Best City Guide & Travel Directory WordPress Themes (Like TripAdvisor)
Building a city guide website sounds exciting until you realize how much work goes into it. You need maps that actually work, a way for users to search by location, listings that look good on mobile, maybe even a booking system. And honestly? Most themes out there promise the moon but deliver something closer to a dusty rock.
I spent way too much time testing city guide WordPress themes and travel directory themes to find which ones are actually worth your money. Whether you’re building a local business directory, a tourism WordPress theme for your city, or something like your own mini TripAdvisor such as a tourism WordPress theme for your city, or something like your own Yelp or Airbnb, this guide breaks down the options that don’t suck.
What Makes a Good City Guide Theme?
Before diving into specific themes, let’s talk about what actually matters for a tourism WordPress theme or city directory:
- Map integration with radius search so visitors can find places near them
- Booking functionality for restaurants, tours, or accommodations
- Mobile-responsive design because most tourists browse on their phones
- Monetization options if you want to make money from listings
- Performance that doesn’t make visitors wait forever
TripAdvisor changed how people explore cities. Millions use it daily to find restaurants, attractions, and hotels based on real reviews and ratings. The good news? You don’t need a massive budget to build something similar with WordPress. With that in mind, here are the best options I found:
1. Listeo – The Feature-Packed Choice
Listeo is the theme I keep coming back to when building directory sites. It’s been around for a while, has over 10,000 sales, and maintains a 5.0 rating from 400+ reviews on ThemeForest. Those numbers don’t lie.
Why Listeo Stands Out for City Guides
What makes Listeo particularly good for city guide websites is how it handles the location-based stuff. The radius search feature lets visitors search within a specific distance from any point. Someone looking for “coffee shops within 2 miles” gets exactly that. Works with Google Maps, OpenStreetMaps, or MapBox, so you’re not locked into expensive Google API costs.
AI-Powered Features
Here’s where Listeo gets interesting. The theme includes an AI chatbot integration that visitors can interact with directly on your site. Curious how AI chatbots actually work? It uses semantic search to understand natural language, not just keywords. Instead of clicking through menus, someone can just ask “Where can I get pizza near downtown?” and get relevant listings. It uses semantic search powered by OpenAI, which means it understands natural language, not just keywords.
The AI Smart Search takes regular searches and makes them actually useful. Users type “romantic restaurant with a view” instead of trying to guess which category to click. The system figures out what they want and shows relevant results.
Point of Interests Plugin
This is a feature I haven’t seen done well elsewhere. The Point of Interests plugin automatically displays nearby amenities on each listing page. Using Google Places API, it shows things like:
- Restaurants and cafes nearby
- Public transport options
- Healthcare facilities
- Shopping areas
So if someone’s looking at a hotel listing, they immediately see what’s around it without having to open another tab. The plugin caches results for 180 days to keep API costs down.
Nearby Listings Feature
Related to Point of Interests, Listeo shows Nearby Listings on each single listing page. This displays other listings from your directory that are close to the one being viewed, complete with actual distance measurements. Great for keeping visitors exploring your site instead of bouncing to Google Maps.
Google Reviews Integration
You can embed real Google Reviews directly on listing pages without needing a Business API. This adds instant credibility to listings and saves business owners from starting with zero reviews on a new platform.
Booking System
The built-in booking system handles three different booking types:
- Availability Calendar for rentals and accommodations
- Time Slots for services like tours, restaurants, or appointments
- Tickets for events and attractions
Each booking generates a QR code that listing owners can scan to verify visitors. If you’re building a city guide that includes bookable experiences, this eliminates the need for third-party booking plugins.
Monetization
Listeo gives you multiple ways to make money:
- Charge for listing submissions
- Sell premium packages with more features
- Take commissions on bookings via Stripe Split Payments
- Offer promoted listings (ad campaigns)
- Charge for claiming existing listings
Price: One-time purchase with lifetime updates
2. GOLO – Clean Design Focus
GOLO by Uxper has 2,200+ sales and delivers an Airbnb/TripAdvisor aesthetic right out of the box. If visual polish matters more than feature depth, this theme nails the look.
It handles the essentials: listing submissions, basic booking, map integration, and Elementor customization. Where it falls short:
- No AI-powered search or chatbot
- Basic Point of Interest functionality
- Fewer monetization options
- No split payments or advanced booking
Price: $79
3. DWT – Budget-Friendly Option
DWT by Scriptsbundle is the cheapest option at $59 with 1,700+ sales. It takes a general-purpose approach that works for city guides, business directories, or classifieds.
The standout feature is a built-in coupon system for local deals, plus featured listing ads for monetization. The basics work, but expect trade-offs:
- Interface feels dated compared to 2026 standards
- Limited booking functionality
- No AI features whatsoever
- Documentation needs improvement
Good for tight budgets and testing ideas. Not ideal for serious city guide projects where UX matters.
Price: $59
4. GoTravel – For Travel Agencies
GoTravel by Mikado-Themes is built specifically for travel agencies, not community directories. With 1,400+ sales, it focuses on presenting destinations and selling tour packages with PayPal booking integration.
Works great if you’re an agency showcasing your offerings. Not so great if you want:
- User-submitted listings
- Community-driven content
- Multi-vendor booking across businesses
- General directory flexibility
At $85, you’re paying for agency-specific features. Skip it if you’re building a true city guide with local business participation.
Price: $85
5. Voyage – Destination-Focused Travel Theme
Voyage by Mikado-Themes (same team behind GoTravel). It’s built around showcasing travel destinations with dedicated post types for tours and destinations.
The theme includes tour booking with PayPal integration, a weather widget for destinations, user dashboard for logged-in visitors, and customizable Google Maps. WPBakery Page Builder and Revolution Slider come included.
- Best for: tour operators and destination showcases
- Less flexible for user-generated directory content
- No AI search or advanced filtering
- 4.4 rating from 55 reviews
Solid choice if you’re presenting curated travel content. Not ideal for community-driven city guides where local businesses submit their own listings.
Price: $79
Comparison Table
| Feature | Listeo | GOLO | DWT | GoTravel | Voyage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Price | $79 | $79 | $59 | $85 | $79 |
| AI Search/Chatbot | Yes ✅ | No ❌ | No ❌ | No ❌ | No ❌ |
| Point of Interests | Yes ✅ | No ❌ | No ❌ | No ❌ | No ❌ |
| Google Reviews | Yes ✅ | No ❌ | No ❌ | No ❌ | No ❌ |
| Advanced Booking | Yes ✅ | Basic ⚠️ | Basic ⚠️ | Yes ✅ | Yes ✅ |
| Split Payments | Yes ✅ | No ❌ | No ❌ | No ❌ | No ❌ |
| Free Map Options | Yes ✅ | Limited ⚠️ | Limited ⚠️ | No ❌ | No ❌ |
FAQ
Do I need coding skills to use these themes?
No. All themes use drag-and-drop builders (mostly Elementor). Listeo includes one-click demo import, so you can have a working site in under an hour. See our complete guide to creating a directory website for step-by-step instructions.
Can I make money from a city guide website?
Yes. You can charge for listing submissions, take commissions on bookings, sell premium packages, or offer promoted listings. We made comprehensive guide about directory websites monetization.
How important is AI search for a city guide?
More than most think. Traditional category search works, but AI semantic search understands queries like “quiet place to work with wifi” and returns relevant results. Valuable for tourism sites where visitors don’t know exactly what they want. For more AI tools beyond themes, check out the best AI plugins for WordPress.
Final Thoughts
Listeo remains my top pick for city guide projects. The combination of AI features, Point of Interests, Google Reviews, and comprehensive booking puts it ahead. With 10,000+ users and active development, you’re not betting on something that’ll disappear.
Whatever you choose, check that last update date and make sure support is responsive. Building a city guide is a long-term commitment.
If you’re exploring options beyond city-guide directories, see our roundup of the best directory WordPress themes.
