These 20 European destinations have just been voted the best places to visit in 2025 These 20 European destinations have just been voted the best places to visit in 2025

From ancient archaeological sites and modern museums to culinary highlights and gorgeous beaches, Europe has so much to offer it can be difficult to know where to begin.

But luckily for you, more than 1.25 million of your fellow travellers have come together to narrow it down to just 20 must-visit destinations for 2025. Originally a longlist of 500 places, the chosen few have been selected for their quality of life, sustainable development, all-year round cultural offer, growth of popularity on social networks and international awards.

Spanning a mix of ever-popular destinations and off-the-beaten track cities, the ranking from European Best Destinations, which has unveiled annually since 2009, saw the second smallest city-state in the world, Monaco, crowned for 2025.

Dubbed a ‘billionaire’s playground’, residents do not pay personal income tax unless they are French nationals. Many Formula 1 drivers, including Lewis Hamilton, Max Verstappen, Carlos Sainz and Lando Norris (plus Monégasque driver Charles Leclerc), live here, as do celebrities such as tennis player Novak Djokovic and Welsh singer Shirley Bassey.

But aside from star spotting and visiting the famed Monte Carlo Casino, there are a number of alternative things to do, like walking the Heritage Tree Trails, exploring the Princess Grace Irish Library, or shopping at La Condamine market.

Read next: Alternative Monaco: 5 unusual things to do

Monaco took the top spot this year from Marbella in Spain, having come second in the 2024 ranking.

Several countries had multiple destinations on the list: Croatia was represented by Dubrovnik & Cavtat as well as Mljet; Antipaxos and Folegandros made it onto the ranking for Greece; Madrid and Seville for Spain; Eze and Cassis for France; and Olhao and Lisbon for Portugal.

The full list is as follows:

1. Monaco
2. Riga, Latvia
3. Dubrovnik & Cavtat, Croatia
4. Madrid, Spain
5. Namur, Belgium
6. Amsterdam, The Netherlands
7. Olhao, Portugal
8. Mljet, Croatia
9. Lisbon, Portugal
10. Antipaxos, Greece
11. Dhermi, Albania
12. Bath, UK
13. Folegandros, Greece
14. Istanbul, Türkiye
15. Eze, France
16. Ascona, Switzerland
17. Ålesund, Norway
18. Cassis, France
19. Seville, Spain
20. Porto-Montenegro, Tivat, Montenegro

More information: europeanbestdestinations.com

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