Four expansions so far... what is your favorite capital city and why?

[ShiCorvus]

In no particular order...

1. Limsa Lominsa
I started as an arcanist, so Limsa is kinda like my hometown. And because it's my home I love it despite all the weirdos at the main plaza and npcs who think it's "talk like a pirate day" everyday. Oh and the music obviously, feels me with enthusiasm everytime.

2. Ishgard
Ishgard is just awesome. When i first got there I spent quite some time just walking around with my mouth hanging open taking in the architecture. Also the moment you enter it for the first time and get hit with that music theme is just perfection.

3. Kugane
What can I say, I'm a huge weeb ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

4. All the rest of them
I think there is something to like about every city and I can honestly say that I wouldn't call any of them my "least favourite"
(okay maybe Rhalgr's Reach but I don't like Gyr Abania in general and it's barely a city anyway so...)

[Kaurhz]

Ishgard, the architecture is amazing, and honestly for the most part just harkens to when I was a new player. Having got the game near the end of ARR, I was rushing to get through the story, and I finished Praetorium, got through that Level 50 quest, and I was excited to hit HW, only to find out I still had around another 127 quests before getting there, and going through that slog, the satisfaction of getting into HW... It's something hard to replicate when you aren't a new player, honestly.

I would also say Ul'dah, it generally has pretty solid vibes, and the Adventurer's Guild there is just amazing. - I would probably be here all the time if it were a more active area.

[Renalt]

Not taking other players into consideration...

1. Limsa - I think a huge port area looks really nice. I think the breeze there would be really refreshing. Also they have that restaurant that I'd most likely be spending most my gil on.

2. Gridania - I think I could relax just walking around the area. It's just really nice and the sounds of nature would also be very relaxing.

3. Kugane - Another port town so most what I've said about Limsa would reflect here.

[PercibelTheren]

It's easily Ishgard for me. Heavensward was when I really fell in love with the story. I loved the expansion. It was the first city state that made me feel like I was actually welcome. It became my home and I have had my Return there ever since. As a nice bonus, it's very peaceful. No catgirls in 2B thigh highs cluttering the main square, no Lalas spamming "WAH" everywhere I go.

[Carin-Eri]

My top 3 best cities list:
3: Foundation (Ishgard) - spectacular views, lovely background music and interesting NPCs. When I was looking for a small house I almost purchased one in the residential district here.
And the inn... I love the stark contrast between the 'Forgotten Knight' and the inns in the other city states. I actually enjoy the inn room here, with it's discarded bottles on the floor and general unkempt state - it tells its own story in a way.

2: Sharlayan: I sort of wanted this to be my #1 choice, but on reflection I think my 1st choice slightly inches it out. Eitherway, the architecture is gorgeous, the views looking out toward the ocean are wonderful and I love the background music. And everything is within easy reach.

1: Gridania: I think the fact that this is where it all started for me is a large part of why its my favorite. But that aside, I find it pretty relaxing, I love the woodland setting, it isn't usually overcrowded, the 'facilities' are within easy enough reach and there often seems to be someone playing nice music on the Aetheryte platform.
I wanted my house in the residential distract here, but to be honest was too picky about where I specifically wanted said house and never won my choice.

Least Favorite:
3: Ala'Mhigo - mostly because it feels like huge wasted potential to be honest. I wish they'd focus on the city itself post Stormblood. Whilst I know the game has to maintain a status-quo for the sake of the MSQ, in a more realistic sense would all those people who lamented the loss of Ala'Mhigo to the Garleans really still be living in tents and rickety huts in the splinter settlements (Rhalgr's reach and Little Ala'Mhigo for example) now that their beloved city has been liberated?
Also hate Rhalgr's reach - it feels as if they purposely made it stupidly big for no reason, and the Aetherytes are not all that helpful either.

2: Kugane. I completely agree with what @Enkidoh said in an earlier post in this thread. I found the layout confusing at first, and even when I'd gotten my head around where everything was it still didn't feel very convenient. And the whole place has a feeling of arrogance about it that I don't really enjoy.

1: Limsa. I really don't see what all the fuss is about, personally. I mean - besides all the facilities being located in close proximity to each other and the Aetheryte there isn't anything particularly interesting about it - and whilst it looks pretty enough (aside from the white wall overkill), I find it functionally horrible.
And so far as the overpopulated Aetheryte plaza goes, all I ever see when I visit is weirdos and AFK symbols.

[Mcg55ss]

IMO Best Kugane (just gets #1 cuz my FC house is there lol)
Ishgard
Sharlayan

Worst Ul'dah

[ZephyrMenodora]

Favorite: Gridania. Don't love the song...but personally the peaceful forest theme appeals to me.

Runners Up: Kugane - feels expansive for an XIV city and like the theme.

I like all the cities for different reasons but those two are my favorite.

[Ivtrix]

old sharylean is my favorite

[Toutatis]

Radz-at-Han: I just like the theme, the colours and the layout. I just wish I could click on the door of a townhouse there and it would open on instanced housing

Kugane comes second and Ulda'h third ( I bought both my Primal and my Aether houses in the Goblet because of that + it's practical)

I feel like we have so many cool cities with open spaces but people can't leave limsa for some reason (probably MB convenience)...

I find myself in Limsa and Ulda’h (which one depends on which character I’m on because of the gc) way more often than Radz simply because they are the most complete and practical: in Limsa, the aetheryte is right by the market board and it’s quick to travel to other servers to buy less expensive items (Ulda’h isn’t bad as the Sapphire Avenue MB is just one click away: no need to run), all the regular vendors including a dye vendor as well as the scrips vendors are there, I do ocean fishing sometimes and Limsa is where you board, I can turn in all that dungeon gear to the gc and send my squadron to their daily mission, there’s access to in game mail, two glamour dressers, two fc chests, etc. The only thing missing is the latest gear but I don’t need that every day.

Unfortunately all the cities other than the starting cities offer incomplete services and lack practicality. For example, in the last one has the glamour dresser and the market board while the other city has the scrips and the latest tome/token gear and items vendors. Kugane and Ishgard do better than the new cities but they are still missing features I constantly use (and I dislike Ishgard as everything is too grey, including the weather)

[TaleraRistain]

Radz-at-Han. I'd wanted to see that place for years.

The Crystarium has my favorite music, though.