Welcome to Litsy!

Cities represent civilisation and human achievement: they are bubbling microcosms of virtues and vices, vanguards of technology and creative pursuits, incubators of traditions and melting-pots of diversity. More than half the world's population now lives in cities, and for travellers they hold an-endless fascination. Here we present the 200 most vibrant, diverse, hypnotic and chaotic cities in the world, ranked in order as voted for by people who know - Lonely Planet's staff, authors, and readers. The list is as diverse as the people that created it. Of course, there are the usual suspects: Paris, London, New York - but also the unfamiliar, the exotic, and the tiny: Abuja (Nigeria), Nuuk (Greenland), Saint-Denis (Réunion) and Ulaanbataar (Mongolia). Every city has its own personality, in the form of its streets and buildings and in its human architecture. Taking our cue from the buzz on the street, we have captured the flavour of each city through the eyes of the typical citizen: hot conversation topics, urban myths, the best places to eat and drink and to seek out after dark. It's a tempting cocktail for the urban adventurer.