The Daily Telegraph

Copenhagen, Jun 9: The Danish capital left major centres like London and New York trailing in its wake in a report by lifestyle magazine Monocle.

It was praised for cutting edge design, its great transport system, restaurants and environmental credentials.

The report looked at factors ranging from architecture to the prospects of ordering a good glass of wine at 1am.

London and New York both failed to make it into the top 20 on the list. Munich was runner-up and Tokyo, Zurich and Helsinki made up the rest of the top five.

Paris made the top 10 and received special praise for its Vélib bicycle sharing scheme.

Monocle was set up by Tyler Brule, the founder of Wallpaper magazine, 18 months ago.

Mr Brule said: “As the planet becomes an increasingly urban place, delivering life improving essentials to cities big and small is proving more than a challenge.

“Radical environmental initiatives that pull cars off streets can do wonders but can also kill off passing trade.

“New developments, designed to attract investment, can not only boost local fortunes but also drive out all those people that made the city interesting in the first place.”

Madrid was named best city for business while Berlin was best for culture with “unparalleled” art galleries.