Article: 15 Best Cities to Visit in Europe in 2024, According to Travel+Leisure Readers, who voted for the metropolises that continue to enchant them in our annual “World’s Best Awards” survey for 2024.

For centuries, travelers have gravitated to the great cities of Europe — and time has shown that the attractions of the past aren’t all too different from the attractions of the present. Food, art, architecture, nightlife, shopping, parks, style, and the chance to people-watch: our readers continue to call out the pleasures that these cities and capitals hold.

How Voting Works

Every year for our World’s Best Awards survey, T+L asks readers to weigh in on travel experiences around the globe — to share their opinions on the top hotels, resorts, cities, islands, cruise ships, spas, airlines, and more. Over 186,000 T+L readers completed the 2024 survey. A total of more than 700,000 votes were cast across over 8,700 properties (hotels, cities, cruise lines, etc.).

Cities were specifically rated on the criteria below:

• Sights/landmarks
• Culture
• Food
• Friendliness
• Shopping
• Value

For each characteristic, respondents could choose a rating of excellent, above average, average, below average, or poor. The final scores are averages of these responses.

What Readers Loved

For many readers, the Mediterranean will always be magic, so it’s no surprise that a whopping six cities on this year’s list are in Spain, four more than last year — good to see you, Marbella (No. 4) and Granada (No. 13). Last year, Portugal was represented by Porto and Lisbon; this year, Funchal has vaulted to the number two slot. And while Istanbul (No. 5) has been booted from the top slot by Florence, Turkey nevertheless has had a good year, seeing Bodrum jump onto the list at No. 15.

While climate change has made summers in Southern Europe hotter than ever, readers are loath to give up their affection for the warmer parts of the continent. Edinburgh, which sits as it did last year at no. 12, is the sole European city in our top 15 north of the Alps. Sorry, Paris and London — there’s always next year. (…)

6. Porto, Portugal

This much-loved city, almost two hours’ drive from the Douro Valley wine region, is praised by readers for its walkable downtown, romantic cafes, and robust nightlife. “Add in great food, wine, and port,” writes one reader, “and what is not to love?”

Reader Score: 88.85

Read the full article: “Travel + Leisure”