The results are in, and Buenos Aires has officially been named the “Most Desirable City” (Gold Winner) in the world, at the 24th Wanderlust Reader Travel Awards 2025. This is a significant international honor, reflecting the opinions of 208,000 readers from the highly-respected Wanderlust magazine. In a historic first, the city climbed 6 spots to claim the #1 position, surpassing renowned destinations like Tokyo and Sydney.
So, why visit Buenos Aires now? What tipped the scales and made it the Best City in the World to Visit 2025?
The voters and organizers highlighted the city’s vibrant creative energy, our deep culture, the authentic tango, and the warmth of the people. But they also confirmed what we at The Argentine Experience have always known: a key part of the win is our incredible, evolving Argentine Gastronomy.
The Winning Combination: What Voters Fell For
Wanderlust Reader Travel Awards 2025, didn’t just highlight one thing; they praised the entire cultural ecosystem that makes Buenos Aires so unique.
Among the main highlights, Wanderlust pointed to the city’s unmistakable creative energy, our evolving Argentine gastronomy, the authenticity of the tango, and, crucially, the incredible warmth and hospitality of the people.
So, what’s the common thread? All these highlights form our culture, and at its core, Argentine culture is about connection.
You can feel this connection in many ways: in the intimate embrace of a tango dance, in the shared melancholy of live music, or in the simple, trusting gesture of a local offering you mate.
But here at The Argentine Experience, we believe the deepest, most universal, and most delicious form of that connection happens at the dinner table.
Eating in Argentina is a ritual. The breadth of our gastronomy is immense: we have historic cafés, cutting-edge Michelin-recognized restaurants, and cozy neighborhood bodegones. We have the world’s best beef, complex dishes born from our immigrant melting pot, iconic empanadas, and endless dulce de leche. But even with all that incredible variety, the true key ingredient is connection. (It might be the only ingredient we value almost as much as dulce de leche).
This is probably one of the keys to understanding why Buenos Aires is the “Most Desirable City”. It’s not just what we eat (though it is really important), it’s how we eat.
“In the Most Desirable City (World) category, Buenos Aires took the coveted Gold award for the first time. The win marks a significant moment for the Argentine capital, celebrated for its music, café culture and resurgent creative scene.”
The Argentine Experience: The “Most Desirable” Way to Taste the City
So, how can a traveler, in just one short visit, experience this deep social ritual that defines our Argentine gastronomy?
This is precisely why The Argentine Experience was created.
We are not a typical restaurant; we are an interactive dinner party designed to share the how and why of our food culture. It’s the perfect answer for travelers seeking the authentic “warmth and hospitality” that Wanderlust voters celebrated.
one of the few food experiences in Buenos Aires where you can learn, laugh, and connect in a single evening:
- You’ll learn to make your own empanadas in a fun, creative session.
- You’ll participate in a guided tasting of premium Argentine wines.
- You’ll savor world-class, perfectly cooked steak (we take this very seriously).
- You’ll finish with a full dessert tasting and the traditional social ritual of mate.
This is the high-caliber, authentic culture the world is celebrating, all in one night. This is the #1 Food & Drink experience in Buenos Aires on TripAdvisor, praised by international press like BBC Travel and CNN.
The Final Ranking: Who We Beat
This win feels even bigger when you see the world-class cities that Buenos Aires surpassed to take the Gold medal.
The Wanderlust Reader Travel Awards 2025 are a globally respected benchmark, and the competition was intense. Here is the final Top 10 “Most Desirable City (World)” ranking, as voted by those 208,000 readers:
- Gold: Buenos Aires, Argentina
- Silver: Tokyo, Japan
- Bronze: Sydney, Australia
The Top 10 also included global powerhouses like Cape Town, Vancouver, Singapore, Marrakech, and Rio de Janeiro.
Making that 6-position climb to beat cities like Tokyo and Sydney sends a clear message: travelers are searching for exactly the kind of authentic, creative, and passionate culture Buenos Aires delivers.
Explore Buenos Aires and draw your own conclusions
Argentina’s capital has so much to see and do, and it’s full of people who will make you feel truly welcome.
So, if you landed on this article because you already have a trip planned (or maybe you didn’t, but now you do!), you can’t miss the full cultural immersion waiting for you. The best way to understand why Buenos Aires won, to truly feel the warmth, the connection, and the incredible Argentine gastronomy that charmed 208,000 voters, is to join us at the table.
Not ready to book just yet? We get it. We still have plenty of local tips and guides for planning your trip on our blog.