Scottish city crowned second most beautiful in the world by Time Out

Edinburgh skyline as seen from Calton Hill, Scotland (Image: Getty Images/iStockphoto)

SCOTLAND’S capital city has been crowned the second most beautiful city in the world by the prestigious travel guide, Time Out.

Edinburgh managed to beat the likes of Sydney, Lisbon, and Paris to be ranked second after Time Out asked 24,000 city residents worldwide whether they would describe their city as beautiful.

The results showed 84% of locals in the Scottish capital said they would describe their city as beautiful, with only South Africa’s Cape Town beating Edinburgh by a narrow 2%.

Time Out argued what makes a city beautiful, stating some people may say it’s the area's scenic appeal, which comes down to an abundance of green space and tree-lined avenues, or others might argue for “pedestrian-friendly streets, striking skylines or palatial architecture”.

Describing Edinburgh, Time Out’s experts wrote: “With its collision of architectural styles, from the New Town’s crescents of Georgian townhouses to the Old Town’s tight, higgledy-piggledy medieval streets and striking Gothic spires, the Scottish capital is famously an absolute delight to walk around.

“And so say the locals, 84 percent of whom would describe their hometown as a looker.”

The Edinburgh skyline from Calton Hill (Image: Peter Cord)

Time Out added: “As well as being an absolute stunner, Edinburgh is a titan when it comes to culture, food and history, and provides easy access to some of Scotland’s most bonnie landscapes.”

The city has historically been praised for its landmarks, like Edinburgh Castle and the Scott Monument, along with its natural beauty, including Arthur’s Seat and its surrounding beaches.

Every year, it attracts more than 4 million visitors from around the world as they come to experience its rich cultural history.

A view of the Edinburgh skyline showing the Balmoral Clock and Princes Street (Image: PA)

The city is synonymous with the art world thanks to the annual Fringe Festival every August, which attracts performers from across the globe and is also known for inspiring countless books, films and TV shows, including David Nicholls’ One Day, Frankenstein and Harry Potter.

Edinburgh was the only UK city to make Time Out’s top 10 list, with Porto, Chicago and Riga all making the cut.