Dallas, USA

Dallas surprises most visitors. The expectation — oil money, cattle, American football — is only partly accurate. What you actually find is a city with three world-class art museums within walking distance of each other, a barbecue culture of genuine seriousness, and a skyline that has aged into something approaching elegance. The 2026 World Cup brings global football to AT&T Stadium in nearby Arlington — one of the most spectacular sports venues ever built.

World Cup 2026: June–July. Dallas in summer is hot — expect 35–38°C with high humidity. Venues and transport are heavily air-conditioned, and match-day crowds will be considerable. Book accommodation months in advance. Best months overall: March–May and October–November — temperatures in the comfortable 18–25°C range, festivals and outdoor activity in full swing.

Dallas has a light rail system (DART) that connects Downtown to many neighbourhoods and reaches the Arts District easily. AT&T Stadium in Arlington has no direct rail link — shuttle buses from Downtown will run on World Cup match days. A hire car is useful for exploring Fort Worth (45 minutes west) and the wider Dallas–Fort Worth area.

Uptown and the Arts District offer the best combination of walkability, restaurants and cultural access. The Bishop Arts District in Oak Cliff is independently-minded and excellent for dining. Downtown hotels are convenient but less characterful. Fort Worth (connected by the Trinity Railway Express) is worth considering as an alternative base — quieter, more historic and with its own outstanding stockyards and museums.

The Dallas Museum of Art — free entry, outstanding permanent collection spanning antiquity to contemporary art. The Nasher Sculpture Center next door is one of the finest sculpture museums in the world — the Renzo Piano building and garden are themselves worth the visit. The Sixth Floor Museum at Dealey Plaza — the John F. Kennedy assassination site, treated with appropriate gravity and historical rigour. Fort Worth Stockyards — a genuine working cattle district, now open to visitors, with longhorn cattle drives twice daily. The Kimbell Art Museum in Fort Worth — Louis Kahn\'s building is among the most beautiful in America; the collection includes Velázquez, Caravaggio and Matisse.

Texas barbecue is the reason to eat seriously in Dallas. Pecan Lodge in Deep Ellum is the city\'s most celebrated pit and worth the queue. Cattleack Barbeque opens only Thursday–Saturday and sells out by noon — plan accordingly. The Bishop Arts District has excellent contemporary restaurants; Lucia is the neighbourhood\'s finest table. For Tex-Mex, Meso Maya offers the upmarket version of a Dallas institution.

Summer heat requires planning — schedule outdoor activities for early morning and late afternoon, and rest during the midday hours. All major attractions are air-conditioned. Comfortable walking shoes essential for the Arts District museum cluster. Driving in Dallas is straightforward once you accept the scale — distances are significant by European standards.

Dallas is a safe city for tourists in the areas visitors typically frequent. The Arts District, Uptown and Deep Ellum are all well-frequented. The emergency number is 911. Travel insurance is essential given US healthcare costs.

The Perot Museum of Nature and Science is far better than its family-museum reputation suggests — the energy hall and geology sections are genuinely excellent and usually quiet on weekday mornings. The George W. Bush Presidential Library at SMU is surprisingly thoughtful and one of the more honest presidential libraries in the system. Drive the Continental Avenue Bridge at night — the Margaret Hunt Hill Bridge is one of the most beautiful pieces of urban infrastructure in America and is best appreciated after dark when lit.