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London certainly has its problems. Tube strikes, pints setting you back £8, and you can’t get into a bar past midnight. However, that doesn’t mean it’s not still one of the greatest cities on the planet. At least, we think so.
Luxury travel mag Condé Nast Traveller (CNT) has just dropped its list of the 20 best cities in the world for 2025. Unfortunately, London didn’t make the cut. The publication gave each destination a score out of 100, and said that the listed spots were the ‘coolest cities to visit on the planet, as voted for by the readers of CNT’.
Topping the ranking was Valletta in Malta, scoring an almost perfect 97.33 out of 100. The readers of CNT liked Valletta for its sunny climate (that’s one thing London can’t compete with), historic architecture and buzzy creative scene.
‘The Mediterranean city feels at once ancient and fresh,’ wrote CNT. ‘Wake from a slumber in hotels carved into 500-year-old palazzos and wander honey-colored alleys after morning espresso, easing into the day as church bells ring out to the sea.’
Also making the list was Tokyo, New York, Sydney, Oslo and Mumbai. But the Big Smoke was rudely snubbed. In a separate specific UK list, London was named Britain’s third-best city – find out where placed first here.
Obviously, at Time Out we beg to differ, and recently named London the fifth best city on the planet in 2025. This was thanks to its ‘brilliant cuisine, unkillable pub culture, unrivalled shopping opportunities and the all-encompassing range of its people’.
We’d also say that London absolutely is cool, and is rammed full of trendy bars, top nightclubs, fashionable people and incredible culture. If you’re looking for the definitively coolest place in the city, look south. Time Out recently named Camberwell the coolest of the capital’s neighbourhoods, thanks to its ‘young-at-heart vibe, the independent spirit [and its] multiculturalism’. You can explore Camberwell’s best bits here and see it in pictures here.
The famously nice north London neighbourhood that has been crowned the best place to live in the city.
See all 9 of the areas named London’s best places to live by Muddy Stilettos here.
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