London is the world's second-best city in 2026 — and your ETA does not cover Dublin
Oxford Economics ranked 1,000 cities and put London second and Dublin sixth. Travellers often plan both in one trip. An ETA lets you travel to the UK, Jersey, Guernsey or the Isle of Man — Ireland is not on that list, and Dublin needs its own permission.
Where London and Dublin landed
The Oxford Economics Global Cities Index for 2026 scores the world's 1,000 largest cities across five measures: economics, human capital, quality of life, environment and governance.
| Rank | City | Country |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | New York | United States |
| 2 | London | United Kingdom |
| 3 | Paris | France |
| 4 | Seattle | United States |
| 5 | San Francisco | United States |
| 6 | Dublin | Ireland |
| 7 | Boston | United States |
| 8 | San Jose | United States |
| 9 | Tokyo | Japan |
| 10 | Zurich | Switzerland |
What London actually scores well on
London's overall score is 98.8. It takes a perfect 100 for human capital, the measure covering skills, education and the diversity of a city's population.
Its weakest measure is quality of life, at 77. For a visitor that reads as it sounds: an extraordinary city to spend time in, an expensive one to spend money in. Budget accordingly and the ranking makes sense.
Dublin is sixth, and it is not in the UK
This is where a good trip plan goes wrong. London and Dublin are a short flight apart, both are in the top ten, and it is natural to put them in one itinerary. They are two countries with two separate immigration systems.
GOV.UK is precise about what an ETA buys you: an electronic travel authorisation "lets you travel to the UK, Jersey, Guernsey or the Isle of Man for up to 6 months".
Ireland is not on that list. An ETA is not permission to enter Ireland, and holding one has no bearing on an Irish border officer's decision. If Dublin is on your itinerary, check Ireland's own entry requirements for your nationality separately, and do it before you book.
What the ETA does cover
The four places named above travel together on one authorisation, which surprises people: Jersey, Guernsey and the Isle of Man are not part of the UK, but they are covered. Ireland, which many travellers assume is covered, is not.
Northern Ireland is part of the UK, so an ETA covers it. Crossing the land border from Northern Ireland into the Republic takes you out of the UK and into Ireland, whatever the absence of a checkpoint suggests.
Where we stand, honestly. We file UK ETA applications and nothing else. We do not handle Irish visas or permissions, and nothing here is immigration advice. For Ireland, check the Irish Immigration Service's own guidance for your nationality. For the UK, the rules that apply to you are on GOV.UK.
Checked against the official sources below on 27 September 2026.