According to readers of the Daily Telegraph. For those who may be unaware, the Telegraph is a leading London daily. Sorry, New Orleans did not make the list.

20. Vienna, Austria - culturally and musically one of the richest cities in the world, and has a good, lively mix of cool cafés and bars, galleries, shops and street markets.

19. Berlin, Germany - 25 years after the fall of the Wall, Berlin is “the coolest capital city in the world.

18. Hong Kong, China - it’s a spectacular, energised (and energising) combination of the urban, the rural and the maritime... it’s where China and Britain melded to create a unique place of temples and trams, feng shui and finance. ... you’ll eat some of the best food you’ve ever tasted; and you’ll walk it off in one of the world’s safest cities.

17. Boston, USA - No other American city matches Boston for history and its attractions cater for all ages, with plenty to see outdoors from parks and gardens to the Charles River and harbour front.

16. Melbourne, Australia - a moody, complex, deep-thinking metropolis more akin to Berlin than Brisbane; a place obsessed with art, food and coffee, packed with switched-on galleries, architectural flourishes, independent bookshops, cafés, and iconic music venues.

15. Krakow, Poland - few European cities can muster such an impressive and authentic Old Town, a captivating mix of Gothic, Renaissance and baroque buildings that is all the more precious for having survived the Second World War, and Communism, almost unscathed.

14. St. Petersburg, Russia - The mysterious White Nights and winding canals of the former Russian capital have inspired such literary giants as Fyodor Dostoevsky and Nikolai Gogol.

13. Sevilla, Spain - The historic Andalusian city – home to superb tapas, spectacular medieval architecture, and the Flamenco.

12. Barcelona, Spain - combines everything that is most charming about Mediterranean cities – a relaxed pace, months of endless sunshine, unbeatable food – with the cultural and design clout of most any city in the cold north.

11. Istanbul, Turkey - Superbly situated either side of the blue ribbon of the Bosphorus Strait separating Europe from Asia, Istanbul is unlike any other city in the world, split between two continents.

10. Rome, Italy - a city that combines the intimacy and human scale of a village with the cultural draws of a European metropolis.

9. Florence, Italy - There’s so much exquisite art and architecture, it’s difficult to know where to start but Florence is also a living city with a vibrant restaurant and nightlife scene, and a lively cultural movida that goes beyond old masters to embrace opera, classical music and contemporary art.

8. Rio de Janeiro - the sweep of Guanabara Bay, the granite-and-quartz morros (rocky outcrops), the curvaceous beaches, the tropical vegetation of the Tijuca Forest National Park and a 12 million-strong metropolis fitting around that.

7. Tokyo, Japan - It has neon, skyscrapers, salaryman crowds, packed trains, cutting-edge architecture and futuristic technology but it also has ancient shrines, plant-covered wooden houses, cycling grannies, old-school sweet shops and village-like lanes.

6. New York City, USA - there’s no shortage of action: from the bright lights of Broadway and Times Square to some of the most recognisable museums and architectural landmarks in the world.

5. San Francisco, USA - The city is now awash with excellent restaurants, while its proximity to Sonoma and Napa Valley means that, in less than two hours, travellers can enjoy tastings at some of the best wine estates in the country.

4. Sydney, Australia - has just about everything a visitor might desire: great surf beaches, world-class cuisine, a flamboyant nightlife, high-end shopping, art galleries, museums, grand Victorian parks – not to mention the Sydney Opera House, one of the greatest buildings of the 20th century.

3. Venice, Italy - you are never more than a bridge and an alley away from a more secluded city, full of secret campos, handsome Gothic palazzos and neighbourhood wine bars

2. Vancouver, Canada - What felt like a big town years ago is now a grown-up city, with glass tower blocks, a buzzy cultural life and a cosmopolitan population that includes newcomers from Asia, as well as home-grown Canadians and first-generation Europeans.

1. Cape Town, South Africa - there is only one in which you can surf the Atlantic, climb mountains, eat in Michelin-starred restaurants, stay in both historical and super-hip accommodation, indulge in wine tours and still find time to relax on the beach (with or without penguins).

There is a great world out there.