Madrid is crowned Europe’s best destination for 2026
Madrid has just been named the best destination in Europe for 2026.
The Spanish capital received the title of European Best Destinations, which has published an annual ranking of the continent’s cities since 2009.
After an initial review covering data such as tourism growth and search demand, travelers voted on a long list of 42 destinations to determine the 20 places people most wanted to visit in the coming year.
“Madrid stands out as a capital where heritage and modernity coexist effortlessly: world-class museums, vibrant neighborhoods, green spaces, bold architecture, a thriving gastronomic scene and an incomparable joie de vivre that resonates deeply with today’s travelers,” said European Best Destinations.
Why you need to visit Madrid in 2026
Music tourism has been on the rise in recent years, and in 2026 some of the world’s biggest artists will descend on the city.
In April, Spanish singer Rosalía will perform at the Movistar Arena for four evenings for her LUX TOUR 2026, followed by shows from Tame Impala, Louis Tomlinson and Ne-Yo.
In late May and early June, Puerto Rican singer Bad Bunny, who performed at halftime at this year’s NFL Super Bowl, will perform live for 10 nights at Riyadh’s Air Metropolitano stadium, while later in the month South Korean group BTS will take the stage as part of their first world tour since returning from military service.
Other big names in Madrid this year include Linkin Park, Bruno Mars, My Chemical Romance and The Weeknd.
Madrid will host the Formula 1 Spanish Grand Prix in September – Photo by Joshua Aguilar on Unsplash
Leaving the stadiums and heading to the stands, the Formula 1 Spanish Grand Prix will be held in Madrid next September.
Work is currently underway on the Madring, a planned urban circuit centered around the IFEMA exhibition center. Current host Circuit Barcelona-Catalonia will instead host the Barcelona-Catalonia Grand Prix every other year from 2028, with the slot being taken by the Belgian Grand Prix at Spa-Francorchamps for 2027.
For foodies, the city currently has 31 Michelin-starred restaurants, including two new additions to the 2026 list: Ramón Freixa Atelier (two stars) and EMi (one star).
The former, recognized just five months after opening, seats 10 and focuses on gourmet tasting menus, while the latter is chef Rubén Hernández Mosquero’s first solo restaurant, with a menu inspired by new Nordic cuisine while drawing on Japanese and Korean culinary techniques.
In the cultural space, Espacio Mistral, focused on theater, music, dance, cinema and spoken word, opened its doors in October last year.
The 2026 program includes plays, operas and festivals as well as film screenings with lectures from directors and actors.
Verona, the city of love, ranked fourth overall – Photo by Henrique Ferreira on Unsplash
Italy dominates the top 20 European destinations for 2026
Last month, European Best Destinations magazine named Nicosia, the city of Cyprus, as the best cultural destination on the continent. It is therefore not surprising that she took second place overall.
However, it is Italy which dominates the overall ranking, with seven destinations ranked among the top 20.
Verona, the city of love, tops the rankings in fourth place, followed by the colorful island of Burano in eighth place.
Cefalù, in Sicily, comes in 15th place, while four Italian destinations complete the top 20: Bosa in Sardinia, Ravello on the Amalfi Coast, the island of Procida off the coast of Naples and Taormina, scene of the second season of The White Lotus.
Countries heavily represented on the list include Spain, with Almería and Begur in 10th and 14th places respectively; Portugal, with Câmara de Lobos de Madeira in sixth position, Lisbon in ninth and Costa Vicentina in 12th; and Greece, with Ano Koufonissi 13th and Avlemonas 16th.
The other destinations in the ranking are Paris fifth, Alaçatı in Türkiye seventh and Stavanger in Norway eleventh.
Third place went to the Štajerska region in Slovenia. Last year, Maribor, the region’s largest city, was named the best wine capital by European Best Destinations, while Ptuj, another neighboring city, was also awarded the title of Europe’s best cultural heritage city.
Maribor, in the Štajerska region of Slovenia, was named the best wine capital last year, with the region placing third overall. – Photo by Leonhard Niederwimmer on Unsplash
How is the ranking of the best European destinations decided?
To decide which places deserve the title in a given year, European Best Destinations monitors nearly 500 cities, towns and regions, looking at data such as international arrivals, overnight stays and growth rates, search demand on major search engines, visibility in international media and growth on social media platforms.
From there, it creates a long list of 42 destinations that show the “strongest momentum” for the coming year, which are then put to a vote by travelers. Voters come from the platform’s own database and have a strong interest in traveling to Europe.
Travelers are asked “which destination would you most like to visit in Europe in 2026?” » and can emit up to three voices. Voters will receive an overview of each destination accompanied by a selection of images, and they will not be able to vote for a destination in their own country.
In total, 1.3 million votes were cast, although European Best Destinations did not reveal how many people took part in the survey.
