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Time Out’s list of the world’s coolest streets revealed for 2024

There’s only one British entry on the list, while USA avenues take up four spots

Jo Caird
Thursday 14 March 2024 12:03 GMT
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Brooklyn street named one of world's coolest

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Time Out has published a list of the ‘30 Coolest Streets in the World’, with Melbourne’s High Street nabbing the top spot.

Inclusions come from the publishers’ editors and contributors based in cities all over the world, with every continent except Antarctica represented.

Each of the 30 listings includes tips on what to eat, drink and do, as well as information on the history and heritage of the thoroughfare.

It’s iconic bars like the Hotel Hollywood that help make Sydney’s Foster Street so special
It’s iconic bars like the Hotel Hollywood that help make Sydney’s Foster Street so special (Getty Images)

Capital cities are well represented, with the likes of Buenos Aires (Guatemala Street), Manila (L.P Leviste Street) and Toyko (Chazawa-dori), in the top 10, as well as second cities like Vancouver (Commercial Drive), Sydney (Foster Street) and Rio de Janeiro (Arnaldo Quintela).

China Town’s Gerrard Street is always buzzing
China Town’s Gerrard Street is always buzzing (Copyright 2022 The Associated Press. All rights reserved.)

There’s only one British city in the list, with London’s Gerrard Street coming in at number 17.

This pedestrian street in the heart of China Town, in Soho, is lauded as “maybe the most bustling, lively bit of London”. Time Out’s London editor, Joe Mackertich, highlights the street’s food stalls and eateries as well as its “Gen Z-friendly shops and boutiques”.

With several European entries on the list, there’s plenty of inspiration for anyone planning their perfect weekend city break this spring.

Colourful balconies give Lisbon’s Rua da Boavista a vibrant look
Colourful balconies give Lisbon’s Rua da Boavista a vibrant look (Getty Images/iStockphoto)

Lisbon’s Rua da Boavista, the central thoroughfare running through virbant Cais do Sodré, ranks at number seven, while elsewhere in Portugal, Porto’s Rua Sá de Noronha comes in at 16.

Spain also has two entries: Barcelona’s pedestrianised Consell de Cent and trendy Conde Duque Street in Madrid. Other European cities with streets on the list are Berlin (Oranienstraße), Paris (Rue de Belleville), Dublin (Camden Street) and Athens (Troon Street).

Melbourne’s High Street tops of the list of the coolest streets in the world
Melbourne’s High Street tops of the list of the coolest streets in the world (Getty Images)

There are four American streets on the list. New York is represented by Fifth Avenue in Park Slope, while East 3rd Street in LA’s Arts District gets a nod, along with Chicago’s 18th Street, a hub for the Mexican-American community. Miami’s Miracle Mile rounds out the US’s inclusions.

The top 10 ‘coolest street in the world’

  1. High Street, Melbourne
  2. Hollywood Road, Hong Kong
  3. East Eleventh, Austin
  4. Guatemala Street, Buenos Aires
  5. Commerical Drive, Vancouver
  6. Jalan Petaling, Kuala Lumpur
  7. Rua da Boavista, Lisbon
  8. Arnaldo Quintela, Rio de Janeiro
  9. Chazawa-dori, Tokyo
  10. Consell de Cent, Barcelona

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