For full functionality of this site it is necessary to enable JavaScript. Here are the instructions how to enable JavaScript in your web browser .

Sydney has been named the second friendliest city in the world, according to travel experts Conde Nast.

The results were compiled from a survey undertaken by 128,000 of Conde Nast readers in 2015.

See Also Sydney travel guide

Despite the fact Sydney tumbled from the top place it was ranked the previous year, readers agreed that it was a hard city to beat, with good-natured Aussies impressing visitors to the city.

"Every time we stopped to stare at our map to get our bearings an Aussie would stop and offer to help us," one reader commented. Another said: "Such friendly people, so much so that after we met an Australian woman on our flight there, she offered to pick us up at our hotel and spent a whole day showing us her favourite parts of the city." Another offered the ultimate compliment: "I would live there if possible."

As friendly as we are, we couldn't beat American hospitality, with Charleston winning the title of world's friendliest city for 2016.

As one reader put it so succinctly in our technology-driven society, in this southern American city "people speak to each other!", while others held southern hospitality responsible for its warm approach to visitors. "It has the charm of the South, the sophistication of the city, and a warmth and friendliness that is unmatched."

However, the USA didn't rank too well overall, with all top ten of the world's unfriendliest cities being American, with New Jersey city Newark snaring the number one title.

"This was one of the saddest looking cities I've ever seen," said one reader. Another said it was a "business necessity. Extreme traffic, poor signage," while someone else couldn't vouch for its dining appeal: "I often stay in Newark...and dine in Hoboken."

Sydney ranked ahead of our neighbours in Queenstown, New Zealand, who came in at number four on the list, a town which is highly valued for its natural beauty and its ability to make visitors feel at home.


The annual survey asks travellers to rank a city's friendliness in terms of where they felt most welcome, if a city was easy to navigate, or if an outgoing local showed you the way.

Condé Nast Traveler's Top 10 friendliest cities:

1. Charleston, South Carolina

2. Sydney, Australia

3. Dublin, Ireland

4. Queenstown, New Zealand

5. Park City, Utah

6. Galway, Ireland

7. Savannah, Georgia

8. Krakow, Poland

9. Bruges, Belgium

10. Nashville, Tennessee

Top 10 unfriendliest cities:

1. Newark, New Jersey

2. Oakland, California

3. Atlantic City, New Jersey

4. Detroit, Michigan

5. Hartford, Connecticut

6. New Haven, Connecticut

7. Dover, Delaware

8. Wilmington, Delware

9. Los Angeles, California

10. Baltimore, Maryland

See also: Not Australia - The world's most respected country named

See also: World's friendliest country named