Bangkok Holds Place As "3rd Best City" Worldwide

[WaiWai]

Following are the results of the 2007 Travel & Leisure magazine poll for the "top 10 cities".

Travel and Leisure readers seek authentic experiences of place, whether it’s art and architecture in favorite European destinations, like Florence (No. 1 overall for the third time) and Prague; urban classics in New York or Hong Kong; or exotic cities such as Fez, Udaipur, or Istanbul.

Top 10 Cities Overall Rank /2006 /Name/ Score

1 1 Florence 86.90

2 7 Buenos Aires 86.75

3 3 Bangkok 86.56

4 2 Rome 86.30

5 4 Sydney 86.27

6 8 New York 85.36

7 n/a Udaipur, India 85.12

8 n/a Istanbul 84.78

9 10 San Francisco 84.60

10 6 Cape Town 84.12

Bangkok was rated 3rd, as it was last year (for the 2006 rating, see 2nd number in each row). Florence remains in first position, but this year, BKK is rated above Rome -- interesting.

Discuss ...

[WaiWai]

P.S. Here are the results for the top Asian cities :

Top 10 Cities Asia Rank 2006 Name Score

1 1 Bangkok 86.56

2 7 Udaipur, India 85.12

3 2 Chiang Mai, Thailand 84.12

4 10 Luang Prabang, Laos 83.99

5 9 Jaipur, India 83.49

6 4 Kyoto 83.24

7 5 Hong Kong 81.25

8 3 Kathmandu 80.72

9 n/a Siem Reap, Cambodia 80.23

10 8 Beijing 79.80

[cdnvic]

It's even better with a Thailand Elite Card

[canuckamuck]

Maybe choking fumes, gridlock, and dull urban landscapes are in style.

Or more likely, the Travel and Leisure readers assume Bangkok is exotic and exciting but have never actually been there.

[quiksilva]

Familiarity breeds contempt eh?

[TAWP]

This have to be a mistake.

I live here and have no problems, really. I don't mind all the 'crap'.

But I have a lot of friends and relatives that have been here on vacation and they ever only stay here 2-3 days before heading off to other parts of the country. A large noisy and polluted city isn't what scandinavians are seeking for during vacation anyway - it's usually nice and sunny beaches and great food.

However, ask what city they know of here and people will mention Bangkok first since it's the main city...

[Neeranam]

Travel & Leisure magazine - remind me never to buy it - what a load of rubbish.

[womble]

Maybe choking fumes, gridlock, and dull urban landscapes are in style.

Or more likely, the Travel and Leisure readers assume Bangkok is exotic and exciting but have never actually been there.

I would defo put Bangkok in top 10 cities, regardless of the fumes.

It's cheap, lots to do and see, great culture, food and nightlife.

That is why people return time after time.

I also love Barcelona (which should be on the list), but would get bored quicker, it may look nicer (generally), and have less gridlock, but it still wouldn't beat Bangkok in my top 10.

Bangkok is certainly one of the worlds most fun and exciting cities and deserves it's place at 3. Personally out of all those cities in top 10 it would be top of the list for me.

[Prakanong]

"Bangkok" the "Brand" has quite a good name among the people who would be answering this survey.

[Anthony_Mustang]

I'd agree a great city for a visit although I understand why some people hate it.

KSR for the back packers.

Some of the best value Hotels for us more mature travellers anywhere.

Great shopping, Great Food, zipping around on a tuk tuk visiting Patpong to see if all the things you have heard are true.

Great place for a couple of days adventure from your boring day to day job.

[geoffphuket]

A quote from their web site

The air is cleaner, the traffic is better, and Thailand's capital is focused on the future, pulsing with energy and a sexy sense of design. Meet Asia's new metropolis of cool

:D

http://www.travelandleisure.com/articles/bangkok-modern

geoffphuket

[LaoPo]

A quote from their web site

The air is cleaner, the traffic is better, and Thailand's capital is focused on the future, pulsing with energy and a sexy sense of design. Meet Asia's new metropolis of cool

:D

http://www.travelandleisure.com/articles/bangkok-modern

geoffphuket

"From October 2002"

LaoPo

[vermin on arrival]

This is absolutely ridiculous. I've lived here for 10 years, but I would never rate it so highly.

[JetsetBkk]

A quote from their web site

The air is cleaner, the traffic is better, and Thailand's capital is focused on the future, pulsing with energy and a sexy sense of design. Meet Asia's new metropolis of cool

:D

http://www.travelandleisure.com/articles/bangkok-modern

geoffphuket

"From October 2002"

LaoPo

Exactly - "2002". Thanks for pointing this out. It's much worse now.

[duke69]

sad to say that in this review the "black triangle factor" (if not shaved) played a big role, thinking that a crap place like BKK is 3rd in the world and having travelled almost everywhere in the past 25 years ........makes me think that the magazine needs to "surprise" in order to get free advs.

after all if BKK was quoted at number 35 .... nobody would had ever known that travelandleisure magazine ever made a survey

[Luckydog]

Maybe choking fumes, gridlock, and dull urban landscapes are in style.

Or more likely, the Travel and Leisure readers assume Bangkok is exotic and exciting but have never actually been there.

Absolutely!

BKK above Rome? Get real!

[WaiWai]

"Best" hotels results show a few mentions for Thailand, with India & Africa moving up thro' the ranks noticeably -- good for them.

Rank 2006 Name Score

1 3 Oberoi Udaivilas, Udaipur, India 94.36

2 1 Singita Sabi Sand, Kruger National Park, South Africa

*Formerly Singita Private Game Reserve, Africa 94.30

3 9 The Oriental, Bangkok 94.23

4 48 Four Seasons Hotel Istanbul at Sultanahmet, Turkey 93.55

5 n/a The Milestone, London 93.06

6 n/a Relais Il Falconiere, Cortona, Italy 92.97

7 97 Sabi Sabi Private Game Reserve, Sabi Sands, South Africa 92.81

8 n/a Mandarin Oriental, Munich 92.73

9 12 Four Seasons Resort Hualalai, Hawaii 92.65

10 54 Oberoi Amarvilas, Agra, India 92.56

11 6 Oberoi Rajvilas, Jaipur, India 92.50

12 4 The Peninsula, Bangkok 92.41

13 18 Château Les Crayères, Reims, France 92.39

14 n/a Jumby Bay, a Rosewood Resort, Antigua 92.24

15 14 Four Seasons Hotel Gresham Palace, Budapest 92.15

16 24 Mombo Camp, Moremi Game Reserve, Botswana 92.08

17 74 Tu Tu’ Tun Lodge, Gold Beach, Oregon 92.05

18 n/a Four Seasons Hotel Cairo at Nile Plaza 92.00

19 11 Four Seasons Resort, Chiang Mai, Thailand 91.90

20 52 Cape Grace, Cape Town 91.52

And "best airlines" seem to have changed little since last year, with Thai Air remaining in 5th place.

Top 10 International Airlines Rank 2006 Name Score

1 1 Singapore Airlines 88.22

2 n/a MAXjet Airways 86.67

3 2 Emirates 82.68

4 3 Cathay Pacific Airways 79.26

5 5 Thai Airways International 79.24

6 4 Virgin Atlantic Airways 78.36

7 8 Qantas Airways 75.82

8 6 Japan Airlines 75.77

9 9 SilkAir 74.97

10 n/a Asiana Airlines 74.44

[Ulysses G.]

Maybe choking fumes, gridlock, and dull urban landscapes are in style.

Or more likely, the Travel and Leisure readers assume Bangkok is exotic and exciting but have never actually been there.

I would defo put Bangkok in top 10 cities, regardless of the fumes.

It's cheap, lots to do and see, great culture, food and nightlife.

That is why people return time after time.

How many times does it need to be said?

IT'S THE NIGHTLIFE STUPID!

[Fred Sanford]

I think this is why all the arab familes vacation here, pushing their stroller thru the narrow sukhumvit sidewalk tunnels of street sellers. Paradise

[ratcatcher]

I think this is why all the arab familes vacation here, pushing their stroller thru the narrow sukhumvit sidewalk tunnels of street sellers. Paradise

Worth a listen, if only to sympathize with them. :D

[vermin on arrival]

Maybe choking fumes, gridlock, and dull urban landscapes are in style.

Or more likely, the Travel and Leisure readers assume Bangkok is exotic and exciting but have never actually been there.

Absolutely!

BKK above Rome? Get real!

Yeah, unbelieveable. Who did they have to bribe to get that in? Rome is one of the most beautiful cities in the world, an art mecca, with excellent food and wine, and excellent mass transit. Certainly it is a bit pricey. Maybe the cost of living had an impact.

As for nightlife, BKK's nightlife is dead compared to what it used to be 10 years ago.

[jayhech]

Before I saw the list I thought the title was "Third-World Best Cities" but when I saw the list of winners it even surprised me more...I guess it's another tourism agenda?

Note: Udaipur's in top 10...that's gotta mean something. What're the criterias to be in top ten anyway?

[ajarnmark]

This is absolutely ridiculous. I've lived here for 10 years, but I would never rate it so highly.

We never appreciate what we have

[vermin on arrival]

This is absolutely ridiculous. I've lived here for 10 years, but I would never rate it so highly.

We never appreciate what we have

That may be true, but I've seen this city decline in many ways over the past decade. The main way in which it has improved is in the introduction of the skytrain and MTR, and better internet service. I believe it has declined in every other way. Please correct me if I'm wrong.