From Humayunpur to Bandra West: These 2 Indian neighbourhoods named among world’s coolest for 2026

If Humayunpur is your go-to spot for cafes, food and a night out, you may already be spending time in one of the world’s coolest neighbourhoods. Delhi’s Humayunpur has been ranked 16th on Time Out’s 2026 list of the 40 “coolest” neighbourhoods in the world, while Mumbai’s Bandra West came in at 23rd, CNN reported on Wednesday.

The annual ranking, compiled by Time Out’s global network of writers and editors, puts Jongno 3-ga in Seoul at the top, followed by L’Ocean District in Rabat and Neos Kosmos in Athens.

Humayunpur makes global list

Humayunpur is one of two Indian neighbourhoods featured in this year’s ranking. Bandra West, a popular neighbourhood in Mumbai, ranked 23rd.

The list includes neighbourhoods known for their food, independent businesses, local culture and community. Other places in the top 10 include Chinatown in Los Angeles, Govanhill in Glasgow, Kitakagaya in Osaka, Chapinero Alto in Bogotá, Koenji in Tokyo, Downtown in St. Catharines and Esquilino in Rome.

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Seoul’s Jongno 3-ga takes top spot

Jongno 3-ga in Seoul, South Korea, topped Time Out’s 2026 ranking. The neighbourhood is known for street food, independent businesses and late-evening dining.

It is also no stranger to the list, having ranked third in 2021.

“Sometimes, formerly featured neighbourhoods have held their own and only become cooler,” Grace Beard, Time Out’s travel editor, told CNN. “Take Jongno 3-ga – this was our third-coolest neighbourhood in 2021, and has now risen to the top spot thanks to the rise in late-evening alfresco dining, indie businesses and shops.”

Portuguese tourist Anna Barra said the neighbourhood’s mix of food and culture was one of its attractions.

“You have a mix of culture and foods and you can taste different foods,” she told CNN. “It’s a mix of old and new and everything together, it’s very cool.”

Time Out suggests beginning a day in Jongno 3-ga with fluffy steamed bread at Mil Toast, one of the area’s cafes.

Cafe employee Myung Guen said the neighbourhood was good for both history and food, with long morning lines regularly forming outside Mil Toast.

“There’s really good dessert in this neighborhood,” he said.

Rabat, Athens and Glasgow round out top five

L’Ocean District in Rabat came second. The beachside neighbourhood is now home to a Four Seasons but continues to have independent businesses and local culture.

American Steven M. Bradford, who moved to L’Ocean earlier this year, said its “sense of community” was what made the area special.

“I’m surrounded by welcoming people, authentic Moroccan food, and a love of football that brings people together,” said Bradford.

Athens’ Neos Kosmos ranked third, while Chinatown in Los Angeles came fourth. Time Out praised LA’s Chinatown for “honoring its history and consistently reinventing itself.”

Govanhill in Glasgow took fifth place. Local business owner Aimée Ballinger described it as the “most welcoming and culturally rich place I have ever lived.”

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Ballinger owns Burning House Books with her partner, Benjamin.

“I’m so honored to be part of the community in Govanhill, to be raising my kid here and bringing the most challenging, beautiful and inspiring books I can find into our neighborhood,” she told CNN.

Fellow Govanhill local and owner of LGBTQ+ bar Adrian’s, Tommy Nicholls, called the area a “real hub of community and culture in a way that’s so rare to find these days.”

Take a look at the full list here:

Rank	Neighbourhood	City	Country
1	Jongno 3-ga	Seoul	Korea
2	L’Ocean District	Rabat	Morocco
3	Neos Kosmos	Athens	Greece
4	Chinatown	Los Angeles	United States
5	Govanhill	Glasgow	Scotland
6	Kitakagaya	Osaka	Japan
7	Chapinero Alto	Bogotá	Colombia
8	Koenji	Tokyo	Japan
9	Downtown	St. Catharines, Ontario	Canada
10	Esquilino	Rome	Italy
11	Russafa	Valencia	Spain
12	Tân Định	Ho Chi Minh City	Vietnam
13	São Bento	Lisbon	Portugal
14	Talat Noi	Bangkok	Thailand
15	Slakthusområdet	Stockholm	Sweden
16	Humayunpur	Delhi	India
17	Laranjeiras	Rio de Janeiro	Brazil
18	West Town	Chicago	USA
19	Rákóczi tér	Budapest	Hungary
20	Jalan Besar	Singapore	Singapore
21	Crooswijk	Rotterdam	Netherlands
22	Chacagiales	Buenos Aires	Argentina
23	Bandra West	Mumbai	India
24	Cathedral Quarter	Belfast	United Kingdom
25	República	São Paulo	Brazil
26	Changning	Shanghai	China
27	Oost	Amsterdam	Netherlands
28	Financial District	New York	United States
29	New Farm	Brisbane	Australia
30	Quartier d’Aligre	Paris	France
31	Kalk Bay	Cape Town	South Africa
32	North Hobart	Hobart	Australia
33	Newington Green	London	United Kingdom
34	Yulin	Chengdu	China
35	Mount Pleasant	Vancouver	Canada
36	Centro Histórico	Lima	Peru
37	Boavista	Porto	Portugal
38	Starstreet Precinct	Hong Kong	Hong Kong
39	South Melbourne	Melbourne	Australia
40	Distillery District	Lexington	United States