Who better to fill you in on a city’s best places to eat, drink, dance and soak up culture than locals themselves? No one, we’d argue, which is why we ask thousands of city dwellers every year about the places they live to help us compile our roundup of the best cities in the world.
For 2025, we crowned this South African city as the best on the planet right now, which joined two other African cities in the top 50.
There are hubs across every continent on the list (well, minus Antarctica), including two cities in South America. The first of these was Medellín, which was in twentieth place.
The Colombian city has a reputation as a party hotspot, thanks to a well-established nightlife scene in areas like La 70, Parque Lleras, and Provenza. However, there’s a lot more to it than that.
Maggie Clark, Time Out’s local expert, writes: ‘There are the hilltop vistas: Tres Cruces for a day hike, San Félix for paragliding and El Picacho ecopark, for a thrilling ride to the top on a newly-opened line of the Medellín metrocable. Northeast of Medellín, the sprawling Parque Arví offers the full national park experience, but stay inside the city limits and you’ll find lush botanical gardens, an exploration park, and a planetarium.’
But it wasn’t just Medellín on the map for South America – Rio de Janeiro, the sprawling Brazilian city known for its carnival and Copacabana, came in closely behind at 26, thanks to its ‘perfect mix of history and modernity, with a buzzing culture scene all year round,’ according to Renata Magalhães, editor of Time Out Rio de Janeiro.
And while Rio is still one of the best spots in the world for nightlife, its food scene is catching up. ‘You can find Michelin-starred dining spots like Oro and Lasai, as well as traditional botecos serving ice-cold beer and delicious food, such as Adega Pérola, Bar da Portuguesa and newcomers like Suru Bar,’ writes Renata.
Check out the full top 50 here.
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