Ten most beautiful cities in the world

["Roger"]

I know nothing about this publication and the list will obviously be controversial, but it is interesting.

https://aviationa2z.com/index.php/2026/02/27/10-most-beautiful-cities-in-the-world-2026/

Special attention might be given to number six on the list given another recent thread found in the lounge.

 

[andre10056]

I always find it interesting to find a "top ten list" opinion by one person on earth, in this case a person named Sakshi Jain.

 

[VacationForever]

I looked at the list. Baloney.

 

[Marathoner]

I looked at the list. Baloney.

Please share your thoughts. What's your top 10 city list? I've been to half the list and, of the ones I've visited, I would only say 1 doesn't deserve to be on the list.

 

[ScoopKona]

AI Slop. The photo for Florence, Italy is AI-created Venice with the Florence cathedral pasted in.

Here's my top 10:

1) Marrakesh, Morocco. The visitor experience is intense. But the city itself is drop-dead gorgeous.
2-4) Rome, Florence and Siena, Italy. Venice doesn't make the cut because less than 50K people actually live there year-round.
5) Barcelona, Spain
6) Dublin, Ireland
7) Salisbury, England (It's got a cathedral so it counts as a city, barely. Yes, more beautiful than London.)
8) Paris, France
9) Beijing, China (the nice parts of Beijing are REALLY nice)
10) Amsterdam, Netherlands

I've got a LOT of runner-ups. For instance, I've lived in several German cities. But they aren't beautiful the way Siena is. Honolulu is a contender. But I'm not putting it over any of the above. I love the clean, sharp, functionality of the Nordic cities. But Sienna is more beautiful. That city is like the "really attractive person who is also borderline crazy." I'd rather live in Oslo. I'd rather date Siena.

 

[amycurl]

I dunno. I think I’d rather marry Siena.


Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

 

[ScoopKona]

I dunno. I think I’d rather marry Siena.

I married Taipei.

 

[chapjim]

Concur with Kyoto, Rio, Cartagena, Sydney, Paris, and Vancouver. Been to all of them.

I would add San Francisco and Hong Kong, but "standing back a bit" rather than up close. They are geographically beautiful albeit perhaps ugly up close. Sailing into both ports is an unforgettable experience. I liked Madrid a lot -- a great walking city with beautiful locations but not really that beautiful as a city.

 

[Carolinian]

While I have been to 6 of the 10 on this list, leaving out Venice is absurd. Indeed, although Florence is great, I would put Venice head and shoulders above it.

 

["Roger"]

I am quite sure that Venice was not included because with a population of about 50,000 it did not qualify as a major city. If they did include it, they would also have had to include every small city in the world as eligible, many of which are quite beautiful (without any of the not so nice parts that every major city has). None of the major cities would have stood a chance.

I do agree with you that Venice is totally beautiful. I do worry, however, in that it is no longer a viable place for ordinary people to live and because of that its population has plummeted.

 

[dlpearson]

I would include Budapest, Hungary in a "most beautiful" list.

 

[stmartinfan]

I've been to 7 of these and agree they are lovely. It was a good reminder about how nice Kyoto and Vancouver are. I'd skip Cartagena but agree with adding Barcelona, Budapest or Amsterdam. So many amazing places to visit and not enough time!

 

[RebelR]

No cities in Switzerland or Norway? Perhaps not big enough but those are two of the most beautiful countries in my opinion.

 

[bizaro86]

I am quite sure that Venice was not included because with a population of about 50,000 it did not qualify as a major city. If they did include it, they would also have had to include every small city in the world as eligible, many of which are quite beautiful (without any of the not so nice parts that every major city has). None of the major cities would have stood a chance.

I do agree with you that Venice is totally beautiful. I do worry, however, in that it is no longer a viable place for ordinary people to live and because of that its population has plummeted.

Yeah. You need to have some sort of population cutoff because otherwise the list will be places like Banff and Oia. Which are beautiful, but not major cities.

 

[dioxide45]

Yeah. You need to have some sort of population cutoff because otherwise the list will be places like Banff and Oia. Which are beautiful, but not major cities.

The article doesn't say anything about population size or major cities. Just the headline which is "Top 10 Most Beautiful Cities in the World in 2026, No. 3 Will Surprise You!!". They didn't seem to include any qualifier other than it being a city. The article doesn't even seem to indicate they must be a major city to qualify for the list. Banff wouldn't qualify because it isn't a city. It's a town.

 

[easyrider]

We have only made it to one of the cities on the list, Vancouver BC.

Bill