The 2013 year-end statistics are in from the National Travel and Tourism Office on the most popular cities in the United States with international visitors. Altogether, 32 million international travelers ventured to the United States in 2013 and almost all of them managed to make it to one of these 10 cities. While no city managed to change their 2012 position in the ranking, we can see from the spectacular and not-so-spectacular growth of some cities which cities are on the rise and which ones will soon be surpassed in 2014’s ranking of the most visited cities in the United States.

It’s important to note that visitors from Mexico and Canada are excluded from these statistics, which is why we don’t see an abundance of border cities.

Boston has a healthy 500,000-visitor lead over the number 11 city, San Diego, and is sure to keep its position in 2014 as the 10th most visited city in the United States. Visitors to the city can enjoy learning about the American Revolution and strolling around the beautiful campus of Harvard. Boston also has some great seafood, like lobster rolls, and some great sports teams.

Chicago’s growth stalled in 2013, as it only received 10,000 more visitors than in 2012. It’s not like Chicago doesn’t have a lot going for it – the deep-dish pizza, storied sports teams, stunning architecture and a host of new luxury hotels – but it clearly needs to increase its international visibility.

Though Washington DC is the 8th most visited city in the United States, it was also the only city in the top 10 to receive less visitors in 2013 than it did in 2012 – a 3% drop. Though it remains popular with American visitors, the museums of the Smithsonian can’t compete with the international draw of New York’s better known art museums and the city simply doesn’t have the international air connections of its bigger, Northeastern rival.

Honolulu saw a drastic 15% increase in visitors in 2013, as Hawaii continues to exceed expectations. Despite worries in the local tourism industry that Japanese visitors are cooling on Hawaii as a destination, as Asian beach destinations like Koh Samui and Bali start to seriously compete with Hawaii on service and price points, Hawaii is proving that it is a resilient destination.

If that number sounds low, it’s because overseas travelers make up just a tiny percentage of total visitors to Las Vegas. The city is incredibly popular with American travelers, who visit by the tens of millions. Its kitschy meets gambling nature doesn’t have quite the same appeal with international visitors, however, as both Europe and Asia have gambling centers of their own.

Jostle elbows with the breakfast crowd to secure a seat at a local cha chaan teng for a hearty early morning tea-set meal. These ubiquitous Hong Kong diners – translated literally as “tea restaurants” – are a staple of local dining culture and can be found on every block of every district in this bustling city. Items on the menu such as French toast, macaroni and ham, and scrambled eggs hardly sound like a Chinese specialty, but these Western dishes have a distinctly Asian flair to them that has been satisfying local palates since cha chaan teng culture exploded onto the scene in the 1950s. Don’t leave without trying lai cha, or Hong Kong-style milk tea, which mixes super-strength black tea with evaporated milk and sugar in a smooth, creamy combination. These cheap and somewhat cheerful eateries – the mood often depends on your waiter’s – typically have an English menu available. If not, take a scan around the room and you’ll quickly find out which sets are the most popular.

Art galleries, curios, traditional medicine shops and temples – this rapidly gentrifying neighborhood fuses the old with the new, never failing to provide an unexpected surprise around the corner. Start along the section of Des Voeux road known as Dried Seafood Street for a peek into traditional stores and stalls selling edible and medicinal ingredients such as “wind-dried sausage,” salted fish, blackened century eggs, flattened dried duck and fat choy – a stringy black moss that looks suspiciously like hair and is popular choice during the Chinese New Year. Head on up towards Upper Lascar Row, known as Cat Street, with its antique shops and stalls selling bric-a-brac and second hand items. A few steps away you’ll find the Man Mo Temple on Hollywood Road. Dating back to 1847, this historic monument transports you to another place and time altogether with its smoky incense coils and elaborate altars.

From there, make your way over to the Central-Mid-Levels escalator, famously known for being the longest outdoor escalator in the world. Linking the city’s financial hub, Central, with the posh residential neighborhood along the mountainside, this extensive covered walkway will take you up and over narrow streets on a tour of restaurants, bars and shops in the area. Continue all the way to the top until you reach Jamia Mosque, the city’s oldest mosque dating back to 1890. Directly opposite you’ll spy the inconspicuous sign for Rednaxela Terrace, a misprint of Alexander Terrace, due to some kind of transcription error by a sleepy colonial era clerk.

No trip to the city would be complete without sampling traditional yum cha or dim sum, so make a beeline for Tim Ho Wan at IFC Mall in Central – one of the cheapest Michelin-starred restaurants in the world. Fast, delicious and busy, try to go outside of standard lunch and dinner hours to avoid the long queue.

At this point, you should now be too full to walk. Good! You did it in true Hong Kong style. Next, hop onto the Peak Tram and take in the stunning harbor views as this funny little funicular winds its way up the impossibly steep mountainside. The breathtaking skyline view from the Peak never fails to impress, but a stroll around the Lugard Road and Harlech Road circuit offers just as many stunning vantage points and only half the tourists. For a bit of an adventure through the lush tropical vegetation, opt for the hike back down the hillside along the paved Old Peak Road.

Experience the Fragrant Harbour from the Star Ferry

Have a drink on top of the world

This quaint collection of villages in Tai Po has been drawing visitors to its Tin Hau Temple and two wishing trees for hundreds of years. Traditionally, festival goers would write their wishes on joss paper and tie it to an orange, which was then tossed up towards one of the banyan tree’s highest boughs – the higher the branch the better the odds of your wish coming true! As the practice became more popular, authorities stepped in to help preserve the trees and visitors are now encouraged to tie wishes to wooden racks nearby instead. Steps away you’ll find a small Tin Hau temple, dedicated to the Goddess of the Sea, which can typically be found in any ancient fishing community in Hong Kong or along the Chinese coastline. Sit down with a fortune teller here if you want to find out about that wish.

Stepping into the Man Mo Temple on Hollywood Road is like entering another world, a realm inhabited by the venerable deities of Man (God of Literature) and Mo (God of War) who are worshiped here. Rays of sunlight cut through the rising smoke of giant incense coils hanging low from the ceiling and down onto the altars of the 10 judges of the underworld. Make sure to take in all the details – the lines of descending green Shekwan roof tiles represent bamboo and longevity, while the antique sedan chairs inside were used to carry statues of the gods during festival processions.

Although calling itself a monastery, the name is a bit of a misnomer as there are no resident monks at this eclectic Sha Tin temple. Follow the steep winding path up the hillside, flanked by 500 life-sized Arhand statues to reach the main complex and its 9-story pagoda. Here you’ll supposedly find more than 13,000 Buddha statues – but at this point, who’s counting? – and a few bodhisattvas on horseback for good measure. The main attraction, however, is the preserved body of Yuet Kai, the monastery’s supremely devout founder. Embalmed in lacquer, plastered with gold leaf and dressed in robes, the upright body currently sits on display in a glass case inside the main monastery building.

At Diamond Hill, only one subway stop away from the Wong Tai Sin temple, you’ll find the peaceful and serene Chi Lin Nunnery. In stark contrast to its colorful and brash Taoist neighbor, the Buddhist nunnery exudes calm and tranquility with smooth stone balustrades, lotus ponds and stunning wooden architecture. Inspired by Japanese and Tang Dynasty temples, the elegant series of halls and walkways were constructed without the use of nails, using a complex design of counterweights and dowels. Across the road, the Nan Lian Garden is a scenic oasis amid towering high-rise apartments looming up along the hillside. A relaxing stroll past ancient bonsai trees, koi ponds and meticulously landscaped gardens is the perfect antidote for those needing some time out from the hustle and bustle of the city.

 With its bold, red pillars and ornamental latticework, Wong Tai Sin displays all the qualities of the archetypal Taoist Chinese temple. Colorful and noisy, worshipers come year round to pray for good fortune and divine guidance from the “Great Immortal Wong.” Crowds flock here during the Chinese New Year to offer incense, make wishes and visit fortune tellers in hopes of an auspicious and prosperous year to come. Visiting the temple during this time may be interesting from a cultural perspective, but it is certainly not for the faint-hearted. Throngs of people push their way through the winding temple complex in a cloud of smoky incense towards the main altar and gather around stalls selling charms and amulets of all shapes and sizes. It is certainly a once in a lifetime experience, but alternatively, an early morning weekday visit will serve just fine.