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Beauty is, so the saying goes, in the eye of the beholder. But when it comes to judging the aesthetics of a place, who better to judge than those who live in it, stare at it all day, see it at its best and worst?
In that vein, Time Out has just revealed the world’s most beautiful cities according to locals. To curate the list, we quizzed 24,000 city-dwellers all over the globe and asked them a simple question: Would you describe your city as ‘beautiful’? The results left us with the planet’s 19 most gorgeous metropolises right now.
Obviously, the UK has plenty of picture-perfect cities. From Bristol’s hilly mix of grandeur and prettiness and Oxford’s magical, Harry Potter-inspiring university buildings to Birmingham’s sorely underrated canals and Glasgow’s sandstone tenements, this country has no shortage of picturesque spots. But which are the most beautiful? Well, three British cities made the global top 19.
The three most beautiful cities in the UK 2026
Edinburgh
The only UK city in the top 10 was Edinburgh, with Auld Reekie placing second overall. The Scottish capital was described as ‘beautiful’ by a whopping 84 percent of its residents. Time Out Travel Editor Grace Beard said the city’s good looks are down to its ‘collision of architectural styles’, picking out the New Town’s ‘crescents of Georgian townhouses’ and Old Town’s ‘tight, higgledy-piggledy medieval streets and striking gothic spires’.
You can read more about why Edinburgh took the silver medal here.
⭐️ The best things to do in Edinburgh.
Cambridge
In 13th – still placing higher in the ranking than the likes of Florence and Rio de Janeiro – was Cambridge. An impressive 60 percent of Cantabrigian respondents reckoned their hometown was a looker and, well, can you blame them? Elegant university buildings – like King’s College Chapel – and the calm River Cam mix with newer architecturally-significant structures like Magdalene College’s Stirling Prize-winning library. There’s prettiness of all kinds, wherever you look.
👟 The best things to do in Cambridge.
Bath
The final British city included in the list was Bath in 16th place. No doubt thanks to its golden Bath stone and abundance of grandiose Georgian buildings, 60 percent of Bath locals described their city as ‘beautiful’.
Elsewhere in the survey, Bath was named the world’s leafiest city in Time Out’s list of the Best Cities for Green Spaces with Intrepid Travel. Green and beautiful go hand-in-hand, evidently.
🏛️ The best things to do in Bath.
📍 The world’s most beautiful cities in 2026, according to locals.
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