If Billy Joel didn't already convince you to add Vienna to your bucket list, perhaps this will: the Austrian capital was just named the world's best city.
The 18th Mercer Quality of Life study wasn't so kind to some of the planet's other major metropolises. London, Paris, and New York City failed to crack the top 35. Paris tumbled 10 places to land at 37th, just ahead of London at 39th. New York clocked in at 44th.
“The study examined social and economic conditions, health, education, housing and the environment,” reports The Guardian, “and is used by big companies to assess where they should locate and how much they should pay staff.” Vienna native Helena Hartlauer told The Guardian she wasn't surprised her hometown took the top spot, as it is surprisingly affordable compared to many major cities.
“Vienna has ranked top in the last seven published rankings,” said Mercer. “It scores highly in a number of categories; it provides a safe and stable environment to live in, a high level of public utilities and transport facilities, and good recreational facilities.”
Vienna is joined in the top ten by Zurich (2), Auckland (3), Munich (4), Vancouver (5), Dusseldorf (6), Frankfurt (7), Geneva (8), Copenhagen (9), and Sydney (10).