The 'World's Most Beautiful City' In 2025 Is A Lively, Stylish Midwest Metropolis On A Lake

British company Time Out recently conducted its annual global survey of city inhabitants to determine the world's 50 best cities. When its experts separated beauty-related questions from the other survey inquiries, it showed that 83% of Chicagoans ranked their hometown as most beautiful. This catapulted the city of Chicago to the title of the World's Most Beautiful City for 2025.

The survey included 18,500 participants in 118 cities, along with members of its team who weighed in and voted. It covered the livability of cities, considering factors such as beauty, happiness, affordability, safety, walkability, food, sense of community, and things to do. The overall best city in 2025 was Cape Town, South Africa. Chicago was ranked 11th, but inched ahead of Cape Town when it came to beauty.

Chicago's allure should not come as a surprise. Incorporated in 1837, the city has never gone out of style. It has always been synonymous with magnificence due to its prime location on Lake Michigan, the Chicago River that flows through it, and its brilliant architecture and astounding skyscrapers. Locals enjoy living in Chicago's vibrant neighborhoods packed with great eats, cool shops, and lakefront vibes, such as Gold Coast, Lincoln Park, Wicker Park, and more. In spite of its size – 234 square miles and 2.7 million inhabitants – Chicago is proof that a large city can remain irresistible to all.

In the heart of the city is The Loop, a lively waterfront neighborhood with iconic attractions and artsy charm, where you'll discover some of the city's most celebrated locales, including Millennium Park (and its "Cloud Gate" sculpture). Another is the Chicago Architecture Center, which delights guests with its exhibits, cruises, and walking tours showcasing the city's spectacular buildings and structures. Don't miss Willis Tower, the second tallest skyscraper in the Western Hemisphere. From the building's glass Skydeck, 103 stories high, the extraordinary view you experience confirms why Chicago deserves to be on top.

The Chicago Park District spans over 8,800 acres, 600 parks, and 26 miles of lakefront and beaches. One must-visit is the Lincoln Park Conservatory, a free-to-enter garden with Victorian architecture in the city's "Urban Oasis," which houses a botanical garden focusing on four collections of exotic plants within its glass walls. Another is Washington Park, a historic park designed by famed landscape architects Frederick Law Olmsted and Calvert Vaux, home to the Fountain of Time sculpture and the Du Sable Museum of African American History.

There's no shortage of gorgeous art in Chicago. The city has more than 60 museums and 500 public art displays. The Art Institute of Chicago houses one of the world's most extensive permanent collections of Impressionism, along with plenty of art from other eras and disciplines. The Museum of Contemporary Art Chicago is also worthy of a visit. Its permanent collection features over 2,500 pieces of art from throughout the 20th and 21st centuries.