Bangalore. India

Cosmopolitan Bengaluru is the number one city in South India, blessed with a tolerable climate and a burgeoning nightlife, dining and shopping scene. It’s not a place you visit for the world-class sights (although it has a few beautiful parks and well-preserved Victorian-era architecture), but rather to experience the new, global face of India. During the past decade Bangalore experiences an amazing surge of development, along with heavy traffic and rising pollution. However, it has also taken care to preserve its green spaces and historical landmarks. While urbanisation pushes its boundaries outward, the central district remains much the same as it did under the British.