Montreal has long been nicknamed “Paris of the North.” And while being compared to the City of Love is certainly flattering, ranking ahead of it is something else entirely.
Every fall, Condé Nast Traveler asks its readers to weigh in on the cities that left the biggest impression on them. And every fall, Montreal seems to find its way into the conversation.
This year was no exception. On Tuesday, the magazine released its 2026 Readers’ Choice Awards, and Montreal landed at No. 6 on the list of the best large cities in the world. That’s three spots higher than last year, when the city came in ninth.
It also means Montreal finished one spot ahead of Paris, which is not a sentence we get to write very often.
Readers cast nearly 800,000 votes in this year’s survey, the 39th edition of the awards, up from roughly 760,000 last year. The rankings are meant to reflect the destinations travellers loved most, which makes this one a little sweeter.
In its write-up, Condé Nast pointed to some familiar favourites, like Old Montreal’s cobblestone streets and its Gothic Revival cathedral.
But the magazine also gave the city credit for having a bit of an edge, citing its contemporary art museums, offbeat bars and design-minded hotels.
Food did a lot of the heavy lifting, as usual. Condé Nast singled out Montreal’s restaurant scene as the thing that sets it apart, name-dropping Joe Beef and Au Pied de Cochon alongside the city’s classic brasseries and wine bars.
Montreal is flying the flag solo this year
Last year, Canada had two cities in the big-city top 10. This year, it’s just us.
Vancouver, which ranked seventh in 2025, didn’t make the list at all, leaving Montreal as the only Canadian city among the world’s best large cities.
And Toronto? Missing again. We’ll let you draw your own conclusions for that one.
Victoria is No. 1 again
Canada did well in the small-city category, too. For the second year in a row, Victoria, B.C. took the top spot in the world, beating out Puerto Vallarta, Mexico, and Florence, Italy.
Condé Nast made the case that B.C.’s capital deserves more than a quick day trip from Vancouver. It pointed to the scenic ferry ride over, the Fairmont Empress and the city’s long-standing love of a proper high tea.
The rest of the list got a serious shake-up
Seoul climbed from fifth place to first, knocking Tokyo down to No. 2 after it topped the list last year. Kyoto, which came in second in 2025, slid all the way down to tenth.
Phnom Penh made the biggest jump of the bunch, going from tenth to third, while Shanghai and Sydney are new to the top 10. Edinburgh dropped off entirely.
Once again, no U.S. cities made the international list. Condé Nast ranks those separately.
Here’s how the top 10 large cities in the world ranked for 2026:
- Seoul, South Korea
- Tokyo, Japan
- Phnom Penh, Cambodia
- Shanghai, China
- Sydney, Australia
- Montreal, Canada
- Paris, France
- Cape Town, South Africa
- Singapore
- Kyoto, Japan
Meanwhile, here were last year’s results:
- Tokyo, Japan
- Kyoto, Japan
- Cape Town, South Africa
- Singapore
- Seoul, South Korea
- Paris, France
- Vancouver, Canada
- Edinburgh, Scotland
- Montreal, Canada
- Phnom Penh, Cambodia
You can explore the publication’s Readers’ Choice Awards here.