Surprise! Berlin’s Neukölln has been voted 15th coolest neighbourhood in the world by Time Out magazine.

Time Out 51 coolest neighbourhood rankings

Every year, UK magazine Time Out publishes a ranking of the coolest neighbourhoods in the world, asking 20.000 local experts to rank the greatest places for fun, food, culture and community.

While the magazine recognises that “‘cool’ is probably the most subjective quality going”, each of the 51 neighbourhoods were hand-picked for ticking simultaneous cool boxes particularly well in 2022.

Berlin's Neukölln voted 15th coolest neighbourhood

To nobody’s astonishment the southern neighbourhood of Neukölln in Berlin has once again been voted one of the coolest neighbourhoods in the world, falling four spots since last year's ranking. Time Out wrote, “The spirit of Berlin is alive and well in Neukölln”, which could only mean the falafel is still delicious and affordable, the coffees are increasingly overpriced and lifelong-Berliners live alongside barista fashionistas, united in fear of rising rents. For some, Neukölln must be cool beyond comprehension because in 2022, no other German cities made the list!

Neukölln’s parks also received a special mention in the ranking. The district is home to the Schillerkiez neighbourhood, which sprawls on to the eastern side of Tempelhofer Feld, Berlin’s former Nazi-era airport turned magnificently large public park. On the other side of one of the neighbourhood’s main bustling boulevards, Hermannstrasse, lies the Parisianesque Kӧrnerpark, the only inner-city Berlin park with a marked absence of discarded cigarette butts and bottle caps from Sternburg beer.

Mexican borough tops the Time Out cool list

The neighbourhood of Colonia Americana in the Mexican city of Guadalajara made the top spot on Time Out’s annual list. Though the Guadalajarian gem is little known to foreigners, the magazine described Colonia Americana as "an edgy blend of art deco and neoclassical mansions with artists’ squats and warehouses [...] the epicentre of [the city’s] underground scene."

Alongside Colonia Americana, neighbourhoods in Central and South America were abundant in this year’s ranking. Amongst the selected spots were the Barrio Yungay neighbourhood of Santiago at number nine, Vila Madalena in São Paulo at number 13 and the San Isidro district of Havana at number 14.

Time Out 51 coolest neighbourhoods in the world 2022

The top 10 coolest neighbourhoods in the world in 2022, according to Time Out, are:

• 1. Colonia Americana, Guadalajara (Mexico)
• 2. Cais do Sodré, Lisbon (Portugal)
• 3. Wat Bo Village, Siem Reap (Cambodia)
• 4. Ridgewood, New York City (US)
• 5. Mile End, Montreal (Canada)
• 6. Barrio Logan, San Diego (USA)
• 7. Shimokitazawa, Tokyo (Japan)
• 8. Cliftonville, Margate (UK)
• 9. Barrio Yungay, Santiago (Chile)
• 10. Cours Julien, Marseille (France)

For more information and the full 2022 ranking, visit the Time Out website.

Thumb image credit: Stephanie Braconnier / Shutterstock.com