A new study analyzed Instagram engagement and café density across 70 global cities to determine which destinations are best for coffee lovers seeking an Instagram-worthy experience. After analyzing over 150 million Instagram posts using various coffee and beverage-related hashtags, the research revealed 10 “coffee capital” cities that are perfect for java junkies.
The study evaluated each city using price analysis of 10 coffee varieties, total café counts, and Instagram hashtag volumes for location-specific coffee content. Cities were ranked using a weighted methodology prioritizing affordability (40%), social media engagement (30%), and café accessibility (30%) to identify locations offering great coffee experiences.
Ranked number one as the world’s top coffee capital for Instagram was London, receiving a 100/100 Coffee Culture Score. London ranks as one of the most expensive in terms of coffee pricing, yet it generates strong social media engagement around its coffee scene. In second place is Melbourne, Australia, which globally leads Instagram engagement with over 1.1 million coffee-related posts. In third place was Brazil’s largest city, São Paulo, earning a total coffee culture score of 97.1. Other cities that made the top 10 list include various Italian cities like Milan, Florence, and Rome.
“Coffee has become part of how people map and document their travel,” says Tabi Vicuña, Founder at Heepsy. Travelers increasingly plan visits around well-known attractions and those cafés that appear frequently on Instagram. The local cafés have also embraced that behavior, whether intentionally or not. Overall, café atmosphere has become part of the tourism economy in a way we couldn’t have imagined a decade ago.”
