The best cities for street photography in 2027

Which city is best for street photography? Not the one on a travel blog’s bucket list, but the one where street photographers actually go out and shoot.

We mapped more than 137,000 street photos shared on PortraitMode, taken in 6,867 cities across 159 countries. If you’re planning a street photography trip in 2027, this is where the community goes, and where you’ll find the most to learn from before you get there.

The top 10 cities

We ranked cities by the number of photographers who have shot there, not by photo count. That way one very active local can’t put a city on top on their own.

London isn’t just first, it’s in a league of its own: almost 50% more photographers than New York, and more photos than New York and Tokyo combined.

The top 5 up close

1. London

Photo by Mike Chudley, shot in London.

London has it all within a few Tube stops: the crowds of Soho and Oxford Street, the markets and murals of Shoreditch and Brick Lane, commuters pouring over London Bridge, and the South Bank’s long, low winter light. Grey days are a gift here, not a problem. See all 7,252 London photos

2. New York

Photo by Kurt Slater, shot in New York.

Midtown at rush hour, the subway, the Lower East Side, Coney Island in summer: New York has been the capital of street photography since long before the word existed. The hard light between the skyscrapers creates the deep shadows and sharp light beams that make so many great frames. See all 3,331 New York photos

3. Paris

Photo by Marco Renz, shot in Paris.

Paris is where Cartier-Bresson and Doisneau shaped the genre, and the city still rewards patience: café terraces, the Métro, Montmartre’s stairs, Belleville and the Marais. Expect plenty of tourists in the center; the neighborhoods further out are where daily life happens. See all 1,443 Paris photos

4. Tokyo

Photo by Lukasz Palka, shot in Tokyo.

From the Shibuya crossing and Shinjuku’s neon to the quiet backstreets of Yanaka and Asakusa, Tokyo changes character every few blocks. It’s also one of the safest big cities to shoot in at night. Be aware that privacy is taken seriously in Japan: shoot respectfully and don’t push a camera into people’s faces. See all 2,698 Tokyo photos

5. Berlin

Photo by Ricardo Garcia, shot in Berlin.

Berlin is raw rather than pretty: the U-Bahn, Alexanderplatz, the canals and late-night streets of Kreuzberg and Neukölln, and endless concrete and graffiti to frame people against. A relaxed city where hardly anyone cares about your camera. See all 1,523 Berlin photos

Europe dominates the list

Seven of the top 10 cities are in Europe. Dense old centers, people living their lives outdoors and an easy train ride between cities make it the easiest continent for a street photography trip: you could technically shoot London, Paris and Amsterdam in a single week.

Japan is more than Tokyo

Kyoto (87 photographers) and Osaka (82) both make the top 20 as well, next to Tokyo. No other country has three cities that high on the list. If you only have one trip in 2027, Japan gets you three very different cities on one rail pass: Tokyo’s crowds, Kyoto’s old streets and Osaka’s loud, friendly nightlife.

Asia’s city-states punch above their weight

Hong Kong just misses the top 10 with 105 photographers, but with 1,825 photos it’s the fifth most-photographed city on PortraitMode. Singapore (1,273 photos) does make the list. Packed streets, markets, neon and towers on a small footprint: you can’t walk far in either city without finding a picture.

Photos vs. photographers

Count only photos and the list looks very different. Moscow comes in second with 4,691 photos, but from 80 photographers. And a few smaller cities, like Kiel, Winnipeg and Lancaster, have more than 1,000 photos each, mostly from a handful of very dedicated locals.

That’s a lesson in itself: you don’t need a famous city. Walk the same streets again and again, and your hometown becomes a body of work.

Beyond the capitals

Not every great street photography city is a capital. These cities draw street photographers from all over:

• Kyoto, Japan: 87 photographers
• Venice, Italy: 78 photographers
• Porto, Portugal: 74 photographers
• Hamburg, Germany: 73 photographers
• Brighton, United Kingdom: 54 photographers

The top countries

The UK has the most photos of any country, even though the US has more photographers. Portugal, a country of ten million people, makes the top 10 thanks to Lisbon and Porto.

What this means if you’re planning a trip in 2027

• Go where people are. Every city on the list is dense, walkable and lived in outdoors.
• Pick neighborhoods, not landmarks. The best photos from these cities rarely show the famous sights.
• Look before you go. Browse a city’s page on PortraitMode to see what other street photographers found there, and where.
• Your own city counts. Some of the biggest collections on PortraitMode come from one person shooting their hometown for years.

New to street photography? Our guide to getting started with street photography covers gear, ethics, light and composition, and how to take your first shots. And if you’re still choosing a camera, here are the most popular street photography cameras.

Want to see what these cities look like through other photographers’ eyes? Every city and country on PortraitMode has its own page full of real street photos. Explore all places.

Frequently asked questions

What is the best city for street photography?

Based on where street photographers actually shoot, London. With 550 photographers and more than 7,000 photos on PortraitMode, it’s well ahead of New York, Paris and Tokyo.

What is the best city in Europe for street photography?

London, followed by Paris, Berlin, Amsterdam, Lisbon, Rome and Barcelona. Seven of the ten most popular street photography cities are in Europe.

What is the best city in Asia for street photography?

Tokyo is the most popular, followed by Singapore and Hong Kong. Kyoto, Osaka, Bangkok, Kuala Lumpur and Seoul are popular as well.

What is the best city in the US for street photography?

New York, by far, with 373 photographers. Los Angeles, San Francisco and Chicago follow.

Do I need to travel for street photography?

No. Some of the biggest collections on PortraitMode come from photographers shooting the same city for years. Knowing a place well often beats a short visit somewhere famous.