Manchester ranked third in Time Out’s World’s Best Cities list

The northern city came top in the annual index, while London lags behind in thirteenth place

An aerial view of Manchester (Getty Images/iStockphoto)

Manchester is the third best city in the world, according to a list compiled by Time Out.

The northwestern city came top in categories including friendliness, resilience and nightlife in the lifestyle brand’s annual round-up of the world’s 37 best cities.

Time Out polled 27,000 residents in cities around the world about food, drink, social life and sustainability, and combined their findings with insights from their own staff and experts around the world to in order to rank them.

San Francisco was number one, with its “progressiveness, inclusiveness and innovation” singled out for its top spot.

An “aggressive Covid response”, a sharp rise in outdoor food and drink spaces, support for the city’s burgeoning cannabis industry (the drug is legal throughout California), a commitment to green spaces and a tradition of inclusion and social justice were the primary factors cited for the city’s pole position.

Amsterdam came second, while the Danish capital of Copenhagen came fourth, with New York in fifth place.

London came in thirteenth place, with the city’s diversity lauded as one of its finest attributes.

Manchester’s ability to come together through difficult times was applauded, with small firms such as Result CIC offering free mental health support to frontline workers during the pandemic. Elsewhere, the Eagle and Child pub gave away 4,500 meals to vulnerable locals.

Referencing the Manchester International Festival (MIF), Grayson’s Art Club and The Factory - a new cultural space currently under development that will provide a permanent home for MIF - 71 per cent of those polled described the city as “creative”.

Manchester was also commended for its “general great vibes”.

Time Out says: “This city has a rep for knowing how to have a good time, and it came as no surprise to us that it was voted top for ‘nightlife’, ‘creativity’, ‘community spirit’, ‘friendliness’ and ‘getting to know your neighbours’.”

Amsterdam’s verdant character and sustainability were some of the highest scores across the board, with the city’s Vondelpark described as “an immense oasis right in the centre that plays host to everything from jam sessions to theatre to sports – truly, the city’s lungs”. It was also voted the second best place for “talking a walk in nature”.

Here are the top 10 cities in this year’s index.

1. San Francisco

2. Amsterdam

3. Manchester

4. Copenhagen

5. New York

6. Montreal

7. Prague

8. Tel Aviv

9. Porto

10. Tokyo