Europe: what’s hot

Zoomer | June 8th, 2007

Travellers from around the world love Paris – well, sort of. Italy has the best food and Prague the best bargains.

These are just a few findings from a recent European travel survey by TripAdvisor.com. More than 2,100 worldwide travellers participated in the survey.

Is it love?
While Paris was voted the all-time favourite European city, it was also given the dubious distinction of being the most “over-rated” and “unfriendly”. At the same time, survey respondents voted Paris the most romantic European city, as well as the best city for arts and culture.

Buon appetito!
Nearly half (43 per cent) of travellers said Italy had the best cuisine in Europe. Coming in second for culinary expertise was France, followed by Spain.

And not only can the Italians cook, but they apparently look good. Rome was voted as having the most attractive locals, for the second year in a row.

Family-friendly
London received kudos for being the most family-friendly European city, as well as the best place for shopping and night life. It also ranked second favourite all-time European destination.

Best bargain
Prague won hands down for the best city for bargains in all of Europe. It also tied with Edinburgh as the most “underrated” European city. Travellers voted Prague, along with Vienna, the top Eastern European city to visit.

Rising stars
Helsinki, Finland and Riga, Latvia were voted by travellers as the biggest up and coming European destinations.

And the hospitality award goes to…
Dublin! The Irish city was ranked the friendliest destination, with London coming in second.

While the survey ranked the most friendly travel destinations, it also provided a few comments on travellers themselves. About a third (32 per cent) of respondents said Germans were the most annoying while travelling on holiday, followed by the English and the French.

Source: TripAdvisor.com