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The 50 best cities in the world have just been revealed, with 19 of the top spots taken by destinations in Europe.
The annual ranking from Time Out is based on a reader survey that asks residents about elements like quality of life, affordability, arts and culture, the food and nightlife scene, green spaces and more. This year, more than 24,000 people took part across 150 cities.
Reader responses were then combined with the votes of more than 100 Time Out city experts to create the final list.
Taking the top spot overall this year was Australia’s Melbourne, with the best city in Europe named as Edinburgh, coming out third overall. London was hot on Edinburgh’s heels, coming in fourth.
Second place went to Shanghai, with the top 10 rounded out by New York (fifth), Cape Town (sixth), Mexico City (seventh), Bangkok (eighth), Seoul (ninth), and Tokyo (10th).
The best cities in Europe for 2026
Edinburgh residents surveyed for the list praised the city for its walkability, food, green spaces and culture. According to Time Out, the city is among the happiest surveyed for 2026, with 91% of respondents saying “they find joy in their everyday experiences” there.
“Edinburgh takes everything that makes life worth living and turns the dial up several notches: outstanding food, beautiful green spaces, and a vibrant arts and culture scene,” writes Chiara Wilkinson, Time Out’s deputy editor in the UK.
“One of the Scottish capital’s best qualities is how easy it is to get around on foot – you still feel the unmistakable thrum of a busy city, but there’s comfort in knowing you’re never too far from anywhere (perfect for speed-walking between comedy shows at the Fringe each August).”
People living in London meanwhile gave the city a near-perfect score for its art and culture scene, with a 99% approval rating. The UK’s capital was also praised for its restaurant scene and its green spaces.
In continental Europe, Zürich narrowly missed out on a top 10 finish, coming in 11th place.
Time Out gave a big thumbs up to the Swiss city for its year-round appeal, from cherry blossom-lined streets in spring and swimming in the Limmat river come summer, to the Zürich Film Festival in autumn followed by world-famous Christmas markets in the winter.
European cities dominated the list between 11th and 20th place, with Copenhagen in 13th, Kraków in 16th, Porto in 17th, Madrid in 19th and Valencia in 20th.
Surprisingly, Paris, the capital of the world’s most-visited country, only came in 22nd place. Having said that, the city was the only one with a perfect score for its arts and culture scene, and a whopping 97% of respondents said they approved of the food and drink scene.
Other cities that featured in the top 50 ranking include Bath (26th), Bilbao (27th), Berlin (28th), Antwerp (31st), Naples (33rd), Amsterdam (34th), Athens (40th), Vienna (44th), Dublin (45th) and Lisbon (49th).
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