Move over Noord, there’s a new cool kid on the block: the latest Time Out ranking of the coolest neighbourhoods around the world has landed, and Amsterdam West has nabbed a spot in the top 10! 

Amsterdam West one of the cool kids this year

Appearing once every year, the Time Out ranking combines the results of a poll of 12.000 city-dwellers and the thoughts of local experts to bring together a list of the “coolest neighbourhoods in the world” - loosely defined as the places “locals love and visitors flock to” with “exciting new openings across food, drink and culture.” 

While last year Amsterdam Noord was named one of the trendiest areas in the world, this year a different part of Amsterdam is having its moment in the sun. According to the critics, “Amsterdam West has it all”, taking an impressive ninth place on the overall ranking. 

According to Time Out’s experts, not only do roads like De Clercqstraat, Kinkerstraat, and Overtoom offer plenty of great opportunities for shopping, eating and socialising, but the district is also home to peaceful residential streets and those pretty canals everyone goes wild for. Museum Het Schip, a museum dedicated to architecture, Westerpark, and the nightclub De School, were all singled out as venues contributing to the buzz of West. 

The coolest neighbourhoods in the world in 2023

This year’s ranking was topped by Laureles in Medellín, Colombia, Smithfield in Dublin, Ireland, and Carabanchel in Madrid, Spain. 

Here are the top 10 coolest neighbourhoods in the world in 2023, according to Time Out:

1. Laureles, Medellín, Colombia
2. Smithfield, Dublin, Ireland
3. Carabanchel, Madrid, Spain
4. Havnen, Copenhagen, Denmark
5. Sheung Wan, Hong Kong
6. Brunswick East, Melbourne, Australia
7. Mid-City, New Orleans, US
8. Isola, Milan, Italy
9. West, Amsterdam, The Netherlands
10. Tomigaya, Tokyo, Japan

See the full ranking on the Time Out website.