Vibrant skyline helps Toronto rank amongst world’s most scenic cities after dark

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Toronto has the nightlife and tourists love to boogie on over.

Noctourism, travelling specifically to experience activities and attractions at night, is one of 2025’s growing travel trends.

To see which cities shone the brightest, the long-haul travel specialists at Travelbag analyzed more than 100 cities around the world using data including Instagram hashtags, noise and light pollution, nighttime safety and the number of late-night venues to determine which were the most popular locales after dark.

Three Canadian cities — Toronto, Montreal and Vancouver — made the top 15.

Of the three Canadian cities, Toronto had the lowest score when it comes to nighttime safety (52 versus Vancouver’s 54 and Montreal’s 66). It also had less late-night venues open at night with an estimated 324. (Montreal boasted about 357, while Vancouver had 354.)

Toronto also scored 49 for light and noise pollution — the same as Montreal and six more points than Vancouver.

However, Toronto was the highest ranked Canadian city when it came to social media with 18,200 Instagram hashtags capturing the CN Tower and the rest of the vibrant skyline.

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Montreal had less than half of that with 7,515 hashtags, while Vancouver had even less at 5,025.

Ultimately, though, no destination came close to New York City. It’s not called the “City that Never Sleeps” for nothing!

The Big Apple topped the list with 40,800 Instagram hashtags capturing its late-night appeal, from the electric glow of Times Square to twilight views atop the Empire State Building.

And despite a light and noise score of 69, it had a safety score of 46 and boasted a whopping 2,302 venues open after dark, from rooftop bars in Brooklyn to lively jazz clubs in Harlem.

Tokyo came in second with 19,100 Instagram hashtags thanks to its ultramodern yet deeply traditional charm, from buzzing alleys, nighttime food tours to the neon-lit wonderland Japan’s capital is known for.

But it was its other scores — light and noise pollution was 46; safety scored a 75; and 996 late-night venues — that put it high on the list.

Dubai came in third, Singapore took the fourth spot while Muscat, Oman, rounded out the top five.

The glamorous big-city destinations all provide late-night adventures including bustling night markets, while in the cities surrounded by desert, visitors can enjoy beach clubs that come alive after dark.

Kyoto, Japan, Sydney and Seoul followed, while Melbourne, Taipei and Abu Dhabi were sandwiched between Toronto and Montreal. Phuket, Thailand, also made the cut.