Conde Nast Traveler: 50 Most Beautiful Cities in the World

[iheartthed]

Amsterdam, Netherlands
Barcelona, Spain
Beijing, China
Beirut, Lebanon
Bergen, Norway
Bruges, Belgium
Budapest, Hungary
Buenos Aires, Argentina
Cape Town, South Africa
Cartagena, Colombia
Chefchaouen, Morocco
Chiang Mai, Thailand
Copenhagen, Denmark
Cusco, Peru
Doha, Qatar
Dubrovnik, Croatia
Edinburgh, Scotland
Florence, Italy
Havana, Cuba
Hanoi, Vietnam
Hong Kong, China
Istanbul, Turkey
Jaipur, India
Jerusalem, Israel
Kyoto, Japan
Ljubljana, Slovenia
London, U.K.
Luang Prabang, Laos
Muscat, Oman
New York, USA
Paris, France
Porto, Portugal
Prague, Czech Republic
Québec City, Canada
Queenstown, New Zealand
Quito, Ecuador
Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
Rome, Italy
St Petersburg, Russia
San Francisco, USA
San Miguel de Allende, Mexico
Seoul, South Korea
Seville, Spain
Singapore
Sydney, Australia
Tallinn, Estonia
Valletta, Malta
Venice, Italy
Vienna, Austria
Zurich, Switzerland

https://www.cntraveler.com/galleries...s-in-the-world

Countries with multiple cities on the list:

• Italy 3
• China 2
• Spain 2
• USA 2

[JManc]

New York beautiful? London?

[Kngkyle]

List is from 2016... probably already an old thread for this? Also the list is terrible.

[Omaharocks]

^ Hmmm, well there are a few I don't really agree with...NY, London, and Beijing.

But the architecture/built form is such that I could see them making up for the average natural surroundings and making this list.

Otherwise, it's pretty inarguable to me that most of these places are spectacularly beautiful.

I'd probably swap the above with Seattle, Vancouver, and either Auckland or Wellington but I care more about natural scenery than having an intense urban form.

[BnaBreaker]

As is the case with most lists like this, it could easily just be renamed "50 Cities in the World."

[iheartthed]

Originally Posted by JManc

New York beautiful? London?

I can see why some might disagree but New York is an extremely photogenic city. I would argue the same for London.

[Obadno]

Originally Posted by iheartthed

Amsterdam, Netherlands

Beijing, China

Zurich, Switzerland

https://www.cntraveler.com/galleries...s-in-the-world

[*]USA 2[/LIST]

I have been to Beijing and watched misshapen cripple children pan handle in piles of trash/rubble.

Whoever made this list is an idiot.

(I agree with Kyoto though its a cool place)

[Yuri]

Originally Posted by JManc

New York beautiful? London?

Both are very beautiful cities.

[dubu]

Northern California is nice, but I think Hawaii is nicer.

[dimondpark]

Imo, Florianopolis, Brazil should be on that list.

So should Wellington, New Zealand.

So should Vancouver, Canada.

I also dont think Seoul is more beautiful than Busan.

And lots of Chinese cities are prettier than Beijing imo, Dalian immediately comes to mind.

Also, Sedona, Arizona....so gorgeous. I actually wouldnt mind living there.

Lots of places.

[Manitopiaaa]

Originally Posted by JManc

New York beautiful? London?

Yes, they're both gorgeous. They're both gritty in parts, but so are Buenos Aires, Paris, Rio de Janeiro, Rome.

Clean /= beautiful.

[Manitopiaaa]

I've been to 32 of these, and it's not a bad list. My only comments is that the Middle East is odd. Beirut isn't a classically beautiful city. It was famous for its nightlife/food, but the vibe has been erased as economic collapse takes it toll. Doha and Muscat are also definitely NOT Top 50 cities.

Queenstown is also not beautiful. The surroundings are beautiful, but the city itself is mostly a base of operations/extreme sports hub. And Bergen and Zurich are beautiful, but also definitely not Top 50. Stockholm and Bern are more beautiful and are right next door.

Personally, I'd swap out Bergen, Doha, Muscat, Queenstown, and Zurich, and instead add: Esfahan, Krakow, Samarqand, Tbilisi, Valparaiso. Would also shift Quebec City to Montreal, Chefchaouen to Fez or Marrakech. Beijing/Seoul/Singapore aren't really beautiful, but there's enough beauty to be found in slices (Old Korea, Peranakan rowhomes) to be worth adding. Also San Francisco is a bit overrated. Honolulu and San Diego are far more beautiful, even if not as unique (Victorian rowhomes, cable cars, redwoods).

I am glad that they didn't add ugly/average cities like Berlin, Los Angeles, Melbourne, Vancouver, just because they have good branding.

1. Amsterdam, Netherlands (2015)
2. Barcelona, Spain (2013)
3. Beijing, China (2015/2019)
4. Bruges, Belgium (2014)
5. Budapest, Hungary (2014)
6. Buenos Aires, Argentina (2016)
7. Cartagena, Colombia (2018)
8. Chefchaouen, Morocco (2013)
9. Copenhagen, Denmark (2021)
10. Cusco, Peru (2016)
11. Dubrovnik, Croatia (2016)
12. Edinburgh, Scotland (2021)
13. Florence, Italy (2014/2015)
14. Havana, Cuba (2018)
15. Hong Kong, China (2015)
16. Istanbul, Turkey (2015)
17. Jerusalem, Israel (2016)
18. Kyoto, Japan (2019)
19. Ljubljana, Slovenia (2014)
20. London, U.K. (2014/2021)
21. New York, USA (2011/2012/2018/2019/2021)
22. Paris, France (2014)
23. Prague, Czech Republic (2014)
24. Québec City, Canada (2018)
25. Rome, Italy (2014)
26. San Francisco, USA (2017)
27. Seoul, South Korea (2019)
28. Seville, Spain (2013)
29. Singapore (2020)
30. Valletta, Malta (2015)
31. Venice, Italy (2014)
32. Vienna, Austria (2014/2015)

2022-2025

1. Cape Town, South Africa (2025)
2. Chiang Mai, Thailand (2024)
3. Hanoi, Vietnam (2024)
4. Jaipur, India (2025)
5. Luang Prabang, Laos (2024)
6. Rio de Janeiro, Brazil (2022 - Omicron willing)
7. Saint Petersburg, Russia (2025)
8. Sydney, Australia (2024)
9. Tallinn, Estonia (2022)

Not On 5-Year Plan

1. Beirut, Lebanon
2. Bergen, Norway
3. Doha, Qatar
4. Muscat, Oman
5. Porto, Portugal
6. Queenstown, New Zealand
7. Quito, Ecuador
8. San Miguel de Allende, Mexico
9. Zurich, Switzerland

[SanFranciscoSportFan]

In what universe is San Diego prettier than San Francisco?

[Manitopiaaa]

Originally Posted by SanFranciscoSportFan

In what universe is San Diego prettier than San Francisco?

In a world where it's increasingly hard to admire San Francisco's beauty without skipping over drug syringes, avoiding human shit, and praying you aren't assaulted by a mentally ill homeless man.

Aka, the world we live in.

[BG918]

I was just in Cape Town, it is drop dead gorgeous. Vancouver, BC is up there as well.

[SanFranciscoSportFan]

Originally Posted by Manitopiaaa

In a world where it's increasingly hard to admire San Francisco's beauty without skipping over drug syringes, avoiding human shit, and praying you aren't assaulted by a mentally ill homeless man.

Aka, the world we live in.

Yeah San Diego doesn't have any of that.

[Architype]

Originally Posted by BG918

I was just in Cape Town, it is drop dead gorgeous. Vancouver, BC is up there as well.

I wonder about these lists, the standards for beauty seem to change with the observer & year. Here is a list from 2019 that puts Vancouver at no. 5. There may be reasons for demotion or elimination, but they didn't happen just yesterday.

https://www.insider.com/most-beautif...uver-canada-46

[dimondpark]

Originally Posted by Manitopiaaa

In a world where it's increasingly hard to admire San Francisco's beauty without skipping over drug syringes, avoiding human shit, and praying you aren't assaulted by a mentally ill homeless man.

Aka, the world we live in.

That's not the norm in San Francisco in "the world we live in".

Im in the city, specifically the Financial District and SOMA nearly everyday as of late and I see very little of any of that, if at all.

Any suggestion that you have to be cautious everywhere about syringes ans shit is just that, SHIT.

[Manitopiaaa]

Originally Posted by dimondpark

That's not the norm in San Francisco in "the world we live in".

Im in the city, specifically the Financial District and SOMA nearly everyday as of late and I see very little of any of that, if at all.

Any suggestion that you have to be cautious everywhere about syringes ans shit is just that, SHIT.

If San Franciscans spent as much time solving the problem as they do denying its existence to people on the Internet, the city would be so much nicer by now. Alas:

• Video Link

[Cory]

Originally Posted by dimondpark

That's not the norm in San Francisco in "the world we live in".

Im in the city, specifically the Financial District and SOMA nearly everyday as of late and I see very little of any of that, if at all.

Any suggestion that you have to be cautious everywhere about syringes ans shit is just that, SHIT.

It’s possible to be completely numb to it.