‘World’s coolest’ neighbourhoods 2023: Colombia’s Laureles tops Time Out’s list | CNN

Time Out reveals the ‘world’s coolest’ neighborhoods for 2023

Lilit Marcus
By Lilit Marcus, CNN
2 minute read
Updated 4:59 AM EDT, Tue October 17, 2023
<strong>The world's coolest neighborhoods:</strong> Every year, publisher Time Out reveals their choices for the world's most fashionable quarters. This year, Laureles (pictured) in Medellin, Colombia scored high honors.
The world's coolest neighborhoods: Every year, publisher Time Out reveals their choices for the world's most fashionable quarters. This year, Laureles (pictured) in Medellin, Colombia scored high honors.
Courtesy Bureau de Medellïn
<strong>Smithfield, Dublin, Ireland:</strong> This artsy neighborhood has some of the capital's best-known music and performance venues.
Smithfield, Dublin, Ireland: This artsy neighborhood has some of the capital's best-known music and performance venues.
Cillian Doyle/Light House Cinema
<strong>Carabanchel, Madrid, Spain: </strong>The gardens of Finca Vistalegre (pictured) are newly open to the public.<strong> </strong>
Carabanchel, Madrid, Spain: The gardens of Finca Vistalegre (pictured) are newly open to the public.
Álvaro López del Cerro/Madrid Destino
<strong>Havnen, Copenhagen, Denmark: </strong>The Danish capital's waterfont area has become a hub for all things aquatic, including kayaking, rafting and paddleboarding.
Havnen, Copenhagen, Denmark: The Danish capital's waterfont area has become a hub for all things aquatic, including kayaking, rafting and paddleboarding.
Astrid Maria Rasmussen
<strong>Sheung Wan, Hong Kong:</strong> Located near the city's bustling center, Sheung Wan is home to street art and a lively food scene.
Sheung Wan, Hong Kong: Located near the city's bustling center, Sheung Wan is home to street art and a lively food scene.
Daniel Murray
<strong>Brunswick East, Melbourne, Australia: </strong>Time Out praises this northside neighborhood for cool bars and nightlife.
Brunswick East, Melbourne, Australia: Time Out praises this northside neighborhood for cool bars and nightlife.
@duncographic
<strong>Mid-City, New Orleans:</strong> Make sure you're hungry when you head to this restaurant-packed part of the city.
Mid-City, New Orleans: Make sure you're hungry when you head to this restaurant-packed part of the city.
Paul Broussard
<strong>Isola, Milan, Italy: </strong>This neighborhood used to be cut off from the rest of Milan, hence its name "isola" (island). Now, though, it's easy to access and full of cool, intimate spots.
Isola, Milan, Italy: This neighborhood used to be cut off from the rest of Milan, hence its name "isola" (island). Now, though, it's easy to access and full of cool, intimate spots.
Stefano Brandolini
<strong>West, Amsterdam, Netherlands:</strong> Time Out says that Amsterdam West is "a unique blend of Dutch heritage and international energy."
West, Amsterdam, Netherlands: Time Out says that Amsterdam West is "a unique blend of Dutch heritage and international energy."
StancePhotography
<strong>Tomigaya, Tokyo, Japan: </strong>This quiet district within Shibuya feels like an oasis in one of the world's busiest cities.
Tomigaya, Tokyo, Japan: This quiet district within Shibuya feels like an oasis in one of the world's busiest cities.
Courtesy of Trunk Hotel
Time Out's picks for cool neighborhoods
CNN  — 

An artsy quarter of Madrid, a sustainable pocket of Melbourne, and an up-and-coming zone in Medellin – what do these places have in common?

They’re among the coolest neighborhoods in the world, according to global publisher Time Out.

Every year, Time Out polls its staffers and contributors from around the globe to assemble a list of the 40 most fun, interesting and fashionable ‘hoods.

Topping the 2023 list is Laureles, in Colombia’s bustling city of Medellin, which is the hometown of musicians J Balvin and Karol G.

The neighborhood of Smithfield in Dublin, Ireland, was the highest-ranked spot in Europe.
The neighborhood of Smithfield in Dublin, Ireland, was the highest-ranked spot in Europe.
Cillian Doyle/Light House Cinema

According to Time Out, up-and-coming Laureles has a “pretty laid-back reputation” despite being home to the Estadio Atanasio Girardot soccer stadium and famed nightlife street La 70.

Still, though, it has thus far resisted the gentrification other Medellin neighborhoods have experienced, with Time Out‘s Luis Gomez noting that traditional fruit vendors still push their carts through the streets in Laureles.

Five of the top 10 coolest nabes are in Europe, with waterfront Havnen in Copenhagen and the historic Smithfield section of Dublin both appearing on the list for the first time. In Asia, Hong Kong’s buzzy Sheung Wan neighborhood gets the nod, and the best showing for a neighborhood in the US is Mid-City, home to some of the best food – and that’s saying a lot, considering the whole city is known for great food – in New Orleans.

Isola, which means island in Italian, is the coolest neighborhood in Milan.
Isola, which means island in Italian, is the coolest neighborhood in Milan.
Stefano Brandolini

Time Out’s Coolest Neighborhoods for 2023

1. Laureles: Medellin, Colombia
2. Smithfield: Dublin, Ireland
3. Carabanchel: Madrid, Spain
4. Havnen: Copenhagen, Denmark
5. Sheung Wan: Hong Kong
6. Brunswick East: Melbourne, Australia
7. Mid-City, New Orleans
8. Isola: Milan, Italy
9. West: Amsterdam, Netherlands
10. Tomigaya: Tokyo, Japan

See the full list of 40 neighborhoods here.