An artsy quarter of Madrid, a sustainable pocket of Melbourne, and an up-and-coming zone in Medellin – what do these places have in common?
They’re among the coolest neighborhoods in the world, according to global publisher Time Out. Every year, Time Out polls its staffers and contributors from around the globe to assemble a list of the 40 most fun, interesting and fashionable ‘hoods.
Topping the 2023 list is Laureles, in Colombia’s bustling city of Medellin, which is the hometown of musicians J Balvin and Karol G. According to Time Out, up-and-coming Laureles has a “pretty laid-back reputation” despite being home to the Estadio Atanasio Girardot soccer stadium and famed nightlife street La 70.
Still, though, it has thus far resisted the gentrification other Medellin neighborhoods have experienced, with Time Out‘s Luis Gomez noting that traditional fruit vendors still push their carts through the streets in Laureles.
Five of the top 10 coolest nabes are in Europe, with waterfront Havnen in Copenhagen and the historic Smithfield section of Dublin both appearing on the list for the first time. In Asia, Hong Kong’s buzzy Sheung Wan neighborhood gets the nod, and the best showing for a neighborhood in the US is Mid-City, home to some of the best food – and that’s saying a lot, considering the whole city is known for great food – in New Orleans.
Time Out’s Coolest Neighborhoods for 2023
1. Laureles: Medellin, Colombia
2. Smithfield: Dublin, Ireland
3. Carabanchel: Madrid, Spain
4. Havnen: Copenhagen, Denmark
5. Sheung Wan: Hong Kong
6. Brunswick East: Melbourne, Australia
7. Mid-City, New Orleans
8. Isola: Milan, Italy
9. West: Amsterdam, Netherlands
10. Tomigaya: Tokyo, Japan
— CutC by cnn.com
