Best cities worldwide

How to choose the best city to travel to or live in

Have you ever asked yourself which city to visit next?
Whether it is a longer vacation or just a short city trip, it is hard to decide when there are many things that have to be taken into account and when there is so much choice. New York vs Chicago, London vs Paris, a smaller or a bigger city, in the north or in the south? There are a few important factors that can greatly influence your city experience and should be taken into consideration when you choose your next trip like the weather, the population, the transportation and the cultural activities in the city.
Maybe you are thinking about a life changing decision and you are asking yourself:
Where should I live next?
It is a difficult question, when you have to decide which city fits you the best, when you could choose between the best city to live in Europe or the USA. But what is the best city and how can you find out? To help you make this life changing decision, we have compiled a list with the most important criterias (voted by our users) that have to be taken into consideration when you want to find a new home for yourself as a single or together with your family.

1. Climate

There is a saying that there is no bad weather but rather the wrong clothing,
but the bottom line is:
The weather is one of the most important criteria, whether you are deciding on a city to live in or you simply want to enjoy a city trip. Especially if you are booking your trip in advance and you don’t know how the weather will be, the average temperature and the rainy days can give you a helpful estimation. If you are thinking about a city trip in the summer, it is important to consider that especially southern states like Arizona, Nevada, California and New Mexico and cities like Rome, Athens, Marseille, Seville, Madrid, Naples, etc. can get up to 40°C/ 104° F and sometimes even more. This can be pretty exhausting when running around for sightseeing, especially for people who are very sensitive to heat. In this case, a trip to the beach or a trip to northern cities can be more pleasant, since the average maximum temperature doesn’t often go higher then 15°C/59°F, for example in Berlin, London, Paris, Brussels, Stockholm, Amsterdam or Boston, New York, Detroit and Chicago. If you want to know more details, check out extreme temperatures in the USA and the weather extremes in Europe.
While northern cities sometimes get pretty rainy and cold during spring and autumn, cities in the south are still pleasant in months like October and March. It is also important to consider if you like to participate in activities that need cold weather, like skiing, or if you prefer activities for warm temperatures, like hiking or swimming. Concerning precipitation, regions, like the west coast of Scotland, the west coast of Norway and the south of the Alps have the highest number of rainy days. So if you like to have it dry during your trip, cities like Athens, Madrid, Skopje, Las Vegas, Phoenix, and Los Angeles will most probably offer you a hot and dry weather.

2. Demographics

When choosing a city to live in or a city to visit, the population makes a difference. Cities with a lower population can offer a familiar atmosphere whereas individualism is bigger in cities with higher population like in New York or Tokyo, where people are more self-reliant and self-centered. As a single, a big city can be interesting for its big variety, but as a family a smaller city could offer you tranquility, comfort and most probably more nature than there is in a bustling city. For further information, check out the best cities to live in Europe or the best cities to travel in the USA and in Europe. If you are with a family, check this out to find more information about the best cities to raise a family in the USA and in Europe or the best cities to travel with your family.
The answer to the key question for any traveler - a big city or a small city- depends on the activities you are more interested in. For instance, cities with a higher population will often offer more cultural activities like museums, landmarks, theater plays or concerts, whereas smaller cities will most often offer you more nature with possibilities for hiking, climbing, skiing and even for wellness. Of course there are big cities with a seaside, beaches and a beautiful nature in their surrounding areas, like mountains, natural heritages, forest, lakes etc. for example New York, Munich, Barcelona, Buenos Aires and Athen. Check the most beautiful mountain towns and the best cities by the sea.
In cities with a bigger population you will often find a more international population. For instance nearly two thirds of the international migrants live in Europe (76 Mill. ) or Asia (75 Mill.). In terms of population density Asia has the highest density followed by Europe, beeing the second smallest continent in the world and at the same time the third most populous continent after Asia and Africa. On the other hand Europe has the smallest annual population growth, whereas Africa has the biggest.

3. Culture & education

Cultural activities are one of most important reasons when choosing a city, if it is for a concert, an opera, a theater play, museums or even your favourite sports team, there are many possibilities for new experiences. If you are someone who is constantly looking for a new event, if you are a huge fan of a particular music scene or a sports team, or you have a favourite hobby or a religious community, that you want to be close to, a bigger city with lots of cultural offerings and sporting availabilities, would be the right choice for you. A good indicator for the cultural engagement of a city can be the number of museums. The cities with the highest amount of museum are London (162); Berlin (140) and New York (126). London and Paris have the highest number of UNESCO World Heritage Sites (4) followed by Berlin with 3. Check this out to find out more about the best cities for cultural activities.

The number of universities in a city can indicate the median age of population as well as a general cultural activity. A city with more universities is always more attractive for younger people. Almost every big city in Europe and the USA (more than 1 Mill. habitants) have more than four universities. For more details, check out the best cities in Europe and the USA for students.
If you are a student and you want to have a nice city trip but you don’t want to spend much money, a cheap city is the best way to get some fresh air and change your mind. Check out the cheapest cities in Europe to find out more about the prices in some cities concerning cheap transportation, food, housing etc.

4. Transportation

If you don’t plan to take the car to do your city trip or you cannot afford having a car in a city, the public transportation becomes a very important factor. But what are the cities with an outstanding transportation system, that facilitate your vacation and offer you a higher life quality and which ones are affordable? Check out the best transportation systems worldwide and continue for more info.
The cheapest cities to travel around in Europe are in the east like in Russia, Bulgaria and Poland, the most expensive ones are Venice and cities in northern Europe. While a 24-hour tram/metro pass in Prague costs 4,38 Euro, a 72-hour tram/bus pass in Amsterdam costs 17,74. When you are living in a city a monthly ticket could be a good solution. For example, the price of a monthly ticket in Berlin is 81,00 Euro, in New York 89,00 $ and in Paris it’s even cheaper with 73,00 Euro.
Some cities offer a even cheaper way to travel: Bicycles.
You can rent a bike for a whole day from a shop or in some places they even have a city bike sharing system. If you like to discover a city by bike or if you prefer the bike as your transportation mode, check out the best bike-friendly cities in the world.

5. Cost of living

The cost of living has a great influence on the quality of your trip and especially on the quality of life when staying for longer. When moving to a new city, factors like the GDP (Gross Domestic Product), as well as the minimum and maximum income tax have to be taken into consideration. The Gross domestic product (GDP) is a way of measuring the market value of all final goods (like food, housing, clothes etc.) and services produced in a country in a year and can tell the economical performance of a city or country (Wikipedia). Considering the GDP the best countries to live in are the USA, China, Japan, Germany and the UK. Additionally, if you are interested to know which cities have the lowest cost of living, which might be interesting when you want to travel cheap, check out the cheapest places to live in the USA and in Europe. If you are looking for a new job in a new city, factors, like the highest and lowest income tax rate and the unemployment rate might be important. Countries that are greatly affected by unemployment problems are, for example, South Africa, Greece and Spain.