The world’s 20 best cities for culture right now

The world’s 20 best cities for culture right now Contributors Time Out editors & Time Out contributors

We quizzed over 21,000 city-dwellers to find out the world’s greatest cities for art and culture Previous Articles mentioned The 16 most epic hikes in the world Paris is getting a massive new metro system

Mexico’s charismatic, cosmopolitan capital nabbed the top spot, with locals scoring their city exceptionally high for both the quality and affordability of its culture scene. And while architecture, theatres and street parades like Dia de Muertos all got the nod in our survey, it was the city’s mighty museum scene that got the biggest shout-out. CDMX’s museums showcase everything from Aztec artifacts and folk art to surrealist paintings, and many of them are housed in showstopping buildings – just check out the grand, neo-baroque Palacio de Bellas Artes or the twisty, shiny and ultra-modern Museo Soumaya . Best of all? Many are either permanently free or offer free entry on Sundays for those with Mexican residency. 1. Mexico City, Mexico Photograph: Shutterstock 20 / 1 Previous More on this Full Article

The beauty of Prague’s architecture, with striking Czech Gothic towers, arch bridges looping over the Vltava and over a dozen castles, makes it a veritable outdoor museum – no wonder simply ‘walking around’ was one of the most common responses among locals when asked what they loved about culture in their city. But the City of a Hundred Spires offers more than just good looks: it’s also a hub for performing arts, with locals raving about the city’s opera heritage, classical concerts and venues like the National Theatre . Of all cities surveyed, Prague scored the highest for affordability – it doesn’t cost much to wander around, after all. 2. Prague, Czech Republic Photograph: František Ortmann 20 / 2 Previous More on this Full Article

Not to use the old ‘melting pot’ cliché, but Cape Town’s multiculturalism has lent the city an enviable offering when it comes to art and culture. From the lively annual Kaapse Klopse street parade, to cabaret and comedy at mega-institutions Baxter Theatre and Artscape , every corner of South Africa’s sprawling seaside city has something to offer culture-seekers. ‘Vibey’ and ‘diverse’ were two of the most common terms locals used to describe Cape Town’s culture scene in our survey. Plus, the city ranked highest overall for the quality of its cultural offerings, nudged down a couple of places by their affordability (though on the affordable front, it’s worth noting the city still did pretty well overall). 3. Cape Town, South Africa Photograph: International Festival of Public Art Cape Town/Artist: Case Maclaim and Baz-Art Production Company 20 / 3 Previous More on this Full Article

Said to be the bookstore capital of the world, the birthplace of tango, and a hub for every branch of the arts (visual, literary, performance, you name it), culture pulses through Buenos Aires’ veins – and so say the locals. Theatre is a serious pastime here, with opera titan Teatro Colón topping the list of locals’ favourite venues; late-night tango, libraries and the street art-plastered neighbourhood of San Telmo each received several mentions, too. Taking in all that culture won’t cost you much, either, as Buenos Aires boasts the second-most affordable culture scene of all cities surveyed. 4. Buenos Aires, Argentina Photograph: Shutterstock 20 / 4 Previous More on this Full Article

Athens has been a global centre for the arts since… well, forever. These days, the Greek capital is known as much for its anarchic underground culture as it is for ancient ruins – and exploring Athens’s culture scene means getting to know both sides of this enduringly creative city. Culture is best enjoyed outdoors in Athens, with locals praising their city’s summertime festivals and open-air cinemas. The Benaki Museum and Stavros Niarchos Foundation Cultural Center also got the nod – but it was the Acropolis and the Acropolis Museum that locals named their favourite cultural venue, proving just how much the city remains gripped by its own history. 5. Athens, Greece Photograph: SNFCC/Nikos Karanikolas 20 / 5 Previous More on this Full Article

All the world’s a stage come August in Edinburgh, when the largest arts festival on the planet takes over almost every street, pub and theatre across the Scottish capital. And while Edinburgh Festival Fringe got its fair share of love in our survey, locals also praised the city’s world-class museums and galleries: namely the National Museum of Scotland and N ational Galleries of Scotland (of which there are four, no less). ‘Variety’ was overwhelmingly commended as Edinburgh’s biggest asset when it comes to culture – hardly surprising, given the city hosts not just one but a whole blockbuster of summer festivals, from books to jazz to performing arts. 6. Edinburgh, Scotland Photograph: jan kranendonk/Shutterstock.com 20 / 6 Previous More on this Full Article

When the likes of Mozart, Beethoven and Schubert have called a city home, you can bet that the culture scene there is pretty good. Well, it’s not just good: culture in Vienna is exceptional, by anyone’s measure. Vienna ranked third for the quality of its culture scene in our survey, with locals raving about opera, art and Donauinselfest – the largest (free!) open-air music festival on the planet. Locals named The Albertina and Albertina Modern as the city’s best venue, which is packed with masterpieces from art titans including Picasso, Chagall, Monet, Kirchner, and (of course) Klimt. If there’s one city with a license to name-drop, it’s Vienna. 7. Vienna, Austria Photograph: Anna ART/Shutterstock.com 20 / 7 Previous More on this Full Article

The capital of Spain is also one of Europe’s greatest art capitals. First of all, there’s the gigantic, neo-classical Museo del Prado , overwhelmingly named the city’s best venue by locals in our survey, which houses a vast and spectacular collection of Spanish and European art. Follow that up with the Thyssen and shrine to twentieth-century art the Reina Sofía and you’ll have experienced the city’s Golden Triangle of Art. More into theatre? Madrid won’t disappoint you there, either – Teatro Real was the second-most shouted-about venue in our survey, and is one of Europe’s most esteemed venues for opera and the performing arts. 8. Madrid, Spain Photograph: Eduard Borja/Shutterstock.com 20 / 8 Previous More on this Full Article

SPOTLIGHT CITY Small but mighty, Florence punches above its weight on the global cultural scene. It’s not just about priceless Renaissance treasures – the Botticellis and Caravaggios crammed into the Uffizi Galleries , Brunelleschi’s vast and majestic Duomo , and the newly revealed ‘secret’ chambers beneath the Medici Chapel housing previously unseen sketches from Michelangelo’s final years. Florence also holds its own on the contemporary art scene, with an excellent Anish Kapoor exhibition currently in Palazzo Strozzi , and cutting-edge menswear show Pitti Uomo taking place twice a year. Day to day, Florentine culture is about strolling around vintage markets and enjoying aperitivo in the birthplace of the negroni. 9. Florence, Italy Photograph: Shutterstock 20 / 9 Previous More on this Full Article

From graffiti-covered laneways to the artistic hub o f Fed Square , culture is alive and well in Melbourne. The city is home to a thriving community of creatives and artists, which – as you’d imagine – makes Melbourne a pretty fun place to be. Take it from the locals: Melburnians praised their city for its vibrancy, variety and sense of community, shouting out annual events like Moomba as well as cultural institutions like the NGV , Australia’s most-visited and longest-running art museum. 10. Melbourne, Australia Photograph: Neale Cousland/Shutterstock.com 20 / 10 Previous More on this Full Article

You can’t talk culture without talking Paris. Its cafés and bistros have long been the haunt of writers, artists and intellectuals – and, of course, the French capital boasts the world’s largest and most-visited museum in the Louvre . But what do the locals say? Parisians certainly rate the Louvre, naming it the city’s best cultural venue, but they also gave props to the French capital’s theatre scene, fashion sense and two other art heavyweights: the Centre Pompidou and Palais de Tokyo. 11. Paris, France Photograph: Ancapital/Shutterstock.com 20 / 11 Previous More on this Full Article

It wouldn’t be a stretch to crown Montreal festival capital of the world, so packed is its cultural calendar. Montrealers named ‘festivals’ the city’s best cultural asset, spotlighting winter light festival Montréal en Lumière and summer’s Festival International de Jazz de Montréal , which proudly holds the current world record for the world’s biggest jazz fest. There’s even a year-round dedicated space just for festivals at Place des Festivals , a plaza at the heart of arts district Quartier des Spectacles . Performing arts venue Place des Artes also lives in the enclave and was crowned the city’s top cultural venue by locals in our survey. One thing’s for sure: Montreal knows how to put on a show. 12. Montreal, Canada Photograph: Benoit Daoust/Shutterstock.com 20 / 12 Previous More on this Full Article

SPOTLIGHT CITY Arts aren’t a specialised, lofty pursuit in Marrakech; they’re a bright thread that runs through the fabric of life. It’s why Yves St Laurent was so inspired here, his fabulous designs now showcased in his namesake museum . The city continues to inspire contemporary designers such as LRNCE, who has just opened a most artful riad, Rosemary . The excellence of Marrakech’s master craftsmen is splendidly displayed at Medersa Ben Youssef or just take tea in the courtyard of the Royal Mansour , the King’s hotel. For the best contemporary art, check out Galerie Siniya 28 and MACAAL – and book now for the 1-54 Art Fair in February 2024. 13. Marrakech, Morocco Photograph: Shutterstock 20 / 13 Previous More on this Full Article

As you’d expect, Brazil’s enormous metropolis plays host to a dizzying line-up of cultural heavyweights. Take a walk along Paulista Avenue and you’ll see what we mean – between the banks and skyscrapers are behemoths including the huge Livraria Cultura bookstore and the São Paulo Museum of Art , Latin America’s largest art museum (more widely known as MASP). And while locals rated MASP the city’s best venue, they also gave props to São Paulo’s theatres, independent cinemas and sprawling parks – many of which, like Parque Independência, are themselves home to some of the city’s major museums. 14. São Paulo, Brazil Photograph: Shutterstock 20 / 14 Previous More on this Full Article

Broadway, Off-Broadway, MOMA, The Met… when it comes to art and theatre, New York City is second to none. Locals agree: ‘Museums’ and ‘Broadway’ each got the highest number of shout-outs in our survey, followed by the Lincoln Center, Central Park and the Brooklyn Museum . New Yorkers also praised the openness, diversity and variety of their city’s culture scene. There really is something for everyone in the city that never sleeps. 15. New York City, USA Photograph: littlenySTOCK/Shutterstock.com 20 / 15 Previous More on this Full Article

It’s hard to pin down ‘culture’ in Tokyo. In this 24-hour city, culture encompasses high-tech digital art and historical shrines, sumo shows and sakura festivals, cutting-edge fashion and architectural marvels, traditional performing arts from Kabuki to Noh – and so, so much more. The city’s implausibly endless variety of cultural offerings was reflected in survey responses, too: asked what Tokyo’s best cultural venue is, locals named everything from mini theatres to the Mori Art Museum and Blue Note jazz club, but no two answers were the same. 16. Tokyo, Japan Photograph: Shutterstock 20 / 16 Previous More on this Full Article

SPOTLIGHT CITY The cultural (and literal) capital of the UAE, Abu Dhabi is home to some of the world’s most iconic sites, with the city’s cultural scene centred on Saadiyat Island. From architectural marvels like Louvre Abu Dhabi to the striking Abrahamic Family House , the buildings hosting these wonders are just as impressive as what’s inside. For a glimpse of old-world Abu Dhabi, Qasr Al Hosn , the city’s oldest stone building, is a must-see – as is the Cultural Foundation next door, with free exhibitions year-round. Abu Dhabi might not have the extensive history of some cities, but with the number of art galleries and museums on the horizon, it’s history in the making. 17. Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates Photograph: Shutterstock 20 / 17 Previous More on this Full Article

Mumbai has a lot to show off about. It’s not only India’s largest city but also the country’s cultural capital, home to Bollywood and mammoth institutions including the National Centre for the Performing Arts – named by locals as the city’s best cultural venue. The small but spectacular Prithvi Theatre also got the nod in our survey, alongside the annual Kala Ghoda Arts Festival , which sees artists, performers and craftspeople take over the creative enclave of Kala Ghoda. Mumbaikars praised their city’s culture scene as inclusive and diverse – it’s not hard to see why. 18. Mumbai, India Photograph: Shutterstock 20 / 18 Previous More on this Full Article

A city break in Amsterdam offers the best of all worlds: days spent mooching around world-class museums and strolling along pretty canals; nights spent sweating it out in an intimate bar or a warehouse club in one of Europe’s best cities for nightlife. You’ll find masterpieces from the likes of Rembrandt and Vermeer at the Rijksmuseum , while the Stedelijk serves up the cream of the modern art crop. But it was the city’s music scene that got the most love from locals in our survey, with Paradiso – a live music venue in a former church – named the Dutch capital’s greatest cultural venue. See you on the dance floor! 19. Amsterdam, Netherlands Photograph: Jan van der Wolf/Shutterstock.com 20 / 19 Previous More on this Full Article

SPOTLIGHT CITY For me, the best thing about Seoul’s culture scene is its marriage of past and present. Summertime calls for hip-hop with a twist at the Waterbomb Festival , where artists like Jay Park and Jessi have previously beckoned huge crowds to dance the heat away. Unlike your typical music festival, the dress code here is swimwear: with everyone from the audience to the performers armed with a water gun, you can expect to leave completely soaked – just the ticket for Seoul’s scorching summer heat. Pumping music aside, I also love just wandering around many of the palaces located in the city. Gyeongbokgung , the main royal palace of the Joseon dynasty, is an iconic place to experience the country’s history first-hand while dressed in a Hanbok, a type of traditional Korean clothing. 20. Seoul, South Korea Photograph: Shutterstock 20 / 20 Previous More on this Full Article

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