In a new survey commissioned by branding and marketing specialists Superbrands, respondents named England's capital as top, ahead of Manchester and Brighton.

But the same group of almost 300 18-30-year-olds, listed London as one of the least cool places in Europe.

Paris took that honour, followed by Barcelona, Ibiza then Prague.

Rachel Smith, director of communications at the London Tourist Board told BBC News Online she was "delighted" with the acknowledgement.

Manchester hosted the Commonwealth Games this month

She added: "London consistently wins awards like these, which reflects the fact that it is a great city to live in or to visit.

"The UK has some fantastic cities but ultimately London offers such a range of activities, has history, wonderful architecture and arts and is incredibly culturally diverse."

London edged out Manchester in the coolest UK city stakes, and Dublin made it to the number five slot - despite being an Irish, not a British, city.

Also in the survey, Kylie Minogue was voted the coolest music personality, David Beckham, the trendiest celebrity and former Northern Ireland Secretary Mo Mowlem the coolest politician.

It was bad news for the other Beckham, however, as David's wife Victoria toped the list of least cool celebrities, followed by model Jordan.

Among the least trendy on television was Big Brother star Jade Goody, Chris Evans and presenters Ant and Dec.

Mixed fortunes for the Beckhams

Better news for Joan Collins though - she was named the coolest woman over 50, followed by the Queen and Dame Judi Dench in joint second.

The coolest fashion brand was named as Diesel, best known for its jeans, and the coolest leisure, arts or entertainment brand was The Simpsons.

Superbrands promotes the discipline of branding and its members include some of the world's strongest and most recognisable, such as Nike and McDonald's.

Chairman Marcel Knobil said: "The nature of cool is always a fickle thing but it fascinates us all.

"It is difficult to manage people's perception of cool, but it can make the difference between success or failure for many brands, people and places."

Among the awards London picked up last year was the title the World's Leading Destination from 1,600 travel agents voting in the World Travel Awards and the Daily Telegraph's Best British City.

Full lists.

Coolest place in the UK:

• London
• Manchester
• Brighton
• Edinburgh
• Dublin

Coolest place in Europe:

• Paris
• Barcelona
• Ibiza
• Prague
• Amsterdam

Coolest celebrity:

• David Beckham
• Ant and Dec
• Ewan McGregor
• Robbie Williams
• Kylie Minogue

Coolest music personality:

• Kylie Minogue
• Madonna
• Robbie Williams
• Eminem
• Jennifer Lopez

Coolest film personality:

• Brad Pitt
• Samuel L Jackson
• Tom Cruise
• Nicole Kidman
• Will Smith

Coolest television personality:

• Graham Norton
• Dermot O'Leary
• Davina McCall
• Johnny Vegas
• Jennifer Aniston

Coolest politician:

• Mo Mowlem
• Tony Blair
• Ken Livingstone
• Charles Kennedy
• David Blunkett

Coolest man aged 50+:

• Sean Connery
• Harrison Ford
• Antony Hopkins
• Richard Branson
• Mick Jagger

Coolest woman aged 50+:

• Joan Collins
• The Queen
• Dame Judi Dench
• Joanna Lumley
• Goldie Hawn

Least cool celebrity:

• Victoria Beckham
• Jordan
• Geri Haliwell
• George Michael
• David Beckham

Least cool television personality:

• Chris Evans
• Jade Goody
• Ant and Dec
• Anyone from Big Brother
• Dale Winton