Melbourne’s list of accolades just keeps on growing, with Richmond's Swan Street just named one of the coolest streets in the world, while North Melbourne is one of the world's coolest neighbourhoods. Oh, and the Victorian capital recently ranked as the fourth most liveable city in the world and the happiest city in Australia.
Now, we’ve got another title to claim: Melbourne has been named the top destination for ‘big city thrills’ for 2026 according to the travel experts at Travel + Leisure.
Every year, the New York-based publication drops its list of the world’s best places to travel the following year – a globe-spanning hit list shaped by on-the-ground reporting, insider intel and more than 100 vetted nominees. In Travel + Leisure’s freshly released list of the Best Destinations to Travel to in 2026, Melbourne took home the crown for the best destination in the world for ‘big city thrills’.
According to Travel + Leisure, the city’s sporting calendar alone is enough to warrant the top spot. The Australian Open and Formula 1 Australian Grand Prix are already non-negotiables for fans, but 2026 adds a historic first: the inaugural NFL regular-season game on Australian soil, when the Los Angeles Rams will descend on the MCG’s doorstep for a match that’s going to blow the roof off Melbourne’s sporting psyche.
“There’s a reason world-class events choose to come here,” Visit Victoria’s Kristen Malaby Neer told Travel + Leisure. The city’s major stadiums – from the iconic MCG to Marvel Stadium and Rod Laver Arena – sit just steps from laneways packed with bars, restaurants and late-night fun.
But the win isn’t just about sport. Travel + Leisure’s editors were clear: Melbourne’s surge to the number one spot is also rooted in culture, creativity and an ability to reinvent itself on a global stage. The city has been mid-transformation for years, but 2026 marks a particularly high-voltage moment thanks to a sweeping overhaul of the Arts Precinct – already one of the busiest cultural districts in the Southern Hemisphere, with more than 3,000 annual performances and exhibitions. The headline arrival? The Australian Museum of Performing Arts, opening in December 2025 as a celebration of theatre history, costume design and backstage magic.
And because no Melbourne itinerary is complete without somewhere chic to collapse, Travel + Leisure also pointed readers toward the new waterfront 1 Hotel Melbourne, the eco-luxe hotel brand’s first outpost in Australia.
The real joy of seeing Melbourne crowned best in the world for big-city thrills, though, is knowing the title wasn’t earned through spectacle alone. Yes, the events are huge, the calendar is stacked and the stadiums are legendary. But what Travel + Leisure captured is the city’s ability to make its scale feel personal. Melbourne’s greatness lies in its laneways, its neighbourhood rituals, its after-dark spontaneity.
You can read Travel + Leisure’s full guide to the best places to visit in 2026 over here.
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