European Best Destinations invites travellers to vote for their favourite European city breaks, nature escapes and foodie hotspots. The results are now in for 2024...
Riga in Latvia, Batumi in Georgia and Piran in Slovenia are just some of the underrated gems that have been named among the top 20 European Best Destinations for 2024.
The competition has been running annually since 2009 by the travel website European Best Destinations, who aim to highlight the countries leading the way for city breaks, nature escapes, cultural trips and sun-soaked holidays.
Voted for by more than one million travellers from over 172 countries, the 20 European hotspots have been selected out of 500 possible destinations.
Italy has the most destinations featured in top 20, including the picturesque cities of Florence and Siena, as well the small islands of Ponza – off the coast of Rome and Naples – and Sirmione – in Lake Garda.
Marbella was crowned number one European Best Destination 2024 (Alexe Marcel)
Batumi in Georgia came in sixth place (Ruslan Harutyunov/EBD)
A number of French destinations also made the cut, including the Champagne Wine Region, Lège-Cap-Ferret in Nouvelle Aquitaine, and Porto-Vecchio in Corsica.
But the destination awarded the title of the Best in Europe, with 14% of the total votes, went to the Costa del Sol's Marbella, Spain’s only entry on the list.
It may be most popular for its shimmering sand beaches and miles of golf courses, but there’s much more depth to this Andalusian city than you might first expect.
For example, Marbella’s Old Town of white-washed Renaissance architecture and 15th-century Ermita de Santiago church is a joy to explore. It’s also a hot destination for foodies, with three Michelin-star restaurants and a number of other authentic eateries focussing tasty national dishes such as tapas and paellas.
Coming in at number five for European Best Destinations 2024 is the city of Batumi in Georgia’s Adjara Region. Located on the Black Sea coastline, the subtropical city blends modern wonders with ancient gems. It’s also surrounded by three UNESCO-recognised national parks, so you can easily escape into nature.
Swiftly following is the Latvian capital of Riga. This Baltic city has a UNESCO-listed Old Town, with architectural highlights in the form of Baroque and Gothic architecture. It’s also renowned for its Art Nouveau district with the highest concentration of Art Nouveau architecture anywhere in the world.
Learn more at europeanbestdestinations.com
20. THASSOS, GREECE
19. NEWQUAY, ENGLAND
18. PIRAN, SLOVENIA
17. SIRMIONE, ITALY
16. FAROE ISLANDS
15. CHAMPAGNE WINE REGION, FRANCE
14. PORTO-VECCHIO, CORSICA, FRANCE
13. PONZA ISLAND, ITALY
12. SIENA, ITALY
11. LEGE-CAP-FERRET, FRANCE
10. REYKJAVIK, ICELAND
9. LONDON, ENGLAND
8. FLORENCE, ITALY
7. MADEIRA ISLANDS, PORTUGAL
6. RIGA, LATVIA
5. BATUMI, GEORGIA
4. GENEVA, SWITZERLAND
3. MALTA
2. MONACO
1. MARBELLA, SPAIN
Get the very best of Wanderlust by signing up to our newsletters, full of travel inspiration, fun quizzes, exciting competitions and exclusive offers.