Believe it or not, celebrities are just like the rest of us in many ways. While they make a living pretending to be someone else and earn big bucks doing it, they still enjoy the same pastimes as anyone else—including taking a well-deserved vacation. While it’s easy to assume that the most famous stars spend their time in bustling cities like Los Angeles or New York City, it turns out that celebrities have a fondness for more hidden gems as well.
In February, Casino.org released a study revealing the places where you’re most likely to spot a celebrity around the world. The top spot? A surprising Swiftie hotspot.
“Watch Hill, Rhode Island, ranks No. 1 worldwide for celebrity sightings (per capita)—especially for Taylor Swift, Blake Lively, and Ryan Reynolds fans,” the company shared in a statement to Travel + Leisure. (Watch Hill is a neighborhood in Westerly, Rhode Island, located about an hour from Providence and Newport.)
How the Study Was Conducted
To determine these celebrity-packed spots, the team gathered data from a popular celebrity-sighting Instagram account over the past six months, identifying the 42 cities around the globe where celebrities are most frequently seen.
This small Rhode Island town saw a massive increase in celebrity sightings when Taylor Swift moved there, although it’s worth a visit even without the promise of spotting the world’s most famous pop star. In Westerly, visitors can enjoy a stay at the luxurious Ocean House hotel, which offers the A-list treatment, complete with a private beach, a tranquil spa, and lavish rooms. Plus, it’s just a short distance from Swift’s residence—so who knows who you might run into while you’re there.
But Rhode Island isn’t the only place to catch a glimpse of a celebrity. The second spot on the list is a famous mountain retreat: Aspen, Colorado. With 151 celebrity sightings per 100,000 residents, Aspen attracts stars like Hailey Bieber, Kendall and Kylie Jenner, and Kevin Costner, who are often spotted both on the slopes and around town.
Several cities in California also made the list, including West Hollywood, Malibu, and Bel-Air, which rounded out the top six. Santa Monica came in at No. 10.
But celebrities don’t only frequent the U.S. In seventh place is St. Barts, a stunning Caribbean island known for its glamorous visitors, where you have a “high chance of spotting Leonardo DiCaprio.” The island boasts 17 celebrity sightings per 100,000 people.
Next up is Shoreditch in the U.K., where stars like Emilia Clarke and DJ Bassi Fox are frequently seen. Australia’s Cottesloe secured the ninth spot with 2.5 sightings per 100,000 people, with rapper Drake among those often spotted there.
If you do happen to spot a star on your travels, remember that they’re on their own break too, so it’s best to let them enjoy their downtime—no matter how much you might be fangirling inside.
