[imagesource: Unsplash / Logan Armstrong]

Nope, go past Paris, London, and Rome this time around because there’s a new best city on the block.

Described as “sunny and sensuous”, this spot in Europe is at the top of The Telegraph‘s comprehensive ranking of the world’s greatest cities.

It’s the city where Picasso and Gaudí’s eccentricities could flourish, where quality-of-life surveys are off the charts, where the food is to die for and the weather is stunning, and where playfulness is unshakable.

Okay, I’ll say the name now.

It’s Barcelona, everyone.

Image: Park Guell in Barcelona, Spain / iStock

The reasons are numerous following a comprehensive study conducted by the media outlet:

It scored highly across every category, from museums to LGBTQ-friendliness; from green spaces to Unesco World Heritage Sites. A progressive mayor has doubled the number of cycle lanes, given over dozens of streets to pedestrians and introduced low emission zones.

Image: Getty Images

A showcase for architecture from every century, Barcelona has the perfect climate, miles of beach and a daring arts scene. It might not have the dance chops of Berlin, but Barcelona effortlessly attracts international artists of a calibre normally found in cities twice the size.

A tourist would be sorely mistaken for ticking the “we’ve done Barcelona” box, because as the review goes on, “every visit is a gateway to deeper exploration, another layer revealed, a glimpse of new experiences promised by a different season or a less frequented neighbourhood.”

There are mentions of the charming gothic quarter, Barri Gòtic with its “medieval alleyways stretching out from the cathedral”, as well as Gràcia, known for its 19th-century elegance.

Image: Gunnar Knechtel/laif/CAMERA PRESS

The city has been referred to as “the great enchantress” by one of Barcelona’s respected poets, Joan Maragall, and thus attracts a fair amount of diversity:

Foreign-born residents make up more than 20 per cent of the population, rising to more than 50 per cent in the Old City. Languages from five continents ring out from every playground, and stumbling, pidgin Catalan can be heard on every street corner.

As for the food. Well, let’s just say that Anthony Bourdain once said, “You’d have a hard time finding anything better than Barcelona for food.”

You can take his word for it, as well as the fact that the city of 1,7 million people has 29 Michelin star restaurants at present.

Sold. I am checking flights on Google as we speak.

[source:telegraph]