The ‘world’s best bar’ for 2026 has been revealed
By Maureen O’Hare, CNN
(CNN) — In our round-up of travel stories this week: Why one US family moved from Virginia to Naples, how to stop a runaway plane, plus the verdict’s in on the world’s best bars, restaurants and hotels.
The ‘world’s best bars’
When Lorenzo Antinori opened Bar Leone in Hong Kong’s fashionable Sheung Wan neighborhood in 2023, he wanted the Italian bar to feel “like my grandmother’s living room.”
That mood is captured by the simple dark wood counter, the framed photos of everyone from Al Pacino to the pope, and the laid-back mid-century “dolce vita” feel – although not everyone’s nonna does such a delicious line in filthy martinis and olive oil sours.
Bar Leone has for the second year running taken the No. 1 spot in the annual list of the world’s best bars put together by UK-based media company The 50.
Its global academy of voters has anointed Milan’s Moebius Milano as the world’s No. 2 bar. Named for the sci-fi illustrator Moebius, it’s an avant-garde drinking spot in a former textile warehouse with a huge two-story-tall olive tree right in the center.
At No. 3 is Alquímico, three stories of carnival-esque fun choreographed by an all-female bartending crew in a colonial building in the Colombian coastal city of Cartagena.
The top 5 is rounded out by Bar Us in Bangkok (No. 4), a dimly lit “drinking room” that takes its cocktail flavors very seriously, and Line in Athens (No. 5), where drinks are fermented right on site.
In recent years, The 50 has grown to become quite the list factory, turning out influential annual verdicts on the world’s best restaurant (Maido in Lima), hotel (Rosewood Hong Kong) and vineyard (Vik in Chile’s Millahue Valley).
Those lists are mighty useful for publicists and for in-the-know travelers who love that zeitgeist zest – but, personally, my favorite bar of 2026 is an Irish pub in North London with a pool table, karaoke and 10 flavors of Baileys. Just follow the checklist in your heart.
Back in old Napoli
European countries such as Portugal and Spain are a popular choice for US expats. For the Salesberry family from Virginia, however, it was Italy that stole their heart. They moved to Naples sight unseen nine years ago and never looked back.
“We had to learn the art of slowing down,” says Jason Salesberry of a local culture where restaurants rarely open for dinner before 7 p.m. and meals might last two or three hours. “Yet, the benefits have far outweighed the adjustments.”
In the CNN series “Stanley Tucci: Searching for Italy,” the actor visited Naples and the Amalfi coast to try the region’s famous pizza, search for the best San Marzano tomatoes and explore the volcanic island of Ischia. CNN subscribers can watch here.
Aviation innovation
Turkey’s record-breaking iGA Istanbul Airport has overtaken London Heathrow as the world’s best-connected airport, according to a new report by global travel data provider OAG.
The huge megahub opened in 2018 and the site is bigger than the whole of Manhattan. Last month, it opened a fourth runway and CEO Selahattin Bilgen tells CNN they’re just getting started. Read more about the airport’s ambitions.
New innovations are also being introduced at US airports. A type of concrete called EMAS is being installed at the end of runways as a safety feature for when a pilot loses control of an aircraft. Watch here to see how it can stop a runaway plane.
Public bathrooms
Tourists and locals alike can be more at ease when exploring NYC, as Mayor Zohran Mamdani implements a new program rolling out free modular public bathrooms in high-traffic areas across the city. CNN went to check one out in Queens.
In case you missed it
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Two hundred and fifty years later, it’s having another moment in the sun.
She met a “cute boy” in line at the airport, but they lost touch.
Twenty-seven years later, her phone started ringing. (Subscribers only.)
It was once the answer to the world’s greatest geological mystery.
Today it’s the gateway to a natural wonderland.
A student uprising. A hurricane threat. A grand homecoming.
What do you remember from the week that was?
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