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Aerial view of a long exposure shot of city traffic at night
chungking | Adobe Stock

These 10 Cities Have the Worst Traffic in the World

Don’t want to spend your vacation stuck in traffic? Avoid these destinations, where residents spend an average of nearly one hour each day sitting in road congestion.

Online language platform Preply analyzed data to determine which cities in the world have the worst traffic. 

The study found that New Delhi, India, is the destination with the most traffic—residents here spend an average of 57.37 minutes per day stuck in gridlock.

If you want to maximize your next vacation without spending hours on the road, head to Canberra, Australia, which is the world’s best capital city for traffic, according to the study. In Canberra, the average amount of time spent in traffic per day is just 23.91 minutes per day.

City Position Minutes Spent in Traffic Per Day
New Delhi, India 1 57.37
Manila, Philippines 2 54.02
Jakarta, Indonesia 3 52.88
Mexico City, Mexico 4 52.45
Bogotá, Colombia 5 51.96
Cairo, Egypt 6 50.21
Buenos Aires, Argentina 7 48.15
Bangkok, Thailand 8 46.18
Beijing, China 9 44.61
London, United Kingdom 10 43.72
Paris, France 11 42.52
Seoul, South Korea 12 42.22
Tokyo, Japan 13 42.19
Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia 14 41.78
Rome, Italy 15 41.36
Information Courtesy of Preply

Tips for Avoiding Traffic

Although traffic jams are an unavoidable aspect of city living, there are things you can do to reduce the amount of time spent sitting on the road while traveling.

Utilize Public Transit

Woman standing holding the hand rails on a public bus
dusanpetkovic1 | Adobe Stock

Public transportation around the world is generally cheap, and can often be faster for getting around than driving. Before visiting a new city, save maps of the public transportation system offline, and be sure to download any payment apps you’ll need in order to board (or learn how and where to buy tickets so you’ll be prepared when you arrive.)

Time Your Drives

Over the shoulder view of person driving a car at twilight
Мухтар Женисов | Adobe Stock

Rush hour varies by city, so learn what local working hours are and try to avoid being on the road during peak commuting times if possible. Rush hour is a great time for a leisurely breakfast or afternoon happy hour as a tourist. Try to avoid scheduling flights that arrive/leave around rush hour, and if you do have to head to the airport during peak traffic times, be sure to build in lots of extra time to get there.

Download Traffic Apps

Close up of person using a smartphone with a line of traffic unfocused in the background
ipopba | Adobe Stock

If you’re in an unfamiliar destination, download a navigation app like Waze that will give you real-time traffic alerts along with alternative routes to beat congestion.  

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