The vibrant south London area that is officially one of the coolest neighbourhoods in the world

London boasts a frankly ridiculous number of neighbourhoods that, in some way or other, you might regard as ‘cool’. From its ever-innovating restaurant scene to its formidable roster of bars, its thrilling art galleries and world-leading nightlife spots to its championing of diverse and local communities, our capital has no shortage of things that make it undeniably, irrefutably chic, trendy, and generally top-of-the-vibes.

It's no surprise, therefore, that a London area features in Time Out’s brand-new ranking of the coolest neighbourhoods in the world for 2025.

The list features places that were nominated by Time Out’s global network of writers and editors. Those neighbourhoods were then ranked according to categories like culture, community, liveability, nightlife, food and drink, street life and, essentially, their sense of ‘nowness’. This is the eighth edition of the ranking.

Making an appearance near the top of the list was south London’s very own Camberwell. The famously leafy, chilled-out neighbourhood came fourth in the global list, and was one of only two British areas in the ranking (Digbeth in Birmingham placed 13th)

Local expert Lauren O’Neill said that Camberwell ‘is brilliant because it’s loads of things at once’, and because it crams the best bits of southeast London – ‘the young-at-heart vibe, the independent spirit, the multiculturalism’ – into a ‘green, community-oriented little patch’.

Lauren picked out the food options on Camberwell Church Street as ‘the stuff of legend’, shouting out legendary Xinjiang restaurant Silk Road, gastropub The Camberwell Arms, Nandine’s Kurdish cuisine, the much-hyped Toad Bakery and top-tier sandwich stop Cafe Mondo. 

Keen to explore more of Camberwell? Find Time Out’s area guide here.

Previous areas that Time Out has named the coolest in London – and among the greatest in the world – include Peckham (2018-19), Soho (2020), Dalston (2021), Walthamstow (2022), King’s Cross (2023) and Leyton (2024).

In the full list of Time Out’s Coolest Neighbourhoods in the World for 2026, Camberwell placed behind Tokyo’s Jimbōchō book town in first, Antwerp’s northeastern bohemian spot Borgerhout in second, and alt São Paulo spot Barra Funda in third. The only other British area to make the cut was Digbeth in Birmingham (at 13). 

Find the full list of Time Out’s coolest neighbourhoods in the world for 2026 here.

Read about why London is also one of the best cities in the world for 2025 here.

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