Every year, asks its global network of writers and editors to do the impossible and pick just one neighbourhood in their city worth shouting about. The result is a list of the 40 coolest neighbourhoods in the world, ranked against criteria including food and drink, nightlife, unique local businesses, liveability and community.
This year, Europe holds its own with 13 entries on the list; everywhere from Athenian side streets to a former slaughterhouse district in Stockholm.
Leading the continent’s charge is Neos Kosmos in Athens, in third place overall. A lot of the neighbourhood’s energy comes from Onassis Stegi, a cultural centre (with a rooftop restaurant!) putting on exhibitions showcasing modern Greek art. Down on the street, you’ve got old-school bakeries sitting right next to Armenian grills and Thai kitchens. For a drink, head to Teras, a bar taking the ‘buy local’ trend so literally you can actually purchase the chair you’re sitting on.
Glasgow’s Govanhill takes fifth place, a neighbourhood where a Transylvanian shares space with Irish pubs and Pakistani restaurants on Victoria Road. Lately, cheaper rents have brought in artists, writers, an entire zine library and a massive queer scene anchored by Adrian’s Bar and Category Is Books. If you’re visiting, start your day with a massive, greasy-spoon fry-up (complete with haggis and tattie scones) at Fulton’s.
Rome’s Esquilino comes in at number ten. At its centre is Piazza Vittorio, whose recently revamped gardens have become a hub for live music, outdoor cinema and community events. You’ve got ancient Roman ruins sitting a few doors down from a Vietnamese pho shop, and the city’s oldest gelateria, Fassi, is still doing steady trade. In the summer, people head to Horti Magici to drink natural wine under the stars for the Esquilino Jazz Festival.
Valencia’s Russafa is Europe’s fourth-coolest enclave. Natural wine joints and third-wave coffee shops share the pavement with old-school bodegas where grandmothers still buy their weekly tomatoes and jamón. The whole place is lined with nineteenth-century townhouses painted in ice-cream shades of pistachio and strawberry. Come evening, swap your daytime almuerzo (beer, olives, and a massive baguette) for oysters at Nostra Bar, then finish the night with a late-night house set at Mat 32.
Europe’s 13 coolest neighbourhoods in 2026
- Neos Kosmos, Athens
- Govanhill, Glasgow
- Esquilino, Rome
- Russafa, Valencia
- São Bento, Lisbon
- Slakthusområdet, Stockholm
- Rákóczi tér, Budapest
- Crooswijk, Rotterdam
- Cathedral Quarter, Belfast
- Oost, Amsterdam
- Quartier d’Aligre, Paris
- Newington Green, London
- Boavista, Porto
Check out the full list of the 40 coolest neighbourhoods in the world in 2026.
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