Artsty, bookish and quirky: here are the world's 'coolest' neighborhoods

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09.27.25

In travel news this week: The world's coolest neighborhoods, best cities for young people, and most internationally connected airports. Plus, a new 50 Best dining award names the best restaurants in North America.

By Maureen O'Hare

✈️ Top internationally connected airports

Just another busy day at London Heathrow.

It's been a challenging week for air travel.

Cyberattacks on airports including Brussels and Berlin caused disruption last weekend and into Monday, and a series of mystery drone sightings forced airport closures in Denmark and Norway throughout the week.

Today, challenges like these are affecting more people than ever. Global seat capacity has surged by a third over the past decade, reaching more than six billion a year, according to the Megahubs 2025 report, released Wednesday by travel data platform OAG. But the havoc in Europe is a reminder that our thriving international network is not invulnerable.

The report ranks the world's most connected airports in 2025, based on destinations served and scheduled connections.

For the third year in a row, London Heathrow held onto its crown as the world's top megahub for travelers needing to hop round the world in a jiffy.

Every other airport in the top 10, however, has shifted position. Istanbul jumped from eighth place to No. 2, while Amsterdam Schiphol climbed from No. 4 to No. 3.

Frankfurt climbed from No.10 to share fourth place with Kuala Lumpur, last year's No.2.

The Malaysian megahub isn't the only Asian airport to lose ground in the connectivity race: Seoul Incheon dropped from No. 5 to No. 6 and Tokyo Haneda slipped six places, from No. 3 to No. 9.

The US, by contrast, made gains. Chicago O'Hare, which has added 15 new destinations, jumped two places to become the seventh most connected airport worldwide. Atlanta Hartsfield-Jackson, already the world's largest airport by seat capacity, reentered the global top 10, climbing from No. 11 to No. 8.

Further down the ranking, they're doing things bigger in Texas. Dallas Fort-Worth rose five places from No.18 to No.13, and Houston's George Bush Intercontinental Airport jumped all the way from No.29 to No.18.

🚶🏽‍♀️World's coolest neighborhoods

So what are you going to do when you make it to these world-class megahubs?

Head straight to the city's coolest parts of town, of course.

On Wednesday, publishing giant Time Out revealed its 2025 list of hot 'hoods. Visitors to Heathrow can take note that the south London neighborhood of Camberwell was named fourth "coolest" in the world, thanks to its multiculturalism and "independent spirit."

Also in a well-connected metropolis, Kuala Lumpur's Mont Kiara, at No. 32, earns its desirability through its artisanal bakeries, Pilates studios and third-wave cafés, says Time Out.

The publisher's No. 1 coolest neighborhood is also accessible via one of the top 10 megahub airports. This Tokyo district is an artsy enclave beloved by generations of this Asian city's intellectuals and Time Out calls it a "bibliophile nirvana."

No Bangkok district made it onto Time Out's latest cool list, but that didn't stop it being declared the world's best city for 20-somethings by Time Out in August.

Melbourne was at No. 2 on Time Out's Gen-Z list and its "coolest" neighborhood, North Melbourne, is praised for the diverse dining scene and a plethora of cultural offerings.

The No. 4 city for young people, Time Out says, is New York, but getting to the neighborhood it crowns as the hottest — Red Hook — isn't the easiest journey. There's no subway station, but there are bus stops and a free ferry.

🍽️ Best restaurants in North America

Atomix serves up dishes such as this blackened banana with monkfish liver. (Evan Sung/Courtesy 50 Best)

Also in New York, but in the central Manhattan neighborhood of NoMad, a little Korean eatery with a 14-seat U-shaped counter has been named the best restaurant in North America.

The inaugural list of North America's 50 Best Restaurants put Atomix at the top, with judges saying it combines food, drinks and design "at such an elevated level as to forge a new narrative for Korean cuisine across the globe."

A Canadian restaurant, the French-Italian Mon Lapin in Montreal's Little Italy, is at No. 2. Run by a husband-and-wife team, the restaurant's menu changes daily, but its imaginative dishes might include anything from chartreuse and tomato ice cream to honeynut squash with pig's head and camelina.

A French-inspired restaurant in the picturesque Canadian wine region of Niagara is at No. 3. Restaurant Pearl Morissette looks over the Pearl Morissette estate's winery, regenerative farm, peach orchard and vegetable gardens.

✈️ Inside Cambodia's newest airport

Phnom Penh's newly operational Techo Takhmao International Airport was inspired by tradition, but built for the future. CNN Travel's Lilit Marcus visited the airport this summer while it was still under construction.

💰 Pick of the Day

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👀 In case you missed it

Sure, well-connected megahubs are great, but what if your pilot dad could fly you home?

That's the surprise that awaited Addison Stock when returning to Arizona from her honeymoon in Mexico.

Machu Picchu is at risk of losing its "credibility" as one of the New Seven Wonders of the World.

What's happening?

Korean food is in the spotlight thanks to New York's Atomix.

Here are 40 dishes we can't live without.

Does the list of North America's best restaurants get you excited about Canadian cuisine?

Here are 20 foods that reflect the country's size and diversity.

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