Five of the coolest neighbourhoods

Rio de Janeiro. Photo / Getty Images

Thomas Bywater five of the hippest neighbourhoods… you've probably never heard of.

1 Connewitz, Leipzig, Germany

Leipzig is regularly called "The New Berlin", but don't say that to the locals. Two hours south of the German capital, the neighbourhood of Connewitz has become a haven for artists priced out of the big city. Once home to Wagner, Handel and Bach, there's still a thriving music scene here. Main street Karl Liebneckt strasse — "der Karlie" to those in the know—runs from the city centre out to bathing lakes in the south.

2 Seongsu-Dong, Seoul, Korea

The revival of the Seongsu-Dong warehouses has injected a youthful dose of culture into this industrial Korean quarter. Once left to rot, the district is now full of boutiqueshops, cafes and artisan trades. Colourful, wall-high murals are a popular method to advertise their ware. Within the many layers of hipster industry sits Cafe Onion. At the centre of this brutalist, industrial concrete shell are sweet treats and views over Seoul.

3 Vesterbro, Copenhagen

Vesterbro is dedicated to all things hip and hygge. Its cycle-friendly streets, cafe culture and general Scandinavian bonhomie has been fetishised and reproduced in arts quarters the world over. But the area surrounding the Tivoli Gardens is the real deal. It's peppered with theatres and more than a dozen art galleries. Highlights include the Danish Centre of Photography and the challenging Warehouse9. Meat lovers can digest some conceptual fare in Fleisch, which is a combined bar, restaurant and butcher.

4 Santa Teresa, Riode Janeiro, Brazil

Take a journey up the Selaron steps — Jorge Selaron's red, blue and gold tiled masterpiece — and you'll begin to get a feel for the Santa Teresa's credentials as an arts district. Yellow trams stream in from the centre of Rio. Its "Mercado das Pulgas" flea markets and its samba clubs are legendary throughout the city. Parque das Ruinas was built in 1907 as commune for Brazilian artists, and not much has changed. It offers some of the best views of Guanabara Bay.

5 Hackney Wick, London, UK

On the way to the London Docklands, Hackney Wick is an island ofreclaimed land in the east 'Ends'. Sandwiched between the glass towers of Canary Wharf and the Olympic Park, this is where the Grime music scene rubs shoulders with fine art. Artists' studios regularly hold open door events for you to spot the next big thing. Like a giant aspirational metaphor, Anish Kapoor's 114m sculpture Orbit — you can ride a giant slide down its outside — is visible from across the borough.