When thinking of a city vacation, bustling traffic and crowds may come to mind, but this year’s list of favorites around the world, voted by Travel + Leisure readers, prove that cities come in all shapes and sizes. From destinations with views of beaches or seemingly endless greenery to metropolises where centuries-old churches and monuments stand alongside modern shops and restaurants, there’s a city to suit every travel interest.
How Voting Works
Every year for our World’s Best Awards survey, T+L asks readers to weigh in on travel experiences around the globe — to share their opinions on the top hotels, resorts, cities, islands, cruise ships, spas, airlines, and more. Over 186,000 T+L readers completed the 2024 survey. A total of more than 700,000 votes were cast across over 8,700 properties (hotels, cities, cruise lines, etc.).
Cities were specifically rated on the criteria below:
- Sights/landmarks
- Culture
- Food
- Friendliness
- Shopping
- Value
For each characteristic, respondents could choose a rating of excellent, above average, average, below average, or poor. The final scores are averages of these responses.
What Readers Loved
Although this year’s list of favorite cities around the world was diverse, reaching all corners of the globe, hubs in Mexico, Spain, and India were prominently featured. San Miguel de Allende took the No. 1 spot, up from No. 5 last year, joining two other Mexican cities: Oaxaca (at No. 11) and Mexico City (No. 14). India and Spain both had three cities each, including Udaipur, in the Indian state of Rajasthan, which held its No. 2 spot from last year, and newcomers San Sebastián (No. 12), Marbella (No. 13), and Barcelona (No. 23). This year’s group of winners also reflects the state of the travel world, as people flocked to Asia — including Japan, South Korea, and Indonesia — thanks to several airlines launching new flights across the continent in 2024.
