Ro's Recz

This is my own personal list of my 15 favorite cities in the world to visit. I have ranked them in 10 categories on a scale of 1-10: local cuisine, non-local food, public transportation, safety, scenery/beauty, history, price, cleanliness, tourist friendly, and walkability.

These are my own personal opinions, and I am sure that many people would disagree with the rankings. These are only cities that I have personally visited, so if your city is not on here, that may just mean I have not been yet.

Local Cuisine (how good the cities local cuisine/food was): 10/10

The local food in Honolulu is great, as long as you love fish! With some of the freshest fish anywhere in the world, it is a seafood paradise. If you visit, you 100% have to eat a ton of poke, and some of the best spots include Ono Seafood and Tamura’s Fine Wine (don’t be fooled by the name, as their king crab poke is amazing).

Non-Local Food (how good food from other places was): 9/10

Since Honolulu has so many Asians, it is bound to have good Asian food as well. There are a bunch of touristy places, especially in Waikiki, but there are some great spots if you just look on Yelp!

Public Transportation (whether they had trains, subways, buses, etc. and how accessible they were): 4/10

Sadly, public transportation is virtually nonexistent in Hawaii. There is the failed rail project that has never actually been built. Apart from driving your own car, the only options are taxis, Ubers, and a poor bus system.

Safety (how safe I feel the city is): 10/10

Honolulu is one of the safest places in America, and crime should not be an issue when visiting.

Scenery/Beauty (how pretty/cool the sites and nature were to look at): 10/10

I think Honolulu’s reputation speaks for itself, as it is one of the most beautiful places in the world. With its beaches and all-year sunshine, it is definitely the place to be.

History Monuments (how the city’s historical monuments are): 7/10

Honolulu does not have many historical sites because it is not that old (at least as part of the United States). There are some sites such as Pearl Harbor, Iolani Palace, and a couple others, but not as much as other cities around the world.

Price (how expensive it was to visit the city, not including airfare (lower score means more expensive, higher score means good value)): 5/10

Honolulu is not a place for those on a budget. Hotels are generally very expensive, and since it is an island, supplies are also expensive since they are hard to ship to Hawaii.

Cleanliness (how clean the city was in general): 10/10

Honolulu is generally a very clean city, and it is very well maintained. There may be a little trash/debris here and there, but overall it is a clean place.

Tourist Friendly (how accessible and accommodating the city is for tourists (mainly English speakers)): 10/10

Hawaii is THE TOURIST destination, so it is extremely welcoming to tourists. Since tourism is the #2 industry in Honolulu after the military, it has to be very friendly to tourists! Also, of course, everyone speaks English!

Walkability (how easy it is to walk around the city): 7/10

Hawaii is not super easy to walk around (you will need a car to get to some places). However, there is generally a lot to do if you stay in Waikiki. This is the place where most tourists stay, and there are plenty of beaches, shops, and restaurants within walking distance.

Conclusion: If this list was for cities that I would want to live in; Hawaii would no doubt be #1 or #2 (maybe I will do this list at a later time). Unfortunately, Hawaii is lacking in a couple key areas of this criteria (i.e. public transportation, which drags its ranking down). However, what my criteria does not account for is Hawaii’s all around great weather, beaches, hiking trails, people, and overall charm. Therefore, even though it is only #12 according to this list, I would still 100% recommend coming to Honolulu.

Total Score (Combined Score of all the categories): 82/100