Note: If you’re looking for our most recent recommendations, check out the 2023 list of our favorite cities in the world.
For globe-trotting travelers, it’s easy to recognize a spectacular city. They are energetic, diverse destinations intent on preserving local heritage, revitalizing undervalued neighborhoods, and they possess distinct personalities that set them apart from other metropolises. Whether it’s the city you’ve called home for years or one you only just stumbled upon during your travels, you know that the best cities are intriguing cultural centers that can’t be replicated anywhere else. Kyoto, in Japan, returned for the second year in a row to the No. 1 spot on our World’s Best list. Readers called it the quintessential Japanese experience, offering visitors everything from history (in the form of spiritual shrines) to notable cuisine ( shojin ryori) and encounters with the famed Geisha dancers. Some of the world’s best cities evoke the romanticism of travel, such as Italy’s classic crowd-pleasers, Florence and Rome. Both have appeared on the Top 10 Overall list for ten consecutive years. Perhaps most evident, however, are the cities that appeared on the list despite political and social turmoil. Charleston, South Carolina—the only domestic city on the overall list—has suffered greatly since the polls closed. And Jerusalem, the controversial capital of Israel, is at the crux of an ancient and ongoing conflict. Bangkok was likely bumped from the list in 2012 due to governmental unrest. Because cities are, in many ways, a great convergence of people and ideas, it is inevitable that conflicts will arise. So we keep these cities, and their people, in our thoughts, while we celebrate their resilience and their virtues. Where did your favorite city rank, and which ones should you put on your travel bucket list? These are the most dynamic and beloved cities across the globe.
No. 10 Jerusalem, Israel
Score: 88.178
Christians, Jews, and Muslims converge to worship in this 4,000-year-old holy city, and their respective churches, synagogues, and mosques surround the historic Old City. Here, you can tuck a miniature prayer into the Western Wall, or see a fragment of clay engraved with cuneiform at the excavation site at Temple Mount. The iconic, gleaming gold Dome of the Rock is best photographed from the Austrian Hospice, which offers unparalleled views of the city and Mount of Olives. Jerusalem, like every other city on our list, also has a stake in the contemporary and the secular. Luxury apartment buildings now erupt like stalagmites from the Judean Desert, and high-end restaurants, such as King’s Court at the restored Waldorf Astoria, are bringing a new upmarket appeal to this arid oasis.
No. 9 Cape Town, South Africa
Score: 88.271
Forget everything you thought you knew about Africa. Cape Town is cutting-edge, artsy, and buzzing with energy. There are few places in the world where you can exercise your shopping skills (head to Woodstock’s Neighborgoods Market on Saturday mornings for Afrikaans jerky and silk-and-leather sandals), take off on a safari, or indulge in world-famous cuisine all in one weekend. Atlantic-facing Clifton Beaches are the South Beach of South Africa, known for enormous natural boulders tumbling into the sea, pristine sunbathing conditions, and the capoeira dancers that entertain crowds with fire and African drums on Monday nights.
No. 8 Barcelona, Spain
Score: 88.587
This beachside city is the offbeat counterpart to Madrid. It’s unquestionably hip, and strikes a perfect balance between its iconic attractions (the Antoni Gaudí-designed Parc Güell) and cutting-edge developments (the zinc-and-glass design center DHUB, Michelin-starred restaurant Saüc). Museo Picasso is a must-see, with an impressive collection of the artist’s early works. Catalan culture may be best appreciated through the city’s renowned food scene. Grab breakfast at the Pinotxo counter inside La Boquería market, or another small-plates-centric spot, Tickets. Here, brothers Ferran and Albert Adrià, of acclaimed El Bulli, spin out sophisticated tapas like fascinating liquid olives and raviolis, algae tempura, and seasonal sorbets. Further mad-scientist experiments can be sampled at ABaC. Think oysters tartare with fennel, and Hamachi with cherries and aptly named cucumber snow.
No. 7 Krakow, Poland
Score: 88.693
Poland’s second city has been experiencing a quiet cultural revolution, and it’s finally getting the attention it deserves. This World’s Best debut, known for Gothic fortifications and a laid-back, blasé attitude, has enchanted travelers with something akin to magic, and overcome even stalwart favorites like Istanbul and New York City. Perhaps it’s the marvels of the Old City, like Rynek Główny—the largest Medieval square in Europe—and the Royal Castle of Wawel that have captivated intrepid travelers seeking something unfamiliar out of their explorations abroad. In the old Jewish quarter of Kazimierz, where synagogues that survived WWII still stand, there’s a notably bohemian vibe taking hold in new hip spots like Bar Propaganda, appropriately outfitted with a bust of Lenin. Some, however, will tell you it’s the mystic chakhra stone of Wawel Hill that has, like a love spell, bewitched the world.
No. 6 Bangkok, Thailand
Score: 88.907
After a year of unrest, Bangkok has been restored to the World’s Best list, where it clung to the No. 1 spot from 2010 to 2013. Bustle may be an understatement here, where sweet and spicy street food perfumes the avenues and gilded Buddhist temples stand in dramatic juxtaposition to slick skyscrapers. It’s frenetic, colorful, and a curious amalgamation of past and present: tuk-tuks and monks clad in saffron-hued robes fill the streets at dawn, their reflections cast in the steel and glass high-rises. At night, head to Sukhumvit Soi 38 for an equally vibrant street-side feast, where pedestrians elbow up to tables for fat rice noodles, mango sticky rice, and pathong ko (Thai doughnuts) with pandan leaf custard. Seize a moment of serenity at the Wat Suthat temple, the Himalayan-style art gallery, Serindia, or on a long-tail boat tour along the Chao Phraya River.
No. 5 Rome, Italy
Score: 88.992
Eternal City, indeed. It’s impossible to tire of the capital city’s storied landmarks, such as The Pantheon and The Colosseum, both relics of the Roman Empire. Tour St. Peter’s Basilica and the Sistine Chapel in the sovereign Vatican, or stroll leisurely along the 2,300-year-old cobblestones that make up Appian Way. When you’ve had your fill of the old, explore the new breed of design-forward buildings that have risen in brilliant contrast to the original masterworks. Now, you can enjoy creamy gelato in the shadows of Zaha Hadid’s MAXXI Museum, or next to starchitect Richard Meier’s glass-and-travertine frame for the Ara Pacis. Most GoTravelDaily readers agree that one trip simply is not enough. “There will never be sufficient time to see all there is in Rome,” one said. But if you fancy fairytales (of which there are many in this intrinsically romantic city), toss a coin into the Baroque white marble Trevi Fountain to ensure a return visit.
No. 4 Florence, Italy
Score: 89.429
This Italian city is a perfect example of a destination that is constantly reinventing itself and offering even veteran visitors variation and excitement. Known for being a Renaissance repository with such highlights as Michelangelo’s David and red-roofed buildings reflected in the river Arno, Florence is livelier than ever. New art galleries, like EX3 and Museo Novecento, feature contemporary works, and aperitivo time at the local bars entices sightseers with salumi and rustic crostini. The quaint, pedestrian-friendly streets are prime for admiring (or buying) handcrafted leather goods and the classical architecture. Still, the city is a monument to its monuments, and the magnificent Cattedrale di Santa Maria del Fiore (known simply as Il Duomo), with features dating back to the 7th century, remains the most recognizable feature of the Florentine skyline. Put things in perspective with a jaw-dropping vista from the Giardini & Villa Bardini, or the impeccably restored San Niccolò tower.
No. 3 Siem Reap, Cambodia
Score: 89.57
For adventurous travelers, this Cambodian city is nothing short of a necessary pilgrimage. The unmistakable silhouette of Angkor Wat, the massive, 12th century Buddhist temple, is perhaps Siem Reap’s best-known landmark. Other Khmer ruins, like Ta Prohm (recognized by the way enormous strangler fig and silk trees root down through the sandstone structure) are like gateways into an ancient and spiritual past. But this is hardly a perished city. Along the urban center’s riverfront are art galleries, where tourists can browse black-and-white prints of the striking shrines, and boutique hotels, such as the Belmond La Résidence d’Angkor and Raffles Grand Hotel D’Angkor. Splurge on an Angkor Wat pass, which will allow you to return throughout the day or week, for various shots of the temples in different weather and light.
No. 2 Charleston, South Carolina
Score: 89.843
South Carolina’s oldest city has consistently charmed GoTravelDaily readers with its quintessential antebellum aesthetic and old-fashioned Southern hospitality. It’s the only U.S. city represented in the overall list, and repeatedly appears on our America’s Favorite Cities lists. Despite its famed friendliness, Charleston has become the most recent site of a great national tragedy and intense civic debate. We send our sympathies to the people of Charleston and pay tribute to the qualities that have captivated the hearts of travelers from around the world. “Charleston has it all,” one reader said. It’s been applauded for its beautiful, jasmine-fringed neighborhoods and historic battlegrounds. A stone’s throw from downtown is Sullivan’s Island and Folly Beach, where locals and visitors go on balmy summer days to cool off amongst the grassy, soft sand dunes. Explore the galleries on Broad Street, or the city’s award-winning restaurants. Don’t leave without trying lowcountry fare like shrimp with hominy—late night king and Charleston native Stephen Colbert’s personal favorite.
No. 1 Kyoto, Japan
Score: 91.22
For more than 1,000 years, Kyoto was the imperial capital of Japan, and vestiges of this royal history remain in sites such as the Kyoto Gosho palace. While the year-old Ritz-Carlton, Kyoto, appeals to luxury travelers with its private Zen gardens overlooking the Kamogawa River, consider staying in a traditional ryokan, or guesthouse. You can’t see Kyoto without exploring the city’s incredible Buddhist temples and Shinto shrines—there are more than 2,000 scattered across the city—but insiders recommend Sanjusangendo, which houses 1,001 statues of the god Kannon, carved from cypress in the 12th and 13th centuries, as well as the iconic Kinkaku-Ji (Golden Pavilion). Of course, this traditional city has a touch of the modern, too. Check out the sleek new Yoshio Taniguchi-designed wing of the Kyoto National Museum, and the bustling Nishijin neighborhood for kawaii artisan shops.
