The Most Elegant Cities in the World

At Zalando, we know that elegance cannot be bought. Rather, the quality pertains to something more subtle and difficult to define. While trends change, true elegance never goes out of style. But what is elegance, exactly? And which world cities best embody it?

From the grandeur of the Vienna Philharmonic, to the effortless sophistication of the French Riviera, elegance wears many masks. It’s not just the people, but the cities themselves, with their unique architecture and cultural landscapes, that make a destination elegant. Money can’t buy it, and yet billions of dollars flow through the fashion and tourism industries each year to evoke the quality. The secret is that elegance can be achieved with a simple flick of a €2 scarf, a picnic in a beautiful, clean park, and a glass of good quality red wine. Elegance is a question of taste, attitude, and always showing your best side.

As complex as the definition seems, a few world cities immediately spring to mind on hearing the word. When pressed, however, most people have a hard time explaining why — “It just is!” We put our preconceptions to the test, using data to define and evaluate where in the world the most elegant cities can be found.

We chose factors in three key categories to score our list of 80 cities: Fashion Factors, Urban Factors, and Accessibility. We studied thousands of cities to hand-pick 400 places widely considered to be elegant in either fashion or architecture. We then ranked them by relevant factors and selected the top 80 cities to compile the ultimate Elegant Cities Ranking, with every city included a world-class destination.
In order for a city to rank highly, we determined that it must have a thriving fashion scene, culturally and historically significant architecture, high tourism desirability, and an attractive point of entry for visitors, as first impressions matter! It must also rank highly in our expert surveys, which we sent to over 5,000 fashion and architecture experts around the world. Finally, we firmly believe that elegance has nothing to do with how much money a person has. The Accessibility Score ranks how affordable markers of an elegant lifestyle are according to cost of living and local purchasing power. The results reveal the definitive list of the most elegant world cities this 2017.

For further information about research and methodology, see below:

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