A Marseille neighbourhood has been crowned the “coolest in the world” in Time Out magazine’s annual ranking.

Licked in graffiti, lined with vintage stores and soundtracked by live music, Notre-Dame-du-Mont was selected for its “rebellious spirit”.

It’s among 38 neighbourhoods identified by Time Out’s global team of on-the-ground writers and editors as the best places to visit right now.

Two other European ‘hoods also made the top 10: Stokes Croft and St Paul’s in Bristol UK (6th place) and Príncipe Real in Lisbon, Portugal (8th place).

What makes Notre-Dame-du-Mont Europe’s coolest neighbourhood?

With its diverse population, rich culture and Mediterranean climate, the port city of Marseille in southern France is cool and chaotic in equal measure.

Once known as the artists’ district, Notre-Dame-du-Mont encapsulates this with its lively restaurants, art galleries and independent shops.

Time Out recommends heading to iconic neighbourhood bakery Pain Pan for brioche before checking out the paintings and sculptures at Galerie Charivari.

Grab a new read at L’Histoire de l’œil bookshop and youth space, paired with coffee from Razzia or a drink on the terrace at Café la Muse.

Cap off your day with dinner at Livingston, which hosts a rotation of chefs in residence, before bedding down at the design-led Mama Shelter hotel.

Marseille is easily reachable from across Europe, with TGV InOui trains linking it with Paris in just three hours. The arrival station, Marseille Saint-Charles, is just over 20 minutes’ walk from Notre-Dame-du-Mont.

Where are Europe’s other coolest neighbourhoods?

Time Out’s list recognises 38 neighbourhoods around the world, ranging from overlooked suburbs to historically cool spots experiencing a renaissance.

It doesn’t all come down to hipster hallmarks like street art and craft breweries: the locales were selected for reflecting the best of the cities’ culture, community spirit, nightlife, food and drink.

Zabłocie in Kraków, Poland came in 11th place, trumping original hipster hub Kazimierz thanks to its rejuvenated riverside parks and creative eateries paired with landmark sites like Oskar Schindler’s Factory and the brutalist Museum of Contemporary Art (MOCAK).

Punavuori in Helsinki, Finland, takes 14th place, with Time Out comparing it to the likes of New York’s Brooklyn or Berlin’s Kreuzberg.

In Berlin itself, though, Friedrichshain (18th place) outshines Kreuzberg, having matured after years of being trampled by tourists seeking out fabled nightclub Berghain and the East Side Gallery.

Back in France, bustling Belleville in Paris comes in 20th place for its vibrant atmosphere and line-up of festivities and carnivals.

In the UK, Strathbungo in Glasgow (22nd place) and Leyton in London (24th place) are where it’s at, while in Dublin, Ireland, Inchicore takes 25th place.

Portugal gains another entry with Bonfim, Porto, in 30th place, followed by Hungary’s Palace District in Budapest (31st place).

After Norway was added to China’s visa-free list earlier in September, four more European countries have made the cut.

Citizens of Cyprus, Denmark, Greece and Slovenia have now been granted visa waivers for the Asian nation, bringing the total number of European countries up to 17.

In July, tourists from Poland, Australia and New Zealand were also granted unrestricted entry to China until the end of 2025.

Since the start of 2024, the scheme has been announced in stages, with various European nations and Malaysia also gaining visa-free access. It aims to encourage more people to visit China for business and tourism, and promote exchanges between Chinese citizens and foreign nationals.

The full list of European countries now includes Austria, Belgium, Cyprus, Denmark, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Ireland, Italy, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Slovenia, Spain and Switzerland. Tourists from these countries will be allowed to enter China for short stays without a visa until the end of next year.

The aim is “to facilitate the high-quality development of Chinese and foreign personnel exchanges and high-level opening up to the outside world,” Foreign Ministry spokesperson Mao Ning said at a briefing on the initial announcement made in November.

Visa-free entry will be granted for up to 15 days in the trial programme.

International travel to China is still bouncing back

China’s strict pandemic measures, which included required quarantines for all arrivals, discouraged many people from visiting for nearly three years. The restrictions were lifted early last year, but international travel has yet to bounce back to pre-pandemic levels.

China previously allowed citizens of Brunei, Japan and Singapore to enter without a visa but suspended that after the COVID-19 outbreak. It resumed visa-free entry for Brunei and Singapore in July but has not done so for Japan.

In 2023, China recorded 35.5 million entries and exits by foreigners, according to immigration statistics. That compares to 97.7 million for all of 2019, the last year before the pandemic.

The government has been seeking foreign investment to help boost a sluggish economy, and some businesspeople have been coming for trade fairs and meetings, including Tesla’s Elon Musk and Apple’s Tim Cook. Foreign tourists are still a rare sight compared to before the pandemic.

How else is China simplifying travel for Europeans?

Last year saw a surge in interest in China as a tourist destination among Europeans.

Data from online travel agency Trip.com showed a 663 per cent increase in overall bookings from Europe to China compared to 2022, and an almost 29 per cent increase on 2019.

The United Kingdom and Germany were among the top 10 sources of inbound travellers to China globally, the data shows.

Shanghai remains the most popular destination among Europeans with its alluring blend of modernity and tradition, followed by Beijing, Guangzhou and Shenzhen.

Sanya, a beachside city on the southern end of China’s Hainan Island, and Chengdu – the capital of southwestern China’s Sichuan province – are emerging destinations.

Beyond it’s new visa-free schemes, the country is further encouraging inbound tourism by promoting cultural and historical attractions in partnership with Trip.com. China is also enhancing tourism infrastructure by investing in technology, travel guides and e-payment systems.

Israel launched a deadly attack on Lebanon this week as they attempt to eradicate the Hezbollah militant group in an escalation of their war with Hamas.

The bombing resulted in the deaths of at least 700 people and European nationals are now being evacuated from Lebanon.

The UK and EU governments continue to advise against all travel to Lebanon while UK and EU nationals are urged to leave while commercial options remain available.

Authorities also already warned against all but essential travel to Israel and the Occupied Palestinian Territories.

Travellers should also exercise caution when visiting some areas of neighbouring or nearby countries.

Here’s what you need to know if you’re considering a trip to Lebanon, Egypt or Jordan.

Lebanon, which lies to the north of Israel and shares a border, is now fully embroiled in the deepening Israel-Hamas conflict.

On 17 and 18 September 2024, thousands of pagers and walkie-talkies intended for use by Hezbollah exploded simultaneously across the country resulting in the deaths of 42 people, including at least 12 civilians.

Now, strikes that began on Monday have killed more than 700 people in the country.

The UK’s Foreign Office (FCDO) has now upgraded its guidelines for Lebanon, advising against all travel and urging Britons to leave the country.

It warns that there are ongoing mortar and artillery exchanges and airstrikes in Lebanon, primarily on the boundary with Israel but also in parts of the Beqaa Valley and some other locations north of the Litani river.

“Tensions are high and events could escalate with little warning, which could affect or limit exit routes out of Lebanon. In the event of deterioration in the political or security situation, commercial routes out of Lebanon could be severely disrupted or cancelled at short notice, and roads across the country could be closed,” the advice now says.

“The British embassy may be increasingly limited in the assistance that it can provide. If you are currently in Lebanon, you should leave now.”

The Australian, US and European governments including Ireland and France have also issued ‘no-go’ travel warnings for Lebanon.

Is it safe to travel to Egypt?

Although Egypt shares a border with Gaza and Israel, the country has not yet been drawn into the conflict.

However, there are several parts of the country that are considered risky for tourists.

In terms of international travel, Egypt’s borders remain open and airlines and package holiday operators are continuing as normal in the country.

Most of Egypt’s major cities and key tourist sites are located far away from the border with Israel and Gaza.

Beach resort Sharm el-Sheikh is the nearest, but it is still over two-and-a-half hours’ drive away from the closest border town and more than five hours away from the Gaza border.

Cairo, Alexandria, Hurghada and Luxor are located even further away.

However, the UK FCDO advises against all travel to some other parts of the country.

This includes within 20km of the Egypt-Libya border – except for the town of El Salloum, where it advises against all but essential travel – and the North Sinai Governorate.

The FCDO advises against all but essential travel to the northern part of the South Sinai Governorate, beyond the St Catherine-Nuweibaa road, except for the coastal areas along the west and east of the peninsula.

Its advice is the same for the Ismailiyah Governorate east of the Suez Canal, the Hala’ib Triangle, the Bir Tawil Trapezoid and the area west of the Nile Valley and Nile Delta regions, except for:

• Luxor, Qina, Aswan, Abu Simbel and the Valley of the Kings

• the Faiyum Governorate

• the coastal areas between the Nile Delta and Marsa Matruh

• the Marsa Matruh-Siwa road

• the oasis town of Siwa

• the Giza Governorate north-east of the Bahariya Oasis

• the road between Giza and Farafra (but FCDO advises against all but essential travel on the road between Bahariya and Siwa)

• Bahariya Oasis, Farafra, the White Desert and Black Desert

Ireland’s Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) has updated the security status for Egypt to ‘high degree of caution’.

It strongly advises against travel to the Governorate of North Sinai, which borders Israel and Gaza, including the Taba-Suez Road. It also warns against travel to Gaza via the Rafah border crossing.

The DFA advises arriving by air if travelling to Sharm el-Sheikh, Hurghada and immediate surrounds and Marsa Alam and immediate surrounds, and tourist areas along the Nile river (such as Luxor, Aswan and Abu Simbel).

Is it safe to travel to Jordan?

Jordan shares a border with Israel and the West Bank (one of the Occupied Palestinian Territories) as well as with Syria.

The FCDO guidelines on travel to Jordan state that it “advises against all but essential travel to within 3km of Jordan’s border with Syria.”

It also warns that the risk of terrorism is high.

“Terrorism attacks could be indiscriminate, including in places visited by foreign nationals, such as hotels, shopping malls, restaurants and tourist sites,” the advice reads.

Borders remain open and most tourist destinations in Jordan have been unaffected by the instability, but some flights to Amman and Aqaba airports have been affected.

Wizz Air has suspended all its flights to and from Jordan (and Israel) “due to the escalating situation in the region”.

Austrian Airlines and United have cancelled flights to Amman from Vienna and Washington DC respectively.

If you have a package holiday booked and choose to cancel, you are unlikely to receive a refund unless the destination is in one of the FCDO’s ‘no-go’ areas. Check online for the advice given by your government.

The Jordan Tourism Board previously released a statement emphasising that the country is a “safe and welcoming destination for tourists around the world.”

“Our commitment to ensuring the safety and wellbeing of all visitors remains unwavering,” the statement said.

“We want to reassure everyone that Jordan’s borders are open to tourists, and we are eager to share our extraordinary experiences with the world.”