It’s obviously important for a city to function well – by that, we mean offer plenty of green space, good transport, a welcoming vibe and a plethora of places to eat and things to do – but when it manages to do all that while also looking pretty damn good, that’s all the more impressive.
And who can vouch for a city’s beauty better than its inhabitants, eh? In ’s annual survey, we quizzed 24,000 local people about all aspects of what it’s like where they live, including whether they’d describe their city as ‘beautiful’, and our ranking features 10 different spots where the majority think so.
From the dramatic natural backdrops on offer in Cape Town to the sweeping Lake Michigan views in Chicago, cities all over the world claimed a spot on our list, but no continent dominated quite like Europe.
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Securing second place overall but first in the continent was Edinburgh, where 84 percent of people we spoke to credited its loveliness. And as ’s travel editor Grace Beard puts it, ‘With its collision of architectural styles, from the New Town’s crescents of Georgian townhouses to the Old Town’s tight, higgledy-piggledy medieval streets and striking Gothic spires, the Scottish capital is famously an absolute delight to walk around.’
Lisbon followed in fifth overall (but second in this list) with 74 percent, and Paris was a close third for Europe with a rating of 68 percent. The former is known for its dramatic, hilly streets and sea views, while the French capital’s quintessentially ornate Haussmannian architecture make it one of the most distinctive and pleasing-to-look-at hubs on the planet.
These are Europe’s six most beautiful cities
- Edinburgh
- Lisbon
- Paris
- Stockholm
- Porto
- Riga
😻 Have a read of ’s top 10 most beautiful cities in the world.
Did you see that you can now get a seaplane between these two Mediterranean countries for the first time?
Plus: I visited Italy’s best-kept coastal secret – and it’s only a short drive from the Amalfi Coast.
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