Bangkok named top city in the world by Travel + Leisure (again)
By Coconuts Bangkok

We da best!

BANGKOK: -- Bangkok has been voted the numero uno city on the planet for the fourth year running by Travel + Leisure magazine.

Our beloved city scored a 90.4 in the annual reader poll, edging out the Istanbul's 89.96. Rounding out the top 10, in order, were Florence, Italy; Cape Town, South Africa; Kyoto, Japan; Rome, Italy; Charleston, South Carolina; Barcelona, Spain; Paris, France; and our neighbor to the north: Chiang Mai, Thailand.

Governor Sukhumbhand Paribatra will travel to New York on July 18 to accept the award, which was based on six criteria: sights, culture/arts, restaurants/food, people, shopping, and value.

Full story: http://bangkok.coconuts.co/2013/07/06/bangkok-named-top-city-world-travel-leisure-again


-- Coconuts Bangkok 2013-07-06

While Bangkok and the whole country as a whole has a lot of problems, I have to say I agree with the poll. At the moment, there's no place else I want to live in. I love it here!

And to those here on TV I know will take the opportunity to slag the city, I wish to remind you that you're an expat here and unless you're on the lam, you're here by choice.

I can see why its topped the poll. Its a great city, even though it has its bad points, what city in the world does'nt ???

I can see why its topped the poll. Its a great city, even though it has its bad points, what city in the world does'nt ???

Exactly. I wouldn't want to live anywhere else. It's a fantastic city to live in.

Maybe top city for short term tourists but its also polluted, traffic is horrific, dire shortage of parks, prone to flooding etc. It has its good points but in no way in the world could any sane person call it the top city in the world to live in. Perhaps according to their own narrow criteria but not as a whole.

Same as last year, the odd one out is Charleston. However pleasant it may be, it's clearly in a much lower league than all the other named cities. Obvious America bias in the voting, since only Americans go to Charleston.

how bangkok is better than florence,and rome is beyond me,,,,just my thoughts,,dont get out of ya pram,,,

how bangkok is better than florence,and rome is beyond me,,,,just my thoughts,,dont get out of ya pram,,,

The ice-a-cream is cheaper in Bangkok.

Maybe top city for short term tourists but its also polluted, traffic is horrific, dire shortage of parks, prone to flooding etc. It has its good points but in no way in the world could any sane person call it the top city in the world to live in. Perhaps according to their own narrow criteria but not as a whole.

My narrow criteria, built from living in various cities on different continents, make Bangkok where I want to live. Otherwise I wouldn‘t live here, it‘s that simple.

Every city, and every country, have their positive and negative points. Each individual sees different points, and marks the impotance of each point differently. It‘s the bottom line for each person that counts.

The sums of all bottom lines of the psrticipants in this poll was highest for Bangkok, that‘s nice. If that were different, it wouls still be the best city for me personally.

Since you don‘t like it here, why don‘t you move somewhere else, I‘d be curious to know.

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BKK? You can have it. I'll take Chiang Mai. Oh, wait, I already did that 5 years ago.

BKK?  You can have it.  I'll take Chiang Mai. Oh, wait, I already did that 5 years ago.

Good for you!

Chiang Mai does not score very high on my personal list though. But this confirms exactly what I said above. Everybody is different.

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To quote winstonc, how florence and rome are not on this list is bizarre. There is no right or wrong with this Post but still. Bangkok has the only one supreme merit, it's chock-full of Thais. However, a sinking city with no architectural merit whatsoever, one of the ugliest cities in the world, up there with Athens, no parks, no urban basics, no public transport, on a dreary dirty river. I won't say where I live, it's a town of 14,000 where I've yet to meet another residing farang, but I'd say Ubon is way way better than Bangkok, not that the T&L sort would ever be savvy enough to appreciate Ubon. Let's keep it that way.

While I have your divided attention, in North America: Vancouver, Toronto, Chicago. In Europe, Paris first, Paris second, Paris third. No other cities in the world are on my radar. Let's hear from more of you.

Maybe top city for short term tourists but its also polluted, traffic is horrific, dire shortage of parks, prone to flooding etc. It has its good points but in no way in the world could any sane person call it the top city in the world to live in. Perhaps according to their own narrow criteria but not as a whole.

My narrow criteria, built from living in various cities on different continents, make Bangkok where I want to live. Otherwise I wouldn‘t live here, it‘s that simple.

Every city, and every country, have their positive and negative points. Each individual sees different points, and marks the impotance of each point differently. It‘s the bottom line for each person that counts.

The sums of all bottom lines of the psrticipants in this poll was highest for Bangkok, that‘s nice. If that were different, it wouls still be the best city for me personally.

Since you don‘t like it here, why don‘t you move somewhere else, I‘d be curious to know.

Sent from my LG-P698f using Thaivisa Connect Thailand mobile app

I am planning to leave. Just drawing up a shortlist of suitable places where my children can have a much, much higher quality of life. Need to narrow it down from the current list of 32 places before hitting the job market. Has that satisfied your curiosity?

This awards are like all tourism awards. There are so many of them everyone gets to win sometime.

To quote winstonc, how florence and rome are not on this list is bizarre. There is no right or wrong with this Post but still. Bangkok has the only one supreme merit, it's chock-full of Thais. However, a sinking city with no architectural merit whatsoever, one of the ugliest cities in the world, up there with Athens, no parks, no urban basics, no public transport, on a dreary dirty river. I won't say where I live, it's a town of 14,000 where I've yet to meet another residing farang, but I'd say Ubon is way way better than Bangkok, not that the T&L sort would ever be savvy enough to appreciate Ubon. Let's keep it that way.

While I have your divided attention, in North America: Vancouver, Toronto, Chicago. In Europe, Paris first, Paris second, Paris third. No other cities in the world are on my radar. Let's hear from more of you.

In North America definitely San Francisco and the Bay area. Good climate, great restaurants and things to do. Good mix of immigrants, great scenery up and down the coast. In Europe Frankfurt of Madrid. Sydney has a great quality of life too although I find Australia too remote for living. Same for New Zealand but beautiful cities.

One thing that I have always wondered, why is Bangkok so damn filthy? The whole place seems to be covered in a thick black coat of toxic sludge. Its disgusting.

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While Bangkok and the whole country as a whole has a lot of problems, I have to say I agree with the poll. At the moment, there's no place else I want to live in. I love it here!

And to those here on TV I know will take the opportunity to slag the city, I wish to remind you that you're an expat here and unless you're on the lam, you're here by choice.

Here by choice, yes, but not in Bangkok, and to say it is the "best" city in the world, just what world are there from.

I need to be enlightened on this, all my BKK experiences have been all but nice, and i have lived in many cities including Naples,Rome, Athens, the trafic is disastrous, how do you people get around? I have many friends who live there and they just say, its either you love it or you dont!!

how bangkok is better than florence,and rome is beyond me,,,,just my thoughts,,dont get out of ya pram,,,

They probably lost points in the "value" and "shopping" section. Don't know anyone who visits them for those reasons. You need to consider the criteria of the poll, not think about what cities you like. Some on here are ignoring the criteria and just making up their own.

To quote winstonc, how florence and rome are not on this list is bizarre. There is no right or wrong with this Post but still. Bangkok has the only one supreme merit, it's chock-full of Thais. However, a sinking city with no architectural merit whatsoever, one of the ugliest cities in the world, up there with Athens, no parks, no urban basics, no public transport, on a dreary dirty river. I won't say where I live, it's a town of 14,000 where I've yet to meet another residing farang, but I'd say Ubon is way way better than Bangkok, not that the T&L sort would ever be savvy enough to appreciate Ubon. Let's keep it that way.

While I have your divided attention, in North America: Vancouver, Toronto, Chicago. In Europe, Paris first, Paris second, Paris third. No other cities in the world are on my radar. Let's hear from more of you.

Paris loses big time on both value and people when compared against Bangkok.

I see not a lot of people here have been to Vancouver or there would be no argument about the most beautiful city....

Very good point, Dave Jones: "You need to consider the criteria of the poll, not think about what cities you like." Not what we like.

But there's an 800lb gorilla in the Travel & Leisure room. Why do tourists really really really come to BKK? A city 1.5 meters above sea level at the best of times -- ugly, dirty, chaotic, nothing to see outside of the temples -- and the temples of Nan are architecturally superior. They come for what Noel Coward said to me once is here to stay, sex. Of course all these awards are a joke but worse is they are meretricious or BKK wouldn't win for any category except the one that can't be mentioned. Am I being unfair?

To quote winstonc, how florence and rome are not on this list is bizarre. There is no right or wrong with this Post but still. Bangkok has the only one supreme merit, it's chock-full of Thais. However, a sinking city with no architectural merit whatsoever, one of the ugliest cities in the world, up there with Athens, no parks, no urban basics, no public transport, on a dreary dirty river. I won't say where I live, it's a town of 14,000 where I've yet to meet another residing farang, but I'd say Ubon is way way better than Bangkok, not that the T&L sort would ever be savvy enough to appreciate Ubon. Let's keep it that way.

While I have your divided attention, in North America: Vancouver, Toronto, Chicago. In Europe, Paris first, Paris second, Paris third. No other cities in the world are on my radar. Let's hear from more of you.

Seeing your description of Bangkok I wonder whether you have every been here.

But then, it is certainly a big city, and only city people will love it. I could never live in a town of 14,000 people. Too little cultural diversity, too much social control.

Since you dont like it here, why dont you move somewhere else, Id be curious to know.

I am planning to leave. Just drawing up a shortlist of suitable places where my children can have a much, much higher quality of life. Need to narrow it down from the current list of 32 places before hitting the job market. Has that satisfied your curiosity?

Yes, it has. Thanks for replying.

I need to be enlightened on this, all my BKK experiences have been all but nice, and i have lived in many cities including Naples,Rome, Athens, the trafic is disastrous, how do you people get around? I have many friends who live there and they just say, its either you love it or you dont!!

I guess that's true: Either you love it or you don't.

I mostly get around by car. I take the Skytrain when faster, but there simply aren't enough lines yet. In a city like Tokyo, Paris, London or New York I wouldn't want a car. I think the Bangkok rapid transit system, when all 11 lines are in place, will be good.

In fact, traffic is much better now than it was ten years ago.

"Seeing your description of Bangkok I wonder whether you have every been here." This is plain stupid.

"But then, it is certainly a big city, and only city people will love it. I could never live in a town of 14,000 people. Too little cultural diversity, too much social control." I lived in Manhattan for years, and I'm not talking about Manhattan, Kansas. Big enough, diverse enough for you?

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THe OP states Bangkok was voted...

Who voted? Yingluck and who else?

Quit screwing me with visa issues (among other racist items) and I'll vote for Bangkok as well.

Bangkok number one? . My first couple of trips I would visit the city. 14 years later my wife and 3 kids and I get picked up at the airport and head to our home in the northeast. The longest I could ever stay in bangkok was 2 weeks. It stinks , its dirty, noisy, traffic is horrible, river and canals are full of sewage, etc., and over 14 years all of this has gotten worse. Bangkok-it is fun and exciting for the first time visitor to Thailand, but after being there and doing that , my family and I avoid it. When I think of nice cities -places like San francisco, Munich, Paris, Vancouver. When I visit a city I like to go for a run or bicycle ride , and not feel like I was poisoning myself just by being in it. Bangkok is not a culturally diverse place(not a melting pot)-it is culturally very different from the west. I like Thailand very much and enjoy trips to my "other home" as I tell people. I think Bangkok is very much worth a visit for the first time traveler-I tell everyone who is going , to spend a few days exploring it. Have fun.

I've lived in Bangkok two times, for a total of 5 year. I like it, but I think it is an acquired taste. I don't put much stock in magazines that specialize in travel: very different beast from actually living somewhere instead of just passing thru. "Nice place to visit but I wouldn't want to live there" comes to mind. Especially if you are an air breathing mammal.

Maybe top city for short term tourists but its also polluted, traffic is horrific, dire shortage of parks, prone to flooding etc. It has its good points but in no way in the world could any sane person call it the top city in the world to live in. Perhaps according to their own narrow criteria but not as a whole.

Im with you on this one, cant understand that at all, its a mess, who ever designed the roads, those stupid non in use phone booths in the middle of the side walks, the stare cases that take up the whole side walk so you have to walk in the road and the awfully unsightly dangerous power cables should be prosecuted and locked up.

Nothing in Bangkok makes sense its a heap, the annoying thing there is no legitimate reason why it is not better and the fact that it gets voted for awards like this just encourages it to stay a heap.