Sydney named world's best city

08:25 AEST Wed Jul 14 2004

Sydney remains a dream destination for global travellers after being named the World's Best City.

The United States-based magazine Travel + Leisure gave the NSW capital the award for the eighth time in 10 years.

Sydney won ahead of Rome, Florence, Bangkok and Cape Town.

Acting NSW Tourism Minister Tony Kelly said the award confirmed Sydney's reputation as a world city and the first destination of choice for international travellers to Australia.

"No other Australian city makes it into the top 10," Mr Kelly said.

The Great Barrier Reef islands also featured prominently in the awards.

The stretch of islands off the northern Queensland coast was named the 10th in the World's Best Islands category, and No. 1 in the Australia, New Zealand and South Pacific islands category.

Australia's only island state, Tasmania, was second in that category.

Lizard Island, one of the Great Barrier Reef's most luxurious and exotic resorts off the coast of Cairns, ranked 16th in the World's Best Hotels category and topped the World's Best Hotels category for Australia, New Zealand and the South Pacific.

Australia provided 19 of the top 25 World's Best Hotels in the regional category.

The Travel + Leisure World's Best Awards 2004 are based on the evaluations of more than 425,000 readers.

http://news.ninemsn.com.au/article.aspx?id=12440

I cannot disagree more strongly.

How can any city my ex-wife lives in be named the worlds best city.

BTW, I was born in Sydney and love the place.

Sydney won ahead of Rome, Florence, Bangkok and Cape Town

How can it be the best there where only 5 cities

did they take a walking tour through redfern?

and I would appreciate if they would stop telling people about far north queensland!

Sydney won ahead of Rome, Florence, Bangkok and Cape Town

How can it be the best there where only 5 cities

That would be the "top 5" and no Cardiff was not mentioned

Cardiff is definatly one of the best cities to live in Wales

Cardiff is definatly one of the best cities to live in Wales

in Wales ... it would be number one

With regard to Sydney being the worlds best city: First let me pick myself up off the floor, completely sober I might add ! Did somebody forget to mention that Sydney is the direct entry point for the vast majority of all international travellers? So, if this is measured by popularity, as in people arriving in Sydney, then this may well be accurate. They should also mention the number of people trying to get the ###### out of Sydney as quickly as possible as well.

Melbourne must have been excluded from this survey otherwise it would have won hands down! People who voted Sydney must enjoy gridlock traffic, no public transportation system that works properly, unfriendlies, and ghetto type living as mentioned by Stumonster.

Well, survey was taken from mainly Americans (probably LA'ns and New Yorkers) so I guess any other city they visit in the world would be a desirable city to live in with lots of friendly people.

Sydney won ahead of Rome, Florence, Bangkok and Cape Town.

The fact that Bangkok made it as one of the top five cities to live in in the world makes the legitimacy of this survey suspect. Let's face it. Thailand is great in many ways, but BKK is FAAAAARRRRR from one of the world's greatest cities.

Melbourne must have been excluded from this survey otherwise it would have won hands down! People who voted Sydney must enjoy gridlock traffic, no public transportation system that works properly, unfriendlies, and ghetto type living as mentioned by Stumonster.

Totally agree esp about the unfriendliness. Melbournians are a lovelier bunch of people and according to Vogue, style and fashion begins there and deteriorates the further north one goes . It also still ranks as the number one city (along with Vancouver and Vienna) for expats to live, well according to the Economist Intelligence Unit survey.

ps this post is completely biased as am a Melbournian and cringe that Sydney got one over us

Sydney won ahead of Rome, Florence, Bangkok and Cape Town.

The fact that Bangkok made it as one of the top five cities to live in in the world makes the legitimacy of this survey suspect. Let's face it. Thailand is great in many ways, but BKK is FAAAAARRRRR from one of the world's greatest cities.

Agreed.

On a scale of 1 - 10 with 10 being the worst Bangkok would get a 99.

But I love it. Bangkok has to be near the top when you are talking about "lived in" cities.

To the average visitor/tourist it might be all glam and lights but when you get down to it, Bangkok is where people live, work, play (exist) and ...............

In Bangkok what you see is what you get.

In that respect Bangkok would (IMO) win hands down as the best city in the world.

Sorry it's 'no contest'

Im just reporting the news

"And the winner is Syd Dney"

Well, survey was taken from mainly Americans (probably LA'ns and New Yorkers) so I guess any other city they visit in the world would be a desirable city to live in with lots of friendly people.

Now it makes sense to me.

"Darling Harbour, what a romantic name, don't you think so honey..."

My top 3 favourite cities are Bangkok, London and Sydney... Was that worth mentioning?

My top 3 favourite cities are Bangkok, London and Sydney... Was that worth mentioning?

Shouldn’t it be top 5 (as in High Fidelity) . Bangkok (in a weird way) and London (definitely) are two of my favs – along with a heap of others . Who knows Scamp it may have been worth mentioning as a chain reaction could start .

Naw .... Cambridge (the proper one in UK).

Right size, only 100,00 people. Right ambiance - half the population is university age. Only problem, beer is not too good - local brew is Adnams. Abbot Ale is acceptable, but the rest is gnat's.

I have to ask you Mr moderator what this has to do with Thailand.........???