5. Istanbul

Straddling the Bosporus—and thus the only major city that occupies both Asia and Europe—Istanbul also spans the ancient and modern worlds. The sounds of construction compete with the call of the muezzin, and the skyline, a glittering ribbon of palaces and mosques, is dotted with rooftop nightclubs. One reason the city skyrocketed back onto the World’s Best Cities list after two absent years? The appeal of Istanbul’s latest culinary trend: resurrecting ancient Ottoman recipes, such as garlicky lamb’s trotter served on toast at Asitane and juicy kubbes—dumplings filled with beef and pignoli—at Cercis Murat Konaği, on the city’s Asian side.