Earlier this week, Time Out released a list of the “51 Coolest Neighborhoods in the World” and included eight in Latin America.
“The neighborhoods we’ve featured below are, simply put, incredible places to be right now,” Time Out wrote. “They’re areas with accessible, cutting-edge culture and nightlife; brilliant and affordable food and drink; lively street life and big community vibes.”
Time Out compiled the list by surveying thousands of city residents from around the globe about the “coolest spots in their city right now.” Then, that information was combined with input from a global network of editors and writers.
Bookending the entire list are two neighborhoods in Mexico – Colonia Americana in Guadalajara, which came in at No. 1, and Versalles in Puerto Vallarta, which came in at No. 51.
Colonia Americana is described as “an edgy blend of art deco and neoclassical mansions with artists’ squats and warehouses containing some of the city’s best music venues.” Some of the venues that are suggested to visit include Segundo Piso Music, Templo Expiatorio del Santísimo and Café Correcto. About 200 miles west, Versalles is described as “an inconspicuous part of town” and “charming…like a small town.”
At No. 9, Barrio Yungay in Santiago, Chile, has “had an edgy reputation in recent years but…has now become a magnet for the young and cool.” Chile’s president Gabriel Boric moved to the neighborhood earlier this year.
At No. 13 is Vila Madalena in São Paulo, Brazil. The neighborhood is described as having a “bohemian character” and made up of “youthful trendy types.” The “rum-sodden and rebellious” neighborhood of San Isidro in Havana, Cuba, comes in at No. 14. There, visitors can find “its own resistance movement against Cuba’s restrictive regime, spearheaded by local artists and musicians.”
The list continues with Chacarita in Buenos Aires, Argentina, at No. 34; Santurce in San Juan, Puerto Rico, at No. 40; and Barrio Escalante in San José, Costa Rica, at No. 41.