A SCOTTISH city has been named the best to visit in the world right now, with another placed in the top five.
Time Out has compiled a list of the best cities in the world to visit with specific categories including most beautiful, easiest city to express who you are and best place to meet someone romantically.
To comprise its list, more than 20,000 people around the world were surveyed – as well as local editors and city experts - for the Time Out Index to identify the best cities to visit.
The list named Edinburgh the best city to visit in the world, while also ranking it as the most beautiful city, most walkable city, second easiest to express who you are, and the third easiest to take a walk in nature or green space.
However, only 40% scored it for diversity, 34% viewed it as somewhere good to meet someone romantically and 74% viewed it as expensive.
Talking up the city, the list said: “A perfect combination for visitors looking to explore historic landmarks, architecture and scenic hotspots on foot. Its dining and drinking scene is ever-evolving, with heaps of new things to do including the Port of Leith Distillery – Scotland’s first ‘vertical distillery’ – about to open. It’s also a great place for a relaxing stroll through nature.”
Meanwhile, Glasgow was ranked as the fourth-best city to visit. Scotland’s largest city was also named the friendliest and second most affordable.
In its Glasgow entry, Time Out wrote: “2022 is the perfect time to visit and explore the place and meet the locals in this city that excels at being outgoing and at going out. At SWG3, the world’s first body-heated club, dancing literally helps keep the lights on; and there are now two Michelin-star restaurants after a long drought, yet a burgeoning dining scene is best characterised by friendly informality and good value for money.”
Arusa Qureshi, Time Out's Scotland correspondent says about the winning city: "There are many different characteristics to Edinburgh as a city, which when blended together make it one of the most interesting and entertaining places to live. There’s the picturesque and striking via its green spaces and Georgian architecture or the buzzing, vibrant and occasionally out-there elements of its year-round festivals and events. There is a togetherness and welcoming spirit in the city that is perhaps its true strength.
Qureshi adds: "When it comes to music, nightlife and other forms of arts and culture, Glasgow is without a doubt one of the best places to be. Its world-class venues, clubs, restaurants and bars make it impossible not to have a great day or night out in the city, whatever your taste. Glasgow is also a city with passionate locals that are forever looking out for the most vulnerable in society".
