A city becomes unforgettable when its landscapes turn into encounters: a conversation that stretches over a meal, a street that reveals its history, an artist who transforms a neighborhood, or a host who shares the place they call home. Medellin, Toulouse, Ho Chi Minh City, Warsaw, and Abu Dhabi are changing quickly, but their appeal cannot be explained by growth figures alone. In each, travel becomes meaningful when the people who live there offer a glimpse into local life.
Oxford Economics included all five in its 2026 “Cities to Watch” selection. Its Global Cities Index assesses 1,000 cities across five dimensions: economics, human capital, quality of life, environment, and governance. The index provides a way to understand each city’s strengths and prospects; its scores measure urban performance, not tourist appeal. For travelers, it offers a starting point for exploring places gaining momentum. What makes each city memorable, however, is discovered in its neighborhoods, streets, and local culture.
Medellin reveals its transformation from the mountains
One of Medellin’s first impressions is visual: the city spreads across the Aburra Valley, surrounded by green mountains that seem to draw the horizon closer. From a Metrocable car, homes climb the hillsides as the urban landscape unfolds below. The ride offers a sweeping introduction to a city where geography and daily life are closely connected.
The contrast between the surrounding mountains and the city’s lively streets is only the beginning. Medellin has a mild climate, parks, museums, music venues, and a food scene that ranges from traditional cooking to contemporary fare. Each neighborhood changes the pace of a visit. In Laureles, tree-lined streets and outdoor cafes create a walkable atmosphere. In El Poblado, restaurants, cafes, and hotels share space with a lively nightlife scene. In Ciudad del Rio, an industrial landscape blends with cultural spaces. Spending time in each area helps reveal a city with many different rhythms.
Comuna 13 is one of the most visible examples of how Medellin has transformed its story. Escalators, graffiti, music, and lookout points draw travelers from around the world, but a visit becomes more meaningful when you listen to the people who live there. A tour with local guides can reveal the stories behind the murals and community projects, giving visitors a deeper sense of the neighborhood’s history and present-day life. The people who welcome travelers and share their work help explain why Medellin cannot be understood through its most difficult chapters alone.
It is also worth looking toward Perpetuo Socorro, a creative district where workshops, galleries, cafes, and design projects have found space in former warehouses. There, visitors can see a Medellin that experiments and reinvents itself. Colombian women artists, entrepreneurs, hosts, and guides play an essential role in that experience. Their everyday knowledge — what to try, where to hear music, and how to approach a story respectfully — gives a trip a human face and a sense of context.
The cuisine tells another story of belonging. A bandeja paisa, a freshly made arepa, a cup of Colombian coffee, or an unfamiliar fruit can open a door to a diverse culture. Travelers can pair those flavors with restaurants that reinterpret regional ingredients and specialty coffee shops connected to the surrounding coffee-growing mountains. Medellin also makes a convenient base for trips to Guatape and El Penol, but the city itself deserves several days. Its appeal lies in the combination of nature, urban life, and the hospitality of the people who make it their own.
The latest tourism figures offer a closer look at who is arriving. According to Medellin’s Tourism and Entertainment Secretariat and its first-half 2026 report, Jose Maria Cordova Airport, which serves the Medellin area, recorded 1,003,756 international passenger entries in the first six months of the year. It was the first time the airport exceeded one million international entries in a first semester. The United States remained the leading source market, with 194,488 visitors. Arrivals from Ecuador rose 30.3% and those from Chile increased 23.1% compared with the same period in 2025.
Oxford Economics’ 2026 Global Cities Index gave Medellin a score of 70.6 out of 100 in its environment category, one of the city’s strongest results. The score adds context to the experience of a mountain city whose green surroundings, public spaces, and transport links shape how visitors move through it.
Toulouse changes scale without losing its character
In southwestern France, Toulouse surprises visitors who expect a large, impersonal city. Its pink-brick center, markets, plazas, and the banks of the Garonne River make it inviting to explore on foot. At sunset, the light on the façades explains its nickname, “La Ville Rose,” but the city is about more than its architecture. It has a strong university presence, an active cultural scene, and close ties to the aerospace industry.
A visit might begin at Place du Capitole and continue along narrow streets toward the Basilica of Saint-Sernin before ending at a bistro table. Regional cuisine includes cassoulet, cheeses, and wines from southwestern France. Toulouse is especially pleasant to explore without a rigid plan: within minutes, you can go from a busy plaza to a quiet riverfront, or from an independent bookstore to a terrace full of students. Neighborhoods beyond the historic center reveal a more every day, creative, and less picture-perfect side of the city.
The city’s technological side has its own appeal. Cité de l’Espace introduces visitors of all ages to space exploration, while Aeroscopia traces the history of aviation next to Airbus facilities. At La Halle de la Machine, mechanical creatures combine engineering and spectacle. These attractions make curiosity part of the trip: Toulouse shows how a city can retain a close-knit pace while participating in industries with global reach.
In Oxford Economics’ 2026 Global Cities Index, Toulouse scored 84.7 out of 100 in the environment category. The result reflects one of the city’s strengths and adds context to its appeal for visitors who enjoy moving between historic streets, riverbanks, and open-air gathering places. Toulouse balances ambition and calm. Students, professionals, and new restaurants share the city with walkable streets and riverside terraces. In the warmer months, neighborhood festivals bring the city to life. An unplanned afternoon, guided by a local resident’s recommendation, can reveal more than a checklist of attractions.
Ho Chi Minh City finds the future in its streets
Ho Chi Minh City moves at a pace that can feel dizzying from the first street crossing. The hum of motorcycles, steaming food stalls, and modern buildings create an intense scene. Markets, pagodas, colonial-era architecture, and neighborhoods with distinct identities sit close together, while investment and new transport connections continue to reshape the city.
The latest arrival figures point to the city’s growing international draw. The Viet Nam National Authority of Tourism reported more than 3.61 million international arrivals in Ho Chi Minh City during the first nine months of 2026, a 13% increase from the same period in 2025. Those travelers are arriving in a city where historic landmarks and everyday street life remain part of the same experience.
District 1 is home to landmarks such as the Central Post Office, the Opera House, and the Reunification Palace. The War Remnants Museum invites visitors to consider a painful history from a Vietnamese perspective and deserves time and sensitivity. Food offers another way to understand the city. Local dishes such as banh mi, a baguette sandwich and traditional Vietnamese street food; pho, a noodle soup; broken rice, usually served with pork; and crisp banh xeo, a traditional Vietnamese pancake, show how ingredients and traditions adapt to urban life. Family-run stalls can be just as memorable as a well-known restaurant.
The metro line that opened in 2024 marked a milestone for public transportation, connecting the city center with areas to the east. Still, exploring the city does not mean following only its newest infrastructure. Cholon, the historic Chinese district, invites visitors to explore markets, temples, and traditional shops. Thao Dien offers galleries, boutiques, and cafes at a more relaxed pace. A local guide can help connect these different sides of the same metropolis without turning the visit into a race.
Daily life deserves space in the itinerary, too. A street-side breakfast, a family conversation around a low table, or a barista explaining coffee with condensed milk can reveal a city modernizing without leaving its customs behind. Taking time to look around helps explain why Ho Chi Minh City’s energy is as compelling as its new developments.
Warsaw turns memory into everyday life
Warsaw, the capital of Poland in Central Europe, teaches visitors to look twice. Its historic center, rebuilt after the destruction of World War II, features colorful façades and squares that seem untouched. Behind them is a story of loss, reconstruction, and persistence. A few streets away, skyscrapers, avenues, streetcars, and new buildings point to a capital that continues to expand. These layers are part of the experience and a reason to explore beyond the most photographed routes.
A walking tour could begin near the Palace of Culture and Science and continue along Nowy Świat toward the Old Town. Along the way, buildings from different eras show how Warsaw lives with its past. The POLIN Museum, dedicated to the history of Polish Jews, and the Warsaw Rising Museum are also worth visiting. They add context to a trip that might otherwise focus only on architecture and shopping.
Food offers a break and an easy way to take part in local life. Pierogi, soups, stews, and pastries can be found in contemporary restaurants and milk bars, casual dining halls serving home-style meals at affordable prices. Pączki, filled doughnuts, make for a welcome stop between walks. In the warmer months, terraces and public spaces along the Vistula River bring residents and visitors together. There, the city becomes a place to sit, talk, and watch.
Wola and Praga, neighborhoods with industrial pasts, now bring together cafés, galleries, and cultural spaces in renovated buildings. Asking about a mural or following a local recommendation can help visitors understand Warsaw’s transformation alongside its history and discover corners that do not fit on a postcard.
Warsaw received a quality-of-life score of 84.6 out of 100 in Oxford Economics’ 2026 Global Cities Index, one of its strongest categories. The score offers context for the capital’s appeal, which extends from its cultural institutions and public spaces to the lively street scene visitors encounter as they explore.
Abu Dhabi bets on culture by the sea
In Abu Dhabi, the scenery can change in a single day, from orderly boulevards and contemporary buildings to a beach, mangroves, and quiet residential areas. The capital of the United Arab Emirates is seeking to diversify its economy through investment in technology, services, renewable energy, and culture. For travelers, that strategy translates into a broad range of things to do, while the city’s more relaxed pace offers a contrast to the region’s faster-moving urban centers.
The Sheikh Zayed Grand Mosque is striking for its architecture, marble, mosaics, and courtyards. It is also an active religious site, so visitors should arrive respectfully and follow the dress code. On Saadiyat Island, the Louvre Abu Dhabi brings together works and objects from different eras beneath a dome whose light shifts throughout the day. Museums and cultural projects are helping the city build a larger presence in international conversations about art, history, and heritage.
The Statistics Centre of Abu Dhabi recorded 149,404 museum visits in July 2026. That monthly figure offers a snapshot of interest in cultural attractions that now complement the city’s beaches, hotels, and major events. Hotel occupancy provides another measure of activity. Real estate consultancy JLL put Abu Dhabi’s average occupancy at 66.8% in the first half of 2026, the highest rate in the UAE during that period, according to figures reported by The National.
Nature is closer than the city’s urban image might suggest. Visitors can kayak through the mangroves and look for birds, while a walk along the Corniche offers waterfront views and places to rest. There are also markets and restaurants where Emirati cuisine meets flavors from communities that have arrived from around the world. Trying local dishes and talking with people who work in a café can reveal the capital as a home to people with diverse stories, not just a showcase of contemporary architecture.
A morning at a museum, an afternoon by the sea, and a relaxed dinner are enough to get a feel for Abu Dhabi. In a café or market, a recommendation or an explanation of a local tradition can reveal the human rhythms behind the futuristic buildings.
Five cities and many ways to feel on the move
Oxford Economics’ 2026 selection offers a reason to look beyond the usual destinations, and the latest figures show how differently each city is changing. Medellin is drawing visitors from a wider range of countries. Ho Chi Minh City is welcoming more international travelers. Abu Dhabi’s museums and hotels continue to attract guests. In Toulouse and Warsaw, the index highlights strengths in environment and quality of life that help shape the experience of a visit.
No index can replace walking, listening, tasting, and asking questions. The best reason to visit these cities is the different way each one experiences change. Often, the people who share their city are what turn a trip into a lasting memory.