Barcelona, the third happiest city in the world

Opinions on September 3, 2009 10:55 am

Have you ever asked yourself in which city you would be happiest? Forbes, in collaboration with the market research company GfK Roper City Brands has published a list of the 10 happiest cities in the world. Barcelona came third, after Rio de Janeiro and Sydney.

But does Barcelona really deserve this position, given that Madrid is only sixth, the eternal and  immortal Rome occupies the eighth position and romantic Paris is ninth?

Forbes/GfK’s top 10

This list, which is the result of a study based on the perception of 10,000 people who have probably never lived in these cities, has been sent around the planet and become one of the most widely-discussed subjects. As a result, I carried out a survey amongst the Oh-Barcelona team in order to find out what the people who live in the city really think about it.

Barcelona according to Oh-Barcelona’s Catalans

· Sandra has no doubt that the position of Barcelona is more than justified and is proud of her city: “The climate is mild, the city beautiful and its residents live well. It’s located by the sea but is also close to the mountains and there is a huge selection of cultural and sporting events. Not to mention its vibrant night-life.”

· Isabel is also from Barcelona and thinks that “there is more work here but the centre is not as large as Madrid, where I lived for 4 years. The ideal thing, however, would be to live in Amsterdam with Barcelona’s climate and Madrid’s night-life.” She adds that she does not like the mass-tourism and the small and expensive apartments of the catalan capital.

Barcelona from Oh-Barcelona’s international team’s perspective

·Kelsey likes living in Barcelona because “the weather is great and there are always lots of activities and events to take part in. You never get bored. There’s also the sea and the mountains, as well as the parks and beautiful buildings.” However, she does miss her home city of Amsterdam, where people are “more easy-going.”

· Paul definately thinks that “Barcelona deserves this position because it is easy to live in, public transport is efficient and there are a large number of events and festivals livening up city life,” however the proud Scot also maintains that if it weren’t for the rain, Glasgow and Edinburgh would certainly also have a place in the top 10.

· Nathalie loves the city, in which it seems that “you are forever on holiday.”

· Karina is slightly at odds with this happy image of Barcelona. When you arrive “you are overwhelmed by the numerous parties and opportunities that the city offers you and you fall in love. But after a few years of living here, you realise that it is a transcient city, in which it’s difficult to make friends, and Catalans are also quite reserved. Nevertheless, I love this city.” For Karina, one city that should be in the top 10 is Berlin due to its large number of cultural events and the fact that it is an “innovative city.”

· Barcelona has enchanted Oh-Barcelona’s Italians. It isn’t the El Dorado they expected, in fact Gabriele thinks “the rents are really expensive and there are also stressed out people here,” but as Giorgio says “it embraces people- there are opportunities to take advantage of and it isn’t as stressful” as his home city, Rome.

Our conclusions

The thing that immediately jumps to your attention is the fact that there are two spanish cities in the top 10, and it isn’t simply a question of image or sensationalism. In fact, a survey carried out in 2009 by ONU shows that Spain is the 15th country in which you live best. Barcelona is not a perfect city, but it is definately a youthful and dynamic city, and does not lack anything: sea, mountains, cultural events, night-life, good food….

…the city of a thousand faces that is definately worth visiting at least once!

And what do you think about Barcelona?

Tu My

About the author Oh-Barcelona

We are a leading holiday accommodation provider, with a fantastic choice of affordable rental apartments, hotels and hostels in the Catalan capital.
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