Nearly 300,000 travellers agree on the world’s friendliest city
MELBOURNE — The world’s friendliest city for 2026 has been named, beating destinations across Europe and Asia in a major traveller survey that delivered another Australian surprise: Sydney did not make the top 10.
Almost 300,000 travellers participated in Condé Nast Traveller’s 2026 Readers’ Choice Awards, which asked readers to rate their experiences around the world. Melbourne finished first in the global friendliness ranking with a score of 98.52.
Porto in Portugal came second with 98.33, followed by Seoul on 97.94, Lisbon on 97.50 and Amsterdam on 97.35. Australia’s other appearance came from Perth, which placed sixth with a score of 97.28.
The result gives Melbourne an unusually valuable tourism distinction because the ranking is based on travellers’ perceptions of the people they encounter rather than simply attractions, hotels or infrastructure.
Condé Nast Traveller said its friendliness ranking considers the hospitality visitors experience, including interactions with residents while navigating cities, restaurants and public transport.
Melbourne’s combination of Victorian architecture, laneway bars, arts and culture, coffee scene and public transport was highlighted alongside its residents. The publication said the city’s standards of public transport, public institutions and work-life balance also contribute to its reputation as a highly liveable city.
The result is particularly striking because Melbourne did not merely outperform international competitors. It also finished ahead of its long-standing Australian rival, Sydney.
Sydney was absent from the 2026 global top 10 for friendliness, despite remaining one of the world’s highly rated travel destinations. It placed ninth in Condé Nast Traveller’s separate ranking of the world’s best cities, with a score of 92.72.
Melbourne’s victory therefore does not mean travellers rated Sydney poorly overall. Instead, the two rankings measure different aspects of the visitor experience, with Melbourne taking the global title specifically for friendliness.
Perth’s sixth-place finish also gave Australia two cities among the world’s 10 friendliest, reinforcing the country’s reputation among international visitors for its relatively relaxed and welcoming culture.
Portugal performed even better numerically, placing both Porto and Lisbon inside the top five. Porto was also named the friendliest city in Europe in the publication’s separate European ranking.
The wider Readers’ Choice Awards produced several other major destination winners. Bangkok was named the world’s best city overall, Greece the world’s best country and Costa Rica the world’s friendliest country.
For Melbourne, however, the latest recognition gives the city something its famous Australian rival cannot claim in 2026: according to the travellers who voted, the warmest welcome in the world.
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