NYC is named the best city in the world for 2024
We know it’s the best, but New York City has so much global appeal that our readers ranked it as the world’s best city this year.
As it does every year, Time Out surveys its readers and its more than 100 well-traveled staff writers and editors all over the world to come up with a list of the Best Cities in the World. The list inspires travel, giving a global snapshot of city living by looking at what Time Out believes makes cities great places to live and visit.
RECOMMENDED: The top 10 of Time Out’s Best Cities in the World right now
This year, city-dwellers were asked about the quality and affordability of the food, culture and nightlife scenes in their city and how their city makes them feel, from happiness to romance. Survey respondents were also asked about which other city they would most like to live in.
Our city ranked highest by its residents across the board, from food and drink to nightlife, culture and beauty. Plus, it turns out 15% of survey takers from other cities said they’d choose New York City to move to.
Of course, as major cheerleaders for our city, we must agree.
There are constant must-see exhibits across art galleries and museums, including The Metropolitan Museum of Art, The Whitney Museum of American Art and the American Museum of Natural History. Its neighborhoods hold the foundation together with their respective community-led events like the Queens Night Market in Flushing, the Lunar New Year Parade in Chinatown and the West Indian Day Parade in Crown Heights. No matter the time of year, there’s always a good party to go to, from a “Sip and Stitch” gathering inside a designer’s Chelsea studio to the all-out blowouts of Bushwick’s House of Yes.
Coming up in NYC this year are a lot of exciting art and exhibit openings as well as new Broadway and Off Broadway shows, new restaurant openings and much more—all adding to the excitement. You check out our roundup of the best openings here.
A few months ago, we asked Candace Bushnell, author and journalist known for Sex and the City, what makes NYC so special. We think she said it best:
“New York has so many things: it has culture, it has society and it also has really interesting people and I always feel like, every time I go out in New York, I’m going to have at least one really interesting conversation with somebody.
New York is also a place where people come to make it. Nobody comes to New York saying, ‘Oh I’m going to fail or do nothing.’ People really come to make it and, especially as a woman, it’s a place where you can be ambitious and you can strive and say, ‘I want to be really successful,’ and you will find so many other women that feel the same way. In some ways, it’s really a woman’s city.”
Yes, it is “the city that never sleeps” because its restaurants, bars and shops are open 24 hours a day, but the adage extends to New York City’s spirit, too. This vibrant metropolis is always adapting, always innovating and always pushing the boundaries. It’s never asleep. It’s fully awake. All of this set within the historic boundaries of the city makes NYC shine despite its grit.
Find the full list of 50 here: timeout.com/bestcities