25 Of The Coolest Cities, According To Travelling Netizens

As a new year begins, it’s the perfect time to map out your plans for the next 365 days. Deciding where to travel and what to experience takes a bit of forethought, so we’ve done some of the work for you. Drawing from a thread for avid globetrotters, we’ve compiled a list of destinations that Redditors say are must-visit spots. These are some of the coolest cities around and are well worth adding to your itinerary. If you’re a travel-hungry soul in search of highly recommended places to visit, scroll down to find a few standout names for your list.

#1

Image source: ProgrammerForeign387, Louie Martinez/Unsplash Tokyo is hard to beat - it’s like ten different worlds stacked on top of each other: quiet neighborhoods, neon chaos, tiny ramen shops, hyper-efficient trains, and somehow it all works.

#2

Image source: The_Canoeist, Kate Kasiutich/Unsplash Budapest is a very fun city.

#3

Image source: Rexoc40, Nomadic Julien/Unsplash Osaka, Japan easily. It needs to be at the later half of your Japan trip if you go. You start in Tokyo, and Tokyo IS amazing. You go to all the main Tokyo districts, and get used to the transportation system and realize that everyone is very reserved and not talkative, you get used to it. Then you go to Osaka, night and day. People talk to you, you engage in conversations you would not get the chance to in Tokyo, and it’s like an explosion of culture right in your face. Takoyaki stalls, 15+ story malls you could spend all day in and not see everything, the best Sushi you will ever eat, best drinking culture ever. Osaka never stops giving.

#4

Image source: ofnuts, Elisa Schmidt/Unsplash Marseilles (and I'm from Paris). Lived there in the 70s, no real fit. Came back in June, and it really changed for the better. Otherwise no city is "cool" but there are cool areas in most cities, you just have to know where you look, and your taste could be different.

#5

Image source: One_Hot_Doggy, Denis Poltoradnev/Unsplash Prague. It is like stepping into a fantasy postcard.

#6

Image source: thirdtimesdecharm, Rose Breen/Unsplash Reykjavík had a very cool vibe. People there were incredibly nice, the food was amazing, sightseeing tours outside of the Reykjavík area had sights I had never seen before. It was also the place I saw the northern lights for the first time in my life. Definitely would like to go again.

#7

Image source: Pool_Shark, Alain Bonnardeaux/Unsplash As far as coolest goes I would have to say Carcassonne. A small city near border of Spain and France that exists within an original Medieval fortress. If you like history the idea of staying at a hotel built within a stone fortress is the definition of cool.

#8

Image source: Onagan98, Getty Images/Unsplash My own, Amsterdam.

#9

Image source: GorbachevTrev, hpëtim Ujkani/Unsplash Sevilla. I love Spain. Even Pucon, Chile - Adored it. Medellin, Colombia. I fell in love with the culture!!!

#10

Image source: Traditional-Tie837, Adam Wilson/Unsplash As an American I’d say Edinburgh, Vienna, or Lucerne were the cities that surprised me the most coolness. For North American cities I’d say Mexico City San Diego & Chicago.

#11

Image source: jadefinitelyfeel1, Ostap Senyuk/Unsplash Krakow, Poland. Beautiful, charming, has history. Very underrated city.

#12

Image source: falloutgirl25, Natalia Blauth/Unsplash Buenos Aires!! It’s a mix of european lifestyle with latino vibes, and don’t get me started about the night life! Also the food, the people, art and culture… I felt like I belonged there. First time I’d fallen in love (like for real) with a place. I’m really considering moving there.

#13

Image source: themorbidtuna, Andrea Maschio/Unsplash London. Camden Town is pretty much paradise on earth to me.

#14

Image source: Tetraplasandra, Fatih Yürür/Unsplash Istanbul. It was way larger than I was expecting and has an impressive amount of tall buildings and good public infrastructure. Also very lax as far as Muslim countries go. It basically felt like I was in the EU.

#15

Image source: robbie_the_cat, Gabrielle Maurer/Unsplash Traditionally cool: Montreal by a long shot cool because of what I'm into: Leh.

#16

Image source: brealio, Claudio Schwarz/Unsplash Zurich, London, SF (home), nyc, Lisbon, are among my favorites. Worth a mention, Lucerne, cinque terra, and anywhere in Hawaii.

#17

Image source: Ok-Ship812, Lee Robinson/Unsplash Difficult to pick just one.... Vancouver is stunning, Barcelona is the most awesome place to just walk around, Prague's old town is beautiful, Mexico City has the most amazing food culture.

#18

Image source: mitchley, Dohyuk You/Unsplash Sydney. Especially around Newtown. Loved the vibe, the music, the beers, the fashion. Honourable mentions to Berlin and Copenhagen.

#19

Image source: prydeannie, Florian Wehde/Unsplash Bangkok. And not for the reasons everyone assumes. So much to see and do. The food is amazing everywhere, the nightlife is fantastic and I’ve never felt safer in a big city.

#20

Image source: bllibl, Diana Light/Unsplash Reading through replies and we have most of the world covered! Conclusion: Travelling is always worth it!

#21

Image source: Shraaap, l333/Unsplash My favorite place in the world is probably a small town in northern laos called Luang prabang. Best vibe and nicest people you'll ever meet.

#22

Image source: SnapperMaster, Benjamin Voros/Unsplash San Francisco. The only city I’ve thought “wow” while entering. The rolling hills filled with colorful buildings is beautiful.

#23

Image source: InevitableWise9964, Grigorii Shcheglov/Unsplash Bologna, Italy, by far - the restaurant and bar scene is so effortlessly cool.

#24

Image source: DoldyDon, Logan Armstrong/Unsplash Barcelona – art, beaches, street life.

#25

Image source: VetteMiata, Jerry Wang/Unsplash Chongqing. The whole city is like a cyberpunk puzzle.