Seoul has been named the world’s best big city in Condé Nast Traveler’s 2026 Readers’ Choice Awards, the first time the South Korean capital has topped the category, according to the Seoul Metropolitan Government.
The U.S. travel magazine announced the results on Oct. 6 local time. Seoul rose four places from fifth last year, ahead of Tokyo in second, Phnom Penh in third, Shanghai in fourth and Sydney in fifth, the city government said.
The awards are based on reader votes rather than expert evaluation. City officials said 798,867 votes were counted across all categories, including cities, hotels and resorts. Because such polls reflect the tastes of a magazine’s readership and a destination’s popularity, including the global appeal of Korean pop culture, they are not an objective measure of livability or tourism infrastructure.
The magazine described Seoul as a city that embraces dichotomy. It said the global popularity of K-pop, K-beauty and K-dramas has helped make Seoul one of the world’s most popular leisure destinations, but that beneath those pleasures lies a layered history stretching more than 2,000 years. It said the metropolitan area has more than 26 million people and offers a mix of historic and modern, natural and tech-savvy, and affordable and extravagant. It also noted that the Korean flag carries a yin-and-yang symbol, and called Seoul a global hub of beauty, wellness, arts and cuisine.
That duality can have another side for residents. Tourism growth can bring higher prices, crowding, noise and changing commercial districts in popular neighborhoods, though the city has not released figures tying the ranking to such effects.
Seoul has received a string of international honors recently. In August, it ranked first as the favorite city of global Gen Z and millennial travelers in a survey by Trazee Travel, a U.S. travel outlet, the city said. In September, Time Out named Seoul’s Jongno 3-ga district one of the coolest neighborhoods in the world for 2026.
The city government said it plans to expand its tourism offerings, including alleys, markets, food and cultural spaces, as well as traditional cultural experiences and nighttime programs.
