‌Streets don’t tend to get much attention in travel guides. But wandering along a side street or busy shopping avenue is one of the best ways to experience a city’s culture and vibe.

The travel experts at Time Out have just unveiled their guide to the coolest streets, boulevards, avenues and plazas in the world.

While Melbourne in Australia grabbed the top spot on the list, a street in London made the top 20 and it’s one of the capital’s best places to eat.

Grace Beard, travel Editor at Time Out said: “You only really get to know a city when you veer down its side streets, and Time Out’s list of the World’s Coolest Streets celebrates the avenues, thoroughfares, backstreets and boulevards where local life really thrives.

“Nominated by our local expert editors and contributors – who know their cities like nobody else – these are the best streets in cities around the world right now to eat, drink, dance, shop and stroll.”

Gerrard Street, the centre of London’s iconic Chinatown district, was named the 17th coolest street in the world.

London’s Chinese community first started moving into what is now Chinatown in the 1950s and by the late 1960s, the area was firmly established.

Chinatown’s iconic gates were added in the 1980s and Gerrard Street was pedestrianised, making it one of London’s most walkable areas. But why is it so cool?

Joe Mackertich, editor of Time Out London, said: “Chinatown is special, both in terms of its historical significance and also its present-day, social-media powered renaissance.

“A few years ago, following the pandemic, Londoners genuinely feared for its survival. Today, Gerrard Street (Chinatown’s main lantern-festooned drag) is maybe the most bustling, lively bit of London.”

Joe recommends eating at Real Beijing Food House and heading to Loon Fung supermarket to pick up fresh ingredients and condiments.