Victoria, B.C. is one of the friendliest cities in the world, according to the readers of Conde Nast Traveler.
The magazine released its findings for 2014 in August, and on Monday published its international 'friendliest' list on its own site and on BusinessInsider.com, where it has a contributing account. CN also published its list of the friendliest cities in the United States, although none of them could top British Columbia's capital city – not even with that famous Southern hospitality we've all heard so much about.
So forget Southern comfort. It's all about Island fever, for now.
"There's just so much to do in Victoria, you need at least a week to see it," the magazine writes, in its submission to BI. "'Bike on the Galloping Goose, people-watch at Moka House Coffee, sip wine at Beacon Hill Park, go whale watching, and on and on,' one of our readers advises.
Conde Nast's readers also recommended walking around Victoria's harbor, or going for a stroll through the famous Empress Hotel, "even if you don't go for high tea".
Only two Oceanic cities – Melbourne, Australia and Auckland, New Zealand tied for the top spot – placed higher than Victoria on the worldwide list, and Charleston, South Carolina was the top American city, coming in fourth.
(The full list is below.)
The magazine says it asks readers to rate 'friendliness' as "with respect to where you felt welcome". Using that definition, Victoria's third-place score was an 85.7.
1. Auckland, New Zealand
1. Melbourne, Australia
3. Victoria, B.C.
4. Charleston, South Carolina, USA
5. Dublin, Ireland
5. Sydney, Australia
7. Siem Reap, Cambodia
9. Savannah, Georgia, USA
9. Seville, Spain
11. Budapest, Hungary
11. Salzburg, Austria