Moving to a new country can be daunting, but Mercer’s annual Quality of Living Report helps ease the decision-making process.

Those with itchy feet can discover the top cities that offer expats the best lifestyle – and the easiest integration into the local community.

This year’s report has seen a change in the top 10. While Vienna topped the list in 2023, this year’s winning city is Zurich, Switzerland.

What’s so great about Zurich for expats?

Choosing Zurichfor the number one spot was ‘fueled by its outstanding public services, low crime rates, and a lively cultural scene, all backed by efficient infrastructure and a dedication to sustainability,’ the Mercer report said.

It also added that the city has enhanced its airport connections with more flights to and from other continents added in summer 2024. Zurich now boasts routes to Seoul, Shanghai, Washington, and Toronto with SWISS and a restored connection to Tunis and Djerba with Tunisair, among others.

“In 2024, Zurich gained flights to Atlanta, Cluj-Napoca, Djerba, Košice, and Tunis, making it easier than ever for expats to get home and away.” Dr James Pearson, an airline routes analyst, told Euronews Travel.

Over 400,000 people with a non-Swiss background live in Zurich, making it the biggest expat community in Switzerland. However, it’s also an expensive city to live in, particularly for renters, according to Rigby AG, a staffing and project services company based in Zurich.

The cost of living in Zurich is 71.8 percent higher than in Vienna, the second-place city on the list, reveals the cost of living database Numbeo.

Rent prices are 127.6 per cent higher in Zurich than in Vienna, and groceries cost around 65 per cent more. Nevertheless, wages are higher too, so once expats start earning, the lifestyle becomes more comfortable.

Zurich is regularly applauded for its quality of life. The Institute for Quality of Life ranked it second in its 2024 list of the happiest cities in the world, behind Aarhus, Denmark. In the global IMD Smart City Index, Zurich secured the top spot in 2024 for the 5th year in a row, while the European Commission ranked it the most livable city in Europe.

Which other European cities are great for expats?

Eight of the top 10 cities in Mercer’s quality of living index are European, with only Auckland and Vancouver sneaking into the list.

Other highly ranked cities include Vienna, down one place from the top spot in 2023, and Geneva, also in Switzerland, which climbed two places to take bronze position this year.

Copenhagen retained its fourth place spot, while Amsterdam climbed an impressive eight places to make it to fifth position. Rounding out the top 10, Frankfurt dropped a place to tie with Vancouver in seventh, while two other Swiss cities, Bern and Basel, took ninth and tenth place, respectively.

Other big gains were made by Stockholm in Sweden, which rose eight places to 18th in the list, and Lisbon which jumped 12 positions to take 27th.

The biggest drop in the list was from Stuttgart, Germany, which fell 20 places in the ranking to 46th. Although Mercer didn’t specify why, the city has been struggling with a highly controversial infrastructure project – Stuttgart 21 – which has been causing disruption to daily life for residents.

What are the worst places in the world for expats to live?

241 cities from five continents were included in the Mercer ranking, so of course, there are some losers as well as winners. Many cities at the bottom of the list are in Africa and the Middle East, with Khartoum in Sudan taking the wooden spoon for last place.

Also languishing in the lower ranks are Baghdad in Iraq, Banhui in the Central African Republic, Sanaa in Yemen, and Port-Au-Prince in Haiti.

Interestingly, some US cities have clawed their way up the ranks this year, with Los Angeles in California making the biggest gains by moving up 26 places to 44th. Other climbers included Atlanta, Dallas, and Boston.

Mercer evaluates quality of life through ongoing research on the practicalities of daily life for international employees and their families, adding, “The most successful destinations today are those that blend flexible governance around mobile talent with a high quality of life and an affordable cost of living.”

Strikes are a regular occurrence in Europe, as employees withhold their labour to fight for better pay and conditions.

Walkouts are sometimes planned months ahead but others are announced last minute, showing that it always pays to check before you travel.

Luckily, we have gathered all of the strike information together below.

Read on to find out where and when are walkouts taking place.

If your flight or train is cancelled or delayed, you will be entitled to a new ticket or compensation. Read our guide for the full details.

Italy: Nationwide train, tram and plane strikes

Airline, rail and public transport services are expected to be disrupted across Italy due to a planned 24-hour general strike on 13 December.

Ferry services to Sicily and Sardinia and motorway toll booth services may also be affected by delays and cancellations.

The strike, organised by the union USB (Unione Sindacale di Base), is in protest against the government’s economic policies, which union leaders say ‘increase social inequalities’ and ‘discourage deindustrialisation.’

Italy’s major airports will also be impacted by a 24-hour strike of TechnoSky air navigation service staff and a shorter strike by air traffic controllers on 15 December.

These protests are backed by several of Italy’s leading transport unions.

Commuters in Italy’s cities can also expect delays and cancellations due to a four-hour national public transport strike on 10 January, which the FAISA-CONFAIL union has called.

While affected services will vary between cities, a walkout by public transport operators is likely to impact buses, trams, commuter trains, water buses and ferries, and underground metro lines. Long-distance rail service and taxis are not expected to be affected.

Similarly, train services in Florence’s metropolitan areas will be affected by delays and cancellations, and long-distance rail services could also be disrupted on 12 January.

This is due to a walkout by staff at the railway network manager Rete Ferroviaria Italiana (RFI).

Commuters in Florence may also be affected by tram delays and cancellations on 25 January because of a 24-hour protest by staff at Gest, which operates the trams.

The advice to passengers is to check your transport will be running as scheduled before leaving home.

France: Trains and ports could be disrupted over Christmas

Several planned strikes will affect train travellers from 11 December onwards. The end date has not been fixed, so it’s likely to go on until Christmas.

Both high-speed TGV and international routes – as well as regional TER services – are likely to be impacted.

Railway workers from the country’s four major railway unions are protesting over the French state rail company SNCF’s increasing privatisation of regional railway routes.

While rail timetables are expected to show services affected by the action 48 hours in advance, it’s worth checking on the day you are planning to travel.

Read more about the travel strikes in France in December.

While expected to cause only minimum disruption to passenger services, ports will be impacted by dockworkers striking on 9 and 10 December.

This protest is being organised by the CGT (general confederation of labour) union, which is demanding better pay and retirement plans for workers and for several ports to address ongoing asbestos issues.

France: easyJet workers file indefinite strike notice

French staff at budget airline easyJet filed an indefinite strike notice in protest over the company’s plan to close its Toulouse hub. The strike first began in September and runs until 16 December.

Exact dates for walk outs are yet to be announced, but more strike action could hit easyJet operations across the country in the coming weeks.

Across Europe: Finnair flights affected

Finnair has cancelled 300 flights on 9 December and 13 December, which will affect around 33,000 air passengers due to a strike called by the Finnish Air Line Pilots Association. The airline warns that this may also impact flights on either side of these two strike days.

Spain: Nationwide bus strikes

A nationwide bus strike that began in late November is expected to continue in December, causing significant disruption to local and long-distance bus services.

This strike will especially impact regional services in Murcia and Andalusia. This strike has been organised by the Confederación General del Trabajo (CGT) union to demand better working conditions for drivers and the option to retire early without financial penalty.

This article will be updated as we receive more information.

If you know of a big strike happening in your country that we have missed, we’d love to hear from you via Twitter.

There has been growing discontent in European destinations around the proliferation of Airbnb properties and the disruption this brings to neighbourhoods.

Earlier this year, residents of cities including Rome, Florence and Milan sabotaged key lock boxes in protest against the rental property phenomenon and its tendency to drive up housing prices.

Now, the Italian government has brought in a ban on the self-check-in system citing “public order and safety risks”.

This means guests staying in rental accommodation in Italy, like Airbnb or Booking properties, must now be met in person on arrival by the owners.

Italy bans key boxes for holiday rental properties

The ban on key boxes and keypads was signed off on 18 November and was effective immediately.

However, police and local authorities have only just begun notifying rental platforms and property owners, according to Italian media.

The rule applies to all types of short-term tourist accommodation such as Airbnb and Booking rentals.

The measure was introduced to “prevent public order and safety risks in relation to the possible accommodation of dangerous individuals or those linked to criminal or terrorist organisations”, the Italian interior ministry said.

“The automated management of check-in and entry to a property without visual identification of guests” means there is a risk it “could be occupied by one or more individuals whose identities remain unknown to the relevant police authorities posing a potential danger to the community,” the statement added.

The ministry said the ban was introduced in response to the “intensification of the phenomenon of short-term rentals” resulting from “the numerous political, cultural and religious events scheduled in the country”, including the 2025 Jubilee celebrations in Rome.

What does the ban mean for travellers?

The new ruling means guests can no longer check in to properties independently, such as being provided with a key code to open a lock box.

Instead, rental owners or managers will need to meet guests in person to confirm identity documents and handle the check-in procedures.

Guests’ personal details and identity documents must be sent to police authorities by owners within 24 hours of check-in.

Roberto Gaultieri, the mayor of Rome, praised the ban as “good news for everyone” and welcomed the end of “the padlocks and boxes that disfigure our streets and prevent adequate security checks”.

He added that he intends to bring in “suitable intervention methods” to remove all these kinds of devices.