[title]
London is amazing, there’s no doubt about it. Sure, everyone loves a gripe about the weather or transport, but this city boasts everything from award-winning dining experiences and endless cultural events to world-leading theatre shows and mind-blowing exhibitions.
In other words, it’s not too much of a shock to us at Time Out that the UK capital has just been crowned the greatest city in the world for 2026. Consultancy firm Resonance has just published its annual list of the greatest metropolises on the planet, with the Big Smoke coming out on top for a whopping 11th year in a row.
Resonance’s ranking was decided upon by evaluating each city’s liveability, lovability and prosperity scores, which it found by analysing core statistics and user-generated data from Google, Instagram and TikTok. Additionally, Resonance surveyed over 21,000 respondents to assess the perception of cities.
After all that, Resonance determined that London – the ‘capital of capitals’ – was top dog. The city scored well for its ‘prosperity’, particularly for having high-achieving airports that make it attractive to tourists. The report cited Heathrow Airport’s record-breaking year of arrivals that exceeded pre-pandemic stats, as well as Gatwick Airport’s £200 million-plus upgrade as further improving visitor experiences.
‘The city’s robust recovery post-pandemic is reflected in its strong international traveler spending,’ the report wrote. To compare, London surpassed New York and Dubai as a destination with a near $5 billion (£3.8 billion) increase in travel spending from 2023 to 2024.
Earlier this year Time Out also ranked the world’s greatest cities. While London didn’t top the list (Cape Town did), it placed a very respectable fifth. In our list of the planet’s coolest neighbourhoods in the world for 2025, Camberwell in south London came fourth overall.
The top 10 cities in the world for 2026, according to Resonance
Here is Resonance’s full top 10, with London in top spot.
- London, UK
- New York, USA
- Paris, France
- Tokyo, Japan,
- Madrid, Spain
- Singapore
- Rome, Italy
- Dubai, UAE
- Berlin, Germany
- Barcelona, Spain
You can find Resonance Report’s complete 100-strong city ranking for 2026 here.
Did you see that London will be the biggest travel destination in the world next year?
Did you see the 'Charming' southwest London neighbourhood that has the best high street in Britain right now?
Get the latest and greatest from the Big Smoke – from news and reviews to events and trends. Just follow our Time Out London WhatsApp channel.
Stay in the loop: sign up to our free Time Out London newsletter for the best of the city, straight to your inbox.