The coolest neighborhoods in the world according to Time Out magazine

In the fall of 2022, Time Out magazine published its annual ranking of the "coolest" neighborhoods in the world. The list came out of an extensive survey, in which people from all over the world were asked about their favorite places in their cities. Have a look at the world's trendiest neighborhoods and take some inspiration for your next trip!

Photo: Little India, Singapore

At the top of the list is Colonia Americana, a lively neighborhood in Guadalajara. This city in western Mexico is also known as the country's cultural capital. Near Guadalajara's historical center, the Colonia Americana is a bold mix of Art Deco and neoclassical mansions, concert halls, artists' squats, street food stalls, and cozy cafes. In the bars on Avenue Chapultepec, Mexicans come to sip their tequila until late at night.

Surrounding its 'Pink Street' (the superb Rua Nova do Carvalho), Cais do Sodré is the trendiest district of Lisbon. Small businesses come to life there, new restaurants open regularly, and Lisbon residents come to party in its bars and nightclubs. Tourists like to get lost in its small streets, which were once abandoned and now returning to life.

Photo: Sara Darcaj / Unsplash

Welcome to the "coolest" neighborhood in Asia! Located in Siem Reap, northwest of Cambodia, Wat Bo developed around the temple of the same name. In 2021, a city makeover gave a spotlight to this district, which has become one of the chicest in the city. It is now the favored area for expatriates, who love meeting up in its trendy bars, picturesque restaurants, and nightclubs.

In New York, Ridgewood is located in the western part of Queens and near the border with Brooklyn. It thus makes its visitors benefit from Queens's local atmosphere and Bushwick's trendy corners. Ridgewood has kept its past intact with its two-story brick houses and now combines it with trendy bars and restaurants.

Photo: Aaron Ortiz/Unsplash

North of Mont-Royal Avenue, Mile End has become Montreal's trendiest neighborhood thanks to its friendly atmosphere, independent boutiques, bagel shops, Italian cafes, and Greek restaurants. According to connoisseurs, this multicultural area is also home to the best brunches and most elaborate cocktails in the city.

Sixth place in the ranking takes us to California, and more specifically to San Diego, in the Barrio Logan. This neighborhood with Mexican roots displays an industrial and artistic style that attracts a young student population. Chicano Park is the anchor of Barrio Logan. The park is a direct result of community activism. It is now home to the world's largest concentration of Chicano murals, with over 80 paintings depicting scenes from the Mexican Revolution.

Shimokitazawa is Tokyo's hipster district, located in Setagaya Ward. It is known for its young and inventive atmosphere, its multiple second-hand clothing stores, its theaters, its lively restaurants, its trendy boutiques, and its music bars. A place not to be missed if you travel to the Japanese capital!

In Margate, a seaside town in southeast England, Cliftonville is a coastal area that centers around Palm Bay and Northdown Road. As you stroll through this neighborhood, you'll come across many record stores, delicatessens, an award-winning art gallery, quirky cafes, and modern community-funded bars.

All around Plaza Yungay, this colorful and multicultural neighborhood has become an essential place for young people in the Chilean capital. In Yungay, the facades of the buildings mix a Baroque and Art Deco style. There are many museums, traditional Chilean restaurants, the best pizzerias in Santiago, specialty cafes, and an emblematic park of the city, the Quinta Norma.

A few steps from the Old Port, the Cours Julien is considered the bobo district of Marseille. There are all kinds of vintage thrift stores, second-hand bookstores, old warehouses turned into art galleries, pleasant little cobbled streets, and trendy cafes and restaurants. If you pass by, stop by its superb organic market on Wednesday mornings to leave with some local products.

Considered the "Heart of the Southside", Shawlands is Glasgow's hip district par excellence. Its inhabitants and its visitors appreciate it for its large green parks, its cafes, its works of art, its restaurants, and its unusual businesses such as its Franco-Japanese pastry shop or its Godshot Studio design store.

Photo: Chris Haikney/Wikipedia

Nestled between Trinity Bellwoods and West Queen West, this Toronto neighborhood is filled with art galleries, cozy cafes, trendy bars, and trendy nightclubs. Dundas West is also characterized by its large population of Portuguese and Brazilian immigrants, who have opened excellent restaurants and many delicatessens on its streets.

Vila Madalena is the bohemian district of Sao Paulo. Its independent fashion boutiques and art galleries intertwine with its trendy bars and nightly samba shows. This lively area is very popular with Brazilian and foreign students.

Photo: Henrique Oli / Unsplash

Its narrow streets were once a "tolerance zone": the government turned a blind eye to prostitution. San Isidro is now a mecca for art, where murals decorate the ruined mansions of the neighborhood. San Isidro has also spawned his own resistance movement, which rises up against Cuba's restrictive regime.

Photo: Alexander Kunze / Unsplash

In Berlin, the Neukölln district is known for its Lebanese grocery stores, Turkish restaurants, Middle Eastern pastries, and bustling streets. Add to this spicy backdrop of vintage shops, quaint alleyways, and new-wave cafes, and you have what is considered the hippest place in Germany!

Once the hub of Chicago's Polish community, Avondale is now considered the "coolest" place in town for all its residents. It's home to trendy bars and restaurants - including one of Chicago's best Mexicans - an insect museum (yes, yes), and a horror-themed cafe. It is aimed at young workers as well as families and manual workers.

Photo: Sawyer Bengtson/Unsplash

Walthamstow is the new trendy district of London, "the place to be" for lovers of art, good food, and craft beers. Many families have settled there in recent years, as the cost of living was cheaper there than in other more upscale areas of the British capital.

Sants is quite far from the city center of Barcelona and is located in the district of Sants-Montjuïc. This very popular district mixes quiet streets and lively squares. There are old shops in the middle of modern businesses, tapas restaurants to die for, but also a secret museum of old sewing machines.

Little India is a neighborhood located a stone's throw from downtown Singapore. With its old houses and picturesque sites, this district is unlike any other in the capital. Little India is also a very lively district; We meet people there at any time of the day! Finally, if you like Indian food, this is where you will find the best restaurants in town. In short, a must-see place for visitors to Singapore.

Photo: Singapore Stock Photos / Unsplash

Rione Sanità is located between the Archaeological Museum of Naples and the hill of Capodimonte. This district is one of the most colorful and characteristic of the city. It is renowned for its baroque architecture (in the style of the Palazzo Dello Spagnolo, in the photo), its lively markets, its local restaurants, but also its catacombs which hide hundreds of early Christian tombs.