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If you really want to experience local life at its most authentic when exploring a new city, the best thing you can do is take to the streets. And no, not that one major thoroughfare with the samey high street megastores and generic coffee shops. We’re talking about the neighbourhood backstreets and lively avenues that locals love; the places packed with independent shops and creative people, where a brand-new hi-fi listening bar will share the space with an old-school grocer or a centuries-old pub. This year, to create our annual ranking of the world’s coolest streets, we asked our global network of local editors and experts to nominate the street that epitomises the very best of their city. Time Out’s global travel team then narrowed down the list and ranked each street against criteria including food, drink, culture, fun and community spirit. From Saturday samba sessions in Rio de Janeiro to a shapeshifting shopping street in Osaka, every avenue, alleyway and side street on this year’s ranking is unique to its hometown. Walking their length is like taking a stroll through the city in miniature, getting a taste of what makes life there brilliant – from food and culture to shopping and nightlife. Did your favourite street make the list? Read on to find out.RECOMMENDED: 🏘️ The world’s coolest neighbourhoods in 2025🌆 The world’s best cities in 2025Stay in the loop: sign up to our free Time Out Travel newsletter for the latest travel news and the best stuff happening across the world.

For the past eight years, we’ve made it our mission to scope out the coolest pockets of the world’s greatest cities in order to create our definitive annual ranking. The places where stuff like nightlife, art, culture, and affordable food and drink can be found on every corner and down every backstreet. Where diversity is championed and independent businesses thrive, from old-school boltholes to the newest avant-garde art space. Put simply, the world’s coolest neighbourhoods are places that represent the soul of our cities, while maintaining their own unique local character that draws people in to live, work and play.So, what are the neighbourhoods that fit the bill this year? To find out, we asked our network of writers and editors across a breadth of cities to nominate the vibiest district in their hometown right now. We then ranked every neighbourhood against criteria including culture, community, liveability, nightlife, food and drink, street life and that hard-to-define sense of ‘nowness’. On our list this year, you’ll find everything from homely, village-like enclaves with tight-knit communities to revitalised city-centre hubs and formerly dormant, industrial areas transformed into creative districts. Many are underrated spots that sit in the shadow of their commercialised counterparts; others have become unexpected culinary hotspots or magnets for the city’s artists, writers and activists. What they all have in common is a DIY spirit – and an unshakeable proclivity for ingenuity and fun.Get ready to debate – these are the 39 coolest neighbourhoods on the planet right now. RECOMMENDED:🌆 The world’s greatest cities in 2025🪩 The best cities for nightlife right now🍴 The best cities for food right now🖼️ The world’s culture capitals in 2025

The world’s best cities for Gen Z celebrates the places where the next generation truly thrives. 

The world’s best cities for nightlife in 2025 reflects an incredible spectrum of after-dark culture.

To figure out the great culinary metropolises of today, we surveyed thousands of people around the world about food in their city.

From Amsterdam to Abu Dhabi, these are today’s cultural capitals. See you out there!

Every year we rank the very greatest cities in the world, based on a survey of thousands of locals

As much as Christmas trees, turkey and a mildly overworked Santa have become staples of the festive season, so has the music that soundtracks this cheer-soaked time of year. Christmas songs don’t just endure – many end up becoming the crown jewels of an artist’s entire career.From golden oldies by Elvis Presley, Chuck Berry and Bing Crosby, to ‘80s icons like Wham! and The Pogues, to modern favourites from Ariana Grande and Leona Lewis, these tunes have embedded themselves into our seasonal rituals.What is the best-selling Christmas song of all time?That honour still belongs to Bing Crosby’s 1942 classic ‘White Christmas’. With over 50 million sales, it’s not only the biggest Christmas record in history – it’s the best-selling song of all time, full stop. Guinness World Records first crowned it back in 1955, and it’s held onto the title ever since.What is the most-streamed Christmas song of all time?Mariah Carey’s ‘All I Want For Christmas Is You’ may trail Crosby in pure sales (a mere 16 million), but streaming has turned it into a seasonal juggernaut. It finally hit No.1 in both the UK and US decades after its release and became the first Christmas song to pass 2 billion Spotify streams. Hot on its heels: Wham!’s ‘Last Christmas’ (1.83 billion) and Brenda Lee’s ‘Rockin’ Around the Christmas Tree’ (1.27 billion).Are there any new Christmas songs for 2025?The past decade has delivered plenty of modern holiday staples, from Ariana Grande to Sabrina Carpenter to Cher. As for 2025, it’s a quieter year, but not silent: Leon Bridges and Norah Jones have teamed up for the duet ‘This Christmas I'm Coming Home’, while the Jonas Brothers drop ‘Coming Home This Christmas’ from their upcoming seasonal special A Very Jonas Christmas Movie. Time will tell whether they graduate to “classic” status and earn a spot in future rankings.Where can I find non-cheesy Christmas songs?If you prefer minimal sleigh bells and lyrics that don’t sound like a candy cane exploded, there’s a whole world of alternative festive gems. Think prog-folk (Mike Oldfield), hip-hop (Outkast), swoony guitar balladry (John Cale) – all of which pop up in our ranking below.Here, we’ve rounded up the Top 50 best Christmas songs ever, counting down from 50 to the ultimate champion, drawing hits from nine decades of festive music-making. If this playlist doesn’t drag you into the holiday spirit, honestly… nothing will.RECOMMENDED:🔔 The worst Christmas songs of all time🎅 The best Christmas songs for kids🎄 The best Christmas movies of all time🎵 When is it too early to listen to Christmas music?🎤 The best karaoke songs

Whether you’ve got the voice of an angel or you’re totally tone deaf, karaoke unites us all. 

Party songs come in all shapes and sizes, but to be a party song, there are some rules. 

Our auditory canals have been graced with some absolutely cracking new music in 2025.

From Chappell Roan to Bad Bunny, there have been some absolute bangers released in 2025 already.

Like ’em, or hate ’em, come December there’s no getting away from Christmas songs.

Being in love tends to make you want to shout from the rooftops about how great it all is, so it’s no surprise it dominates the music world.

There’s a reason why motivational songs that put a firm pep in your step stand the test of time. As these timeless inspirational tracks prove, music that has the power to lift your mood, get you striding through life with your head held high, and urges you to embrace the good of today, is music that we all come back to again and again.On this list of the 37 best inspirational songs of all-time, you’ll find everything from aspirational rap classics to rock’n’roll affirmations to pop stars who inspire simply by existing. From golden anthems by Gloria Gaynor and David Bowie, right through to modern-day pick-me-ups by Billie Eilish and Jamie xx, no matter what you need to get done, these jams will help get you there.RECOMMENDED:🎵 The best songs of 2025 so far🕺 The best albums of 2025 so far🎤 The best karaoke songs🍻 The best drinking songs🎶 The best ’80s songs🎊 The best pop songs

From soul and pop all the way through to heavy metal, covering other artist’s songs is an art form.

You can pay for all the therapy you want – sometimes only a good cry will do it.