Vivienne Dovi

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

Nothing says ‘I support Black businesses’ quite like putting your money where your mouth is. So we’ve pulled together a few recommendations from London’s ever-increasing list of Black-owned shops. We’re so used to running to the newest pop-up store in the capital or falling down a rabbit hole while shopping online, but there is something special about visiting a brand with a permanent space that you can always return to. While many of the businesses below – which range from up-and-coming to more established brands, and offer a mixture of services and products to take home – will have to shut up physical shop during lockdown, you can add them to your online bookmarks now for all your Christmas shopping needs. And then make a beeline for them as soon as they’re able to open up safely again.

Six years ago, my dad made one of the best possible decisions for my life: he made sure I got my Togolese passport.  Born and raised in London, but with Nigerian, Ghanaian and Togolese roots, I’ve always had an interest in African cultures and identities. My dad told me that, given my travel streak, having my passport sorted would make my voyages and any potential work in Africa smoother. He was right. But something unexpected happened: even though I’d already visited Togo before, receiving my Togolese passport made me feel more Togolese than ever before. It was as if the official document validated something I’d already felt. Togo felt more like home. Vivienne in Togo | Photograph: Vivienne Dovi I’m not alone – superstar Ciara expressed a feeling of ‘reconnection’ when she was granted citizenship from Benin, a small country in West Africa, in July last year under the new My Afro Origins law, which offers nationality to descendants of enslaved people. The announcement set social media alight and helped to spotlight the Beninese government’s wider vision to build ties with the African diaspora and boost cultural tourism. There are similar initiatives from countries like Ghana, Guinea-Bissau and Gabon, all of which have offered honorary citizenship to people with direct lineage or who are descendants of enslaved people.  For many of us with direct ties, memories of travelling to Africa were mainly linked to visiting relatives. But travelling back to explore one’s homeland – k