Ranked: 100 best cities to visit in Europe 2025

From the “capital of capitals” to the “Paris of the Baltics”, these are the 100 best cities to visit in Europe in 2025

In 2015, a study from the European Commission found that 72% of the EU’s population lived in cities, with the majority of Europeans concentrated in cities with populations between 250,000 and 5 million.

In 2018, another study suggested that by the time this century is complete, the world’s population will be 80% urbanised, with Europe at the forefront of this change, with around 90% of its population urbanised. Belgium already has an urbanised population of 98%, with Malta (95%) and the Netherlands (93%) not far behind.

Wherever the world’s expats, digital nomads and remote workers choose to relocate, it will likely be in a city. With this in mind, Canadian consultancy film Resonance, which has offices in Vancouver, Montreal, Singapore and New York, has published a new report ranking the 100 best cities in Europe with populations of more than 500,000.

The report combines three indices: Livability, Lovability and Prosperity to create its master ranking of 100 European cities.

Top 10 cities to visit in Europe

These are Europe’s top 10 cities that have metropolitan areas with populations over 500,000.

1. London
2. Paris
3. Berlin
4. Barcelona
5. Rome
6. Madrid
7. Amsterdam
8. Vienna
9. Prague
10. Stockholm

How does the ranking work?

Unlike similar ‘best-of’ lists, the index evaluates a city’s culture, diversity, prosperity, infrastructure, and employment opportunities.

They use 25 factors grouped into six categories covering a range of criteria, including climate, access to outdoor space, education and work prospects, population diversity, leisure options and even social media popularity.

What is the best city to visit in Europe?

The study named London the best city in Europe. The ‘capital of capitals’ has taken the top spot despite concerns surrounding the city’s post-Brexit future. However, the report’s authors believe the city continues to draw talent and visitors en masse and will eventually weather the storm and even emerge stronger.

The UK capital scored highly in the programming, promotion, product and prosperity categories but was some way behind in the place category. Transport links remain excellent, especially with the opening of the new Elizabeth Line connecting London’s main airport, Heathrow, to the suburbs on the other side of the metropolis.

“As the ‘capital of capitals’ (both in Europe and globally) deftly negotiates the uncharted, perilous terrain of a post-Brexit and pandemic world, London reigns as Europe’s best city.”

– World’s Best Cities, Resonance

Tourists continue to visit London in their masses, with the city ranked third in the world and first in Europe in terms of cities with the biggest international traveller spend. In 2022, $16.07 billion was spent by travellers in London, only slightly less than second-placed Doha ($16.79 billion), while Dubai was the runaway winner with $29.42 billion.

Despite a looming recession and falling house prices across the rest of the country, London’s luxury homes are defying the country’s economic slowdown and wider slump in house prices.

Finally, pedestrians are excited by the 2025 opening of the Camden Highline, a 1.2km greenway just north of Central London. Described as a Manhattan makeover for London, it is hoped that the transformation of a disused train track will revitalise the UK capital like it did in New York. Construction is due to begin this year, with Highline opening in 2027.

Other winning cities

The usual suspects of Paris, Berlin, Barcelona and Rome closely follow London. Paris remains a strong contender thanks to its ambitious sustainability policies, which have included expanding cycle routes, reducing city speed limits and tree planting as it aims to become Europe’s greenest city by 2030.

Paris also hosted the 2024 Summer Olympic Games after three failed Olympic bids over the previous 25 years. This time, the hosts focused on branding the project as greener and cheaper than the previous Olympic Games.

“Cities are the engines of the global economy and the badges of human ingenuity. Yes, they’ve been hobbled over the past 18 months, exposing the long-ignored foundational and institutional problems that manifested on their streets and in their hospitals and seniors homes. But they’re also leading — like they always have — the recovery and future-defining next stage of human innovation.”

– World’s Best Cities, Resonance

Berlin has won heavy praise for “welcoming waves of Ukrainians fleeing Russia’s invasion” as well as its cultural assets, which include vibrant nightlife, cutting-edge architecture and fascinating museums. In 2024, the city hosted several matches of the Euro 24 football tournament, including the final at the Olympiastadion.

Barcelona, the capital of Spain’s autonomous community of Catalonia, is Europe’s fourth-best city. The city performed well in the nightlife category but also won praise for its commitment to traffic calming and creating community space. Ada Colau, the mayor of Barcelona, has introduced several schemes as part of her superblock initiative, as well as added over 100 miles of bike lanes.

Rome is one of the world’s most romantic cities, brimming with millennia of history, but it was also commended for its underrated parks and greenways and its hospitality sector.

Madrid performs well thanks to its sustainability-driven investment, while Prague, in sixth, won praise for rolling out a series of resident-first policies in an attempt to battle the overtourism the city has seen of late.

In seventh place is Amsterdam, a European stalwart regularly rated among the world’s greenest cities. The city is often referred to as the “Venice of the North” due to its large number of UNESCO-listed canals. Amsterdam has won praise for its commitment to reforming the red-light district.

Green mayor Femke Halsema plans to overhaul the area, which can often find itself at the centre of out-of-control nightlife. Plans include increasing the size of the district to deal with overcrowding and outlawing cannabis smoking on the street.

It will be a tricky manoeuvre as the city remains popular among tourists, fifth in the world and second in Europe in terms of cities with the biggest international traveller spend, and they don’t all come for the museums and shopping.

In 100th place is Riga, the capital of Latvia, often dubbed the ‘Paris of the Baltic’ for its enchanting blend of history, culture and architectural elegance. Strolling through its UNESCO-listed Old Town, visitors are captivated by cobbled streets, art nouveau facades, and the romantic charm of sidewalk cafés and vibrant markets.

100 best cities to visit in Europe – complete ranking

To rank Europe’s best cities, Resonance analysed metropolitan areas with populations over 500,000, based on data from Eurostat, Demographia (PDF) and national statistical offices combined with user-generated content. The report combines three indices: Livability, Lovability and Prosperity to create its master ranking of 100 European cities.

Rank	City	Live.	Love.	Pros.
1	London, UK	2	2	1
2	Paris, France	1	1	2
3	Berlin, Germany	8	6	3
4	Barcelona, Spain	3	4	12
5	Rome, Italy	4	3	36
6	Madrid, Spain	5	5	7
7	Amsterdam, Netherlands	7	8	4
8	Vienna, Austria	6	9	20
9	Prague, Czechia	14	7	17
10	Stockholm, Sweden	10	23	8
11	Lisbon, Portugal	9	10	54
12	Munich, Germany	19	26	5
13	Oslo, Norway	11	22	11
14	Copenhagen, Denmark	15	17	14
15	Milan, Italy	25	12	16
16	Brussels, Belgium	29	21	9
17	Budapest, Hungary	42	13	18
18	Edinburgh, UK	13	20	38
19	Warsaw, Poland	81	27	6
20	Helsinki, Finland	12	34	26

Rank	City	Live.	Love.	Pros.
21	Hamburg, Germany	26	24	21
22	Dublin, Ireland	62	18	15
23	Istanbul, Türkiye	89	11	55
24	Valencia, Spain	16	29	71
25	The Ruhr, Germany	17	32	58
26	Frankfurt, Germany	64	47	13
27	Zürich, Switzerland	95	41	10
28	Glasgow, UK	20	39	50
29	Kraków, Poland	34	31	51
30	Birmingham, UK	45	28	42
31	Geneva, Switzerland	37	60	23
32	Liverpool, UK	23	40	69
33	Cologne, Germany	52	38	30
34	Porto, Portugal	27	30	95
35	Bern, Switzerland	24	100	41
36	Manchester, UK	51	36	39
37	Basel, Switzerland	40	103	24
38	Venice, Italy	57	16	105
39	Gothenburg, Sweden	28	86	48
40	Utrecht, Netherlands	74	95	19

Rank	City	Live.	Love.	Pros
41	Florence, Italy	56	19	94
42	Nice, France	18	48	102
43	Tallinn, Estonia	22	51	83
44	Antwerp, Belgium	73	50	32
45	Athens, Greece	114	14	87
46	Dresden, Germany	21	84	77
47	Leeds, UK	35	64	60
48	Freiburg, Germany	30	116	49
49	Stuttgart, Germany	75	78	28
50	Rotterdam, Netherlands	94	63	25
51	Lyon, France	77	43	43
52	Seville, Spain	41	25	107
53	Hanover, Germany	53	105	35
54	The Hague, Netherlands	87	77	27
55	Ghent, Belgium	48	75	44
56	Oxford, UK	70	94	37
57	Sheffield, UK	38	79	61
58	Eindhoven, Netherlands	79	106	29
59	Bratislava, Slovakia	103	66	31
60	Bilbao, Spain	33	67	88

Rank	City	Live.	Love.	Pros.
61	Southampton, UK	46	108	47
62	Düsseldorf, Germany	72	73	46
63	Aachen, Germany	32	127	78
64	Luxembourg, Luxembourg	88	117	33
65	Leipzig, Germany	39	101	70
66	Belfast, UK	50	74	62
67	Bristol, UK	101	62	40
68	Vilnius, Lithuania	90	68	45
69	Marseille, France	54	45	85
70	Bordeaux, France	55	46	84
71	Bonn, Germany	44	114	59
72	Wrocław, Poland	67	65	68
73	Málaga, Spain	31	33	120
74	Toulouse, France	69	57	79
75	Aarhus, Denmark	47	111	67
76	Gdańsk, Poland	92	69	56
77	Nuremberg, Germany	113	90	34
78	Bologna, Italy	108	58	53
79	Naples, Italy	111	15	123
80	Bucharest, Romania	126	44	22

Rank	City	Live.	Love.	Pros.
81	Newcastle, UK	49	82	92
82	Cardiff, UK	76	85	75
83	Poznań, Poland	93	89	57
84	Strasbourg, France	59	72	91
85	Lausanne, Switzerland	98	109	52
86	Liège, Belgium	36	112	106
87	Leicester, UK	80	96	74
88	Palma, Spain	43	59	112
89	Nantes, France	61	88	98
90	Malmö, Sweden	63	97	93
91	Sofia, Bulgaria	118	49	76
92	Bremen, Germany	65	98	101
93	Montpellier, France	71	87	104
94	Graz, Austria	86	115	80
95	Bournemouth, UK	105	107	64
96	Zagreb, Croatia	117	56	73
97	Nottingham, UK	115	81	66
98	Rennes, France	60	119	103
99	Portsmouth, UK	109	113	65
100	Riga, Latvia	100	55	97

How to stay connected in Europe’s cities

Roaming charges can be high in Europe, so the best way to stay connected when travelling is to use an eSIM: a virtual SIM card. It is much cheaper than using the data roaming options provided by the major networks, pay-as-you-go physical SIM cards or wifi hotspot devices. An eSIM is also far more convenient.

An eSIM works remotely, meaning you don’t have to remove your current SIM card, so there’s no risk of misplacing or damaging it or losing your number. eSIMs are pre-installed on the majority of devices now and can be activated just by installing an ‘eSIM profile’ of a new provider.

The best eSIM for travel in Europe is Holafly. We’ve used several providers over the years, as well as pay-as-you-go SIM cards and wifi hotspots. Having used Holafly eSIMs in Europe as well as further afield in Mexico and Panama, we have now settled on them as our eSIM partner. They also come highly rated on Trustpilot.

Holafly covers 170 destinations worldwide (with unlimited data available in 122 countries) and offers several eSIM data packages for Europe covering over 30 countries, including popular destinations such as France, Germany, Italy, Portugal, Spain, Switzerland and Turkey across a range of networks including 3G, 4G and 5G.

We can offer our readers 5% off on all Holafly purchases with our coupon: ATLASANDBOOTS

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Lead image: Sborisov|Dreamstime