These are the world’s best cities in 2018

For the 2018 Condé Nast Traveller’s annual Readers’ Choice Awards, editors tried something a little different this year, dividing the winners into two distinct categories: the world’s best small cities and the world’s best big cities.

In the category of small cities, the colonial-era city of San Miguel de Allende in Mexico edged out rivals like Salzburg, Austria and Switzerland’s Lucerne (which came in second and third respectively), for its narrow cobblestone street, leafy courtyards and historic center.

Interestingly, it’s not the first time the city has topped a “world’s best cities” list. Earlier this summer, San Miguel de Allende also topped rival publication Travel + Leisure’s ranking for the second year in a row.

In the big cities category, CN Traveller readers voted Tokyo their favourite destination for its paradoxical offerings: neon-lit skyscrapers co-existing alongside traditional temples.

Tokyo, Japan. Picture: iStock

Along with being a feast for the eyes, the Japanese capital has long established itself as one of the food capitals of the world, boasting more Michelin stars than any other city and attracting globetrotting gourmands.

After Tokyo, neighboring city Kyoto, took second spot, while Melbourne, Australia rounds out the podium.

The winners of this year’s awards list were based on the return of 429 000 surveys, which asked readers to vote for their favourite cities, hotels, cruise lines, airlines, islands and airports.

Here are the top 10 best small cities:

1. San Miguel de Allende, Mexico
2. Salzburg, Austria
3. Lucerne, Switzerland
4. Basel, Switzerland
5. Cologne, Germany
6. Florence, Italy
7. Jerusalem, Israel
8. Porto, Portugal
9. Venice, Italy
10. Edinburgh, Scotland

These are the top 10 big cities:

1. Tokyo, Japan
2. Kyoto, Japan
3. Melbourne, Australia
4. Vienna, Austria
5. Hamburg, Germany
6. Sydney, Australia
7. Singapore
8. Paris, France
9. Barcelona, Spain
10. Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada

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