A humble Aussie city has been named the 'most beautiful in the world' by international publication
An influential magazine in the US has listed "the world's most beautiful cities", and a state capital right here at home has taken out the top spot.
Architectural Digest has bestowed Adelaide with the beauty title, finishing ahead of Estonia's capital Tallinn and Portsmouth on the island of Dominica.
The magazine's editors said you can find "surf, sand dunes, and Art Deco architecture" in South Australia's capital, "as well as Victorian architecture at Semaphore Beach, just 9 miles from the city centre".
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Adelaide has been named the world's most beautiful city. Getty Images/iStockphoto
"Beyond the beach, Adelaide has rolling hills lush with high-quality grapes, making it the country's wine capital. When not sipping an Australian cab, nature lovers can spot koalas and kangaroos on a hike in the Adelaide Hills."
The magazine was at pains to point out its listing "is by no means definitive" and that 20 cities "is far too few to sum up all the world's beauty", but "we have taken a stab at highlighting some supremely spectacular places, from the remote beaches of the Caribbean to the cultural capital of Japan".
Architecture, cultural treasures, historical relevance and natural appeal were the criteria for the ranking.
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The hills and national parks are just a short drive from the city. Getty
Other familiar names in the top 20 include Singapore, Barcelona, Kyoto and the only US city on the list, New York.
The beauty listing comes soon after "the world's most liveable city" was named for 2024.
That honour went to Vienna again, the third year the Austrian capital has topped the list from the Economist Intelligence Unit (EIU). It measures 173 cities across five broad categories: stability, healthcare, culture and environment, education, and infrastructure.
In second was Danish capital Copenhagen, with Switzerland's Zurich third. Melbourne was fourth and Sydney seventh.
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Tallinn, Estonia was given the honour of second place. Getty
Architectural Digest's most beautiful cities:
- Adelaide, Australia
- Tallinn, Estonia
- Portsmouth, Dominica
- San Miguel de Allende, Mexico
- Antigua, Guatemala
- Singapore
- Paris, France
- Chefchaouen, Morocco
- Chiang Mai, Thailand
- Luxor, Egypt
- Istanbul, Turkey
- Kyoto, Japan
- Barcelona, Spain
- Cape Town, South Africa
- Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
- Florence, Italy
- Djenné, Mali
- New York, US
- Amsterdam, Netherlands
- Jaipur, India
This article originally appeared on Stuff and was republished with permission.
