Tourists vs. locals: The most visited cities in Europe revealed

Although everyone has a favourite abroad destination, some parts of the world are more favoured than others. In certain times of the year such as Summer or Winter, tourists may flock to these locations to enjoy their downtime. 

It leads to the question, which cities are the biggest tourist hotspots in Europe? We may think of Paris or London, but with so many amazing cities found around the continent, it’s difficult to choose just one.

Therefore, to find out, we at Wizz Air have examined the most popular European cities.

We did this to examine the most well-travelled areas and investigate how many visitors it had last year and how this has changed since 2019, before the pandemic - Overall, we hope this ranking helps you find your next budget holiday.

 

The biggest tourist hotspots in Europe

Venice, Italy

Ranking in first place as Europe’s biggest tourist hotspot is Venice. The Italian city is known for its scenic canals and bridges - with so much beauty to be found in Venice, it’s no wonder the city is such a go-to destination for tourists. People visiting the city can experience wonderful attractions such as Doge’s Palace and the Basilica di San Marco, there are also various canal tours available throughout Venice.

 

Heraklion, Greece

In second place is the Greek city of Heraklion - found on the island of Crete. The city is home to some beautiful sandy beaches and resorts and is a popular tourist attraction throughout the warmer seasons. In the city, popular things to do include visiting the Heraklion Archaeological Museum and Lyrarakis Winery while beaches such as Ammoudara Beach are go-to destinations in Heraklion.

 

Porto, Portugal

 

Next, in third place is the Portuguese city of Porto. Found on the northwest coast of the country, Porto is famous for its port wine and unique architecture. Aside from its natural beauty, the warm Portuguese summers are also enticing for visitors. The natural beauty of Porto can be experienced via attractions such as the Douro River and Cais da Ribeira. 

 

Nice, France

Next, we’re off to France as Nice placed fourth in the ranking. Nice is a popular tourist destination throughout the warmer months due to its sandy Mediterranean beaches and resorts, the city’s Old Town is also a popular attraction for visitors. When in Nice, visitors should take time to experience attractions such as the Marc Chagall National Museum and Musée Massena - perfect for lovers of art.

 

Antalya, Türkiye

Finalising the top five is the Turkish city of Antalya. Home to the ‘Turquoise Coast’, the city can be found in the southwest of Türkiye and is popular for its beaches and resorts - a popular destination throughout the summer holiday season. Thinking of visiting Antalya? If so, the Lower Duden Waterfalls, Perge Ancient City and Old City Marina are all must-sees!

 

Barcelona, Spain

 

Moving on, in sixth place is the Spanish city of Barcelona. Home to FC. Barcelona, the city is based on the northeastern coast in the Catalonian region. It’s also a go-to place for tourists throughout summer due to the warm Spanish climate. Visitors can experience iconic attractions such as the Sagrada Familia and the Picasso Museum.

 

Budapest, Hungary

 

Ranking in seventh place is the Hungarian capital city, Budapest. Known as the ‘Spa Capital of the World’ due to its natural thermal springs, Budapest is a unique city with amazing architecture and rich culture. Popular attractions in the city of Budapest include the Parliament Building, Fisherman’s Bastion and the Danube River.

 

Prague, Czech Republic

Next, placing eighth in the ranking is the capital city of the Czech Republic, Prague. The city is home to some incredibly unique architectural landmarks such as Prague Castle, the largest castle in the world (pictured) and Charles Bridge. Looking for something to do in Prague? Look no further than attractions such as Lobkowicz Palace and Prague Zoo.

 

Edinburgh, United Kingdom

Ninth in the ranking is the Scottish capital city, Edinburgh. The iconic city is easily identifiable by Edinburgh Castle, which stands tall in the centre of the city. Edinburgh is also known for its historic old town that continues to attract visitors from around the world. Travellers in Edinburgh can also encounter popular attractions such as Arthur’s Seat and Holyrood Palace.

 

Vienna, Austria

Rounding off the top ten is the Austrian capital city, Vienna. As seen in the image above, Vienna is home to some beautiful architecture which can be seen in landmarks such as Schönbrunn Palace and Hofburg Palace. It’s also known as the ‘City of Music’ due to many iconic composers residing in the city over the years including Mozart and Beethoven.

Wow, what a list! It’s easy to see why these ten cities are so popular, with each location providing a wealth of attractions to visitors.

 

The least crowded European cities

Now that we’ve examined the biggest tourist hotspots of 2022, let’s take a look at the other end of the scale - the least crowded cities across Europe.

While it’s interesting to note the most visited cities throughout the continent, the least crowded ranking should highlight some amazing locations that are often forgotten about in favour of other, more popular destinations.

It’s worth mentioning that population has a massive impact on the figures retrieved for the number of visitors per 100 locals. Cities with large populations may be at an advantage when it comes to ranking as one of the least crowded European cities.

Warsaw, Poland

In first place, Europe’s least crowded city was revealed to be Warsaw. The Polish capital city is nicknamed the ‘Phoenix City’ due to the number of times it has been destroyed and rebuilt. Warsaw is known for its wonderful Old Town and is home to various museums such as the Be Happy Museum and the Muzeum Powstania Warszawskiego.

 

Berlin, Germany

Moving on, in second place is the capital city of Germany, Berlin. The iconic city offers so much and is the only city in the world that is home to three opera houses! Lovers of history can experience key WW2 landmarks such as the Holocaust Memorial and the Jewish Museum. Interestingly, Berlin is nine times larger in comparison to the French capital, Paris.

 

Stockholm, Sweden

Next, placing in third place is the Swedish capital city, Stockholm. Located in the southeast of Sweden, the city encompasses over 50 bridges and is known for its wonderful architecture. Travellers can take advantage of attractions such as the Old Town, Vasa Museum and Royal Palace - all offering great examples of the city’s structures.

 

Brussels, Belgium

In fourth place is Brussels, the capital city of Belgium. The city is known for many things, including being the HQ of the European Union and its beer and chocolate. Popular things to do in the city include the Musical Instrument Museum, Autoworld and the Parc du Cinquantenaire - all offering cultural insights into the scenic city of Brussels.

 

Copenhagen, Denmark

Finally, finishing off the top five least crowded cities in Europe is the capital city of Denmark, Copenhagen. Similar to Venice and Amsterdam, the city is identifiable from its scenic canals and natural beauty. With the most Michelin-star-rated restaurants in Scandinavia, the city is popular for its cuisine! Popular Copenhagen attractions include Tivoli Gardens and Rosenborg Castle.

 

Ready to jet off on your next adventure?

If you’re in need of cheap flights to get you to and from these iconic destinations, look no further than here at Wizz Air. We can help you get the cheapest flights to each of the locations mentioned above, with the potential to build additional discounts through our newsletter and on-site fare finder.

 

Methodology

We wanted to find out which European cities rank with the highest amount of visitors per 100 locals. The list of 100 cities was collated based on the Most Visited Cities list and TripAdvisor's Travellers Choice. City populations were collated from GeoNames and represented populations of cities proper, rather than their greater metropolitan areas. 

Numbers of visitors in 2022 represent the number of international or overseas visitors to the city and were collated from a variety of sources, including official tourist statistics of a given country or city, local news media, Statista, CEIC data, and similar sources. Numbers of visitors pre-pandemic were taken from the 2019 Edition of the Top 100 City Destinations report by Euromonitor.

Cities for which the 2022 international visitor data wasn't available were excluded from the dataset, leaving 77 cities in the final list. Reasons for data not being available include lack of statistics at a local level (Egypt, Thailand, Morocco, South Korea, China, Peru, Israel), lack of detail around domestic vs. inbound tourism at city level (Saudi Arabia), or travel being severely affected by COVID-19 (Japan).

If a city or country featured more than once in the top 20 it was only included once. We did this to expand the number of different locations included in each ranking.