These Are The World's Friendliest Cities

By Sasha Brady, Lonely Planet Writer
August 22, 2019
Vancouver Skyline Copy
Miroslav Liska | Dreamstime.com
A new ranking lists the world's friendliest cities – did your city make the cut?

Vancouver has long been rated as one of the world's most liveable cities but it's just been recognized as the world's friendliest in a new international survey.

Vancouver is dripping in charms from dazzling skylines to coastlines, and now its multicultural population has been singled out for its exceptionally good nature. A poll published this week from Big 7 Travel asked its 1.5 million followers to decide the friendliest city for tourists and expats and Vancouver came out on top. Locals were praised for being "quick to offer assistance to tourists" and authors complimented the city's "community vibe" which makes "socializing in Vancouver simple."

New Yorkers might often be accused of being cold but it appears that reputation is beginning to thaw as it made the cut in 47th place. While it's true that things move pretty fast in Manhattan, authors noted that there's more of a community feel in the neighborhoods of each borough and a melting pot of cultures, which invites people in. But according to the poll, it's not as friendly as Charleston, South Carolina (33rd), or Houston, Texas (19th), and it doesn't have a patch on Nashville, Tennessee (8th), which was declared the friendliest city in the US. Why? Because it boasts Southern charm by the bucketloads, a lively music scene and friendly locals with a "buzzing attitude and an eagerness to show off their city to out-of-towners."

With regards to the top five, Kuala Lumpur's "friendliness towards visitors" drove the Malaysian capital into the second spot, while Bruges's "charming atmosphere" and "locals who go the extra mile to welcome tourists" placed the Belgian city in third. Taipei, Taiwan, was recognized as one of Asia’s most LGBTQ+ friendly cities in fourth place, while Hamburg, Germany's "family-friendly feel" pushed it into the fifth spot.

You can view the poll's top 10 friendliest cities below and the full top 50 list here.

10th. Glasgow, Scotland
9th. São Paulo, Brazil
8th. Nashville, Tennessee, USA
7th. Christchurch, New Zealand
6th. Dublin, Ireland
5th. Hamburg, Germany
4th. Taipei, Taiwan
3rd. Bruges, Belgium
2nd. Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia
1st. Vancouver, Canada

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How to Get More Legroom in Coach

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Travel Tips

Perfecting the Stopover: How to Turn a Layover into A Playover

If you book flights online, you’ve no doubt noticed that itineraries with one or more connections are usually cheaper than direct flights. Most airlines fly between destinations through one or several hub cities, following a “hub and spokes” model. For example, New York (JFK) is a hub for American Airlines and Delta Airlines, while Paris is the hub for Air France. What if, instead of wasting several hours in an airport waiting for a connecting flight (known as a layover), you decided instead to explore a new city for a few days? You could cross one more place off your bucket list, while spending less on the flights than if you were flying direct. Spending one night or more in a destination on the way to another is called a stopover. It’s a little trick that lets budget-savvy travelers visit two destinations for the price of one. What are good stopover destinations? 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A trip to Seljalandsfoss Waterfall in Iceland © Marie-France Roy / Budget Travel Stopover in Iceland Iceland has become immensely popular in recent years. Although it’s a pricey destination, some of the cheapest flights from North America to mainland Europe touch down here. Icelandair let’s you stop in Reykjavik for up to seven nights at no additional airfare. From the capital, it’s easy to arrange day trips to the geysers, glaciers, and waterfalls that make Iceland unique. Winter affords a chance to see the northern lights, while in summer the sun barely sets. Stopover in Istanbul Turkish Airlines flies to more countries than any other airline via Istanbul, a fascinating and very affordable stopover. Depending on your departure and arrival point, the airline may also give you a free hotel night. Let the bazaars, palaces, mosques, and museums dazzle you, but if you have a sweet tooth, don’t leave without visiting a pudding shop! Other destinations with airline stopover programs include Helsinki, Lisbon, and Montreal, as well as Dubai, Abu Dhabi, and Doha on the Arabian Peninsula. How to book a stopover First, start with an aggregator such as Skyscanner or Kayak to see a selection of flights to your primary destination. Find those with the cheaper prices; they’ll likely involve a connection in another city. If one of those cities looks appealing, do a multi-city search on an itinerary that stops there for one night or more. Note how the price compares to the original return flight price. Also do this search on the airline’s own website, which may give you the option of adding the stopover on its booking page. If the new price is quite a bit higher, you may need to call the airline and ask if you can get a “free” stopover. The national airline of the stopover country is your best bet in this case (for example, Icelandair for Reykjavik). 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