Some cities are just so achingly pretty, it's a wonder the locals get any work done. We present our favourite picks.

Beautiful isn't a word we normally associate with cities. Powerful, certainly; even glamorous, exciting, noisy and great, but not necessarily beautiful. To salute those that are, whether due to their architectural attributes or their natural wonders, we present our definitive list of beautiful cities around the world. Of course we understand that beauty almost always resides in the eye of the beholder — you may not necessarily agree with our list.

Some may be outraged to find New York, London and Rome (to name a few) missing but no one ever said famous meant beautiful.