Seoul Named the World's Best Big City by Condé Nast Traveler Readers, Beating Tokyo

How the ranking fell

This is the Best Big Cities category of the Condé Nast Traveler 2026 Readers' Choice Awards. Seoul is first and Tokyo second, followed by Phnom Penh, Shanghai and Sydney.

The 39th edition drew 798,867 votes across cities, hotels and resorts, cast by U.S. readers.

The magazine's one-line take

The magazine put it this way: "If there's a single destination that embraces dichotomy, it's Seoul." It means a city where opposites live side by side.

It also noted that beneath the K-pop, K-beauty and K-drama appeal lies more than 2,000 years of history.

Third friendliest, too

In a separate reader tally by the same magazine, Seoul also placed third among the world's friendliest cities.

Mayor Oh Se-hoon said Seoul would protect its history and distinct character while adding new culture and vitality.

Neighborhoods Seoul pointed to

Seoul's release also noted that Time Out named Jongno 3-ga the world's No. 1 "Coolest Neighbourhood".

It cited the Yulgok-ro tunnel project too: about 8,000 sq m of green space that reconnected Changgyeonggung and Jongmyo for the first time in 90 years, plus the 340 m Palace Wall Trail that opened in 2022.

Worth knowing

This is a reader vote by Americans, not a jury verdict or visitor statistics.