greatly appreciate that the Patagonia Black Hole MLC 45 L is made with 100% recycled body fabric, lining, and webbing. Perfect for grabbing and going, this pack is ready to move.

Read Review: Patagonia Black Hole MLC Bag Review: An Organized, Carry-On-Size Wonder

Evergoods Civic Panel Loader 24L

• Capacity 24 L
• Weight 3 lbs., 1.6 oz.
• Dimensions 18" x 7: x 11.5"
• Compartment access Zippered clamshell
• Material 840D ballistic nylon 6, 420D HT nylon

• Functions as both a laptop backpack and suitcase
• Well-structured and protected
• Full panel loading access
• Limited colorways

With an understated look that betrays the truly impressive fit and functionality inside, the Evergoods Civic Panel Loader 24L ($279) doesn’t need to brag — it knows it’ll tote your kit through the worst of your travel or everyday commutes without missing a beat. This bag is our newly anointed best commuter-style travel backpack.

From a fabrics and materials standpoint, it’s clear that someone at Evergoods truly nerded out when they brewed up this bindle. The 840D ballistic nylon 6 that makes up the exterior of the pack is burly (errantly spilled coffee wipes right off), and complements the thick #10 zippers and spacer-mesh back panel. Even the Evergoods logo is low-key: a simple 2×2” patch on the front of the bag with a slash. That’s it — and we dig it.

Bar none, the Civic Panel Loader has the best laptop sleeve we’ve ever encountered in a backpack, and that’s saying something. The side-accessed zippered aperture can hold a 17” Macbook Pro, and nestles into a fully padded space at the rear of the pack.

This sleeve is suspended from the bottom of the bag, as we’ve seen in many forward-thinking bags, but goes a step further and protects the laptop from the side with an aluminum stay — the primary functionality of which is to support the side handle on the bag. Genius.

The high-polish finish on the CPL24 feels reminiscent of the attention to detail we loved about the Tom Bihn Synapse 25, but we ended up enjoying this pack even more for a simple reason: side carry. The broad handle on the side of the pack is reinforced by that aluminum stay, and it creates a perfectly supported carry for jostling through crowded terminals.

On the interior of the pack, two large pockets are subdivided with a few smaller sleeves and pockets, which are oriented to be accessed with the bag on its side. We carried this pack for a month straight of remote work, lugging it to coffee shops and co-working spaces, and it supplanted all other packs we’ve used previously.

“It’s hard not to love a pack that makes your life easier,” says Senior Editor Nick Belcaster. “This pack does that. Laptop, headphones, notebooks — a whole lot goes into the pack without a care.”

Up there with Nomatic, GORUCK, and Tom Bihn, Evergoods is certainly among the pack-makers that put intelligent design and smart material choice above all else. The Evergoods Civic Panel Loader 24L is the final word when it comes to a travel pack you can carry every day. We certainly do.

Timbuk2 Never Check Expandable Backpack

• Capacity 27.5 L
• Weight 2 lbs., 9 oz.
• Dimensions 18.9" x 11.4" x 5.9"
• Material 420x2000D Cordura nylon, 135D polyester

• Dang good looking
• High-quality trim and details, including anodized G hooks and supple webbing
• Supper cushioned back panel
• Exterior expandable water bottle pocket is a bit slim
• Pack straps don't stow away.

Pulling off a good expandable backpack can be a tough task, with fabric accordion folds often taking up valuable real estate on the interior when collapsed in lesser bags. Not so with the TimBuk2 Never Check ($209), which takes a simple backpack shape and elevates it with premium materials and design to create one of our favorite travel backpacks for tucking under an airliner seat.

Unlike a lot of the pure-function rectangular bags in our lineup, the Never Check is a real looker — easily one of the best styled in our testing so far, and we’d have no qualms about bringing it along as a business bag. Small details like rubber-covered zipper pulls, anodized G hooks, and supple webbing keep it looking sharp. The 27.5-liter size is just about dead-on for most airline ‘personal item’ size requirements, and this bag easily slides under a seat.

The main compartment is accessed through a clamshell zipper on the front of the bag, which is gusseted to hang open while you’re loading it up. During the few national and international flights our Senior Editor Nick Belcaster deployed the bag on, this was easily enough space for everything you might want during a plane ride. And for everything else, a front pocket is lined with multiple drop and zip pockets for organizing small gadgets like chargers or keys.

The back panel of the Never Check is a plush ½-inch of comfortable foam, and combined with the equally padded shoulder straps made for a very nice carrying bag. The straps unfortunately do not stow away, but on a lower volume pack such as this, it’s a much less useable feature in our opinions. 

And finally, one of our favorite features: the wide laptop sleeve. This 15” opening is generous enough to accommodate the larger laptops of today, and is suspended from the bottom of the backpack to ensure bumps don’t turn into bruises.

Just like the name suggests, the Never Check Expandable Backpack provides a svelte solution to bringing a bag with you during airline travel — or even just to the office. Its clean profile and attention to detail impressed us, and it would make an excellent work-to-weekend bag.

Able Carry Max Backpack

• Capacity 30 L
• Weight 3 lbs., 14.4 oz.
• Dimensions 20.4" x 12.6" x 7.9"
• Compartment access Zippered clamshell design
• Material X-Pac and 1000D nylon face fabric, ripstop 420D nylon interior

• High-quality fit and finish with top-shelf materials
• Dedicated work compartment is well organized and padded
• Shoulder straps and back panel are cushy Zotefoam
• Fits 17" laptops
• No hipbelt can be nice for storing, but needed for heavy carries
• On the higher end for travel pack pricing

Sporting many of the same features and functionality as the leading travel packs in our review, the Able Carry Max Backpack ($278) leaves little on the cutting room floor, decked out with ultra-durable Cordura nylon and X-Pac materials to pull together a travel pack that you could kick, throw, or loft across the airport to no ill effect. This is one tough pack.

At 30 liters, the only thing not ‘Maxed’ out on the Max is the capacity, which lands at less than the maximum legal carry-on size for most domestic airlines, but will be ideal instead for those who are operating with a little more room in their checked baggage, freeing up the Max for the important stuff. We also find slightly smaller packs such as this fly much easier on worldwide flights, where carry-on sizes can be a bit more diminutive.

That space is wisely dispersed, organized, and split between the laptop and main compartments. The laptop sleeve won’t hold any remote worker back, as it will host up to the 17″ mondo laptops of the modern age. It is flanked by an accessories pocket lined with four stretchy pockets for swaddling your chargers, cords, memory cards, and wireless mouse.

The main compartment leaves the organization up to you and is accessed through a broad clamshell opening that gives you full access to the entire space. A couple of packing cubes won’t go to waste in this space, and while Able Carry doesn’t supply the straps themselves, a couple of daisy chain webbing loops run the length of either side of the interior, meaning you can wrangle unruly items if need be. The back panel tucks away a few more zippered pockets, and a water bottle pocket also collapses away when not needed.

On the exterior, the Max is crisscrossed by seatbelt webbing on almost every facet, which will appeal to those who are looking for a modular pack for attaching and switching kit around as it’s needed. The VX21 X-Pac material is a rough and tumble weave that might not have the slick finish of the canvas on the Peak Design Travel Backpack but is easily as weather and abrasion-proof. We also highly appreciated the 1000D Cordura nylon on the boot of the pack, which made shuffling it around a worry-free exercise.

There are a lot of high-quality travel backpacks in the 30-liter space, and while most all will get the job done, it’s the construction of the Able Carry Max Backpack that keeps drawing us back to it. The stitching on this pack is exact and plentiful and works to hold a number of high-quality materials together in a thoughtful design.

Fully loaded, we did sometimes wish for a removable hip belt to help shoulder the weight a bit, but only the most jammed-full load-outs elicited this desire. For anyone after a dialed-in travel pack, the Max lives up to the name.

Matador GlobeRider45 Travel Pack

• Dimensions 22" x 12.8" x 11"
• Material 420D UHMWPE-reinforced ripstop nylon, 100D Robic nylon mini-ripstop

• Incredible density of pockets and sleeves
• Tough UHMWPE outer fabric can be tossed around
• Shoulder straps tuck away in a novel and smart manner
• Laptop sleeve opening is a bit tight
• Price is up there

With a pocket or sleeve for pretty much everything, the new Matador GlobeRider 45 ($350) gives the Peak Design Travel Pack a run for its money when it comes to the best overall travel pack. 

Our Managing Editor raved about the GlobeRider after serious testing where she pretty much lived out of it for 3 months: “If you travel often and look for crucial components like internal and external pockets, laptop storage, and backpack and hip straps, consider the Matador GlobeRider 45. It’s a unique design in that the [pack] seems to have it all — every feature I’ve needed so far, both living out of it and in my travels — in a pretty packable size.”

What impressed us most was the way the GlobeRider was able to balance both an eye-watering amount of organization and versatility, and burly durability that ensures that this pack won’t shy away from tough travel conditions. In total (and we double-counted) there are 19 individual pockets on the pack, in all types of stretch mesh, zippered, and collapsible configurations. When good organization is key, the GlobeRider reigns. 

On the back panel of the GlobeRider, one of the more novel stowage systems we’ve seen packs away the shoulder straps and hip belt for when you want to slim down the bag. Two zippered panels — similar to the structure of the Peak Design packs, save for the closure — envelop the straps when not in use, and provide a lump-free panel for toting around. 

When it comes to downsides, the GlobeRider doesn’t miss much. The laptop sleeve aperture is a bit small at 9.5”, which in today’s age of mondo-screened computers may be limiting to some with larger devices. There also is no ability to convert the pack to a shoulder bag like the Patagonia MLC does, which can be handy when moving quickly through the airport.

Dang-near the top of the list, the Matador GlobeRider 45 would be an excellent choice for anyone who practices one-bag travel, or desires to have a place for everything in their journeys. The price does sting a bit, but based on the long-term testing we’ve completed so far, we’ve seen no indications that this pack will fade away anytime soon.

Read Review: I Lived Out of This Backpack for 3-Plus Months: Matador Globerider45 Review

Thule Aion 40L

• Weight 3 lbs., 3 oz.
• Dimensions 13" x 9.1" x 20.5"
• Material Waxed P600 polyester canvas

• Maxes out on carry-on-compliant space
• Internal roll-top TPU bag separates the clean from the to-do laundry
• Waxed canvas exterior has a classy look
• Centered side handle carries well
• Well-cushioned back panel
• No shoulder strap stowage option
• No hipbelt on a 40L is pushing it

Better known for their roof boxes and racks, it’s fair to say that Thule knows travel, and the addition of smart, organized, and comfortable travel packs like the Thule Aion 40L ($200) makes all the sense in the world to us. This pack is a finely-honed bag for international and local travel alike, and is decked out in some high-class materials.

Like the Patagonia Black Hole MLC pack, the Aion 40L aims to go for the maximum allowed capacity, and at our measurements (21.5” x 15” x 8”), the pack slides in just half an inch less than the normal 45 linear inches typically allowed. That’s efficient. The space is split up into two main compartments and a laptop sleeve, with the larger opening with a full clamshell zip.

This inner compartment hosts a few zippered pockets and internal compression straps, but the star of the show here is the integrated TPU rolltop bag. This sack can be used to cordon off your liquids (and easily presented for inspection), as well as separate your pile of ‘to-do’ laundry. This reminds us of the ActiveShield compartment in the Gregory Border Traveler pack, but we enjoy the removable aspect here even more. 

Round the back of the pack, the spacer-mesh swaddled laptop sleeve rivals the Evergoods Civic Panel Loader , and has an additional sleeve for items like tablets, notebooks, or chargers. The back panel itself is impressively cushioned (one of the more luxe in our testing) and that extends to the shoulder straps. 

Unfortunately, there’s no shoulder strap-stowage system here, so you’ll have to wrangle those yourself, and while we typically enjoy the lack of a hip belt in smaller travel packs, the absence in a 40-liter pack is a little puzzling. Fully loaded, the Aion could certainly benefit from one, and while a separate sling bag can be added to function as one, you’ll need to fork over $50 for it.

Ranking high up there with your Peak Designs and your Ospreys, the Thule Aion 40L nails the style and material departments, and with a full 40 liters of space on board, has all the room to pack for your week-long trips — no roof box required.

Osprey Archeon 30L

• Weight 3 lbs.
• Dimensions 20.5" x 13" x 11.4"
• Compartment access Zippered top-access
• Material 840D ballistic polyester with carbonate coating

• Extra-tough exterior fabric with carbonate coating
• High-polish details such as seatbelt webbing straps
• Mini-wing hipbelt tucks away easily when not needed
• Smart internal storage pockets that lay flat when not needed
• Laptop sleeve opening is a bit too snug
• Compression straps lay over the main zipper

First off, one word: Rugged. The Osprey Archeon 30L ($250) is a high-end build that spares little in the material department, and looks dang good while it’s at it. The 30-liter size makes this bag weekend travel-ready, and we greatly appreciated the fit and finish.

The overall design of the Archeon reminds us a good bit of the Peak Design Travel Bag (certainly the all-waterproof exterior zippers and curved side-entry pockets), but it’s the exterior fabric that really impressed. The 840D ballistic polyester is coated with a carbonate polyurethane coating, a bolstered recipe that increases durability by a magnitude over traditional PU coatings. In testing, we wore out before putting a dent in it.

The pack itself breaks down into two main compartments, with the main pocket opening behind a curved clamshell zip (we did have a little trouble with the zipper passing behind the exterior straps. Removing them fixed that). Inside, three expandable tech pockets tuck away all of your small kit, and do a good job of keeping things tidy on the interior.

On the exterior, Osprey doesn’t disappoint when it comes to suspension straps, which are comfortable, adjustable, and stashable. The mini wing-style hip belt earns special praise on packed flights, where we find traditional hip belts to be a hassle to store, and combined with the slick shoulder-strap stash pocket, the Archeon converts to minimal mode in under a minute.

Something the Archeon certainly could use, however, is a slightly larger aperture into the laptop/tech compartment. As-is, the zipper doesn’t quite extend down far enough to truly open up the pocket, and as such it can feel a bit like rummaging around in the dark looking for cords and chargers in the bottom of the pack. Extending these zippers down to the middle of the pack would seem to fix the issue, and we hope a later iteration might address this.

Nonetheless, we were still impressed by the Osprey Archeon 30L . There’s also a 40-liter version if you’re looking for a max-capacity carry-on, and even a smaller 24-liter for kicking around coffee shops day-to-day.

Read Review: Hack Carry-On Rules: Osprey Archeon Kit Gives Power Back to Passengers

Topo Designs Global Travel Bag 40L

• Weight 3 lbs., 10.4 oz.
• Dimensions 22.5" x 14" x 7.5"
• Material 1000D recycled nylon, 400D recycled nylon, 210D recycled nylon, 1680D recycled ballistic nylon

• Overbuilt design with tough materials and chunky zippers
• Plenty of organizational pockets
• Bright interior
• Not the cleanest strap stowage

Chunky zippers, an overhead-savvy profile, and multiple ways to sling it over your shoulder: The Topo Designs Global Travel Pack ($229) has honed in on much of what we love in a travel backpack.

During a recent trip from Seattle to Southern California, we were heavily saddled with the maximum the airline would allow. But this pack made use of every inch of space and reached the allowance of what we could check as our carry-on. The 40 liters of internal capacity is broken down into a series of dividers and pockets, which made condoning off things like electronics from the rest of our kit easy. And the interior of this pack is a cheery canary yellow, which helps with ease and visibility.

On the exterior of this pack, three separate carry styles are available to get you through the concourse in whatever way you choose. We found the full-featured backpack straps to be our go-to, which even sport load-lifters for a comfy carry. This suspension system does tuck away for when you might want to check the bag, though we found the hipbelt to be a bit tricky to fully retract.

Rounding out this travel-ready backpack is a tough build that makes use of 1000D recycled nylon and heavy-duty zippers, and we had no qualms with tossing this bag around during our trip. Perfect for anyone who subscribes to the one-bag travel ethos, the Global Travel Pack from Topo Designs makes the grade for those who want the most out of their carry-on.

And if you’re only going to be away for a short trip, the Global Travel pack is also available in a 30L capacity .

Cotopaxi Allpa 28L Travel Pack

• Capacity 28 L
• Weight 3 lbs., 4 oz.
• Dimensions 19" x 12" x 9"
• Material TPU-coated 1,000-denier polyester, 840-denier nylon paneling

• Burly exterior material holds up for the long run
• Plenty of zippered mesh storage pockets
• On the heavier side
• TPU-coated nylon can feel grabby

The Allpa 28L Travel Pack ($170) will change the way you travel. It’s sleek, durable, and able to fit an incredible amount of stuff in a small space. The zippered mesh pockets keep clothes organized. And the compression straps maximize what you can pack.

The tough polyester and nylon construction can take a beating without any signs of wear. And we appreciate that the externally accessed, padded laptop sleeve makes pulling out your electronics at security checkpoints a breeze. There’s also a small outer compartment to keep essentials at hand.

You can completely tuck away the backpack straps and carry the pack like a briefcase, or wear it comfortably as a backpack. We’ve stuffed this pack to the gills countless times and have never had a problem with the zippers. Light rain showers or spills roll right off the TPU-coated exterior, but for legit rainstorms, just pull out the included rain cover.

The Allpa also comes in 35L, 42L, 50L, and 70L capacities. As our editor noted in the 42L review , “Building on its fun and functional ethos, Cotopaxi beefs up its bestselling product. The Allpa Travel Pack earns big points for clever design, clean aesthetic, and a surprising number of handy — and hidden — features.”

Yes, the Cotopaxi Allpa packs are an investment, but anyone who travels regularly will find it a worthy one. These powerhouse travel backpacks are sturdy, versatile, and built to last.

Tom Bihn Synapse 25

• Capacity 25 L
• Weight 1 lb., 13 oz.
• Dimensions 13.4" x 20" x 9.1"
• Material 400-denier Halcyon, 420-denier nylon ripstop

• Many different fabrics and color schemes are available
• Built to last design and materials
• Removable webbing hip belt
• Suspension doesn’t pack away
• Side wing pockets are a little awkward to access

Refined and clean-looking, the Tom Bihn Synapse 25 ($250) is a high-end travel backpack we just can’t stop staring at. It just looks that good. Made of burly textiles and zippers, this pack was built to stand the test of tough travel and come out shining on the other side.

The Synapse 25 is the larger version of Tom Bihn’s Synapse 19 , a popular backpack made for daily carry. The bump in volume is appreciated in this travel-oriented version and is doled out in one large compartment as well as a set of pockets on the front of the pack.

We found all the pockets easily accessible, save for the side wing pockets. While these were excellent for the organization of smaller bits and bobs, the openings were a bit awkward to jump into.

Topped off by a cushioned suspension (the foam is a half-inch of supple EV50), this travel backpack didn’t weigh us down on long days of travel when fully packed. And when we wanted to go light, even the webbing hip belt was removable. In terms of the ability to bop around town as a daily driver, this pack is up there with the TimBuk2 Never Check (we liked the back panel on this pack the most).

Along with being carry-on compliant, the Synapse is also one of the few bags on our list that are compact enough to fit under most airline seats without hogging too much precious legroom.

Osprey Nebula 32 Daypack

• Capacity 32 L
• Weight 2 lbs., 1.7 oz.
• Dimensions 19.2" x 12.2" x 11.4"
• Material 420-denier recycled nylon

• TSA-compliant laptop sleeve
• Many options for organization
• Water bottle pockets fit 32 oz. bottles
• Need to release two buckles in order to unzip the main pocket all the way

When it comes to backpacks, Osprey has put in the time — and it shows. The Nebula 32 ($140) feels like all the brand’s most popular packs morphed into one. Most of all, we love how it seamlessly goes from city streets to trails.

This backpack can do it all, whether you’re hauling your laptop and books around town; water, food, and layers on an easy hike; or all of the above and then some for a weekend away.

The internal storage pockets are great for organizing all of your things for easy access. And while the Nebula 32 is top-loading, the main pocket opens up wide enough so you won’t have to unload everything to get to the one thing you want at the bottom. The sternum strap and hip belt are comfortable as well, especially when carrying a heavy load.

On smaller volume packs like this, sometimes design concessions need to be made to accommodate all the functionality, and on the Nebula, it’s in the side compression straps. Like on the Osprey Farpoint/Fairview, the compression system of the pack overlays across the main compartment zipper, meaning you’ll need to undo some straps before rifling around in the storage area. Not a deal breaker, but a little annoying when the TSA line starts to back up behind you.

Overall, the Nebula 32 won’t disappoint if you make it your go-to smaller-volume travel backpack.

Travel Backpack Comparison Chart

How We Tested Travel Backpacks

The staff of GearJunkie is a hot-footed bunch, restlessly plodding across the country or around the globe in search of adventure and whatever else comes our way. And we have a lot of stuff, which necessitates having a travel bag or four in the stable.

Surely any old bindle will do in carrying your kit around, but having a travel backpack that is dialed into the needs of travel can turn a stressful situation into a manageable one. We’ve been testing travel backpacks since 2019 and have put the market slice through the wringer on thousands of miles of travel to weed out the best of the best.

Senior Editor Nick Belcaster has a zeal for international travel, and he leads up our current travel pack testing, logging almost 10,000 flying miles in the last year alone. From Iceland to Utah, Belcaster has carried these packs and lived out of them for weeks, relying on them to support back-to-back travel excursions.

In testing, we looked for a number of features in our travel backpacks, including overall capacity, carry style, durability, and aesthetics. It’s important to think about how you’ll use your travel pack, and as such, every pack on our list is carry-on compliant for the worst-case scenario.

We know no trip will be like the next, so we took a broad swath of the travel backpacks on the market in order to create a list that will suit many different travelers. Packs in hand, over our shoulders, or on our backs, we hit the four corners and tested the best travel backpacks of 2024.

Curious about what we pack in our travel backpacks? We’ve penned up a list for both domestic and international trips .

Buyer’s Guide: How to Choose a Travel Backpack

Travel backpack user profiles.

The International Jet-Setter: The term ‘One Bag Travel’ is no stranger to you, and you’ve just about got your life distilled down into 45 liters of space. If international travel is your bag, then a backpack that’s up to the task will be essential to see you through to further time zones.

Efficiency will be the name of the game here, and going with a pack that is dang-near the carry-on maximums for international flights will mean you can make it through without checking a bag. Look for near to 45-liter packs with plenty of organization baked in, as well as a comfortable (and stashable) carry system.

For international travel, the bag we reach for most often had to be the Peak Design Travel Backpack , with a razor-thin second place going to the Matador GlobeRider45 Travel Pack . For an emphasis on organization, the Matador SEG45 splits up the volume well, and if you’ll be schlepping bags around a long way, the Osprey Farpoint & Fairview Packs have all the Osprey suspension we love.

The Weekend Warrior: Maybe it’s a work trip, and maybe it’s just for fun, but it’s only going to take 2-3 days total, and you’ll need a bag that can pack it in. For weekend excursions, we find packs in the 25-35 liter range work well for the minimalists among us, and the 30-40 liter range for those who like a bit more options.

The Tom Bihn Synapse 25 is easily one of the most stylish packs in our review, only slightly edged out by the Timbuk2 Never Check , and both make the grade for a single overnighter in a foreign locale. For a bit more space, you can’t go wrong with the Topo Designs Global Travel Bag 40L , a fun pack that is a lot tougher than the multi-colored exterior would let on.

The Commuter: No flight involved! Duty calls, and sometimes you’ll need to lug around a bit more kit than the old briefcase can allow for. Commuting with a travel backpack is a great way to stay comfortable on longer rides, as shoulder and handbags are cumbersome over the long run. Focus on a bag with a more traditional backpack shape that puts an emphasis on ease-of-access, and is in the 20-30L range.

For bumping around town, we’ve come to love the Evergoods Civic Panel Loader 24 , which not only lugs our remote office around with ease, but also looks pretty slick doing it. The drawstring opening here is a huge boon for quickly stashing a jacket, and the tough exterior fears no weather forecast. For a budget just-get-it-done choice, the JanSport Journey Pack will make it happen for less.

The right size pack for you depends on a few things. First, where are you going? And, how long do you plan to stay? Winter travel often comes with more gear, so you’ll need to pack extra layers. Longer trips often require larger bags.

That said, your personal packing style will be the most important factor. We know minimalists who happily travel for months with only a single backpack in tow and others who want the largest travel backpack possible in addition to a totally stuffed duffel bag . One method isn’t better than the other, but knowing your style is helpful when choosing a bag.

In general, we’ve found that something in the 28-45 liter range is ideal for comfort and packability. Many packs will also offer a compression system to allow you to limit the overall volume of the backpack. We’ve seen many different ways to accomplish this, but the most effective by far were the button snaps and expanding zipper of the Peak Design Travel Backpack 45L . Packs toward the 40-45 liter range will be your carry-on bags of choice, and the 45-liter Peak Design, Patagonia MLC , and Matador GlobeRider are perfect for maxing out your allowed space. The 40-liter Osprey Farpoint/Fairview packs give up a little internal room for the luxe suspension system they’re carried with.

Packs in the smaller end of the range, from around 25-30 L, make better personal items, and the TimBuk2 Never Check , Tom Bihn Synapse , and Patagonia Black Hole backpacks all fit snugly underneath an airliner seat. These small bags move through a city gracefully and look more like everyday carry backpacks than traditional luggage.

What good would a bag be if you couldn’t get into it? From a simple drawstring to a thicket of Velcro and zippers, there are plenty of ways to keep your bag closed while you’re on the go, but not every one will be amenable to travel.

Zippered Clamshells: Most travel backpacks will use a clamshell-style design that opens up the backpack like a suitcase, allowing you to pack intentionally as opposed to stuffing things in. Oftentimes, an internal strap system will help keep your items contained while you’re on the move.

Packs with this clamshell design may also opt to add internal dividers to the main storage area, and make these dividers removable — should you need the entire storage area uninhibited. For packs without internal dividers or straps, consider adding a few packing cubes to keep your items organized.

In addition to the rear entry, some backpacks will offer additional entry points through the top or front of the pack. This can be helpful when you need to quickly retrieve something like a passport from your bag, without the need to totally spill the contents. The majority of packs in our review close in this clamshell manner, and a few of our favorites are the Peak Design Travel Backpack , Osprey Farpoint & Fairview 40 Travel Packs , and Matador GlobeRider45 Travel Pack .

Zippered Top-Access: Much like many traditional backpacks, zippered top-access packs load and unload from the topside, and generally only offer one point of entry/egress into the pack. For this reason, packs of this flavor are generally left packed during travel, as digging around for something at the bottom can be a hassle.

Bags of this stripe, including the uber-nice Tom Bihn Synapse 25 and expandable Timbuk2 Never Check , most often make better personal items over carry-ons, as their smaller volumes make for easier searching within.

Drawstring Top-Entry: While not quite as common as a zippered clamshell or top-access pack, drawstring top-entry packs can make for very quick and easy access to your kit if you’re on the move. These packs will integrate an extended fabric collar to the top of the storage area, which can be compressed when needed, or overstuffed with bulky items like jackets.

Carrying Options

There are plenty of ways to lug your kit to your boarding gate, but not all of them will be comfortable for everything. Over-shoulder backpack straps can support a good bit of weight but typically will need some type of frame to truly be supportive. The Osprey Farpoint/Fairview packs were the best-carrying packs in our testing, owed largely to the wire frame and Airscape mesh back panels, but we also enjoyed the carry of the aluminum frame stays on the Matador GlobeRider.

A shoulder strap travel backpack, like the Patagonia Black Hole MLC 45L , can be slung across your body and provide a great amount of accessibility on the go. Don’t expect to carry too much weight this way, however.

And then there’s the classic suitcase style, easily towed anywhere. It’s good to note many travel backpacks will have stowable straps to better streamline the pack for a trip through an X-ray machine or stowed under a seat. The strap storage design of the Peak Design Travel Backpack 45L impressed us most of all, utilizing magnetic closure flaps to pack away the shoulder and hip straps neatly.

Pockets & Organization

There’s an organizational saying: “A place for everything and everything in its place.” And we couldn’t agree more. Keeping track of everything while you travel is key for organization. And while more pockets always seem better, there is a threshold where having too many simply becomes more places to misplace things. Instead, we recommend packs with three to six pockets.

The Cotopaxi Allpa and Topo Designs Global Travel Bags both have ingenious inner organization systems complete with large zipping “pockets.” It has just enough space to find room for everything but not so many compartments that you’ll be hunting all day for your misplaced passport. For even more organization, the Matador SEG45 splits into five different segments that are accessible from the exterior of the pack.

Bringing along a laptop is a necessary evil for some travelers, and having an incorporated laptop sleeve in your travel backpack can keep it safe during travel. Most laptop sleeves will be padded with some type of foam and nestle in close to the back for maximum protection. In order to be TSA-compliant, a laptop sleeve will need to fold entirely flat away from the pack to be scanned.

Because flying with liquids over 3.4 ounces is prohibited in the U.S., carrying all of these items in a separate toiletry bag can make your foray into the screening line a breeze. Many of the packs on our list incorporate many external pockets where such a bag could be stashed and produced when needed.

Travel luggage takes a beating, so durability is a top concern. Luckily, gear manufacturers realize this and are making increasingly burly yet portable packs. The fan-favorite Patagonia Black Hole MLC 45L pack is made with a 900-denier ripstop nylon outer with a TPU laminate for extra durability. It’s nearly indestructible, water-resistant, and versatile.

If you’re traveling somewhere with inclement weather or if your pack needs to double as a climbing bag or hiking pack, durability is extra important. And it’s worth paying more for a backpack that is water-resistant.

Space Efficiency & Carry-On Compliance

Astute observers will note many of the packs in our review sport a rectangular shape, which is certainly due to designers aspiring to create a more space-efficient pack. This isn’t to say that more shapely packs won’t make it happen, but when you’re struggling to make every liter of space count, maximizing dimensions matters.

Carry-on luggage is any bag that you plan on bringing into an airplane and storing in the overhead bins. Because space is limited, airlines dictate the maximum size that any carry-on can be. In the U.S., the most common size is 22 inches x 14 inches x 9 inches, or 45 linear inches (length + width + height). However, this is just a rough guideline; some airlines differ from these dimensions, and you should refer to their information directly.

In general, these dimensions provide a travel backpack with around 40-45 liters of internal volume, so buying a pack that’s as close to that as possible will provide the most space allowed. Many of the packs on our list have the ability to compress to a smaller size, such as the Peak Design Travel Backpack 45L .

Be mindful as well, that any protrusions from your travel pack such as shoulder straps or handles will also need to fall within the maximum allowed size. Many travel backpacks today incorporate some type of strap-stowing ability, such as the magnetic panels of the Peak Design packs, the zippered cover of the Osprey Farpoint/Fairview, and the hybrid zipper/panel of the Matador GlobeRider 45. All of these provide a more streamlined profile that should both hit the mark, and fit better into overhead bins.

Travel backpacks run the gamut of prices — from affordable to downright pricey. There are a number of factors that play into what you get for the money.

Budget-Minded Travel Packs

Travel backpacks, as a category, are generally a bit pricer than your average luggage, as they incorporate tough materials that can put up with extensive wear over the lifespan. Travel is tough on bags, so it’s unsurprising that even budget travel backpacks will cost you around $100-150.

These packs often will incorporate more traditional architectures such as a zippered top access, as opposed to the more complicated (and spendy) full-zip clamshell designs. For example, the JanSport Journey Pack ($95) is pretty much your average school bag.

Volumes, too, will be a bit limited in this price range — added material adds cost. The 32-liter Osprey Nebula ($140) is about the best price-to-volume ratio you can get.

Mid-Range Travel Packs

Mid-range packs make up the bread and butter of travel packs, and can be had for around $150 to $200. These designs are often more of the full carry-on variety, and aim to capitalize on permitted volume as much as possible. The 45-liter Matador SEG45 ($200), Patagonia Black Hole MLC ($239), 40-liter Osprey Farpoint/Fairview ($185), and Topo Designs Global Travel Bag ($229) all shoehorn in just about as much space as a friendly gate agent will let you get away with.

For the price, you also get a good variety of functionality that makes travel easier, such as stowable pack straps, interior segmented pockets and sleeves (done excellently on the $170 Cotopaxi Allpa ), and an external compression system that limits the space your bag takes up. Some packs, like the TimBuk2 Never Check ($209), don’t exactly hit these parameters, but instead make up for it in high-quality design and materials.

Premium Travel Packs

Above $250, you’re likely paying for premium materials or a to-the-hilt design that leaves absolutely nothing on the cutting room floor. The Peak Design Travel Backpack ($300) is a great example, and utilizes super high-quality nylon canvas, custom aluminum hardware, and supple seatbelt material webbing in its build, as well as fitting in just about every conceivable feature you could want in a travel pack. The same can be said of the Matador GlobeRider 45 ($350), which uses high-tech UHMPWE-reinforced materials and sports a total of 19 pockets.

The Tom Bihn Synapse 25 ($250) is a bit of an outlier, as it commands a high dollar amount not for the extreme amount of space it offers or amount of features, but for being a hyper-customizable, hand-made bag that uses the nicest textiles available, as well as the best zippers, webbing, and foam in its design. If you’re a fan of the finest materials, this is your daily driver pack.

What Is One Bag Travel?

The ‘One Bag Travel’ ethos and travel backpacks go hand-in-hand. Simply put, to travel in one-bag style is to be minimalist in your luggage choices, and only take what you can carry onto the plane/train/pack animal. Not only does this do away with the fuss of deciding what exactly to bring along with you, but it also allows for breezing through airports — skipping the need to check baggage, wait at baggage claim, or fear for lost luggage.

In order to most effectively travel with one bag, be sure to read up on exactly the baggage size allowances provided by your transportation. This can affect both overall size and weight, and having an expandable pack is a large benefit here. In this way, you can carry just enough to skirt through under the limit, and then expand the bag when you’ve hit your destination for more breathing room. If you aim for a 35-40 liter backpack, you’ll be right on the money for one-bag travel.

Finally, remember that this bag is going to be the only item of luggage you’ve got, so ensure it’ll be comfortable enough for the long haul. Look for padded back panels and hip belts that’ll transfer the load correctly, and if they stash away — all the better.

Our team unanimously agrees that the best travel backpack is the Peak Design Travel Backpack 45L . It’s extremely durable, and it offers plenty of organizational pockets to stash your kit away in. The clamshell opening makes packing a breeze, and we really appreciated the unique shoulder strap storage options available to turn the pack into a stripped-down bag that would slide into any overhead compartment.

The best size bag for traveling depends largely on your travel itinerary and mode of transport. The Cotopaxi Allpa packs range from 28 to 42 liters.

The 28-liter option makes for a compact and comfortable backpack that easily fits in overhead airplane compartments. The 42-liter option is a bit more like carrying a duffel bag on your back, but it still manages to fit in overhead compartments. It’s a great option for maximizing carry-on capacity in backpack form.

While both have their place in travel, a backpack can offer some advantages over a suitcase. Since they’re much more portable, backpacks can be brought to many more places where a suitcase won’t work. Suitcases can be your large load carriers, but a good travel backpack gives you the freedom to strike out on daily adventures.

Travel backpacks absolutely can be carry-on luggage, given they meet the size requirements. In the U.S., the most common maximum size is 22 inches x 14 inches x 9 inches, or 45 linear inches (length + width + height). But this is only a common size, and different airlines will have different specifics. Consult with your airline specifically to determine what they allow.

While different body types will find different travel packs comfortable, we can all agree that a good support system and ample foam make for a comfortable carry. In our own testing, we found the Osprey Farpoint 40 and Fairview 40 Travel Packs were by far the most comfortable due to their plush suspension systems.

Because many different airlines operate a slate of different planes, there isn’t a standard under-seat luggage size, although there is an average: 16 inches x 12 inches x 6 inches. Some airlines allow personal items larger than this, but you should consult with their customer service for specifics. Our favorite personal item-sized travel pack was the Timbuk2 Never Check Expandable Backpack , which, at 24 liters compressed, easily slides under a seat.

The Best Laptop Backpacks of 2024

Whether you’re headed to the office, class, or even the trailhead, here’s our top picks for the best laptop backpacks of 2024.

The Best Daypacks of 2024

We tested the best daypacks of 2024 with options for every budget. Top picks include Osprey, Cotopaxi, and more.

Hailing from the hemlocks and hanging mosses of Washington State, Senior Editor Nick Belcaster is an adventure journalist following threads of stories across the West. Cruelly stolen from the alpine swales of rural Wisconsin at a young age, Nick made do ascending the snows and granite of the North Cascades while completing a journalism degree. A long stint on the Pacific Crest Trail in 2018 codified a life bent on sleeping on minor slopes and picking devil’s club out of his shoes.

Follow Us On

Subscribe Now

Get adventure news and gear reviews in your inbox!

Join Our GearJunkie Newsletter

Gear Top Stories Deals

• New Arrivals
• Mountaineering
• Clearance Sale
• Corporate Gift
• Extra 40% Off

Refined By Clear all

Availability.

• In stock (20)
• Out of stock (8)
• Cart 0 0 items
• Choosing a selection results in a full page refresh.

Thanks for subscribing!

This email has been registered!

Shop the look

Trending now, popular products, choose options.

• Facebook Facebook
• Instagram Instagram

Edit Option

Back in stock notification.

FREE SHIPPING AUSTRALIA WIDE ON ORDERS OVER $100 (EXCLUDES WA & NT)

• Travel Backpacks
• Rolling Luggage
• Wheel Aboard & Carry On
• Gear Bags & Duffel Bags
• Travel Accessories
• All Backpacks
• Laptop & Tablet Ready Backpacks
• Military Inspired Backpacks
• High Visibility Backpacks & Gear Bags
• Academic & School Backpacks
• Waist Packs
• Hydration Backpacks
• Rucksacks & Trekking Packs
• Waterproof & Water Resistant Bags
• Outdoor Accessories
• Sleeping Bags & Pads
• Camping Tents
• Beach Shelters, Umbrellas and Chairs
• Camping Chairs & Furniture
• Backpacking Bags
• Hiking Backpacks
• Running Backpacks
• Camping Backpacks
• School Backpacks
• Uni Backpacks
• Work Backpacks
• Where to Buy

Intercity 50L travel pack

The ever changing travel landscape requires brands to evolve their products to suit market trends. The Caribee Intercity 50L backpack answers the call for a medium sized travel backpack that can be used during your adventures entirety. Rather than acting as a piece of luggage to transport your belongings to your next nights’ accommodation, this compact backpack can accompany you on your everyday adventure, freeing you from the constraints of planned destinations. It’s compact proportions won’t be bothersome in crowded streets or whilst hiking up trails as more time outside of hostels means more time for adventure.

Being an item you take everywhere, the Intercity’s reinforced rip-stop material make this pack both hard wearing and reliable during off grid adventures. Lockable zip housings lead to a generous main compartment that contains multiple storage pockets to keep you organised and prepared whilst the padded harness system with hip belt effortlessly transfers weight to your hips allowing an easy full day’s use. On the outside, large storage pockets hold gear for on the go and the front pocket can store items of more importance. If you next adventure involves short hops and the opportunity for unexpected adventures, the Caribee Intercity 50L backpack is ready for you.

Volume: 50L/60 x 36 x 25cm

Weight: 2.1kg

• Designed as a lightweight and compact intercity travel backpack
• Compact proportions allow you the freedom of movement whilst carrying enough gear for short trips away
• Lightweight triple span rip stop material, provides great strength & durability
• Comfortable ventilated air mesh harness system with padded shoulder straps, sternum strap and hip belt
• Zip away harness cover protects the packs back system in transit
• Internal aluminium frame provides great back support and improves load distribution
• Full length main zip compartment allows easy organisation and access to your gear
• Large main compartment provides generous room for your gear whilst QR webbing straps hold it all in place
• Internal zip storage pockets are ideal for accessory storage 
• Front zip storage pocket is designed for smaller, regular use travel items
• Base QR webbing straps allow the attachment of a sleeping bag or other bulky gear
• Side water bottle / accessory pockets
• Lockable zip housings helps protect your belongings from theft
• External QR compression system hold your gear steady
• Water resistant base material protect contents from varying surfaces

Also available instore and online:

• Australian Retailers
• International Distributors
• Product Warranty
• Change of Mind Returns
• Spare Parts
• Caribee 2025 Product Catalogue
• Custom Made, Promo, Corporate
• Ethical and Social Policy
• Terms of Use
• Travel Backpacks & Luggage
• Backpacks & Daypacks
• Hydration Backpacks & Reservoirs
• Outdoor & Camping

Join our mailing list and keep up to date with Caribee news

© 2024, Caribee | Backpack Store | Backpack, Travel & Outdoor Products

• Search Please fill out this field.
• Manage Your Subscription
• Give a Gift Subscription
• Newsletters
• Sweepstakes

We independently evaluate all of our recommendations. If you click on links we provide, we may receive compensation.

• Travel Products
• Luggage + Bags
• Backpacks, Totes + Small Bags

The Best Crossbody Bags, Tested and Reviewed

Whether headed to the mountains or a music festival, a crossbody is always on our editors' packing lists.

Ashley is a writer and editor with more than 10 years of experience reporting on products in the fashion, beauty, and lifestyle space. Along with Travel + Leisure, you can find her work in Business Insider, WWD, Harper's Bazaar, Elle, Cosmopolitan, Best Products, and About Amazon.

In This Article

• Our Top Picks

Our Testing Process

• Tips For Buying

Frequently Asked Questions

• Why Trust T+L

Travel + Leisure / Lydia Price

In the realm of handbags, none match the convenience of a crossbody. This hands-free silhouette is an ideal travel companion, keeping you unencumbered to snap endless photos or sort through flea market finds. However, not all are equal when it comes to style and function. Fortunately, we’ve done the groundwork by testing our favorites around the globe, squishing them into suitcases and under airplane seats along the way to ensure they’re the very best.

Ahead, we share our top picks based on durability, capacity, and looks. While the Away Featherlight Crossbody takes the top spot for its all-around versatility, you can rest easy knowing each has been personally vetted during hikes, pool days, and even a trip to Japan .

Best Overall

Away featherlight crossbody bag.

It’s the right combo of roomy yet compact, plus it has thoughtful details like a pocket for a passport and a hidden spot in the strap for an AirPods case.

There’s enough room for a water bottle, but no dedicated pocket, so make sure the lid is on tight.

Of all the crossbody bags put to the test, Away’s Featherlight Crossbody earned our top spot for its thoughtful details designed with travelers in mind. The lightweight material is easy to pack and doesn’t feel bulky on the shoulder, yet there’s plenty of room and organization built in. What really makes this bag a standout is that it has a dedicated pocket for your passport and a hidden zip compartment in the strap to hold things like earbuds , lip gloss, or a credit card. 

Along with being water-resistant, the bag can be wiped clean, so it’s a great choice for any day trips that might encounter some dirt. Senior editor Jasmine Grant chose the salt-white color that appears closer to beige in person, but she likes that it comes in a few non-neutral shades, too. Grant brought the bag on a trip to Croatia and is already planning to pack the crossbody for her next trip.

The Details: 11 x 11 x 3.9 inches | Water-resistant polyester

• PHOTO: Travel + Leisure / Jasmine Grant

Hammitt Tony Small Clear

The clear design is a must-have for concerts and sports venues, but it’s so cute and functional that we bring it to the beach, too.

We’d love a nylon strap option, instead of just leather for added durability.

With so many venues switching to clear handbags only, this crossbody is an excellent option to have at the ready for your next concert or sports outing. However, T+L associate director Morgan Ashley Parker found the splash-proof material so functional that it’s become a regular for our beach trips and pool days, too. Despite the compact appearance, she squeezed in her phone, earbuds, lip gloss, and even a Kindle. Another great feature of this crossbody is the many colorful trim options that make it more visually interesting than your run-of-the-mill clear handbag.

The Details: 8 x 7.5 x 2 inches | Plastic, leather

• PHOTO: Travel + Leisure / Morgan Ashley Parker

Best Leather

Quince italian leather quilted crossbody bag.

The small body is way more spacious than it looks and the leather still looks new after multiple trips around the world.

Our editor (who is short in height) found the strap slightly long, even when adjusted to the shortest length.

With Italian leather and quilted stitching, this Quince crossbody looks nice enough to carry around daily, but we’ve also found it to be an ideal travel companion. It survived senior editor Lydia Price's trips to India and Japan, still looking polished and unworn despite some rough handling along the way. Another bonus is that the square body holds way more than you’d expect — Price managed to fit multiple pairs of glasses, a mini umbrella , a small tripod, a large wallet, and a collection of lip products all at the same time.

The Details: 8.5 x 6 x 3 inches | Leather

• PHOTO: Travel + Leisure / Lydia Price

Best Anti-Theft

Arden cove crissy mini crossbody.

Slash–resistant with a simple, polished exterior makes this a crossbody with plenty of style and function.

The super compact size is ideal for traveling light, but it just barely fits our editor’s iPhone 15 Pro Max.

When it comes to travel safety, this crossbody has thought of it all. Arden Cove’s Crissy bag is made with slash-resistant lining, RFID-blocking credit card slots, water-resistant nylon, and zippers, and it even has a cut-proof steel cable shoulder strap. Price loves how sturdy it is while still looking polished and sophisticated. With just enough room for a smartphone and a few small items, it’s best saved for the days when you want to stick to the bare essentials. 

The Details: 6.5 x 4.5 x 2.3 inches | Nylon, faux leather

Travel + Leisure / Lydia Price

Lecxci Sling Bag

A padded strap and water bottle holder make this bag perfect for hikes and day trips, plus it comes in several bright color options.

It’s supposed to be waterproof, but we think water-resistant is more accurate.

If your travel plans include hikes or outdoor activities, associate editor Amelia McBride shares that this crossbody is worth bringing along. The sling bag won’t get lost among the trees with its several bright color options, and the padded shoulder strap keeps hands free. The lightweight material stretches to fit tons of stuff, but her favorite feature is the outside water bottle pocket that doesn’t take up valuable space inside — it can also be used to hold an umbrella. McBride is also a big fan of the built-in zip pocket where we store our keys and other necessities.

The Details: 14.5 x 7.7 x 4 inches | Nylon

Travel + Leisure / Amelia McBride

Best Belt Bag

Lululemon everywhere belt bag.

There’s enough room to store sunglasses and a Kindle, yet it doesn’t feel cumbersome and the design keeps your hands free.

The belt loop that secures the end of the strap comes loose sometimes, so the strap can flap around until it’s secured again.

In editor Sophie Mendel's experience, the Lululemon Everywhere Belt Bag truly lives up to its name. The medium size is perfect for taking just about anywhere and has held her phone, wallet, sunglasses, and Kindle without feeling too cumbersome. This popular belt bag can also be worn across the body and comes in more than a dozen colors and patterns, ranging from sunny yellow to classic black. With so much versatility, this is a crossbody you’ll be happy to have whether you’re traveling abroad or just going for a quick jog near home.

The Details: 7.5 x 5 x 2 inches | Nylon

• PHOTO: Travel + Leisure / Elizabeth Rhodes

Best Designer

Proenza schouler ps1 leather bag.

We’ve filled this bag’s many pockets and compartments to the brim with travel essentials and it still doesn’t look bulky or stuffed.

The iconic style comes in lots of iterations, but a neutral shade that goes with more outfits may help justify the investment.

For a designer crossbody that can keep up when traveling around the globe, we turn to the PS1 bag from Proenza Schouler. Though certainly an investment, the iconic bag won’t soon go out of style and is easy to transition from day to night — a big plus when packing space is limited. Editor Susmita Baral calls this her “Mary Poppins crossbody” for how much she can stash inside, yet it somehow never loses its shape. The many pockets are perfect for storing a passport and any knickknacks picked up along the way.

The Details: 10.2 x 6.7 x 3.1 inches | Leather

• PHOTO: Travel + Leisure / Susmita Baral

Best Budget

Uto 3-in-1 crossbody bag.

This scratch- and water-resistant crossbody has great storage space and can be worn as a clutch or a shoulder bag.

The zipper on the coin purse doesn’t glide very smoothly.

Writer Asia London Palomba discovered this crossbody that won’t break the bank and pulls triple duty with its three-in-one design. Multiple compartments and removable straps let this crossbody be converted into a clutch or a shoulder bag at a moment’s notice. It’s also deceptively spacious. She packed it with a portable charger, phone cable, multiple passports, phone, wallet, hand sanitizer, and camera batteries within the many pockets and still had room to spare. As if that weren’t enough features, the material is scratch-resistant and water-resistant, making it ideal for both travel and daily use.

The Details: 9.5 x 7.2 x 2.9 inches | Faux leather

Travel + Leisure / Asia Palomba

Most Versatile

Kaai mini bowler bag.

This sleek leather crossbody has a magnetic pocket on the outer back that keeps your phone or plane tickets hidden but within reach.

A micro-suede lining makes stains such as a lip gloss spill hard to clean.

Don’t be fooled by the mini size of this crossbody bag. The compact body stashes away essentials with ease, and there’s even a hidden pocket on the outside where you can slip in your phone. Associate editor Anna Popp has fit everything from lip balm to sunglasses within the sleek Italian leather exterior that also happens to be scratch-proof, waterproof, and even UV-resistant. Another fun feature is an adjustable shoulder strap that lets you carry the Mini Bowler as a shoulder bag. On the inside, a micro-suede lining adds a luxe touch, but you’ll want to be mindful of any products that could cause a sticky spill.

The Details: 9.8 x 6.3 x 3.1 inches | Leather

• PHOTO: Travel + Leisure / Anna Popp

Most Stylish

Cuyana mini paloma bag.

This bag’s soft leather looks and feels luxe, doesn’t dig into the skin, and the crossbody strap is adjustable so you can carry it by hand or shoulder.

The strap can be worn shorter, but we found it awkward to wear it that way.

If style is high up on your must-have list, Popp also recommends this crossbody bag from Cuyana. The Mini Paloma pairs an elevated design with buttery soft leather that doesn’t dig into your hip, and the wide belted strap can be adjusted for a completely different look. We also appreciate the zip top for added security, and how the minimalist silhouette can be worn in both daytime and evening. You can tell from both the look and feel of this bag that it doesn’t skimp on quality. It also comes with a handy dust bag to store the purse in your suitcase or closet without risking potential damage.

The Details: 11 x 7.1 x 5.1 inches | Leather

Best Organization

Wandrd tech bag.

Although made for tech accessories, we love this as a travel bag thanks to its weather-resistant material and compact size.

If you want a true crossbody bag, there’s an option to add a shoulder strap for an extra $20.

The Wandrd Tech Bag is specifically designed to keep tech gear organized, but that hasn’t stopped T+L writer Anne Taylor from carrying her lip balm, wallet, and hand sanitizer, too. The weather-resistant material and lined zippers give Taylor peace of mind in the event of rain, and it can be worn as both a sling bag and a belt bag. Even though the bag looks quite small, the interior is lined with mesh pockets and pen loops so that everything has a place. A unique perk of this crossbody is that it comes with a lifetime guarantee, and it’s also designed to be clipped onto Wandrd backpacks.

The Details: 7.75 x 4.5 x 2 inches | Tarpaulin

Travel + Leisure / Anne Taylor

Madewell The Transport Bucket Bag

Along with its stunning leather and two-handle design, this deep bucket bag is spacious enough to hold a sweater.

A magnet closure instead of a zipper top makes this bag easy to navigate but less secure.

If the opposite of compact is what you’re after, Madewell’s bucket bag offers plenty of space — so much so that senior writer Merrell Readman keeps a spare sweater inside when traveling. What we also love about this bag is how nice the leather exterior looks, even when we’re hauling around a bunch of stuff. A second shoulder strap lets you switch if the crossbody starts feeling too heavy, and the timeless style is one you can expect to use for years. Our only improvement would be a zip closure, but an open top does make it easier to dig around for a phone or keys. 

The Details: 12 x 8 x 4 inches | Leather

• PHOTO: Travel + Leisure / Merrell Readman

Best Color Options

Free people idle hands sling bag.

This crossbody is spacious and stylish, and it comes in tons of color choices.

The zipper closure could be smoother and is prone to snagging.

Free People’s sling bag has something for everyone with its 12 color choices that range from vibrant pink and green to espresso brown. Both Readman and Popp own this bag and they swear by it because of how soft and comfortable it is to wear, and how the stylish design is much more spacious than its slim U-shape looks. She even managed to fit a water bottle and an umbrella inside. When you want to keep your hands free, but you also want a pop of color to punch up your outfit, this bag is a great choice for both travel and everyday wear.

The Details: 15.7 x 2.2 inches | Leather

• PHOTO: Travel + Leisure / Merrel Readman

Best Camera Bag

Chico’s neutral color block camera bag.

Two zip compartments keep things extra organized, and there’s enough room for a paperback book.

There may not be as roomy as a bag with just one main compartment.

This crossbody won over T+L editor Taylor Fox with its durability and two main compartments that offer easy access to necessities. And while perfectly travel-sized, this bag doesn’t lack space. We’ve filled it with a pair of sunglasses, a wallet, a phone, lip balm, and even a paperback book inside. With its neutral color scheme, you can spend less time coordinating with outfits in your suitcase and more time planning new adventures. Plus, an extra zip pocket on the outside takes the organization to another level.

The Details: 5.8 x 8.3 inches | Polyester, leather

• PHOTO: Travel + Leisure / Taylor Fox

To find the best crossbody bags, our team of writers and editors tested out options across continents to find the best ones for every travel need. We stuffed them into suitcases, carried them to sports games and beach trips, and squeezed in as many items as we possibly could. We also considered qualities such as durability, organization, style, function, and weight.

Tips For Buying a Crossbody Bag

Adjustable straps are key.

A key feature to look for in a crossbody bag is an adjustable strap. This will ensure you get the right fit for your height and body, which can make all the difference when it comes to all-day comfort. Consider also looking for straps with padding or extrasoft material for added comfort. 

Make sure it fits your essentials

While some of our crossbody picks have enough room for an extra pair of clothes, others barely have room for an iPhone. Be sure to check the measurements to get a bag that fits all your must-haves, whether that’s a few small essentials or bigger items like a book.

Consider the material

A leather bag that looks great during city trips may not hold up as well during hikes. For destinations such as the beach or mountains, consider weather-resistant and splash-proof materials such as plastic, polyester, and nylon. Soft fabric bags may also pack down easier than structured bags when suitcase space is limited.

Crossbody bags hang diagonally across one shoulder so that both of your hands stay free. While convenient for daily life, these bags are especially useful while traveling when you need to carry shopping bags or luggage. Many crossbody bags are designed to be worn as shoulder bags or belt bags, too.

Just like any other handbag, a crossbody bag counts as a personal item and must be able to fit under the seat in front of you. We always suggest checking the airline’s website for specific guidelines.

Why Trust Travel + Leisure

Travel + Leisure contributor Ashley Phillips is a fashion writer and editor with more than a decade of experience writing about handbags and accessories. As an avid bag collector, she has tested and reviewed dozens of handbags of all types over the past several years. Ashley worked with T+L editors to put together this list of the best crossbody bags which have all been heavily researched and worn in real life. 

Love a great deal? Sign up for our T+L Recommends newsletter and we’ll send you our favorite travel products each week.

Related Articles

19 Top-Rated Tourist Attractions in St. Petersburg, FL

Written by Lura Seavey and Lana Law Updated Dec 24, 2023

The city of St. Petersburg, known locally as St. Pete and famed for its perpetual sunshine, lies on the Pinellas Peninsula on the central Gulf Coast of Florida, between Tampa Bay and Boca Ciega Bay. Off the western side of the peninsula is a chain of long, narrow islands with some of Florida's best beaches.

The city is compact and easy to navigate. Many of the top attractions are near one another, making visiting more than one in an afternoon an easy task. St. Petersburg is one of Florida's cultural hot spots with a fine selection of world famous institutions, including the Dali, Imagine, and Fine Arts Museums along with the Morean Arts Center.

However, St. Pete's isn't all about culture. Mere minutes away is St. Pete's Beach and the gorgeous soft sands and warm waters of the Gulf of Mexico. Turning inland, the city of Tampa is another fun place to explore, with more things to do and great restaurants.

Explore the best places to visit in the city and surrounding areas with our list of the top attractions and things to do in St. Petersburg.

Soak Up the Sun at St. Pete Beach

The dali museum in st. petersburg, see nature come alive at the sunken gardens, head out to the new st. pete pier, explore beaches and history at fort de soto park, check out the colorful chihuly glass collection, st. petersburg saturday morning market, waterfront arts district, imagine museum, museum of fine arts, enjoy some nature at the boyd hill nature preserve, drive the sunshine skyway bridge, run, walk, or cycle the pinellas trail, weedon island preserve, great explorations children's museum, clearwater marine aquarium, visit john's pass village & boardwalk, take a drive to clearwater beach, sand key park, map of attractions & things to do in st. petersburg, fl, saint petersburg, fl - climate chart.

Just a 20-minute drive from downtown St. Petersburg is the fun beach town of St. Pete Beach. Home to a spectacular wide and long stretch of soft, golden sand lapped by warm, clear water, St. Pete Beach has been drawing legions of visitors for years. The list of things to do in St. Pete Beach is long, and includes lazing on the beach (of course!), parasailing, fishing, jet skiing, and frolicking in the ocean.

An assortment of accommodation is available, ranging from old-school Florida hotels to condos, right through to luxury resorts. Restaurants along the main street all have outdoor patios, perfect for grabbing a light lunch or a pleasant dinner once the heat of the day has passed. St. Pete Beach is just one of many fantastic beaches along this stretch of coastline; others include Treasure Island, Madeira, Redington Shores, and Indian Shores.

The Salvador Dali Museum in St. Petersburg houses a comprehensive collection of paintings by this Surrealist master, with a total collection of more than 2,000 works of art. Dali's entire artistic career is represented, from his early work in Impressionism and Cubism to later experiments in more "Classical" styles.

Oil paintings, watercolors, original drawings, sculptures, graphics, photographs, and prints are among the exhibits. The Dali Museum Library and Center for the Avant-garde are also housed here, which preserve books, magazines, newspaper clippings, and other important documents related to Dali, Surrealism, and Avant-garde influences.

Address: One Dali Boulevard, St. Petersburg, Florida

Official site: http://thedali.org

The Sunken Gardens began as the hobby of a plumber named George Turner and have evolved into a St. Petersburg institution. First conceived of in 1903, Turner transformed a lakebed into a six-acre tropical garden, which eventually became so popular that he started to charge admission.

The Turner family continued to care for and improve upon the garden, and it was finally purchased by the city in 1999, becoming a community effort. Today, you can walk the paths and enjoy the rare plants, some of which are as old as the garden itself.

You'll have a chance to see tropical flora from all over the world, and enjoy the ambience of waterfalls, footbridges, and even resident flamingos. The gardens also conduct horticultural programs and garden tours, as well as host special events, including weddings.

Address: 1060 Gulf Boulevard, Clearwater, Florida

Address: 1825 4th St. N., St. Petersburg, Florida

Official site: https://www.stpete.org/visitors/sunken_gardens.php

The brand-new St. Pete Pier is a far cry from what used to exist in the same space only a few short years ago. Today the Pier is more than just an extension into the ocean; now it's 26 acres of fun, food, activities, and entertainment.

Blending seamlessly into the surroundings, the pier area is an ideal place to spend an afternoon with the family or an evening out with a group of friends. You'll find six different restaurants ranging from Teak, a fine-dining establishment with fantastic views, right through to the more casual Fresco's Waterfront Bistro offering vistas of the incredible array of pleasure craft moored nearby. For a snack by the beach, pop into the Spa Beach Bistro.

The St. Pete Pier is 3,000 feet long and can be a nice place to visit for a stroll, but it can also feel like a long walk in the hot Florida sun. Fortunately, a tram runs from end to end making a walk out and a tram ride back a popular combination.

Spread throughout the St. Pete Pier area are public works of art , one of the most spectacular being the work by Janet Echelman called Bending Arc . Near the end of the pier is the unique Olnetopia by Nick Ervinck. Also definitely worth checking out is the sculpture of the Benoist Airboat first flown by Tony Jannus in 1914.

Don't worry, you can still fish at the new St. Pete Pier – just walk all the way out to the end, where you'll find a platform. Bait and tackle are available nearby.

Address: 800 2nd Ave NE, St. Petersburg, Florida

Official site: https://stpetepier.org/

Five different keys make up the 1,136-acre Fort DeSoto Park, the largest park in Pinellas County. Most people come here to enjoy the beaches, but numerous nature and recreation trails offer great opportunities for hiking, birding, biking, and rollerblading, and there are also two fishing piers.

The park is named for the fort located on the southern end of Mullet Key , built in 1898 during the Spanish-American War. Remains of the fort can be visited on a self-guided tour, and a small museum with historical information is located in the former Quartermaster Storehouse. Other buildings on-site include civilian quarters, barracks, the bakery, and the former hospital, among others.

This is a particularly popular spot for bird-watchers , home to at least 328 species of birds.

Camping is also popular here. The park has 238 sites just a short stroll away from the beach. Sites have electricity and water; central washroom buildings have flush toilets and showers. The campground has special sites set aside for those traveling with pets. The county has recently upgraded the playground in Campground Area #2, with new features that children will be sure to love.

Camping reservations can be made six months in advance for non-residents, seven months in advance for residents.

Address: 3500 Pinellas Bayway S., Tierra Verde, Florida

Official site: www.pinellascounty.org/park/05_ft_desoto.htm

St. Petersburg is proud to be home to the Chihuly Collection. Found at the Morean Arts Center , the collection is spread out over 10,000 square feet and is housed in a specially designed building. To get the best experience and understanding of the items you are about to see, start your visit by watching the short video on Dale Chihuly's life and his creative methods.

The collection has some of the artist's finest pieces, including Ruby Red Icicle Chandelier, Macchia, Ikebana, Tumbleweeds, and many others. The colors are incredible and varied; the shapes formed are unlike anything you've ever seen.

For a peek into how these amazing pieces of art are formed, be sure to visit the Morean Arts Center Hot Shop (additional fee). Here, you'll see the artists hard at work blowing glass into fantastical shapes.

Official site: https://www.moreanartscenter.org/chihuly/

St. Petersburg is considered one of Florida's most livable cities for its mild climate, cultural institutions, and overall quality of life. Part of what makes it an attractive place to live are things like the St. Petersburg Saturday Market. Each Saturday, over 125 vendors set up and showcase their goods.

It's an ideal place to collect all the freshest ingredients such as meats, cheeses, vegetables, and sweets for your Saturday night get-together dinner. It's also a great spot to search out that eclectic or unique piece of artwork for that blank space on your wall. Feeling a bit of hunger coming on? You are in the right spot. Over 15 different cuisines are represented by vendors cooking up the tastiest dishes you can imagine.

In addition to all the great shopping, local musicians fill the air with the sounds of music. The market runs from 9am until 2pm. In the fall and winter (October 2nd to May 28th), the market is located at the waterfront at the address below. In the summer, it is located at Williams Park, 301 1st Ave N.

Location: 100 1st Street NE, St. Petersburg, Florida

Official site: https://saturdaymorningmarket.com/

Just back from St. Petersburg's waterfront area is a delightful area known at the Waterfront Arts District, one of five located throughout the city. Stately old trees line the streets, and several city parks provide public space to rest and relax. Park the car and just wander around; you'll be amazed at what you find.

The area is home to many of the city's most popular cultural institutions, including the Dali Museum, the St. Petersburg Museum of History, The James Museum of Western & Wildlife Art, along with many others. All are within walking distance of one another.

In addition to the museums, the area is full of shops and restaurants, many of which have lovely shady patios, ideal for lunch or dinner. Walk towards the water past South Straub Park, and you'll come across the St. Pete Pier to your left and Demens Landing Park to your right.

The area is roughly defined as a long rectangle running from Beach Street/1st Street South to 3rd Street and 7th Avenue North and 7th Avenue South.

The Imagine Museum is one of the top museums in the United States for art created out of glass. The museum is the proud home of the extensive Trish Joy Collection of over 1,500 pieces, 500 of which are on display at any point in time. In addition, you'll find other interesting collections, including the spectacular 1,000 Buddha installation.

One of the best ways to experience the museum is to take one of the three free tours included with your admission. The first of the three tours is titled Journey of the Imagination. It is a fascinating multimedia and augmented reality experience.

The second tour is the Introduction to Studio Glass, and details the development of this art form starting in the 1960s.

The third tour, Introduction to International Studio Glass, showcases the evolution of studio glass work in Europe. Tours are generally 30 minutes in length and take place on specific days.

Official site: https://www.imaginemuseum.com/

St. Petersburg's Museum of Fine Arts is considered the premiere art museum in the Tampa Bay area, home to over 20,000 works of art that span 5,000 years of human creativity.

The collection includes Greek, Roman, and Asian antiquities, African art, ancient art from the Americas, and European art. Among the better-known artists featured here are Monet, Rodin, and O'Keefe, and the museum hosts traveling exhibits and temporary galleries.

Collections also include a large photography collection, a gallery of glass art, and a sculpture garden. Docent-led tours are available for full museum tours, and visitors can request tours that focus on the areas that interest them most.

The museum is located in a lovely setting in St. Petersburg's waterfront downtown area.

Address: 255 Beach Drive NE, St. Petersburg, Florida

Official site: http://mfastpete.org

This lovely park is a beautiful retreat for those looking for a little nature. The park features six miles of walking trails and boardwalks that explore the area's varied ecosystems, including swamp woodlands and a willow marsh.

The park is also part of the Great Florida Birding Trail and home to the Birds of Prey Aviary, and rangers provide guided tours, which often spot turtles and other wildlife. The park also offers nature camps and picnic facilities and has a playground, picnic areas, and shelters.

A great way to explore the park is to take one of the tram tours. For a modest fee (in addition to your park admission) you'll cover far more of the park in a shorter period of time and learn about the flora and fauna from an expert.

Also on site is a gift shop, and the park hosts annual nature events like a butterfly count conducted by the North American Butterfly Association.

Located on I 275, the Sunshine Skyway Bridge crosses the water at the entrance to Tampa Bay. This spectacular bridge is impressive from a distance but driving across it offers a unique perspective. Stretching 12 miles in total, a little more than four miles of the bridge rises high above the ocean, allowing for large vessels to pass below.

Two main pillars tower above the road, and the high points add some eye-catching drama to the bridge. It took five years to build, and is now considered one of the world's most beautiful bridges. Views of the bridge are particularly beautiful at night when it is lit up.

If the wind is blowing, pull off at the northern Skyway Rest Exit and check out the kiteboarders racing across the water under their colorful kites.

The Fred Marquis Pinellas Trail, created along an abandoned railroad corridor, is a 37-mile-long park and recreation trail, running from the downtown waterfront of St. Petersburg to Tarpon Springs.

This multi-use trail is enjoyed by walkers, runners, cyclists, and skaters, and features a number of shops, restaurants, and cafes along the route. To help visitors navigate, nine sculptures mark the various communities through which the trail passes.

One of the lovely areas along the trail is Dunedin , a quaint town that has preserved its village-like atmosphere. It began as a seaport and trading center, and is best known today as the spring training camp for the Toronto Blue Jays.

Honeymoon Island State Recreation Area and Caladesi Island State Park are located just off the coast of Dunedin and offer opportunities for both nature and water sports enthusiasts.

The Weedon Island Preserve covers over 3,000 acres in north St. Petersburg on the shores of Tampa Bay and can be explored on foot via nearly five miles of paths and boardwalks, and by water on designated paddling trails along the waterways.

A great place to start is the Weedon Island Preserve Cultural and Natural History Center , which houses a variety of exhibits and resources. This is a free attraction, and visitors will learn about the area's ecosystems, habitats, plants, and animals, and how humans have interacted with nature here over thousands of years. From the center, you can walk out on scenic trails.

If you are interested in paddling or fishing, head to the boat launch area. You can set off from here, and the water is quite shallow in areas. People come here to kayak or stand up paddleboard; kayak rentals are available nearby. Next to the launch is a dock where people come to fish.

This is an excellent place for bird-watching, as well as spotting marine life in the water of this protected flood plain, including stingrays and oysters.

Address: 1800 Weedon Drive N.E., St. Petersburg, Florida

Official site: http://www.weedonislandpreserve.org/

The Great Explorations Children's Museum is an excellent place go on a rainy day, providing a variety of educational activities and fun things to do for younger kids. Children can explore and climb on an ocean-themed play structure, Longo's Cove, or dig in the sand in a beach-themed play area.

Young engineers can build using an assortment of materials provided at the "Build It" tables or stack giant soft blocks to create kid-size structures. Kids can try being a grown-up in the kid-size supermarket, help a sick puppy get better at the veterinarian's office, make "pizza" at the local shop, and learn about safety while exploring the firehouse.

Other interactive areas include an art studio, a theater, and a health and wellness exhibit sponsored by Johns Hopkins.

Address: 1925 4th Street North, St. Petersburg, Florida

Official site: https://greatex.org

Clearwater Marine Aquarium is best known as home to film dolphins Winter and Hope who inspired and starred in the Dolphin Tale movies. Among other residents are sea turtles, otters, pelicans, sharks, and stingrays, as well as an assortment of other fish.

The aquarium has regular shows, which are part of general admission, as well as special tours and activities you can choose as add-ons. One of the most popular is a behind-the-scenes tour, which allows you to see rescued and recovering animals awaiting return to their ocean homes and learn about what it takes to care for these beautiful creatures.

Other offerings include guided kayak and boat tours, which explore various topics, including the ecology of Clearwater Bay and a Dolphin Adventure Tour.

Address: 249 Windward Passage, Clearwater, Florida

Official site: https://www.cmaquarium.org/

Tourist trap or fun place to go shopping and hang out; the jury hasn't made a final determination on this popular attraction. If it's a so-so day or you've had enough culture or beach and are looking for something different, swing by John's Pass. You'll find a boardwalk lined by restaurants with good views over the water and constant boat traffic.

Back from the waterfront is an extensive retail area with over 100 retailers consisting of souvenir shops, ice-cream stands, and places selling things you never thought you needed. Many tour boats leave from here on excursions out into the Gulf of Mexico. Note that parking here is not free, and enforcement is stringent.

Address: 12901 Gulf Lane, Madeira Beach, Florida

Official site: https://johnspass.com/

Clearwater Beach is often rated as one of the top beaches in Florida , and even the United States. Miles of pristine white sand attracts tourists and local sun-seekers, and it's all just a 40-minute drive from St. Petersburg. A number of Clearwater's top resorts look over this beautiful beach.

The Beachwalk , Clearwater Beach's seaside promenade, stretches along the sand and is lined with souvenir shops, restaurants, and other attractions. Another popular spot is Pier 60 , a 1,080-foot fishing pier with numerous amenities, including a large bait and tackle shop, which provides rental equipment to tourists.

Family attractions include a huge beach playground and nightly sunset celebrations with entertainment and vendors

Sand Key Park is located on the barrier island of the same name, and is home to both a beautiful beach and a diverse nature area, if you are visiting Clearwater, it's worth a stop.

The park is part of an ongoing effort to create an artificial reef in the Gulf of Mexico, and also works closely with Clearwater Aquarium to ensure the safety of the sea turtles and their hatchlings.

In addition to its walking trails, Sand Key Park is ideal for bird-watching , where heron, roseate spoonbill, great horned owl, anhinga, and common moorhen nest and feed in the salt marsh.

The park's beach area offers a good range of amenities, including lifeguards during the summer months, concessions, and bath houses. Plenty of rentals are available, so you don't need to lug your own - you can get everything from umbrellas and cabanas to bicycles and kayaks. This beach is also one of the least expensive things to do around St. Petersburg, with only a minimal parking fee.

More Related Articles on PlanetWare.com

Family Fun in Tampa: Tampa sits about 45 minutes from St. Petersburg and can be reached via either of two bridges, which span Tampa Bay from one city to the other. Tampa's most popular tourist attractions include Busch Gardens and several other wildlife-focused parks, as well as good museums for families, a historic district, and the Franklin Street pedestrian center. Like many other cities on Florida's Gulf Coast, Tampa is home to several excellent resorts.

Orlando Getaway: While Clearwater Beach is a great day trip from Orlando , tourists staying here can just as easily head inland for a day in the nation's theme park capital. The city of Orlando is home to top family amusement parks like Walt Disney World and Universal Orlando, and also close to the Kennedy Space Center at Cape Canaveral.

More on Florida

13 Things To Do In Saint Petersburg | Russia’s Most Beautiful City

By Author Christian L.

Posted on Published: January 17, 2021  - Last updated: September 11, 2021

Categories Europe , Destinations , Russia

Once known as Leningrad and before that Petrograd, Saint Petersburg, Russia, is the country’s second-largest city. Set next to the Neva River, close to the Baltic Sea, this city is home to over 5 million people.

It’s the world’s northernmost city, founded by Peter the Great and named after Saint Peter the apostle. Once home to the Tsars of Russia, it is today known as the country’s cultural capital.

With iconic sights such as Hermitage Museum, Nevsky Prospect, Peterhof Palace, and so much more, it has a fascinating heritage ripe for exploration. Without further ado, let’s dive into the 13 best things to do in St. Petersburg. 

Top Things to do in St. Petersburg, Russia

St. Petersburg, Europe, has grown into one of the top tourist destinations on the continent. Although it might get very cold in winter, there are still plenty of things to do – and the summers are absolutely perfect! Saint Petersburg is one of the prettiest cities in all of Europe .

Keep reading for some of my favorite choices. 

1. Visit The World Famous Hermitage Museum

One of the city’s most popular attractions (with over 3 million items in its esteemed collection), State Hermitage Museum showcases everything from fine art to ancient artifacts. 

Even if you don’t plan on entering inside, the exterior is an architectural gem in itself. The columns are all in white with green/gold facades that can be viewed from the river or Palace Square.

If you’re visiting St. Petersburg, Russia, your trip would not be complete without stopping past this world-famous landmark. It’s also a great activity to do no matter what time of year you are visiting – and a perfect way to escape those cold Russian winter days. 

There are six buildings in the museum complex in total. Five of which – Winter Palace, Small Hermitage, Old Hermitage, New Hermitage, and Hermitage Theatre – can be accessed by the public.

Within, you’ll be treated to Egyptian collections, artifacts dating from ancient Mesopotamia, and classical Greek jewelry, pottery, and sculptures. This is any historical culture lover’s dream. 

Keep exploring, and you will find collections of prehistoric relics from the Palaeolithic era to the Iron Ages, European fine arts, Impressionist works, Catherine the Great’s personal collections, and so much more.

In fact, you’ll need an entire day or possibly longer to explore this incredible museum complex. If you only have limited time in St. Petersburg, be sure to add this museum to your itinerary! There are also guided tours available if you want a more educational experience. 

Did you know? The Hermitage Museum is the world’s second-largest art museum.

2. Take in a Performance at Mariinsky Theatre

The Neoclassical Mariinsky Theatre is home to Russia’s revered opera and ballet companies.

The theatre – named after the wife of Tsar Alexandra II, Empress Maria Alexandrovna – has been here since 1860 when it was known as the Kirov Theatre.

This magnificent building, since it opened, has hosted stage performances and premieres from Tchaikovsky and Mussorgsky and famous ballets such as Sleeping Beauty, Swan Lake and The Nutcracker. 

Today, in addition to hosting live performances, the theatre has its own record label, which focuses on releasing music by Russian composers Stravinsky, Tchaikovsky, and Rachmaninov.

If you enjoy the arts and are going to be in St. Petersburg for several days, book tickets to see a world-class performance – you won’t be disappointed.

3. See Jewelled Eggs at the Faberge Museum

The House of Faberge was founded in St. Petersburg in 1842 by Gustav Faberge. Originally a jeweler, he became famous for designing jewel-encrusted eggs for the Tsars of Russia and is arguably the most famous goldsmith of the modern era. 

Today, you can view these iconic collection pieces in the Faberge Museum. It showcases 4,000 items in total, including Faberge Easter eggs, jewelry, silverware, home decor, and fantasy-themed objects.

The incredible jeweled eggs are famous all over the world, and there are several museums dedicated to them. But if you want to learn about Gustav Faberge, his family, and how it all began, this is the museum to visit. You can purchase a ticket in person or online. 

4. Spend an Hour Canal Cruising

St. Petersburg is built on 42 islands, and once upon a time (before bridges were constructed), cruising was the only way to navigate the city.

On a Golden Ring boat tour, you’ll see some of St. Petersburg’s iconic sights along the Kryukov Canal, including St. Nicholas Cathedral, Saint Isaac’s Cathedral, and the Mariinsky theatre.

You’ll dip beneath the famous colored bridges on Neva River whilst enjoying views of Peter and Paul Fortress, Vasilyevsky Island, and the Summer Garden. This is truly one of the most breathtaking ways to take in all the beauty that St. Petersburg has to offer. 

This tour also only takes around an hour, so you’ll have plenty of time to revisit your favorite spots throughout the day!

5. Discover Church of the Savior on Spilled Blood

One of St. Petersburg’s architectural masterpieces is the Church of Our Savior on Spilled Blood.

This former Russian Orthodox Church was completed in 1907 and is built in Baroque, Neoclassical, and Russian Revival design. It is one of the city’s main attractions, with ornate domes, intricate frescoes, and 7,500 square meters of mosaics inside. 

If you don’t wish to enter, you can gain incredible views from Griboedov Canal. But if you do venture inside, you’ll be rewarded with interior frescoes and mosaic works depicting biblical scenes and figures created by celebrated Russian artists of the time.

The Church of the Saviour of Blood is built on the spot where Emperor Alexander 2 was assassinated in 1881 – hence the name. So, not only will you be able to appreciate the fine architectural designs, but also explore an important part of Russian history. 

6. Take a Rooftop Walk-in St. Petersburg

If you have viewed the city from canals and rivers, try it from the rooftops! You can take a guided rooftop walk in the city, seeing streets and skylines from an elevated perspective.

One particular tour to highlight is the Official Rooftops Excursion of St. Petersburg. Just a few minutes from Nevsky Prospect, these sites offer vistas of Fontanka River and Trinity Cathedral – and that’s just the first roof.

The second roof boasts views of St. Petersburg’s old center, St. Isaac’s Cathedral, Kazan Cathedral, and the Church on Spilled Blood.

This is a truly incredible way to see the city in all its glory, plus the tour provides you with binoculars so you can see everything in great detail.

7. Admire Nevsky Prospect’s Magnificent Architecture

The main street of St. Petersburg is Nevsky Prospect. Begin at the intersection at Stroganov Palace before venturing to Kazan Cathedral. While you walk, take in the monuments dedicated to Catherine the Great and browse goods at The Passage – Nevsky Avenue’s premier department store.

This store was quite the trailblazer. It opened its doors in the late 1840s and was one of the first buildings in Russia to use gas for lighting. Then, in 1900, an electric station was installed on an underground floor.

Once you’ve finished shopping and enjoyed a fresh cup of coffee, continue to the Russian National Library – the oldest public library in Russia – and Alexandrinsky Theatre (which was built for the Imperial troupe of Petersburg).

8. Visit the Island of Peter and Paul Fortress

Set on an island connected by bridges, Peter and Paul Fortress is instantly recognizable from its needle spire, which dominates the skyline. The fortress was originally built to defend the maritime city from Swedish invaders.

However, Peter the Great defeated the opposition before it was even completed! It has since served as a military center and prison for political dissenters and, latterly, as a museum.

Inside the vast complex, you can see Peter and Paul Cathedral, visit the resting place of the Romanovs, and watch military processions or the firing of the noon-day gun.

It’s a great day trip for anyone interested in Russian, maritime or military history. There are also plenty of group walking tours available. 

9. Sample Russian Vodka in a Ryumochnye

A visit to Russia wouldn’t be complete without sampling the local drink – vodka, and the best place to do this is in a Ryumochnye. This is a specific style of 19th-century Russian drinking house that not only offers some of Russia’s best vodka but also a short history lesson.

You could call it a bar, but it’s more than that – most mainstream Ryumochnye have a definite Soviet vibe and are places for working men to kick back and enjoy vodka with their buddies.

Beverages come in bottles or shot form, and some places offer self-service and snacks.

If that sounds too hardcore for your taste, there are updated versions of Ryumochnye in the city, like Mayak in St. Petersburg, where you can gain a similar experience. 

10. Enjoy local Saint Petersburg Craft Beer

Although most people think of vodka when visiting Russia, you can also enjoy some of the best craft beer in Saint Petersburg . Russia’s second-largest city has an exciting, rapidly growing craft beer scene, in part due to its history and geography.

Historically, the Russian empire was influenced by Northern Europe, and the Dutch & English beer-drinking culture eventually made its way here. Today, Saint Petersburg is home to a growing number of modern microbreweries, cool taprooms, and stylish bars.

Saint Petersburg is also home to Stepan Razin Brewery, the oldest brewery in Russia (now, of course, owned by Heiniken). It opened in 1795, but today the building is known as the Saint Petersburg Beer Museum, showcasing the history of beer in Russia and the Soviet Union.

Russia’s largest and most popular brewery, Baltika, is also located in Saint Petersburg, and it’s possible to take a tour of their huge brewery.

11. See the Majestic Catherine Palace

A stately palace of blue and gold, Catherine’s Palace is located 26 kilometers south of St. Petersburg. Named after the wife of Peter the Great, this place was originally a two-story modest building commissioned in 1717.

The exterior, which stretches for one kilometer in circumference, is surrounded by woodlands, lawns, gilded balconies, and reliefs. However, the interiors are even more impressive.

With great halls, a white dining room, an amber room, and more. It’s the perfect place to step back into history and discover what life was like as a Russian aristocracy.

12. Explore Peterhof Palace

If you’re going to visit Catherine Palace, you should tour Peterhof too. It’s a 40-minute drive away, but you can even take a hydrofoil speed boat from right behind the Hermitage in Saint Petersburg center.

Sitting close to the Baltic Sea, Peterhof Palace was constructed by Peter the Great to be Russia’s version of Versailles. The opulent residence surrounded by sculptures, fountains, and tiered staircases leading to the grand entrance evokes mystery and the history of a bygone era.

Inside it is lavishly decorated with dazzling chandeliers, one-of-a-kind artworks and beautiful ceiling frescoes.

On a guided tour, you can learn more about the palace’s history. Discover the Throne Room, Portrait Hall and Peter the Great’s Oak Study. You’ll see dining rooms set for dinner, grand ballrooms where dancing and gatherings would take place, and décor which defies time.

The palace offers great insight into his life and legacy, and if you are interested in history, art and interior design, you’ll love it.

Want to know more about Peterhof?

13. Spend a Day by the Finnish Border at Vyborg

Just over an hour from central Saint Petersburg by train is the city of Vyborg. It sits on the Gulf of Finland and was first settled back in the 12th century. The city has been occupied by Finnish and German forces and suffered extensive damage during the Second World War. However, it has since been rebuilt. 

It’s a charming center to wander around, with narrow cobbled streets, a medieval castle, and Finnish art nouveau structures sprinkled throughout. An easy day trip from St. Petersburg, it can also serve as a stop-off point if you’re crossing into Finland to continue your adventure.

Want to know more about Saint Petersburg?

Where is St. Petersburg | Is St. Petersburg in Europe?

If you want to know “Where is Saint Petersburg?”, you’ve come to the right place. Beautiful St. Petersburg is located in northern Russia. Russia is a massive country, so it is no surprise that many people want to know “Is Saint Petersburg in Europe?”. The answer is yes. 

How to Get to Saint Petersburg

The maritime city is well linked to Europe by air, sea, rail and road. Depending on where you’re traveling from and the rest of your itinerary, you can use one of the following ways to arrive at St. Petersburg.

You can fly into Saint Petersburg through Pulkovo International Airport. There are around 1,100 international flights a week and 1,200 domestic flights operating in and out of the local airport.

Although many flights from European cities to Saint Petersburg are direct, you may have to change flights if flying from further afield.

It’s also possible to travel to St. Petersburg by train. The most popular (and most frequent) routes operate from Moscow, Helsinki, and Tallinn. However, there are options to travel from other areas in central Europe, central Asia, and eastern Europe by rail.

There is a central bus station in Saint Petersburg, with services to and from Moscow, Pskov, Novgorod, Vilnius, Riga , Tallinn and Helsinki. Some of these journeys can be long and arduous.

Therefore, thorough research and choosing the right bus company is important.

Baltic Sea Cruises also operate to St. Petersburg as part of a larger itinerary, and St. Peter Line Ferry sails from Helsinki in Finland and Tallinn in Estonia.

Exploring Saint Petersburg, Russia

Saint Petersburg is the 5th most populous city in Europe and also a leading tourist destination. Although people sometimes forget about Russia, this city is breathtakingly beautiful and provides plenty of cultural and historical attractions.

Now that you know where to go, I hope you have an amazing time in Russia’s most beautiful city.

Friday 19th of January 2018

Thank you! So great review about our St. Petersburg!

What to do in St. Petersburg in 1 day - Probe around the Globe

Thursday 11th of May 2017

[…] more about the beauty of St. Petersburg from the Unusual […]

Friday 17th of June 2016

Which hostel did you stay at? I am potentially thinking of going to Russia for World Cup 2018 after my World Cup trip to Brazil two years ago. Saint Petersburg is one of the host cities, and so I am very interested in learning more about this city and recommendations from fellow travellers who have been.

Christian L.

I stayed at Soul Kitchen Junior, and I will go so far and say its by far the best hostel I have ever stayed at!! Anywhere in the world, no other hostels even get close to it:)

10 Most Beautiful St Petersburg Metro Stations to Visit (Tips & Travel Guide – Russia)

by Aileen Adalid Russia , Train or Rail Tours 2 comments

• LifeStraw Filter: Get Safe Drinking Water Anytime, Anywhere!
• Walled City of Le Mont Saint Michel in France (Travel Guide & Tips)
• Best Hotels in Boracay, Philippines: From Cheap to Luxury Accommodations and Places to Stay
• Shop Local: 30 Unique Valentines Day Gift Ideas for Him & Her Couples (Philippines Online Shopping by Category)
• 24 Hours in Bangkok: A ‘Destination Discovery’ of Things to Do
• Top 10 Instagrammable Film Locations of Crazy Rich Asians in Singapore
• 94th European Motor Show Brussels 2016: Go Car Crazy + Win a BMW i3 with AXA Belgium
• Best Hotels in Baguio, Philippines: From Cheap to Luxury Accommodations and Places to Stay
• My Next BIG Adventure: A Trip to Antarctica, the ‘White Continent’!
• Daniel Wellington Watches: A Timeless Piece for Travel

You’ve probably heard of the breathtaking Moscow Metro stations in Russia — but before you focus solely on those, St Petersburg Metro stations are also a league of their own!

Looking for other must-do activities?

Check out these Russia travel guides now!

As the second-largest city in the country, Saint Petersburg’s metro system is not only expansive but also speckled with beautifully decorated interiors. Any visitor would actually doubt that they have stepped into a train station because its designs are unlike anywhere else in the world.

There are about 72 St Petersburg Metro stations but not all of them are equally grandiose works of art, so if you want to make the most of your time and witness only the “ best of the best “, you should use this guide to see the top 10 most beautiful platforms in the city!

Table of Contents

History of St Petersburg Metro Stations

It actually took quite a while for the St Petersburg Metro stations to be built.

It first started back in 1820 when a man named Torogvanov proposed the plan to Tasar Alexander I — but it was harshly declined. It was only in 1938 when it was finally accepted as an official project; then again… construction was frozen during World War II because of the lack of equipment, funding, and manpower.

Around this time, the stations were used as bomb shelters.

Construction was picked up again in 1946, and then 10 years after the end of the war, the subway with 7 stations was finally opened to the public on November 15, 1955.

The former name of the St Petersburg Metro stations was “ Order of Lenin Leningrad Metro “, named after Vladimir Lenin, a Russian revolutionary.

Exhibiting exquisite Soviet designs and artworks, the train stations easily gained popularity worldwide for their beauty as well as for their unique characteristic of being built deep underground (all but 9 stations) . So… why were they actually built in such a way?

• To contribute to Stalin’s vision of portraying socialist classicism, making the Metro stations act as “Palaces of the People”.
• Saint Petersburg has a lot of underground rivers with multiple islands, so it was imperative that they are built deep.
• Set at a deep level for the purpose of minimizing disruption and noise.
• In response to the Cold War threat, the stations were meant to serve as bomb shelters as well (many of the older platforms actually have air filters, blast doors, and provisions) .

To date, St. Petersburg’s deepest station is Admiralteyskaya which is at 86 meters (282 feet) below ground, and it is said to be the 4th deepest station in the world!

Metro Travel Guide

How to use the st. petersburg metro system.

Photo by: Shutterstock

To date, there are 5 lines operating for St Petersburg Metro Stations and they all total to a length of 124km with over 72 stations that are connected by 7 transfer points.

• Line 1 (Kirovsko-Vyborgskaya) : The oldest line of the metro that was opened in 1955.
• Line 2 (Moskovsko-Petrogradskaya): Second oldest that was opened in 1961, and the first in the St Petersburg Metro stations to have a unique horizontal lift platform style.
• Line 3 (Nevsko-Vasileostrovskaya): Its stations have the longest inter-station tunnels in the entire Metro system.
• Line 4 (Pravoberezhnaya): The shortest line in the system in which most of its stations feature a more modern design.
• Line 5 (Frunzensko-Primorskaya): Mainly connects the city’s center to the northwestern and southern neighborhoods.
• Line 6 (Krasnosel’sko-Kalininskaya): Set to open in 2020 with 6 new stations.

Open from approximately 5:45AM to midnight, the St Petersburg Metro is relatively cheap — certainly, a small price to pay for enjoying well-connected transportation AND jaw-dropping architecture!

» Cost & Purchase of Metro Tickets

• Insert a brass token in the slot
• Tap a smart card purchased from a ticket machine at the station
• Tap a MasterCard PayPass or Visa PayWave card on the white circle near the slot

If you carry large baggages, it’s required to pay 1 additional fare.

• Price per fare will become RUB36 instead of RUB45
• There’s an additional RUB60 deposit for the card which can be refunded when you return it
• They can be purchased from metro cash desks or at the automated ticket machines for a set amount of money or a set number of unlimited days of travel (1 to 10 days)

» Top Tips for Navigating St. Petersburg’s Metro

Metro maps  can be found in every train car and always have station names in the Latin alphabet. The station names on the platforms are also in the Latin alphabet, and many other signs are in English. Station announcements on the train are only in Russian, but if you listen carefully you will hear the conductor announce the current station name and the next station as the doors are closing.

• METRO MAPS: There are maps found in every train car; otherwise, using Google Maps works just fine (I used it during my stay in the city and I never got lost!)
• Announcements for the next stations are only in Russian.
• TRANSFERS: Time your itinerary well because transferring trains or stations may involve long walks that can take up to 10 minutes due to the deep underground construction of the stations.
• Stand on the right and walk on the left.
• RUSH HOURS: Usually from 8AM to 10AM in the morning, and 5PM to 7PM in the afternoon. The trains will run almost every 30 seconds and it will get crowded fast; so, it’s best to avoid these times if you want to do some sightseeing at St Petersburg Metro stations. Sunday will usually be a quiet day, or if you can come as early as 6AM in the morning, the better.

10 Top St Petersburg Metro Stations

Most often than not, people regard Russia’s Metro stations as some sort of underground museum — and it’s easy to see why as you go through the photos below!

» BONUS: Other Noteworthy St Petersburg Metro Stations

• Line 1, Red: Prospekt Veteranov, Pushkinskaya, Vladimirskaya
• Line 2, Blue: Tekhnologichesky Institut
• Line 3, Green: Begovaya
• Line 4, Orange: Ligovsky Prospekt
• Line 5, Violet: Komendantsky Prospekt, Krestovsky Ostrov

FAQ (Frequently Asked Questions)

Yes, amateur photography (without a tripod, etc) is generally allowed — and naturally, any professional photography is prohibited in all of the stations.

Even if the trains run every 30 seconds or so, you will still need quite some time for transfers, especially because the tunnels of St Petersburg Metro stations can go quite deep. Even so, it is possible to enjoy the 10 metro stations stated in the list above for a whole day; but, if you don’t want to spend so much time underground, you can just take note of these stations and insert some of them in your day-to-day Saint Petersburg itinerary as you please.

I would highly recommend exploring Line 1 (Kirovsko-Vyborgskaya) because they hold the most number of beautifully designed train stations. (Line 5 or Frunzensko-Primorskaya comes as a close second especially because it has Admiralteyskaya, the deepest station in Russia).

In general, Russia is a safe country. Just take note though that since St. Petersburg is a major city with a massive number of people, petty theft can still happen especially when you’re in a tight space such as in a train car — so just stay street smart and use your common sense at all times and you’ll definitely be fine. Rest assured, there are security staff in every train station, so if you ever need assistance, they are pretty easy to spot.

» Compare All St Petersburg Hotels & Rentals «

I hope this underground guide will help make your Saint Petersburg Metro exploration a rewarding and hassle-free experience!

Let me know in the comments section below if you happen to find any other interesting subway station that I might have missed .

Have you seen my latest vlog?

Hey there! I am Aileen Adalid. At 21, I quit my corporate job in the Philippines to pursue my dreams. Today, I am a successful  digital nomad  (online entrepreneur, travel writer, & vlogger) living a sustainable travel lifestyle.

My mission?  To show you how it is absolutely possible to  create a life of travel no matter the odds — and I will help you achieve that through my detailed travel hacks, guides, resources, tips, and MORE!

Follow Along

CURRENTLY BASED IN: The Philippines

• 100k Followers
• 51k Followers
• 80k Followers
• 10k Followers
• 23.1k Followers

Trending Now

Korean visa application requirements for filipino tourists in manila, philippines (single / multiple entry).

Make your South Korea travel dreams come true and get a single or multiple South Korean visa in Manila, Philippines!

Cambodia Holidays: The Right Way — The When, Where, and How of South East Asia’s Treasure

Make the most of your Cambodia Holidays with this list of top things to do complete with the best travel tips!

Visa Application Tips: 4 Important Things to Get You Approved!

Increase your chances of getting that approval — here are the 4 topmost important visa application tips to remember when you’re applying!

Elegance on the Water: The Ultimate Mekong River Cruise Experience for the Discerning Traveler

Here’s why you should put a Mekong River Cruise high up on your bucket list for your upcoming Asia adventures!

Best Hotels in Cebu: From Cheap to Luxury Accommodations and Places to Stay

Explore the best hotels in Cebu — from luxurious five-star resorts, cozy boutique stays, to budget-friendly hostels!

Latest Posts

Learn Today

How to start a successful blog.

Incredible photos. Narvskaya stole my heart.

I’m glad you enjoyed this post! I hope you get to see them in the future!

Submit a Comment Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Be notified of follow-up comments by email

Submit Comment

Pin It on Pinterest