Beauty lies in all corners of the globe.
What makes a city beautiful? A high-flying skyline, ample parkland, a decided-upon devotion to a single hue? Is it a place where you can spend days exploring ancient wonders, world-class museums, or surrounding mountains? Or simply somewhere with an indescribable spark — somewhere with heaps of bright juicy oranges at the street market, live music playing in the square, and young lovers lost in their own private world. Surely, the answer is different for everyone. With that said, here is our by-no-means exhaustive list of the world’s most beautiful cities.
Covered food markets, snug tapas bars, iconic Modernist architecture and golden-sand Mediterranean beaches are big appeal factors for Catalonia’s colorful capital. But the culture of afternoon siestas, 9 p.m. dinners (if you’re an early bird), and leisurely strolling or people-watching on busy plazas (stop by Andreu Xarcuteria near Santa Caterina Market beforehand and grab a jamon serrano bocadillo for the bench) capture the beautifully relaxed Spanish way of life.
Known as the "adventure capital of the world," Queenstown is the ultimate playground for all things outdoors. Whatever your speed, this city has it: hiking (heli-hiking for the deeply venturesome), skiing, skydiving, rafting, winery-hopping, and cruising the Milford Sound are just a few examples of activities on offer. Queenstown is built around a finger of Lake Wakatipu, a glacial lake whose reflection of the surrounding mountain range — fittingly named the Remarkables — makes the scene all the more stunning.
If you’ve already been to Rome, Paris, and Barcelona (perhaps multiple times), consider flying eastward to Istanbul. The city is an intoxicating jumble of domed and intricately mosaicked mosques, Ottoman-era palaces, maze-like markets, and hilly cobblestoned streets where you might run into a bar party spilling out the door and down the block. The food scene stretches way beyond the ubiquitous kebab; the mezze and grilled seafood are out of this world, and the city’s coffeehouse culture goes into the wee hours of the morning.