Living in a city has the advantage of experiencing world-class art and culture. Some global cities boast wonderful art pieces, unique bookstores or independent galleries, as well as theaters, concerts, and other exciting activities such as community cinemas, street art, traditional festivals, and museum late-night openings.
Every year, the city lifestyle magazine “Time Out” searches for the current cultural capital, cities with rich art collections, exciting theaters, music, and cultural celebrations, all at affordable prices accessible to local residents and tourists alike.
To compile the 2026 list, the magazine invited over 24,000 local residents from more than 150 cities to rate the quality of cultural atmosphere and consumption levels in their cities, and tell the magazine what they think are the strengths of their cities, from comedy and carnivals to live music and literature events.
Then, the magazine combines the residents’ feedback with the opinions of the “Time Out” cultural jury. The jury members include editors, writers, and local experts who vote together to select the cities with the most vibrant cultural and artistic atmosphere. To ensure the list reflects the best cultural cities globally, the magazine only includes the highest-scoring city from each country.
The top 20 cities on this year’s list all boast legendary art venues and a variety of cultural activities. “Time Out” experts also recommend highlight events for 2026, from London’s unmatched summer daytime festival activities to the newly completed Grand Egyptian Museum in Cairo, offering a wide range of exciting activities.
London in the UK is ranked the best cultural city globally, while Taipei claims the top spot in Asia.
London has numerous advantages. The city is a melting pot of cuisines catering to various tastes and income levels; residents come from all over the world; there are numerous historical sites; and the neighborhoods are suitable for walking.
However, perhaps the most impressive aspect of the city is its artistic and cultural atmosphere. Firstly, nowhere else in the world has as many top-tier art galleries and museums as London, all of which are free to visit.
The West End theaters feature spectacular performances by A-list stars monthly, along with free comedy nights. Additionally, London hosts a diverse range of summer daytime festivals and large-scale sports events.
According to “Time Out” survey, 99% of Londoners deem the capital’s culture as “good” or “great.” In this city known for its high cost of living, 60% of local residents find London’s art and culture expenses acceptable. London scores particularly high in theater, with the highest score among all surveyed cities (90%), followed by museums (88%) and art galleries (81%).
Taipei ranks 11th globally. 71% of local residents believe Taipei’s cultural atmosphere is “good” or “great,” with a high 82% considering Taipei’s consumption levels reasonable.
“Time Out” reports that local expert Joe Henley states, “One side of Taipei always remembers the past. You can still admire world-class Chinese opera or Taiwan opera performances at the National Theater, or watch traditional puppet shows at Dadaocheng Theatre in Dihua Street. The National Palace Museum remains one of the world’s richest repositories of Taiwan and Chinese cultural history treasures.”
Three other Asian cities made it to the list, including Beijing at 17th, Jaipur, the capital of the Indian state of Rajasthan, at 18th, and Chiang Mai, Thailand at 19th.
Globally, Paris ranks second, and New York ranks third.
In this year’s survey, Paris is the only city to receive unanimous praise for its artistic and cultural atmosphere, with 100% of local residents singing its praises – this high appraisal is also supported by 80% of “Time Out” experts, with 80% giving high marks to Paris’ culture. Among all cities, Paris is most likely to be called a “historic city” by locals, and has a higher number of museums than any other city, with 97% of locals considering museums to be Paris’ forte.
93% of New Yorkers give high marks to their city’s culture – “Time Out” magazine’s experts share the same view, with 80% agreeing. New York is ranked as the third theater capital globally, following London and Madrid. However, New York’s museums receive the highest praise from locals, with 85% singing praises for the “Big Apple’s” museums.
Cities ranked from fourth to tenth include Berlin, Cape Town in South Africa, Melbourne in Australia, São Paulo in Brazil, Madrid in Spain, Florence in Italy, and Kraków, the second-largest city and historical capital of Poland.
Other cities on the list include Marrakech, the third-largest city in Morocco (12th place), Copenhagen in Denmark (13th place), Guadalajara, Mexico’s second-largest city (14th place), Athens in Greece (15th place), Cairo in Egypt (16th place), and Lisbon in Portugal (20th place).