The world’s coolest streets in 2022

The world’s coolest streets in 2022 ranked by Time Out – and it’s Montreal’s Rue Wellington that’s No.1, followed by a ‘beautiful’ Melbourne road and (part of) the A82 in Glasgow
The ranking shines a ‘spotlight on some of the most culturally-vibrant and dynamic microcosms’ of cities
It is based on a survey that asked more than 20,000 city-dwellers to nominate their city’s coolest street
Time Out says that first-place Rue Wellington offers ‘killer cocktail bars and stellar brunch spots’

1. Rue Wellington, Montreal

The world’s coolest street is Rue Wellington (above) in Montreal, according to Time Out. The annual ranking sets out to ‘shine a spotlight on some of the most culturally vibrant and dynamic microcosms of cities globally’
Gold medal winner Rue Wellington, which lies in the Montreal borough of Verdun, offers ‘killer cocktail bars, stellar brunch spots, some of the best sandwiches in town and even a sandy urban beach’

2. Gertrude Street, Melbourne

Gertrude Street, set in the Fitzroy area of Melbourne, as ‘beautiful’ and ‘unassuming’, noting that it has a ‘wealth of independent retail, drinking and dining joints’.

3. Great Western Road, Glasgow

The bronze medal goes to the Great Western Road in Glasgow, which forms part of the A82.

The section that wins the road third place in the ranking runs from Botanic Gardens to St George’s Cross junction.

Time Out says that this section is ‘abuzz morning through night with all from latte-sipping mums and dads to students and full-on hipsters’.

4. Yongkang Street, Taipei

Taipei’s Yongkang Street (pictured), which ranks fourth, has an ‘individualised vibe with an artisan edge’

‘There’s nowhere else in Taipei quite like Yongkang Street, a mellow lane in the genteel Dongmen neighbourhood packed with excellent restaurants, holes-in-the-wall sizzling with traditional fried snacks, decadent dessert parlours, upmarket boutiques and historical tea rooms with all the ceremonial trappings,’

5. Vaernedamsvej, Copenhagen

You’ll find this street – ‘a hub of cool’ – in Copenhagen’s Vesterbro neighbourhood.

‘With its fresh flowers, cute boutiques, wine bars, cheese shops and even a French lycee [school], it’s something of a mini-Paris in the Danish capital,’

6. Karangahape Road, Auckland

‘Every door leads to something very different’ on Auckland’s Karangahape Road, a street that lands sixth in the ranking

‘Karangahape Road – known to Aucklanders simply as “K Road” – is the city’s bohemian heart and the home of a diverse and expressive community of artists, musicians, and creatives,’

7. Tai Ping Shan Street, Hong Kong

Hong Kong’s Tai Ping Shan Street – seventh in the ranking – is a ‘cool bohemian enclave dotted with trendy cafés, independent shops and old and new eateries’

8. Yaowarat Road, Bangkok

You’ll find temples, restaurants, markets and legions of acupuncturists and dispensers of Chinese medicine on a visit to Yaowarat Road (above) in Bangkok. The street is eighth in the ranking

Describing this street, Time Out says: ‘One of Bangkok’s oldest thoroughfares, with a history that dates back to the city’s foundation, Yaowarat Road winds and curves through Bangkok’s riverside Chinatown.’

9. Oranienstrasse, Berlin

Oranienstrasse, a street in Berlin’s Kreuzberg neighbourhood, is known as a ‘popular nightlife hub for locals and tourists alike’

Oranienstrasse, a street that runs through Berlin’s Kreuzberg neighbourhood, ‘is famed for its fresh Turkish food and lively cocktail bars, all wedged between extensive mid-century flats that were rebuilt after much of the street was devastated in WWII’.

10. Hayes Street, San Francisco

Hayes Valley in San Francisco, which lands 10th in the ranking, boasts ‘some of the city’s most exciting restaurant openings and trendiest storefronts’

This street is the main drag of Hayes Valley – ‘one of San Francisco’s trendiest neighbourhoods’

U.S. HAS 6 OF THE 33 COOLEST STREETS IN THE WORLD

HAYES STREET SAN FRANCISCO: San Francisco’s Hayes Street came in as the world’s 10th coolest street in 2022. The street is the heart of Hayes Valley, a hip area of the city that was hit hard during the COVID-19 lockdowns, but has reemerged since stores and restaurants were allowed to reopen. Pictured on a rainy day, situated in the North of Panhandle (NoPA) neighborhood. People cross at the intersection of Divisadero Street and Hayes Street, February 19, 2017

 

VIRGIL AVENUE LOS ANGELES: A second California street came in next on the ranking for U.S. cities. Los Angeles’ Virgil Avenue, situated just south of the neighborhoods Los Feliz and west of Silverlake, came in at number 13. The popular street is home to trendy restaurants, including Sqirl cafe, which attracts many neighborhood patrons, as seen here on April 22, 2015 in Los Angeles

CALLE OCHO MIAMI FLORIDA: At number 16 is Miami’s Calle Ocho. The street is the heartbeat of Little Havana, an enclave for Cuban immigrants. The street has been immune to changes that have altered other parts of the bustling Florida city, maintaining its charm and many longtime institutions such as the beloved artisanal dessert shop Azucar. Pictured, cars driving on Calle Ocho in Little Havana

WENTWORTH AVENUE CHICAGO ILLINOIS: The next U.S. street on the list can be found in a distinctly northern city, but is made special by its Asian influence. Wentworth Avenue in the center of Chinatown, Chicago, continues to expand with a variety of cuisines and shops, despite Chicago’s waning Chinese population overall

MACDOUGAL STREET NEW YORK CITY: Amongst New York City’s many vibrant streets, Time Out has singled out MacDougal Street in Manhattan’s West Village as the 29th coolest street in the world. The busy street is jam-packed with restaurants, bars, and world-famous entertainment venues, including the Blue Note jazz club and Comedy Cellar. Pictured, a taxi drives down MacDougal Street in Manhattan’s Greenwich Village

 

NEWBURY STREET BOSTON MASSACHUSETTS: Last but not least, another northeastern city rounds out the list of U.S. cities at number 31. Boston’s Newbury Street shopping district in the Back Bay area of the city’s downtown is noted for having the ‘best new restaurants, funkiest speakeasies and chic-est boutique hotels,’ according to Time Out, making it ‘one of the liveliest places to spend a night out in the city’