2026 Europe’s Best Cities: London retains first place

Working in partnership with Resonance, Ipsos has determined the most desirable urban destinations across Europe for 2026. We did this by asking 5,000 people across ten different European countries to tell us which cities across the region they think of as the best to visit, for work, and to live in. Resonance then combined this “perception” data with “performance” data: a mix of 47 core statistics including (among other things) weather records, quality of public transport, environmental factors, and user-generated reviews from the most popular online social media platforms that show how visitors and residents feel about their experiences in those cities.

This is the fourth consecutive year that London has come out on top in this study. It scores 1st for its “liveability” (natural and built environment) and its “prosperity” (economic attraction) and is only beaten into second place by Paris for its “loveability” (cultural appeal).

Although the methodology was refined slightly this year, the top 10 is remarkably similar to last – the only changes being that Rome (4th) and Barcelona (5th) swapped places, and Copenhagen enters the list at 9th, replacing Prague, which drops to 15th. Resonance has built a dedicated website sharing the full results here.

In an increasingly turbulent world, Europe is still seen as something of a safe haven for tourism and investment.