Time Out certainly has a good grasp on the best cities for culture, food, nightlife and transport – but with wellness tourism booming, which European city can claim to have the healthiest glow?
So many factors affect our health and wellbeing in cities, from air quality and pollution to walkability and the fitness venues on offer. Handily, travel booking platform Omio has just looked into 17 different criteria to rank Europe’s top cities for wellness.
The factors included pollution levels, the quality of green spaces, the number of spas, gyms and fitness centres, quietness and sunshine. The crowning city, which had an overall score of 78.62 out of 100, was Madrid!
According to the study, the Spanish capital scored well across the board, particularly thanks to its high quality of life, the fact it has 360 spas – yes, 360 – and 2,712 hours of sunshine per year. The city was included in the sunniest capital cities in Europe recently, after all. Check out the best swimming pools and parks and gardens in the city.
In second place was Lisbon, which came closely behind with a score of 75.36, but given the city has announced the creation of new ‘quiet zones’ and is opening up some of its most lush gardens for free, we’re hardly surprised.
After a wellness break that’s more focused on spa treatments and relaxation? Though Vilnius is in number 17 according to this study, Lithuania was recently named the world’s best wellness destination, according to the Health Tourism Awards. Read more on that here.
These are the 20 best cities for health and wellness in Europe
- Madrid
- Lisbon
- Vienna
- Prague
- Amsterdam
- Helsinki
- Copenhagen
- Tallinn
- Rome
- Zagreb
- Budapest
- Ljubljana
- Bern
- Berlin
- Luxembourg
- Riga
- Sofia
- Vilnius
- Athens
- Stockholm
- Yerevan
- Reykjavik
Did you see that this spiritual pilgrimage in Spain has been named the world’s best hike?
Plus: Venice is getting two brand-new art centres in May – here’s where to find them.
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