Not a verdict from the most objective jury, but at least from those who know it best; a recent survey of locals done by TimeOut has hailed Berlin as the third-best city in the world.

Bronze award for Berlin in TimeOut ranking

Berlin is pretty magical from the outside; endless streets of bars and cafes, a potential claim to be the other city that never sleeps - at least from May 1 until whenever it gets too cold to drink a beer on a Späti bench - and more freedom to live at your own pace. 

Once you’re on the inside it's harder than you expected to find a flat and there are fewer clothes, but the rose-tinted glasses stay on apparently. In TimeOut’s latest 50 Best Cities in the World ranking Berliners have managed to push their city up into third place, surpassed only by New York and Cape Town. 

Locals were asked about the quality and affordability of food, culture and nightlife in their city, how their city makes them feel and if it is easy to make social connections. Participants were also asked which other city in the world they would like to live in, while TimeOut’s travel writers were polled about their favourite spots.

A city of non-conformers, Berlin was hailed as the go-to for “find[ing] your place with like-minded people”, as always its party scene was given a glowing review - an 82 percent approval rating - and the ease of the public transport system in the German city was applauded. A semi-regular S-Bahn strike is part and parcel.

New York claims title as the best city in the world

As if any city could even contend, New York retained its reputation and the international heart of cool. The locals love their MoMA, their Whitney and Broadway and “There’s no denying the allure of the Big Apple,” TimeOut wrote, “When it came to the city people wanted to move to most, New York was head and shoulders above the rest”. Autumn, winter, spring or summer, there are a million films that have already made New York magical in our minds.

South Africa’s Cape Town was declared the second-best city in the world for 2024, with particular praise offered for its District Six and Robben Island museums. But Cape Town scored well in all departments, with locals spotlighting the quality of its cultural scene and simply saying the city made them happy.

Top 10 Best Cities in the World 2024

Overall, according to TimeOut these are the top 10 Best Cities in the World in 2024:

1. New York
2. Cape Town
3. Berlin 
4. London
5. Madrid
6. Mexico City
7. Liverpool
8. Tokyo
9. Rome
10. Porto

To read the entire The 50 best cities in the world in 2024 ranking head to the TimeOut website.

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