Sydney has just ranked as the third-greenest city in the world

With our gorgeous beaches and sparkling harbour, Sydney is probably best-known for its blue and beige outdoor spaces. But look around, and you’ll see that the Harbour City is home to plenty of green spaces too – from magical hidden gardens to huge, sprawling parklands. In fact, according to a Time Out survey of locals around the globe, Sydney is considered the greenest city in Australia, and the third-greenest city in the world.

To determine the rankings, we quizzed 18,500 locals across the planet about their green spaces and the access they have to nature. The 20 that made the list below had the highest share of ‘good’ or ‘amazing’ ratings.

Dubbed the ‘city of eternal spring’, Medellín in Colombia ranks as the top city for green thumbs and nature lovers, where a whopping 92 per cent of locals positively rated its green spaces and access to nature. Boston claims second place with 88 per cent ‘good’ or ‘amazing’ ratings, while Sydney shares third place with London, both scoring 87 per cent.

Our Emerald City (coincidence? We think not!) is bursting with green spots to escape the urban jungle, including the grand 189-hectare Centennial Park, the famous harbourside Royal Botanic Gardens, and the country’s oldest park, Hyde Park. Sydney doesn’t just boast excellent green spaces – it’s also a great base for getting out and exploring the great outdoors. On the city’s northwest perimeter, you’ll find the sprawling Blue Mountains National Park, while to the south, the spectacular Royal National Park awaits.

Melbourne also knocked it out of the park, ranking as the fifth-greenest city in the world (tied with Austin and Edinburgh with an 86 per cent positive rating). The only other Aussie city to (just) crack the top 20 was Brisbane, with 76 per cent of locals giving its nature spaces a big (green) thumbs-up.

You can check out the full rankings below or study the results here.

Here are the 20 greenest cities in the world:

1. Medellín, Colombia
   2. Boston, US
   3. Sydney, Australia
   = London, UK
   5. Austin, US
   = Edinburgh, UK
   = Melbourne, Australia
   8. Denver, US
   9. Abu Dhabi, UAE
   = Cape Town, South Africa
   = Chicago, US
   12. San Francisco, US
   = Stockholm, Sweden
   14. Montreal, Canada
   = Munich, Germany
   16. Mumbai, India
   17. Beijing, China
   18. Zurich, Switzerland
   = Ottawa, Canada
   20. Brisbane, Australia
   

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