Travel Green List: 21 of Europe's top sustainable destinations

With its year-round sub-tropical climate, acclaimed food and wine scene and picturesque volcanic landscape, the Azores archipelago is an obvious candidate for sustainable tourism. Its culinary culture is especially distinct. On main hub Säo Miguel, hearty local dishes dominate menus, but its most famous dish, the cozido das furnas, is cooked in a clay pot underground using geothermal heat.

In the city of Angra do Heroísmo, on Terceira, you will discover Quinta do Martelo, an ethnographical centre-turned-traditional farm stay that serves up local delicacies of yellow lupin beans, corn bread and pickled sea fennel. And further south, the island’s Biscoitos wine region grows vines in between volcanic rock walls. Here, winemakers work closely with farm-to-table restaurants to keep what you spend within the community.

Perhaps the biggest draw to the archipelago is its nature. Birdwatching can be enjoyed almost anywhere on the Azores’ 800-plus kilometres of hiking trails, while its nutrient-rich seawater attracts over 20 species of cetacean, including humpback and blue whales. Ethical whale-watching tours by Dive Azores depart from Faial Island.

Wild landscapes and thriving small towns are testament to how sustainable Scotland is. One of its most striking examples is the community-owned Isle of Eigg in the Inner Hebrides, which became the world’s first island to produce all of its own electricity from wind, hydro and solar power.

Interestingly, Scotland has the lowest population density in the UK by some distance, and in remote towns in the Hebrides, Highlands and Shetlands you will find that many shops, B&Bs, pubs and restaurants are community-owned, run or supported. On the island of Islay, for example, the tiny Bruichladdich distillery is the largest private employer of islanders and a certified B-Corp company, meaning it is accountable to locals, shareholders and the environment.

Elsewhere, visitors are encouraged to experience the country’s 13 UNESCO sites by overland trail, while rewilding projects such as Alladale Reserve show off its conservation chops. Off-the-grid Greyhope Bay, in Aberdeenshire, is even said to be the best place to spot bottlenose dolphins from land in the UK. This nature hub, founded by marine biologist Dr Fiona McIntyre, was made from converted shipping containers to help connect people and the environment.

From snow-capped mountains and lush alpine forests to historical city centres and deep valley resorts, Switzerland is, by design, perfect for eco-friendly slow travel. Overland journeys are accessible and affordable, with the Swiss Travel Pass (from £211) allowing visitors unlimited use of the train, bus and boat network. And with 9,600 trains covering 5,200km of track, even the most remote valleys can be reached by public transport. Even better, 90% of the Swiss railway network runs on hydro power, with this expected to extend to the whole network by 2025.

It’s not just about transport, either. Look out for the Swisstainable ‘green stamp’ on locally run hotels and restaurants, which demonstrates their commitment to reducing their environmental impact.

Across France, municipalities are engaged in reducing waste and putting communities at the centre of tourism so that the money spent by visitors directly benefits locals. On Île de Ré, for example, travellers can join oyster farmer Jean-François Beynaud in trawling the island’s seafood shacks for freshly hauled delights. Meanwhile, in Bordeaux, a former military barracks is being transformed into an urban eco-village called Darwin, complete with open-air markets, street art and a local brewery, bringing income to an underprivileged part of town.

Elsewhere, Marseilles has adopted the Green Key and Ecotable labels to support hotels and restaurants that are engaged in reducing energy consumption and waste, so look out for those badges online. And in the capital, the rise of urban farms is reducing transport emissions from food supply chains, with Wesh Grow now supplying over 500 restaurants, including the likes of Hotel Barrière Fouquet’s Michelin-starred brasserie.

Lastly, France has announced a halt on selected short-haul flight routes between cities linked by train journeys of under 2.5 hours, such as Paris to Nantes, Lyon and Bordeaux. In turn, its growth of high-speed lines is making it easier to explore the country in a more sustainable way.

Read next: Exploring the coastline of Northern France: Seafood, cycle paths and centuries of history

Iceland’s Climate Action plan to reach carbon neutrality by 2040 takes a practical approach, with travellers able to offset their emissions using the carbon calculator on the Visit Iceland website. Icelandic businesses are also at the heart of the country’s low-impact activities, with nature, adventure, well-being and, of course, food experiences on offer. With such a remarkable natural environment, trips such as kayaking excursions to Heinabergslón glacier offer the perfect eco-friendly adventure. Lastly, bring a refillable bottle: in Reykjavik, drinking-water stations have been fitted across the city to reduce plastic waste from single-use bottles.

The virgin forests and alpine meadows of the Făgăraș Mountains provide a habitat for over 10,000 species of flora and fauna, including deer, boar, wolf, lynx and brown bear. Sadly, illegal logging has long been a threat to this environment, which is why the Foundation Conservation Carpathia joined forces with The European Nature Trust to buy tracts of land in the area to create a 250,000-hectare national park, just two-and-a-half hours’ drive from Bucharest. Now visitors can enjoy this land knowing that it’s here to stay.

The Sustainable Travel Finland programme is designed to support Finnish businesses and tour operators who try to mitigate their impact on nature and the community. So far, 70 companies have been awarded its green label and over 400 experiences have been declared ‘sustainable’, ranging from the Niittykahvila Café, which serves campfire coffee and pancakes, to a sunset-canoeing trip on Julma-Ölkky lake. See the Visit Finland site to find those businesses making a difference.

The Basgal regeneration effort has brought fresh life to this village, from creating jobs at the new Basgal Resort & Spa to providing work for tour guides. More than 300 people are employed by the resort, but tourism is also bringing income to local restaurateurs and artisans. Indeed, the resurrection of old crafts, such as the making of kelaghayis (silk headscarves), has even put the village at the centre of a new trend, while its stone houses, which have been restored into comfortable stays, now offer visitors a unique perspective on life on the Silk Road.

The Rota Vincenta network of hiking and cycling trails are changing attitudes to tourism in the Algarve, and doing so without big resorts or flashy golf courses. Accommodation is instead offered en route at cosy, family-run B&Bs and boutique hotels, and many activities and experiences involve giving back to the area. Visitors can even take part in its upkeep on regular maintenance walks and conservation activities, including litter-pick, pond cleaning and tree planting.

The rugged Pembrokeshire Coast National Park incorporates around 629 sq km of dramatic coastline, sandy beaches, moorland, estuaries and inland hills, among which many small communities flourish. Its Coastal Path (186km) is a great low-impact escape, but even the park’s stays are doing their bit. In 2022, Bluestone became the first of Wales’ hospitality resorts to switch from gas to propane fuel made from plant and veg waste (BioLPG). It even led to more unique projects, such as the NappiCycle Scheme that turns used nappies into insulation, notice boards and pavement surfacing. And in St Davids, Falcon Boats leads fair-weather tours to Ramsey and Skomer Islands to see Atlantic grey seals, Risso’s dolphins and lots of seabirds, including puffins and gannets.

Nicknamed ‘the garden of healthy pleasure’, glorious Upper Međimurje, in the north of Croatia, offers ample room to keep things local. It has excellent food and even better wine. Adventurous regional dishes range from its cone-shaped, paprika-sprinkled turoš cheese to baked freshwater zander (pikeperch fish). Family-run wineries also offer up fruity Moscato and refreshing Cabernet Sauvignon wines, but it’s the humble, local Pušipel that is the must-try. Tours of vineyards, old mills and even working farms are open to everyone.

The BalatonBike365 project is an accessible, year-round cycling route that connects community-owned restaurants and accommodation with cultural attractions and protected nature areas in the region. With 2,800 service providers already signed up, itineraries can be easily researched online.

Don’t be fooled by Bornholm’s laidback fishing-community vibe; this is a popular spot for offshore kayaking, rock-climbing and even wreck diving, and a great low-impact escape to boot. The Baltic island lies within a ferry ride from Ystad in Sweden. Once there, its Hasle gallery is a must-visit to understand the island’s creative culture, while the Kadeau beach shack is just one of many restaurants serving up boat-fresh seafood and locally produced veg. Solar-powered Hotel GSH is also a short walk from Rønne’s cafes and museums.

The Canaries are a great place to get back to nature. The waters between Tenerife and La Gomera islands are a prime whale-watching spot, with certified operators such as Biosean leading responsible tours accompanied by marine biologists. The vessels used are typically ten-metre RIB boats equipped with hydrophones for guests to hear the whale song going on all around them. One of Tenerife’s most powerful examples of community tourism is the rise of the humble guachinche – family-run taverns serving homegrown wine accompanied by homecooked food. Operating mostly during the summer months, dynamic eateries such as La Casona remain open only while there’s wine to go around.

Winner of the EU’s European Green Capital 2022, the Estonian city has long been a supporter of car-free travel, becoming the first to introduce free public transport to residents in 2013. Plans to establish a free carbon-neutral transport system in Tallinn are now underway. But it’s not just locals who are able to move around more freely. A new 13km linear park is currently in development to create a ‘Putukäväil’, or pollinator highway, for butterflies, bees and other insects. Aside from safeguarding important species, the project will also bring a new green space to the city for visitors to explore.

When it comes to keeping things local, the Herzeg House programme and store in Trebinje is building awareness and recognition of produce grown or created in Eastern Herzegovina. Its organic shop sells prosciutto, cheese, honey and wine, as well as herbal-based remedies such as lotions and essential oils. Initially just 20 producers signed up, but it didn’t take long for that to rise to 160. It’s a great place to see and taste the hard work of local farmers, winemakers, artists and more.

Greece has rightly recognised that every region requires something different from its sustainability programme. For example, the tiny Aegean island of Ikaria, where islanders commonly live into their 90s, has a strong emphasis on farming and local supply chains, whereas the Dodecanese isle of Tilos is the first Mediterranean island to turn to 100% renewable energy, using wind and solar power. Next in line for a renewable installation is Halki, which has plans for a dedicated solar farm, electric vehicles and even a new solar-powered boat. Spending your money on these islands rewards their work and encourages others. Also check out the National Marine Park of Alonissos and Northern Sporades, which was established in 1992 to protect the critically endangered Mediterranean monk seal.

Follow in the footsteps of the exiled medieval poet Dante Alighieri on La Vie di Dante. This slow-travel route leads travellers by foot, bicycle or train from Florence in Tuscany, through the Apennine mountains, to Ravenna in Emilia-Romagna. The revered poet, having opposed the political intervention of Pope Boniface VIII, avoided death by escaping Florence in 1302. On this gentle escape, visitors can experience the mountain valleys where Dante wrote his most famous epic poem, The Divine Comedy, while stopping at rural villages, Romanesque churches, vineyards, humble trattorias and artisan stores en route to his tomb in Ravenna.

Awarded ‘Best Tourism Village’ of 2021 by the UN World Tourism Organisation, the Alpine region surrounding the village of Kaunertal isn’t a typical winter ski valley. The municipality champions local sustainability initiatives throughout the year, including school climate workshops, drinking fountains in communal areas and the ‘fruit for all’ scheme that supports local producers. Off-season trips allow visitors to experience unique Tirolean cuisine without the crowds, such as the revered Alpbachtaler käsespätzle, a pasta dish topped with grated Emmentaler and fried onion.

Belgium’s Francophone region of Wallonia has just created two new national parks – only the second and third in the country. What’s more, they are free to enter. Visitors are now able to visit Entre-Sambre-et-Meuse NP, which encompasses the town of Chimay, famed for its Trappist beers, and the Vallée de la Semois NP, which combines the beauty of the Belgian Ardennes with some of the best walking and prettiest villages in Wallonia.

Slovenian Tourism’s commended Green Scheme is a national-level certification programme inspiring hotels, guesthouses and other tourism-based operators to switch to sustainable methods. Once assessed, businesses are awarded a green stamp. The tool allows visitors to seek out proven eco-conscious operators and companies via Slovenia’s tourism website, with traffic directed towards community-owned businesses. As a sign of the scheme’s success, six of its restaurants now also hold a Michelin green star.

Home to the largest marine reserve in Europe as well as the Porto Santo Biosphere Reserve and a UNESCO-listed laurel forest, Madeira was recently awarded the EarthCheck certificate as a ‘sustainable destination’ by the Global Sustainable Tourism Council. However, it’s not only its conservation work that has earned it this credit. The Camara de Lobos project by Metaphora Theatre, which uses recycled art as street decoration, is just one example of what is a thriving local artisan culture.

Farmers play an important role in the experience of travellers in this northern Austrian region. Agritourism-style homestays are increasingly popular, bringing the local way of life to visitors. Farmers double up as hosts and producers, allowing guests to indulge in a farm-to-table setting where they can not only partake in the milking of cows and crop harvests, but also enjoy seasonal, organic produce in community restaurants. From August to October, the harvest season is marked with a collection of festivals, cooking classes, traditional music and cattle drives.

See more of the Travel Green List:

Sustainable destinations in Asia

Sustainable destinations in North America and the Caribbean

Sustainable destinations in Australia and the Pacific