When in Rome, do as the Romans do. All travellers, wherever they are in the world, want to live like a native and not as a tourist. Food and drink on demand, attractions and cultural places to visit, and streets where you can discover the authentic soul of the city. To make it a bit easier for you, the timeout.com website has selected the coolest neighbourhoods in the world.
There aren’t any Italian cities in the top ten, but in twenty-third place in the ranking is the Rione Monti neighbourhood in Rome. Even so, there are plenty of surprises. Here’s the top ten:
1. Embajadores, Madrid, Spain
Madrid, according to the editors of the famous tourism website, can currently be considered the coolest capital in the world, and the Embajadores area, in the Lavapiés neighbourhood, is its liveliest neighbourhood.
Here, people from all countries and cultures live together, blending into a vivid cosmopolitan fabric. To the north, Plaza Tirso de Molina is the territory of florists during the day, while at night it is filled with young party-goers lined up to reach Medias Puri, the most fashionable club in the city right now.
To the south are the Tabacalera and La Casa Encendida, two huge cultural centres that serve as melting pots in the centre of the city. You can dine on Indian specialties in the open air or have Moroccan lamb for an incredibly low price. Nightlife and daytime fun, street art and high culture, food and people from all over the world – in Embajadores you'll find it all!
2. Euljiro, Seoul, South Korea
Seoul's Euljiro district still smells of fresh ink as you walk through its industrial streets. Composed mainly of typography and lettering shops, warehouses and fried chicken restaurants, Euljiro has become the latest hotbed of hidden bars and trendy cafes in the South Korean capital.
3. Nueva Villa de Aburrá, Medellín, Colombia
West of Medellín's most famous areas, the city's rockers, punks and metalheads thrive in Nueva Villa de Aburrá. It is home to La Villa, a horseshoe-shaped plaza that transforms into a majestic promenade every day with a crowd of young music lovers.
With a history of peaceful political protest, Nueva Villa de Aburrá has established itself as a neighbourhood of free love and socio-political commitment, as well as a place that celebrates new traditions, such as its annual salsa and electronic music festival, challenging foreigners' expectations of the Colombian way of life.
4. Metaxourgeio, Athens, Greece
The Metaxourgeio district in the Greek capital has been almost abandoned for years, but now artists, activists and volunteers have revived it. Its ruined neoclassical buildings are decorated with emotional murals from local writers and artists.
The abandoned houses have given way to bars and taverns. All over the area there are film screenings, workshops, parties and DJ sessions that take place throughout the night. Metaxourgeio is a neighbourhood in that magical and transitional phase where it really seems that anything can happen.
5. Princípe Real, Lisbon, Portugal
This neighbourhood in the Portuguese capital has restaurants, bars, shops and art galleries everywhere. Enter the most fashionable bars, shop in the most surreal shops (one of them, the Vintage Department, has a polar bear that welcomes you), explore its colourful nights in nightclubs (Príncipe Real is Lisbon’s gay neighbourhood) and recharge your batteries eating in the best restaurants, from ceviche to cod fish.
6. Strasbourg-Saint-Denis, Paris, France
The historic home of Paris's Kurdish and Indian communities, Strasbourg-Saint-Denis has a unique style: a brilliantly surrealistic entanglement of cafés with worn-out cutlery next to the most modern gourmet restaurants and some of the city's oldest sites, such as the Brasserie Julien, classified as a historic monument.
7. Neukölln, Berlin, Germany
Neukölln is the beating heart of Berlin. Look beyond the graffiti and dirt and you’ll find a neighbourhood that is constantly reinventing itself. What had previously been abandoned has become new, transforming the wasteland into the latest smoke-filled bar, vegan café or anonymous gallery.
On Wesserstrasse street, there are bars that combine art, entertainment and alcohol in a showcase of Berlin society. In Maybachufer, locals overlook the canals and tour the Turkish market in a neighbourhood rife with originality.
8. Yanaka, Tokyo, Japan
All tourists who visit this ward of Tokyo are fascinated by its ancient atmosphere. In recent years, though, a new creative energy has invaded its streets, but without changing the old architectural appearance of the buildings. Craft shops and modern art galleries coexist with elegant temples and sanctuaries, and you can also find some of the city's best dishes. It’s a comfortable area thanks to its introspective nature, which reserves its charm only for those who know it best.
9. Highland Park, Los Angeles, USA
This is by far the greenest neighbourhood in LA. To the northeast is the hub of social life for lovers of cocktail bars. York Boulevard is full of restaurants of all kinds, while the new favourite dining destination is Figueroa Boulevard, with great deals and loads of vegan options.
10. Fitzroy, Melbourne, Australia
Formerly a working-class suburb north of Melbourne's central business district, Fitzroy became the city's artistic paradise. Interesting new street art magically appears on the walls of the entire neighbourhood and the best Australian chefs and baristas (as well as novices with dreams of making it big) open new restaurants, cafes and bars every week.
23. Monti, Rome, Italy
The first Italian district on the list, in twenty-third position, is the district of Monti. Just a short distance from the Colosseum, between Via dei Fori Imperiali and Termini station, this beautiful historical treasure is a meeting point for anyone enjoying Rome’s nightlife. At night, everyone goes to the "piazzetta" (there square of the Madonna dei Monti), then move on to the most alternative and bohemian places in the neighbourhood, sipping the most elaborate cocktails in the whole capital.
During the day, this district of the Italian capital is an unmissable stop for lovers of classic shopping, with shops specialising in used clothing and a market every Sunday.
From the original English article: The 50 coolest neighbourhoods in the world (timeout.com)
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