Istanbul, beat out Rome and London as the world’s top city in TripAdvisor’s 2014 Travelers’ Choice Destinations.

2014 Travellers’ Choice TripAdvisor Awards place the Turkish City of Istanbul Ahead of Rome, London, Paris and New York

Istanbul has topped the “Top 25 Destinations” list on TripAdvisor, the world’s biggest travel website as World Bulletin online reports. Rome, London, Beijing, Prague, Marrakech, and Paris followed Istanbul on the list, which is based on user comments and ratings.

The City, jumped to the top spot despite a corruption scandal surrounding the country’s prime minister and high-profile street protests last year.  The 2014 TripAdvisor Traveller’s Choice Awards is based on users’ reviews and ratings over a 12-month period. The sixth annual awards saw Istanbul jump from 11th place to first within the past year.

TripAdvisor users ranked these international cities as best in the world:

1. Istanbul
2. Rome
3. London
4. Beijing
5. Prague, Czech Republic
6. Marrakech, Morocco
7. Paris
8. Hanoi
9. Siem Reap, Cambodia
10. Shanghai