The world's most amazing cities, islands & hotels

Summertime means vacation time! And if you are still thinking about where to beat the heat this summer, "Travel and Leisure" magazine reveals the winners of their twelfth annual World's Best Awards poll. Here are their picks for the world's most amazing cities, islands and hotels for you to visit.

World’s best cities
General notes: T+L readers seek authentic experiences of place, whether it’s art and architecture in favorite European destinations like Florence, urban classics in New York or exotic cities such as Udaipur and Istanbul.

1) Florence

• Second consecutive year named World’s Best City (third time named World’s Best City in the 12 years of the survey).
• Readers love Florence for many things, in particular its culture, arts and shopping.

2) Buenos Aires

• This year’s No. 2 ranking is its highest ever in the WBA survey.
• Last year Buenos Aires ranked No. 7 among cities around the globe.
• Readers rated Buenos Aires high for value, shopping, restaurants and food.

3) Bangkok

• Has ranked consistently well in the survey over the years — was No. 3 among cities around the globe in 2006. Shopping and value are areas where Bangkok gets particularly high marks.
• Two of the top five hotels in Asia are in Bangkok.

4) Rome

• Last year Rome ranked No. 2.
• The city is loved especially for its sights, culture and arts.

5) Sydney

• Has been named World’s Best City a total of eight times in the past 12 years of the survey.
• The city rates particularly high for its people.

6) New York City

• No. 1 city in the U.S. and Canada for the seventh consecutive year.
• Readers love New York for its food, restaurants and shopping, as well as culture and arts.
• New York City has more hotels on the list of top 100 hotels in the continental U.S. and Canada than any other city. The top-ranked NYC hotel is the St. Regis at No. 22 on list of top hotels in continental U.S. and Canada.

7) Udaipur, India

• Not in the list of top ten cities worldwide last year, but was ranked No. 7 on list of best cities in Asia last year.
• Readers appreciate the good value of this city.
• The No. 1 hotel in the world this year is in Udaipur (Oberoi Udaivilas).

8) Istanbul

• Was not in the list of top ten cities worldwide last year, but it has been in the top ten many times before.
• Readers love the sites and the culture and arts.
• The city’s Four Seasons Hotel Istanbul at Sultanahmet is ranked among the top five cities worldwide in this year’s survey and is the No. 1 hotel in Europe.

9) San Francisco

• Ranked No. 10 on world’s best cities list last year.
• Was named the best city in the U.S. and Canada from 1996 to 2000; in 2000 it was also named No. 1 city overall.
• Rates high for restaurants and food.

10) Cape Town

• Was ranked No. 6 on the list of world’s best cities last year.
• Rates high in the people category.
• It is also a good value and great place to go where you can visit a top-notch cosmopolitan city and then, in just a few hours, be in the heart of the African bush.

World’s best islands
General notes: Some T+L readers go in search of the natural wonders of islands such as the Galapagos, while others prefer a relaxing vacation in destinations like Maui.

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