Conde Nast Traveler: For years, we've asked our readers to rate a city's "friendliness" in the Readers’ Choice Awards survey, focusing on where you felt welcome. Did an outgoing local show you the way? Was the city easy to navigate? Hundreds of thousands of readers took the survey this year—and we're seeing just how U.S. cities compare to the rest of the world. If there's something to Southern hospitality, well, it seems like Australia's about as far south as you can get, based on the rankings. But then again, Sweden makes a surprising number of appearances on the list, so maybe it's about polarity. Either way, around the globe, these are the friendliest cities in the world.
"Despite the political turbulence, it's always been the land of rich culture, heritage, history, art, nature & hospitable warm locals," says one astute reader. "Behind every tired sinking sun, is the rise of the Phoenix. Similarly, the love-of-life spirit of the Lebanese people... gives this beautiful city an incomparable lively soul."
