Debbie Pappyn

Right now, it feels like a great time to celebrate our cities. What cities do best is bring people together – everything we love about urban life, from the galleries and bars to the neighbourhood parks, exists thanks to the communities that make it all happen.  That’s why, every year, we raise a toast to the city with our definitive annual ranking, created on the back of a comprehensive survey of city-dwellers worldwide. Our survey asks not only what people love about their cities – the food scene and nightlife, the shops and museums, the parks and people – but also how it feels to live there. We asked you about happiness, affordability and quality of life, among a variety of other criteria. And, in order to dig deeper into the everyday lives of locals, this year we expanded our survey to cover aspects like love, romance and community feel. Time Out’s Best Cities with Intrepid Travel spotlights the destinations that offer the best of both worlds: an endlessly exciting catalogue of reasons to visit, as well as all the good stuff that makes a place feel like home. The 50 cities that made the list this year did so thanks to the insights of more than 24,000 people across 150 cities worldwide. To determine the final Best Cities ranking for 2026, we combined their thousands of responses with the votes of more than 100 Time Out city experts. Then we tapped up our network of local writers to tell us exactly what makes their city worth a visit right now. The result? A rundown of the m

It’s pretty amazing to live in Belgium's second city. Antwerp is a charming, compact and dynamic metropolis filled with Michelin-starred restaurants, cosy pubs and wine bars, plus idyllic shopping streets featuring world-famous designers like Dries Van Noten and museums housing medieval and gothic masterpieces. For the last two decades, I've called the city home. In this patch of northwestern Europe, Antwerp has always been somewhat in the shadow of cities like Amsterdam and Paris. But this year, the city seems to have really stepped into the spotlight. While most visitors will stick to the city centre, it’s neighbourhoods like Borgerhout where you’ll find real local flavour and some of the coolest places to eat, drink and shop.  A tight-knit local community Borgerhout hasn’t always had the best reputation, with some locals pointing to crime and anti-social behaviour. The smallest of Antwerp’s districts, it was derisively called ‘Borgerokko’ (a combination of ‘Borgerhout’ and ‘Morocco’) because of a large population of immigrants from Arabic-speaking countries. In fact, around 140 nationalities live in the area, with inhabitants hailing from Mali and Pakistan to Canada and the US. Today, the neighbourhood’s multiculturalism is celebrated. Borgerhout’s modern-day transformation is largely due to the efforts of local residents. Innovative projects like 'parklets' and culturally inclusive events – where residents from different backgrounds celebrate together – contribute to a st