Munich tops ranking of most liveable cities worldwide
The British lifestyle and news magazine “Monocle” honours Munich, Berlin and Hamburg in its annual “Quality of Life Survey”.
Munich
After eight years, Munich has made its way back to the top of the table. The magazine describes the Bavarian capital as “relaxed and dynamic, cosmopolitan yet traditional”. Though housing is more expensive than in other German cities, Munich’s residents can choose from a wide range of leisure activities due to its many parks and nearby mountains and lakes. With its clean and safe streets, the public transportation system allows citizens to move around easily and quickly. The city’s airport, serving over 200 destinations worldwide, was recently rated 6th best in the world. Economically, being home to 18 universities and world market leaders in the automotive, biotech and engineering industry, Munich provides an “innovative environment” for companies of all sizes.
Video - Munich: the best of everything
Berlin
The German capital is sixth on the list. Monocle emphasises that Berlin displays an “exceptional” landscape for start-ups and creative scenes. It also praises the capital’s diverse cultural programmes, parks, culinary experiences alongside its transportation infrastructure, offering many shared bike and car schemes. The city’s sixth place is therefore well-deserved.
Hamburg
Following its opening in 2017, the Elbphilharmonie has become a global tourist magnet and is only one of many reasons why Hamburg comes in on eighth in the ranking. The city remains a hub for advertisement agencies and has proven to be experimental and adaptable. For example, it recently implemented a ban on diesel vehicles in certain areas to increase air quality even further.
About the survey
This year’s “Quality of Life Survey” is the 12th of its kind since the magazine was first launched in 2007. It evaluates indicators from a wide range of categories such as health care and daily hours of sun as well as economic performance and attractiveness. Monocle’s Editor-in-Chief, Tyler Brûlé, highlighted that Germany performs “very, very well across all these dimensions”. With Munich (1st), Berlin (6th), Hamburg (8th) and Dusseldorf (18th), Germany is the only country with four cities in the raking of the 25 most liveable cities.
