The cities of Central and South America are full of food, entertainment, and historical touchstones. This year, Travel + Leisure readers found plenty of reasons to return to them again and again. Surveyed for the 2024 “World’s Best Awards,” our readers chose their top 10 cities in Central and South America for life-changing travel.
How Voting Works
Every year for our World’s Best Awards survey, T+L asks readers to weigh in on travel experiences around the globe — to share their opinions on the top hotels, resorts, cities, islands, cruise ships, spas, airlines, and more. Over 186,000 T+L readers completed the 2024 survey. A total of more than 700,000 votes were cast across over 8,700 properties (hotels, cities, cruise lines, etc.).
Cities were specifically rated on the criteria below:
Sights/landmarksCultureFoodFriendlinessShoppingValue
For each characteristic, respondents could choose a rating of excellent, above average, average, below average, or poor. The final scores are averages of these responses.
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What Readers Loved
This year’s top city — Cuzco, Peru — retained its position from last year. Rising to take the No. 2 spot (it ranked No. 7 last year) was Antigua Guatemala, a city surrounded by volcanoes and known for its Baroque architecture. Panama City, Panama (No. 10) is new to this year’s list, displacing São Paulo. Brazil’s sole representation now comes in the form of the iconic Rio de Janeiro. Mendoza, Argentina, at No. 9, impressed T+L surveyors with its “great wine.”Colombia is still represented in the No. 7 and No. 8 slots: Cartagena and Bogotá, respectively. The former, one reader said, is a “melting pot of Caribbean, African, and Latin cultures.” And readers continue to recommend Quito, Ecuador (No. 3), as well as Lima, Peru (No. 4 this year, up from No. 9), as well as Buenos Aires, Argentina (No. 5, the same as last year). For more on individual rankings and for why readers chose Cuzco, Peru, as the best city in Central and South America for the World’s Best Awards, read on.
The Winner
Cuzco, Peru
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This city in the Peruvian Andes has long been a favorite for T+L readers, and it’s not hard to see why. The city itself is a UNESCO World Heritage Site, and visitors can explore Incan temples, sample local delicacies like cuy al horno (or roast guinea pig), and locate themselves centrally for a visit to Machu Picchu. “All the best things you could imagine are in this incredible city,” one reader noted about Cuzco. “Beautiful place, a lot of history, and the food and nightlife are unique.” The city’s history and architectural charm won over many readers. It is, one wrote, a “beautiful city.” In short, as a reader summarized, Cuzco is an “amazing place to visit to go and see the wild history of the country.”
The Full List
1. Cuzco, Peru
Reader Score: 87.47
2. Antigua Guatemala, Guatemala
Reader Score: 85.93
3. Quito, Ecuador
Reader Score: 84.26
4. Lima, Peru
Reader Score: 84.13
5. Buenos Aires, Argentina
Reader Score: 84.09
6. Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
Reader Score: 82.81
7. Cartagena, Colombia
Reader Score: 82.69
8. Bogotá, Colombia
Reader Score: 82.14
9. Mendoza, Argentina
Reader Score: 82.00
10. Panama City, Panama
Reader Score: 79.05
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Publish date : 2024-07-09 05:00:33
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