Ranked: The 50 best cities in the world, according to Time Out

Travel

Time Out has just released its 2025 report on the world’s 50 best cities to visit—according to locals.

Melbourne topped the list for Australia, coming in at fourth overall. Image: Getty

What are the best cities in the world? Time Out’s seventh annual survey of the world’s best cities reveals the places that people around the globe are most excited about, based on everything from food and culture to affordability and happiness. For context, compare the 2025 rankings to the results in 2024, 2022 and 2021.

“Every year, Time Out surveys thousands of locals to take the pulse of city living,” Grace Beard, travel editor at Time Out, told me in an interview. “That’s what makes our annual ranking of the world’s best cities so special: It’s not informed by a city’s economic status or tourism infrastructure, but by how it feels to live there.”

Another compelling point: “When you travel to any of the cities on this list, you’re spending time in a place that locals love and take pride in. A city wouldn’t have thriving nightlife, amazing food and drink, or great art and culture without the people who are on the ground making that stuff happen—and that’s what our list celebrates,” says Beard.

Best Cities In The World: Methodology

Time Out created its report by polling 18,500 locals across the globe, who shared their on-the-ground insights and opinions. In addition to the responses from locals, Time Out tapped into its global network of more than 100 city experts for their takes.

New York City best cities — The Statue of Liberty and New York City, the third best city in the world and the top U.S. city. (Getty)

To create the ranking, a number of factors were considered and rated, including food, nightlife, culture, affordability, happiness, safety, access to nature, the overall city vibe and more. Livability was also a major factor in this year’s ranking because, as Time Out points out in its report: “A great city to live in is, naturally, a great city to visit.”

Best Cities In The World: The Winner

This year, Cape Town, South Africa jumped up one spot to claim the coveted title of best city in the world for 2025.

“Locals in Cape Town ranked their city highly across multiple categories, including happiness, affordability, beauty and restaurants and eating out,” says Beard. “The Mother City also got a high number of votes from our panel of over 100 city experts.”

The data supports Cape Town’s win. Cape Town scores well across the board: 95% of locals rate the food scene highly, 82% say their city is beautiful and 97% say Cape Town makes them happy.

Bangkok world's best cities — Sunrise with Grand Palace of Bangkok, the second best city in the world. (Getty)

Bangkok follows at number two, with high marks for its amazing (and affordable) food scene, as well as its friendly vibe. It’s also home to one of the coolest neighborhoods in the world.

Best Cities In The World: The U.S. Winners

New York City, which topped the list last year, moves to the third spot but still earns praise for its arts scene, culinary innovations and buzzing atmosphere.

“New York going from first to third on the list isn’t a case of locals having any less love for the city—quite the opposite,” says Beard. “It ranked as the most exciting city according to people who live there, and also got high scores for its food scene, walkability and diversity.”

Helping propel NYC into this high spot is its world-class arts and culture scene, which got an approval rating of a whopping 92%.

New Orleans best cities in the world — Jackson Square in New Orleans, the second best U.S. city. (Getty)

New Orleans makes its debut on the list this year at number six, thanks to an expanded pool of cities. The city’s horrific incident over New Year’s Eve took place right in the middle of prepping the list—but Time Out didn’t let it dissuade them.

“This year we expanded our research to take in even more cities around the world, including New Orleans, and what the research showed was that there are many reasons to fall in love with the city, not least its resilience,” says Beard. “We were working on the ranking before the New Year’s attack and it didn’t feel right to let that tragic event redefine the city’s place on the list.”

Chicago ranks number 11, thanks to its reputation as a major cultural hub. “With world-class cultural institutions, acclaimed dining destinations and a never-ending calendar of things to do, Chicago is undeniably one of the best cities in the world,” Jeffy Mai, editor of Time Out Chicago, told me in an interview. “Whether you’re a lifelong resident or just visiting for a weekend, the depth of the city’s offerings is unsurpassed.”

Los Angeles comes in at number 40—but in light of recent wildfires, the question arises: How will this affect travel to Los Angeles, and is it safe for people to visit? “Angelenos have grieved together and uplifted each other in the face of the wildfires, regardless of how far they were from the communities that had been devastated by flames,” Michael Juliano, editor of Time Out Los Angeles, told me in an interview.

Los Angeles best cities — Los Angeles ranked number 40 on the list. (Getty)

And travellers will see how some things have changed—but much remains the same. “Visitors are likely to still find that spirit on their next visit to L.A.—but they’ll also find that the vast majority of this massive city and its recognisable landmarks look just as they did before,” says Juliano. “The Palisades and Eaton Fires destroyed beloved restaurants and natural escapes, but outside of those two specific areas you can still enjoy seafood on the beach in Malibu, admire art at the Getty or hike behind the Hollywood Sign.”

Best Cities In The World: The Trends

Time Out’s 2025 ranking also tracks some key trends shaping global cities. “There’s a lot of exciting stuff happening across food and drink in this year’s best cities—cool pop-ups in Brighton, for example, or Jakarta becoming an unlikely destination for sleek new bars,” says Beard.

Cape Town best cities in the world — View from The Rock viewpoint in Cape Town, which was named the best city in the world in a new report. (Getty)

Also trending: “We’re also seeing some big travel trends represented across the list, including sports tourism in New York City and New Orleans,” says Beard.

Another noteworthy trend: “The importance of community is paramount this year, particularly in cities like Los Angeles and Valencia, where locals are grappling with the devastating impact of natural disasters,” says Beard.

Time Out’s 2025 list also highlights more than just global metropolises. The ranking emphasises emerging cities like Lagos, Nigeria and Medellín, Colombia, where art, music and food are flourishing and providing residents and visitors with fresh experiences.

Continue on to see the list of the 50 best cities in the world; you can read more about the world’s 50 best cities on TimeOut.com.