Renowned century-old American magazine Architectural Digest has published its list of the world’s most beautiful cities – and topping that list is our very own capital city of Adelaide.

The magazine praised Adelaide’s picturesque location, blend of architectural styles and proximity to Australia’s best wine regions when placing it at the top of a list of 20 cities which included Tallinn in Estonia, Singapore, Paris, New York and Chiang Mai, Thailand.

“Find surf, sand dunes, and Art Deco architecture in Adelaide, the capital of South Australia,” Architectural Digest wrote.

“In fact, you can experience all three, as well as Victorian architecture at Semaphore Beach, just nine miles from the city centre.

“Beyond the beach, Adelaide has rolling hills lush with high-quality grapes, making it the country’s wine capital. When not sipping an Australian cab, nature lovers can spot koalas and kangaroos on a hike in the Adelaide Hills.”

The listing is quite an international coup for Adelaide, with Architectural Digest boasting more than 17 million followers across its social media platforms.

The journal’s writers admitted that whittling the world’s most beautiful places down to a list of just 20 was no easy task.

“All this to say, our list is by no means definitive,” they wrote.

“Twenty cities is far too few to sum up all the world’s beauty. But we have taken a stab at highlighting some supremely spectacular places … Some cities are hubs for contemporary architecture, while others have preserved a time long past.”