Edinburgh comes top on list of world’s 53 best city breaks

Inspiration for your next few city adventures starts here

Edinburgh’s Old Town with Arthur’s Seat in the background (Getty Images/iStockphoto)

Edinburgh has been ranked the world’s best city to visit right now, after Time Out polled 20,000 city dwellers worldwide for their favourite metropolises.

Scotland’s culture and festivals capital topped the Time Out Index 2022, where city residents are asked to pick their favourites based on everything from nightlife to food scene, via walkability, cost of living and sustainability efforts.

Two Scottish cities managed to make the top five - Glasgow was voted fourth for its nightlife, restaurants, friendly locals, green spaces and variety of things to do.

Chicago was the second most popular city (Sawyer Bengtson)

The top five was rounded out by Chicago at number two, Amsterdam at number five, and a new entry - Medellín, Colombia - zooming in at number three for its world-beating nightlife, boutique design hotels and community spirit.

Perennial favourites Prague, Marrakech and Berlin came in at numbers six, seven and eight respectively, while French-Canadian hub Montreal was an unexpected favourite at number nine, beating well-trodden Copenhagen at 10.

Cape Town, Madrid and Manchester all ranked within the top 20, with Manchester (number 13) beating London at number 17. New York fell behind both at number 20. Birmingham also ranked well at number 22.

Other unusual tips for great city breaks within the top 25 include Taipei, Taiwan - not currently open to Brits but heralded as “Asia’s top queer destination” alongside good ratings for food, safety and sustainability - and Buenos Aires for its affordable bars and restaurants and its arts scene.

LGBT+-friendly Taipei was the East Asian favourite (Ivan Hutomo)

Notable absences from the top 25 include Paris, Barcelona, Venice and Florence.

Dave Calhoun, Time Out’s chief content officer for North America and UK, said: “The Time Out Index 2022 combines the experiences and opinions of more than 20,000 people in hundreds of cities around the world and – for the inside scoop – we’ve also tapped into the expertise of Time Out’s global network of local editors and city experts to capture and celebrate what makes a city great right now.

“This year, we are showcasing the cities that locals, and our editors, not only love living in, but that we think everyone should be visiting. Many people will be planning their first city break in a long time, and our list of the Best Cities in the World provides the ultimate travel bucket list.”

French-Canadian city Montreal made the top 10 (Benoit Debaix )

The world’s top 25 cities to visit:

1. Edinburgh - Read our guide
2. Chicago - Read our guide
3. Medellín
4. Glasgow - Read our guide
5. Amsterdam - Read our guide
6. Prague - Read our guide
7. Marrakech - Read our neighbourhood microguide
8. Berlin - Read our guide
9. Montreal
10. Copenhagen - Read our neighbourhood microguide
11. Cape Town - Read our neighbourhood microguide
12. Madrid - Read our guide
13. Manchester - Read our guide
14. Mumbai - Read our guide
15. Melbourne - Read our guide
16. Taipei - Read our guide
17. London - Read our neighbourhood microguide
18. Porto - Read our guide
19. Lyon - Read our guide
20. New York - Read our guide
21. Buenos Aires - Read our neighbourhood microguide
22. Birmingham - Read our guide
23. Stockholm - Read our neighbourhood microguide
24. Tokyo - Read our guide
25. San Francisco - Read our guide

The full list of 53 cities can be found at timeout.com/bestcities.