Methodology & Criteria

A. Methodology (Best Aquariums and Best Museums)

This page is dedicated to the methodology for our list of the best cities in the world.

Click here for the methodology of our list of the best aquariums in the world and here for the methodology of our list of the best museums in the world.

 

B. Methodology to Distinguish the Best Cities

To have the most complete profile of a city, fourteen criteria were established. We analyzed (via research/literature and personal visits) more than five hundred of the best cities worldwide, tried our best to keep everything as objective and logical as possible, and attributed a weight by order of importance to each criterion to calculate a general score.

All cities were ranked based on their general score.

Criteria

1. Sights

Everybody is delighted and amazed to visit impressive sights.

A sight is a place of interest, and can be anything that is worth stopping a while to see and explore, hence the term “sightseeing”.

In our definition, sights are places, structures, or natural features of interest that attract attention and often serve as key points of attraction for visitors. They can be historical, cultural, or aesthetic, including monuments, landmarks, museums, and scenic landscapes. Sights can be human-made, like ancient ruins, castles, galleries, or modern skyscrapers, or natural, like mountains, waterfalls, or beaches.

Sights are closely tied to a location's identity, reflecting its history, artistic heritage, or natural beauty.

Be they man-made or natural, they make a city unique and give it that attraction which motivates one to pack up and go experience it first-hand. Thus, they are by far the most important criterion for the general score and ranking.

The calculation of how a city gets its score for its "sights" is quite elaborate. We provide carefully selected top ten lists for each city. Apart from personal visits, we also consider countless guidebooks, websites, etc. in a consensus-based approach.

From a well-populated list of the city’s sights, we value each sight based on the following scale of quality:

10 = top-10 in the world

9 = world-class

8 = outstanding

7 = excellent

6 = impressive

5 = interesting

4 = decent

3 = mediocre

2 = bad

1 = abysmal

An average value is then calculated from the ten highest-scoring sights on the list.

To have a metric that represents the sights profile of the city as much as possible, we add bonus points (from 0.25 to 1) based on the total number of sights and the number and quality of excursion possibilities within easy reach from the city (like Versailles near Paris or the Great Wall near Beijing).

In practice, the final sights score of Krakow of 7.70/10 is calculated as follows:

The average of the top 10 sights is 6.5/10

+ 0.75 bonus points for more than 35 sights

+ 0.5 bonus points for the very good excursion possibilities (nearby is WIELICZKA SALT MINES and AUSCHWITZ BIRKENAU former concentration camp).

The total sights score for Krakow is 7.70/10.

Best Cities for Sights: Paris: 9.20, Rome: 8.95, London: 8.85, Saint Petersburg: 8.65.

Scale = 0-10

Weighting = extremely high

2. Location

Many of the best cities are attractive to visit merely because of their geographical situation. A city on an island or at least by the sea or a lake has natural resources that already make it more charming than others that are without. In addition, rivers, canals, hills, and mountains (even better, all of them together) create a very agreeable natural atmosphere for the city.

Method: Analysis via google maps (topography), personal visits and other media research.

Best Cities for Location: Venice: 9.75, Rio de Janeiro: 9.25, Stockholm: 9.00, Vancouver: 9.00

Scale = 0-10

Weighting = rather high

3. Pedestrian Zones

While some people might have no problems strolling next to heavy traffic, it is obvious that a city center with a lot of pedestrian zones or at least with some car-free streets makes wandering a much more pleasant experience. Heavy and chaotic traffic, an abundance of poorly designed footpaths, parked cars, and encroachment on pavements affect this rating negatively. 

Method:  Analysation via google maps, personal visits, and other research.

Best Cities for Pedestrian Zones: Venice: 9.75, Fes: 8.50, Florence: 7.75, Barcelona: 7.5.

Scale = 0-10

Weighting = rather high

4. Affordability (Value for Money)

It is logical that when comparing cities, all other criteria being similar, one would rather visit the cheaper one. This choice obviously depends on your holiday budget, but it does influence the attraction of a city for most tourists.

Method: The rating in this category is based on combined statistics (like for instance the Backpacker Index, Hotel prices Index, and Cost of Living Index).

Best Cities for Affordability: Hanoi: 7.5, Isfahan: 7.50, Phnom Penh: 7.5, Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon): 7.25, Chiang Mai: 7.00

Scale = 0-10

Weighting = average

5. Safety

When visiting a city with a high crime rate, the probability that your holiday will go awry is also exceedingly high. Strong sensations and adrenaline rush might be attractive in another context but as a tourist, the safer you feel, the more you can enjoy the city.

Method: The rating of this criterion is based on statistics (like the Crime Indexes) personal visits and considering recent events like terror attacks.

Best Cities for Safety: Reykjavik: 9.50, Singapore: 9.00, Helsinki: 9.00, Copenhagen: 9.00, Lucerne: 9.00

Scale = 0-10

Weighting = average

6. Cleanliness

While you are walking around and visiting the attractions in a city, notably bad odors, smog, or litter on the streets can and do spoil the experience. Thus, cleanliness has its own weight as a criterion.

Method: The rating in this category is based on different statistics (e.g., Air Quality Index – AQI, Traffic congestion index, personal visits, and research)

Best Cities for Cleanliness: Singapore: 9.50, Reykjavik: 9.25, Lucerne: 9.25, Berne: 9.25, Zürich: 9.0

Scale = 0-10

Weighting = average

7. Shopping

Shopping has become an activity that people increasingly enjoy while on city trips. Hence, for many, the possibility of shopping influences the choice of travel destinations. To be considered are the number and surface of shops and malls, the variety of brands and goods, the shopping hours, as well as the use of foreign languages.

Method: The rating in this category is based on statistics (like the shopping index), personal visits, and research.

Best Cities for Shopping: Hongkong: 9.25, Kuala Lumpur: 9.05, Bangkok: 8.75, New York: 8.75

Scale = 0-10

Weighting = average

11. Cuisine

While in all cities you can find a suitable place to eat, in some destinations the culinary scene can be a real highlight. From culturally influenced to native dishes you won't find anywhere else in the world, a big part of getting to know a city is learning about its cuisine and the eating habits of the population. Taste, range of choice, and availability are some of the primary criteria to factor in. Another aspect is how well international cuisine is represented.

Method: The rating in this category is based on gourmet critics (like Michelin or Gault Millau), statistics, reputation, and personal experience. The total score in this category is the result of two separately rated components: 1. local food and 2. international food.

Best Cities for Cuisine: Paris: 8.63, Lyon: 8.5, Tokyo: 8.00

Scale = 0-10

Weighting = very low

12. Transport

Moving easily from Sight A to Sight B is the best way to see a city and what it has to offer. Having a well-connected public transport network enhances and simplifies the experience.

Method: The rating in this category is based on a city’s transport network, statistics, and personal experience.

Best Cities for Transport: Singapore: 9.50, Zürich: 9.25, Moscow: 9.25, Hongkong: 9.25

Scale = 0-10

Weighting = very low