Time Out has released its eighth annual list of the World’s Coolest Neighbourhoods – a ranking of the most exciting local communities in major cities – with Jimbocho in Tokyo taking the top spot. This neighbourhood is a “bibliophile nirvana” alive with vintage book stores, cosy coffee shops and old-school curry houses in the Japanese capital – a place that feels like the ideal remedy to the pace of digital life.
The top five also includes Borgerhout in Antwerp, which is considered the beating heart of the city’s creative scene; Barra Funda in São Paulo, where industrial history meets an undeniably cool and alternative vibe; Camberwell in London ranks fourth for its “young-at-heart vibe” and “independent spirit”; and Avondale in Chicago rounds out the top five with its “tucked-away bars, specialty markets and eccentric boutiques”.
All of the neighbourhoods on the list are places where things like nightlife, art, culture, and affordable food and drink can be found on every corner and down every backstreet. Where independent businesses thrive, from old-school boltholes to the newest avant-garde art space. Put simply, the Time Out Coolest Neighbourhoods are places that represent the soul of these cities, while maintaining their own unique local character that draws people in to live, work and play.
Each year, Time Out – the global brand that inspires and enables people to experience the best of the city – curates its list of the Coolest Neighbourhoods in the most exciting cities around the world. To create the ranking this year, Time Out’s global team of local editors and experts nominated neighbourhoods in their cities. The neighbourhoods were then ranked against criteria including culture, community, liveability, nightlife, food and drink, street life and that hard-to-define sense of ‘nowness’. The result is a list of the most exciting places to live, eat, and explore right now.
Grace Beard, Travel Editor at Time Out, says: “Our annual list of Time Out’s Coolest Neighbourhoods is a definitive guide to the buzziest pockets of the world’s greatest cities. It’s always hotly debated, but we’re certain that if you visit any one of these neighbourhoods, you’ll get to experience the real soul of the city. This year, we’re celebrating neighbourhoods in all shapes and sizes, from village-like enclaves and revitalised city-centre hubs to formerly dormant, industrial areas transformed into creative districts. These are the spots that in-the-know locals love – for affordable restaurants or fun local bars, for cutting-edge culture or unique independent businesses, and, of course, for all-around good times.”
Here’s the top 10 of the Time Out Coolest Neighbourhoods 2025 – the full list can be found here: www.timeout.com/travel/
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Jimbocho, Tokyo
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Borgerhout, Antwerp
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Barra Funda, São Paulo
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Camberwell, London
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Avondale, Chicago
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Mullae-dong, Seoul
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Ménilmontant, Paris
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Nakatsu, Osaka
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Vallila, Helsinki
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Labone, Accra
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Notes to Editors
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About Time Out
Time Out Group is a global media and hospitality brand that inspires and enables people to experience the best of the city through Time Out Media and Time Out Market. Time Out launched in London in 1968 to help people discover the exciting new urban cultures that had started up all over the city – today it is the only global brand dedicated to city life. Expert journalists curate and create content about the best things to do, see and eat across over 350 cities in over 50 countries, and across a unique multi-platform model spanning both digital and physical channels. Rooted in the Time Out brand, Time Out Market is the world's first editorially curated food and cultural market, bringing a city's best chefs, restaurateurs and cultural experiences together under one roof. The portfolio includes twelve Markets in cities such as Lisbon, New York and Dubai, and several new locations with expected opening dates in 2025 and beyond, in addition to a pipeline of further locations in advanced discussions. Time Out Group PLC, listed on AIM (AIM: TMO), is headquartered in the United Kingdom. Learn more at www.timeout.com and LinkedIn.