Time Out has published its annual ranking of the world’s coolest neighbourhoods, naming 40 areas across the globe. The list, released on 16 September 2026, placed Jongno 3-ga in Seoul in first position. The guide presents the neighbourhoods as places that combine everyday local life with food, culture and community rather than conventional tourist attractions. It is the latest edition of a ranking the company has produced for several years.
Jongno 3-ga sits in central Seoul and is described as a maze of narrow alleys. The area contains traditional pochas, the street food stalls and tented bars found across the city, alongside contemporary craft workshops. Time Out points to this mix of long-standing eating and drinking spots and newer independent businesses as central to the neighbourhood’s appeal, and it describes the district as one where visitors can move between the two on foot.
The rest of the top five spans four continents. L’Ocean District in Rabat, Morocco, placed second, followed by Neos Kosmos in Athens, Greece, in third. Chinatown in Los Angeles took fourth position, and Govanhill in Glasgow, Scotland, completed the top five. The wider list of 40 includes neighbourhoods in cities across Asia, Europe, the Americas and Africa, ranging from long-established districts to areas that have changed quickly in recent years.
Time Out compiled the ranking through its network of local editors and contributors based in cities around the world. The neighbourhoods were nominated by the company’s city-based teams before being scored and ranked. Each area was assessed against a set of criteria that included food and drink, nightlife, unique local businesses, liveability and a sense of community. Editors then ranked the nominated neighbourhoods against those benchmarks to produce the final order.
The publication frames the 2026 list as a reflection of how urban living has changed in recent years. It notes that many of the featured areas balance a village-like local character with access to revitalised city centres, which have drawn back residents, hybrid workers and visitors. The guide positions strong neighbourhood identity, independent business and walkable daily life as the qualities that define the selection, which the company produces as one of its regular annual features.
