Tiny Ubud bests Bangkok, Paris and Rome in Condé Nast best city poll
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Your support makes all the difference.In the 22nd Condé Nast Traveler Readers' Choice Survey, released October 16, tiny Ubud in Bali, Indonesia, is the most surprising inclusion among some of the top cities in the world like San Francisco and Florence. Sydney, the top rated city overall, won in the Australia and Pacific region for the eighth straight year.
Despite being a town with just 8,000 inhabitants, Ubud has been the arts and culture hub of Bali since the 19th century. Ubud is home to Borobudur, one of the world's largest Buddhist monuments and Indonesia's most visited tourist attraction. This small town received a perfect score for friendliness.
Cities were judged in six categories: atmosphere/ambiance, culture/sites, friendliness, lodging, restaurants and shopping. A five point scale -- ranging from excellent to poor -- determined the final score.
2009 Condé Nast Traveler Readers' Choice Best Cities
| Asia | City | Score | |
| 1 | Ubud, Indonesia | 82.5 | |
| 2 | Bangkok | 82.2 | |
| 3 | Hong Kong | 81.3 | |
| 4 | Chiang Mai, Thailand | 80.9 | |
| 5 | Kyoto | 80.2 | |
| US | City | Score | |
| 1 | San Francisco | 84.8 | |
| 2 | Charleston, South Carolina | 83.1 | |
| 3 | Santa Fe, New Mexico | 81.6 | |
| 4 | New York City | 81.3 | |
| 5 | Chicago | 81.2 | |
| The Americas | City | Score | |
| 1 | Vancouver | 82.3 | |
| 2 | Buenos Aires | 81.9 | |
| 3 | Québec City | 81.4 | |
| 4 | Victoria, British Columbia | 80.6 | |
| 5 | San Miguel de Allende, Mexico | 79.6 | |
| Africa+Middle East | City | Score | |
| 1 | Cape Town | 82.4 | |
| 2 | Jerusalem | 75.3 | |
| 3 | Beirut | 71.7 | |
| 4 | Tel Aviv | 70.9 | |
| Europe | City | Score | |
| 1 | Florence | 84.6 | |
| 2 | Rome | 82.4 | |
| 3 | Venice | 81.1 | |
| 4 | Barcelona | 80.8 | |
| 4 | Salzburg | 80.8 | |
| Australia+Pacific | City | Score | |
| 1 | Sydney | 86.9 | |
| 2 | Melbourne | 79.1 | |
| 3 | Queenstown | 77.5 | |
| 4 | Christchurch, New Zealand | 73.7 |
The questionnaire was available to all via the magazine's website, accumulating more than 25,000 respondents. Full results are available on their website and in their November issue.
For more information please visit: http://www.concierge.com/tools/travelawards/readerschoice/cities
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