Revealed: The greatest city on Earth, according to science

We have crunched the data and the results are in. Following a research study conducted by Telegraph Travel, we can reveal the best city on Earth.

The question of “which is the best city on Earth” is one that divides Telegraph Travel’s experts, who have collectively visited every corner of the planet but fail to reach a consensus on the matter. So we decided to get to the bottom of the question, once and for all, via a comprehensive research study.

The first step of our study was to decide which 50 cities would be in contention for the top spot. The final shortlist was a combination of your top picks in the most recent of our annual reader surveys, and cities selected by our panel of travel writers. From Athens to Auckland, Toronto to Tel Aviv, we believe the top 50 covers the best of the best.

With our shortlist in place, we then collated data across a range of different categories (see ‘methodology’, below) which reward cities for their practicality, cultural prowess and history, but also for breathing space, luxury and safety. 

After crunching the data, one city emerged which is, by some margin, the best in the world. Out of a possible 810 points, the top city scored 588, 32 points above second place and 274 points above the lowest-ranking city. And we were delighted that this sunny city by the sea, full of architectural wonders and brilliant restaurants, came out on top. There is no other place quite like it.

“There is more to handsome Florence than just museums and monuments. It is bursting with quirky shops and quality crafts; a living city with an eclectic cultural life that embraces opera, classical music and contemporary art.”

Walkable, aesthetically sublime, and packed with exquisite art from the greats, Florence is well-deserving of its top ten spot. It is perfectly set up for city breakers, with a high density of five-star hotels and a range of quality restaurants to choose from. Florence also scores high in the more practical categories, with its airport just 5 miles from the city centre, a bike-sharing scheme and a tramway system bumping the city up the rankings. And, of course, bonus points for the picture-perfect Arno River, which winds elegantly through the city.

This year an exhibition at Palazzo Strozzi, Donatello: The Renaissance, celebrates the works of one of the most influential masters of Italian art.

“One of the world’s most beautiful cities, surrounded by the sea and hugged by soaring mountains – reflected in seemingly endless gleaming glass skyscrapers.”

Vancouver often tops lists celebrating the most liveable cities on Earth, but our study proves that it is one of the best cities for tourists, too. The west-coast Canadian city offers a breath of fresh air for visitors. It ranks as a ‘low-emission’ city, earning it plenty of points, and has nine beaches plus the sprawling waterfront Stanley Park. Where Vancouver falls down in our study is in the absence of any Unesco Heritage Sites and its relative lack of architectural heritage (its oldest building, the Old Hastings Mill Store Museum, was founded in 1865). But in all other areas, the welcoming city scored highly.

This year, city officials cut the red ribbon on the brand new Museum of North Vancouver (MONOVA), sharing stories of Canada’s history through exhibits and cultural programmes.

“London has so much to offer, for all tastes, budgets and cultural persuasions. There are wonderful parks dotted, peacefully, throughout the city, markets galore, a thriving culinary scene spanning street food, fine dining and global cuisine that rivals any city in the world.”

“When a man is tired of London, he is tired of life,” the saying (thanks to Dr Samuel Johnson) goes. This certainly tallies with the results of our study. London delivers on the superlatives, with an abundance of world-famous galleries and museums, the original underground transport network zipping visitors around the city, and the View from the Shard offering unparalleled panoramas. The capital ranks high for heritage, with the Tower of London, the Palace of Westminster, Kew Gardens and Maritime Greenwich each recognised by Unesco.

One Hundred Shoreditch, one of the latest hotel openings in the city, is pitching itself as a mature offering in the vibey corner of East London.

“Dubai is often described as Las Vegas without the casinos. It certainly likes to do things on a grand scale. Supersized hotels, buffets, malls, amusement parks, aquariums, designer cars and luxury yachts are all commonplace. Moderation doesn’t suit this place. Go big, and then go home.”

It may raise eyebrows for featuring above the likes of, say, Paris, Melbourne and Tokyo which did not edge the top ten, but Dubai is an example of a modern city that delivers on the superlatives. The city ranks high for its cloud-piercing observation deck in the Burj Khalifa, its abundance of sunshine, miles upon miles of beach and a high quantity of five-star hotels. Dubai also scores well for its accessibility: 89 per cent of hotels have disabled access. If it’s museums, culture and old-world charm you’re after, look elsewhere. For an extravagant splash out, there’s perhaps nowhere better.

Check out the Aura Skypool, the world’s highest infinity pool, which opened towards the end of last year.

“No longer deemed a cultural wasteland, LA is bursting with new art galleries and museums, a flourishing fashion scene and some of the most talked about restaurants in America.”

Before we crunched the numbers we expected to see New York City or perhaps San Francisco in the top ten, but it was the southern Californian metropolis that came out top in North America. Los Angeles city scores high for sunshine (3,254 hours per year), its abundant agenda-setting restaurants (it has 98 Michelin stars), and for Griffith Park – one of the largest urban parks in the States with unbeatable views of the city. LA even has a Unesco World Heritage Site in Hollyhock House, an East Hollywood building designed by architect Frank Lloyd Wright.

New to the city is the Academy Museum of Motion Pictures, which opened last year, and the West Hollywood Edition is perhaps the most talked-about new hotel in town.

“Venice never loses its capacity to enchant: stepping out of the station to be greeted by a glittering canal with the dome of San Simeon Piccolo beyond remains heart-stopping, whether you’re doing it for the first time or the 100th.”

Venice edges fifth place for its extraordinarily high density of world-class museums and galleries, set in a Unesco-listed water-laced city centre unlike any other on Earth. The city is marked down for its lack of green space, something counteracted by its abundant canals and the nearby Lido beach. And, while often criticised for its tourist trap food offerings, there are six Michelin-starred restaurants hidden in the city’s winding alleyways.

Coincide your trip with the 59th Venice Biennale, which will run from April 23 to November 27.

“There is authentic, genuine and welcoming hospitality; and a wave of new and affordable hotels along cobbled streets and flanking bougainvillaea-clad squares.”

Portugal’s capital has boomed in popularity over the last decade, and it is easy to see why. The city made the top three in our study for its LGBT+ inclusivity, and also ranked as the second sunniest European destination on our list, after Seville. Lisbon has a whopping 2,806 hours per year, more than double Krakow’s 1,402. And while Lisbon’s 13 Michelin-starred restaurants may not compete with the numbers of Tokyo (203) or Paris (108), relative to its small urban population this means there is one world-class restaurant for every 38,000 people.

Book in advance for a table at Cura, a new opening at the Four Seasons Hotel Ritz.

“You really can’t overstate the case for visiting Cape Town. With its excellent art galleries, hip bars, world-rated restaurants, and design-savvy shops, this pulsating city will leave you hungry for more.”

South Africa’s most southerly city is often ranked as Telegraph readers’ favourite, and you clearly have excellent taste. The city’s topography and geography, alone, make Cape Town stand out above the others. Its sweeping beach, copious sunshine hours and towering Table Mountain bumped the city up the table, the latter providing the highest view and the biggest green space (22,100 hectares) out of any city in the list. Without its poor safety record (there is no city in our list with a higher homicide rate), Cape Town would have grabbed the top spot.

You’ll have your pick of vibrant food spots on your next visit: Pier, at the Victoria and Alfred Waterfront, opened in December and is a theatrical triumph.

“Beaches that bedazzle, windswept coastal walks overlooking whale-dotted waters, hole-in-the-wall bars, weekend farmers’ markets and a thriving food and wine scene are among the draw cards that keep the locals happy and the visitors flocking.”

Compared to the likes of Athens, Rome and indeed London, Sydney is a relative youngster in the list. But with youth comes a functional, stress-free city. It has the lowest urban density of any city on our list, plenty of green space (including the expansive Centennial Park), a low-emission ranking and dozens of five-star hotels to lay your head. And a divine, sprawling coastline, too. Melbourne made the top 20, but was pipped by Sydney for its marginally higher quantity of museums, distance of the airport from the centre, and the age of its oldest building (Elizabeth Farm, thought to be the city’s oldest standing building dates back to 1793, versus Melbourne’s 1839 St James’s Old Cathedral).

The Sydney Biennale will run from March 12 to June 13.

“Barcelona combines everything that is most charming about Mediterranean cities – a relaxed pace, months of endless sunshine, unbeatable food – with the cultural and design clout of almost any city in the cold north.”

We could speak for hours about the wonders of Barcelona, but the numbers speak for themselves. An array of Unesco World Heritage Sites (Hospital de Sant Pau and the Works of Antoni Gaudi, a collection spanning eight sites), 19 Michelin-starred restaurants, an airport just 7.1 miles from the city centre, a Jewish quarter dating back to the twelfth century, 39 five-star hotels, an observation deck at 288 metres (Torre de Collserola), more than 100 museums, 2,591 hours of sunshine.

Throw in an inclusive LGBT scene, low-emission credentials and a sweeping beach, and Barcelona seals its position as the best of the best. The only areas where Barcelona gets marked down are on its green-space ranking (its biggest public park, Ciutadella, is only 17 hectares), and its high population density of around 16,000 people per square kilometre is topped only by Paris and Mumbai in our study. In all other categories, Barcelona scored in the top 20, and it qualified for every ‘bonus’ point available. A true great, and conveniently only two hours from London by plane.

The two other Spanish cities in our shortlist, Seville and Madrid, both performed well, coming 13th and 16th respectively. But today, Barcelona is El Campeón, and deservedly so.

New to the city, the much-anticipated The Hoxton, Poblenou is set to open in spring.

Top of our list for an indulgent escape is Paris, with its 108 Michelin-starred restaurants (including Arnaud Donckele’s Cheval Blanc Plénitude, which received three stars in the 2022 guide), sweeping views from the Eiffel Tower at 276m, and more than 100 five-star hotels. Tokyo, Hong Kong, New York City, Shanghai and Singapore also ranked well in these categories.

When it comes to history, culture and architecture glories, Rome steals the show. The entire city is a Unesco Heritage Site, filled with glories such as the The Pantheon, which opened in 125AD and is the best-preserved standing monument to ancient Rome. The city has 261 museums and galleries listed on Tripadvisor, and a symphony orchestra to boot. Bruges, Vienna, Dubrovnik and Athens also scored well for their cultural clout and heritage intrigue.

The best city for a slice of sunshine is Dubai. The city enjoys 3,509 hours of sunshine per year and boasts white-sand beaches and man-made island chains lined with five (and six, and seven)-star hotels. The UAE city also has a relatively low urban density, 762 per square kilometre, giving more breathing space than in fellow sunny cities like Marrakech and Madrid. San Francisco, Seville and Tel Aviv were other high-scoring cities for people wanting to combine a beach holiday with an unforgettable city break.