Present in 59 countries, journalists from Time Out have established their annual ranking aimed at electing the coolest neighborhood in the world. If France did not reach the podium last year, only reaching the 12e et 23e places, respectively for Saint-Julien in Marseille and Haut-Marais in Paris, it is resolutely celebrated in 2024, by winning first place in the ranking. “In 2024, what makes a neighborhood cool ?questions Time Out. Craft breweries, hip wine bars and street art are all well and good, but the best, most exciting and fun neighborhoods in the world are more than just the same “hipster hubs”. These are places that reflect the best of their city – its culture, community spirit, nightlife, food and drink – all condensed into a vibrant, walkable neighborhood. » Once these criteria were established, the magazine’s correspondents worked at length and classified the famous neighborhoods according to their potential.
And the coolest neighborhood in the world is… Notre-Dame-du-Mont, in Marseillewhich overtakes Paris for another year, after having monopolized the top 15 of the ranking in 2022 and 2023 with Saint-Julien. Time Out crowns the Marseille district hidden behind the Old Port for its “rebellious spirit, its colorful dead ends, its alleys covered in graffiti, its streets lined with plane trees and its spiral staircases”. Wedged between the Old Port and Castellane, this lively and authentic area is home to a number of tempting addresses. Bistro-cinema, octopus kebab and other café-bookstores caught the attention of the magazine this year. “For a small area, it’s home to a remarkable concentration of galleries, bustling restaurants, chic, community boutiques, and new spots hidden behind pizza trucks”relieves Time Out.
The second French entry in the ranking is attributed to Belleville20e ranking district. A place “dynamic, young and diverse (…), where it only takes a ten-minute walk to go from an old-fashioned bar to a place that only opened yesterday.” It must be said that this lively Parisian mound is home to addresses as trendy as they are “in their own right”, from artisanal bakeries to Asian canteens, from street-food counters to neo-bistros serving natural wines.
What about the rest of the podium? In second place, Mers Sultan, in Casablancacache “a concrete jungle of narrow streets and Art Deco, Art Nouveau and modernist buildings. » A new favored district for artists, it does not contain any trendy addresses, and instead vibrates with its neighborhood snack bars and its numerous graffiti. Pererenan, in Bali, closes the podium — change of atmosphere! Reminiscent of “classic Bali charm”, the area offers a peaceful black sand beach, charming stalls (typical small Indonesian cafes) and rice terraces. The rest of the ranking gives pride of place to the four corners of the world, from Bristol to Portland, to Rio de Janeiro.
The first 10 districts in the ranking:
1. Notre-Dame-du-Mont in Marseille (France) — a lively place with many restaurants
2. Mers Sultan in Casablanca (Morocco) — the authentic artists’ district
3. Pererenan in Bali (Indonesia) — a peaceful area for those in the know, with café and beach on the agenda
4. Seongsu-dong in Seoul (South Korea) — a former industrial zone converted into a fashion district
5. Kerns in Portland (United States) — like a charming small town
6. Stokes Croft and St Paul’s in Bristol (UK) — the birthplace of Afro-Caribbean culture
7. Chippendale in Sydney (Australia) — stuck in the business district, an up-and-coming neighborhood with very recent cool
8. Príncipe Real in Lisbon (Portugal) — a maze of welcoming terraces
9. Glória in Rio de Janeiro (Brazil) — the rebirth of a neighborhood where you can drink, go to the beach and eat out
10. Windsor in Melbourne (Australia) — a grungy, artsy and hip place to hang out until late
