When you live somewhere for so long, it’s easy to take it for granted. Cities, especially, have a reputation for being too busy, too expensive and too concrete. But we’re here to remind you that that’s not the case.
Each year, Time Out asks thousands of urban dwellers what they love about their hometowns. This year, we surveyed more than 18,500 locals across 118 different cities to get their two cents on everything from food, nightlife and culture to affordability, happiness and public transport.
We then combined those local insights with votes from our global network of city experts to discover the very best cities in the world for 2025, both to live and to travel to. London came out as the best city in the UK overall (despite losing plenty of marks for its expensiveness), but when we broke things down, we found that another UK city was considered one of the most beautiful on the globe.
Based on survey responses, Edinburgh was ranked the joint-fifth (alongside Tbilisi in Georgia) best-looking city on the planet. Seventy-four percent of locals said that they would describe the Scottish capital as beautiful.
Dayna McAlpine, Time Out’s local Edinburgh expert, said: ‘[We’ve got] castles and cobbled streets with breathtaking gothic architecture (we’re not called the ‘Athens of the North’ for nothing) that has inspired authors, poets and musicians alike – and of course, the giant extinct volcano that overlooks it all, offering the best views of the city.
‘We challenge anyone not to fall in love with Edinburgh when cosied up in one of our many historic pubs with a wee dram of whisky as the rain batters down outside – many a famous love story (most recently One Day) has kicked off with our city as the background and it’s easy to see why.’
The Scottish capital also ranked fourth in the ranking for green spaces and access to nature and 85 percent of locals said that it’s easy to walk everywhere. It ranked 13th overall in the 2025 Best Cities list, which you can find in full here.
Time Out in Edinburgh
Of course, now you need to go and see Edinburgh’s beauty with your own eyes. Let us help you plan your trip. Find our pick of the city’s best hotels, Airbnb’s and hostels here, all its best foodie offerings from afternoon teas to burger joints and fine dining here and its vast array of excellent things to do and see here.
Did you see that Folkestone is the UK’s best place to visit in 2025, according to Time Out?
Plus: This English city is one of the world’s most exciting foodie destinations in 2025, says the Michelin Guide.
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