Abu Dhabi, Riyadh, Manama among world’s top 10 capital cities to visit

By Amirtha P S, Desk Reporter
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A new ranking by travel experts at Bounce has identified Abu Dhabi, Riyadh and Manama among the world’s best capital cities to visit on vacation based on factors like the average cost of a hotel and transport, number of attractions and restaurants and average temperatures and rainfall.

The capital city of UAE, Abu Dhabi secured the second position following Valletta, the capital city of the small Mediterranean island nation of Malta. The capital of Bahrain and Saudi Arabia was ranked fourth and fifth position, respectively.

Bounce, on explaining the concept behind the rating stated that one of the most popular areas of a country to visit is the capital city, due to it being a hub for tourist activities, sightseeing, and amenities within a nation.

The travel experts have ranked 69 of the most developed capitals by considering numerous factors. Apart from the man-made features and amenities, the weather and climate of cities have also been taken into consideration when identifying the best capital cities.

UAE capital Abu Dhabi ranks second with a score of 6.24 out of 10, missing out on the top spot by just 0.5. The city has one of the lowest annual rainfall totals with only 42mm dropping in the desert locale. Moreover, the year-round average temperature in the city is 27.92 degrees Celsius which is the fourth highest of all cities studied.

Bahrain’s capital city Manama is the fourth-best for a holiday in the world with a score of 5.77/10. Manama has a very low crime rate score of just 17.28/100, on top of this, it scored well for average temperatures and annual rainfall due to its geographical location.

Saudi Arabia’s capital city Riyadh was ranked fifth with a score of 5.74 out of 10. Riyadh has slightly less rainfall than Manama but also slightly lower temperatures, therefore the Saudi capital ranks just below their neighbors. There are over 17.1 million hashtag mentions for Riyadh on Instagram and a low level of crime at 21.38/100.

According to Bounce, Ankara (Turkey) is the best capital city for hotel prices, with an average price of $45.74 per night, while Luxembourg was crowned the best capital city for transport in the world for its free public transport services. Bangkok (Thailand) is the best for temperature with an average of 26.6 degrees, while Cairo (Egypt) has the least rainfall with only 18mm of average rainfall per year, it added.

Related: Etihad expects rise in travel demand as Abu Dhabi opens borders to fully vaccinated travelers

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