Your favourite city in the world

[sorryIdidntmeanto]

Which is you favourite city in the world? I have three
Bristol - for the music scene, creativity and independent spirit
Munich - for the lakes, cycling culture, climate
Marseille - for the beaches, proximity to Provencal towns and landscape, diversity, and the fact it is in France

Hi, I'm from Sheffield and I find this surprising. I did not expect to see it mentioned on this thread! 😀

I've been lucky to travel around the world, repeatedly, but for me it's Luxor. I can't explain it, it feels like home 🤷 with added goosebumps when in the temple.

Tokyo - lived there 10 years and loved it.

Reykjavik

I just love Canada full stop, but BC is on another level. Vancouver has so much, the mountain views , the ocean, the people, Stanley Park, Granville Island…I just love it! The Sea to Sky Highway drive to Squamish and on to Whistler, everywhere you look is beauty.

Admittedly I wouldn’t like to be trying to rent or buy a property in the city or suburbs with the prices, but we can’t get enough of Western Canada having visited several times, and look forward to heading back this summer.

For those confused by Bristol I am going to say

• Upfest/Street Art/Bedminster
• Balloon Fiesta
• Ashton Court and outdoor pursuits
• Climbing centres
• Stokes Croft
• Clifton Village/Suspension Bridge/Avon Gorge/camera obscura/Lido
• Park Street/Cabot Tower
• Waterfront
• Gloucester Road and independent shops, pubs, cinemas
• St Werburghs/The Mound/The Farm/eco houses/Mina Road
• St Paul's Carnival/reggae/ragga
• The Downs/Whiteladies road
• Invisible Circus/gypsy jazz/Circomedia
• festival and rave culture
• Roni Size/Jungle/music/Thekla/could go on forever
• Thali cafes and Sweet Mart/Easton/diverse food and culture
• the docks/Water taxis/Arnolfini/M Shed
• cider
• endless cafes and micro breweries
• The Fleece/Christmas steps/St Nicholas markets
• Silk Mills/Blaise Castle
• Cabot circus shopping
• so much more, but most of all a sense of community, creativity, and down to earth people.

Uk - Chester - small, welcoming and packed full of gorgeous history.

Europe - Barcelona - just love the vibe and the architecture.
Malaga, Lisbon and Split get honourable mentions too

I’ve also a a soft spot for Dublin as enjoyed so many good times there.

Oh yes, Split is a great shout.

For whoever asked, above - Edinburgh to me is like having London and Bath merged into one. (I’ve lived in all three and would happily live in Bath or Edinburgh again.)

Thanks to both you and MrsAvocet for explaining what you find interesting - very perceptive, I think. I’ve lived here so long now I’ve lost all perspective on how it comes across to visitors. And yes, the weather makes such a huge difference on the impression you have of a place. February and November are just utterly miserable in Berlin most of the time.

New York and Vienna

i couldn’t choose just one, my favourites in no particular order
Athens
Naples
Milan
Barcelona
Glasgow
Zurich

Krakow
Sydney
my home city of Chester

If the summer weather in anything like it was today, you will have a wonderfuk trip!

I think the other thing for me is that I was in my mid 20s when the Berlin Wall came down and I remember vividly the euphoria and hope of that time as the Soviet Union and the Iron Curtain collapsed. I'd visited West Germany several times before reunification but never imagined I'd ever be able to go to Berlin, never mind see it restored as capital of the whole of Germany. It feels like something really important to me, having grown up during the Cold War.
Also Berlin was the first place outside the UK that I visited after Covid and also the first time I went abroad after I'd recovered from a serious road accident. I was very anxious about the whole thing and in all honesty, not that keen to go, but all my worries proved unfounded and I arrived in this unseasonably warm (it was late October) bright and unexpectedly light feeling city and I had a wonderful time.
I guess for both those reasons Berlin is, despite its dark past, somewhere that I associate with freedom. I think that our perceptions of places are strongly influenced by our own experiences of them - why we visited, who we were with, what we did etc - at least as much as by more objective things like the architecture and museums. I guess that's why people have such differing views of the same place and why sometimes we visit places that in theory we should love but actually leave us a bit cold, or vice versa.

Paris - I love the cafes, museums, markets, and parks. There's always something interesting and fun

San Francisco Bay Area - I love the outdoors from the redwoods to Monterey Bay. The scenery is varied and stunning. The city is fun with its murals, cafes, and parks

London - I love the museums, parks, historic sites, and public transportation

Barcelona - I love the architecture and parks. There are so many fascinating buildings! The varied beaches in Catalonia are some of my favorites

Rome.

@BootMaker what's wrong with Bristol ? I've never been but DD is considering it

Best would be Cape Town, Budapest and Istanbul probably. Cape Town has so much to do and a perfect combination of nature and city. Budapest is just beautiful and has nice spas. Istanbul has lots to do and has lots of cultural charm. Seville is also lovely.

Worst would be LA, Milan and Paris. I hated LA. The only bit that was OK was Santa Monica. Milan I found a bit boring unless you like shopping and not as charming as other Italian cities. Paris I just didn't like and can't really explain why. The part near the Louvre is nice.

Honourable mention for Oxford: so much green space, so much water, so much to do, whether university based or not. Much improved eating options. Only the press of population keeps it out of my top five.

Sydney and Melbourne

I got the lift 😅I was on my own and was worried about bears it would just be my luck!
Spectacular view from the top though especially in winter.

Worried about bears is probably the best thing I’ve read this year!

😂😂😂

Yes, the bears crossed my mind too, there are a lot of them in the part of the world.
As you say, the view from the top is amazing, I would definitely go back.

Tokyo - there is nothing else like it in the world.
Taipei - amazing street food.
Paris - glamour, culture, food.
London - hard to imagine living anywhere else now.