As several of Europe’s once-peaceful destinations, including France, Spain, Italy, and Turkey, struggle with overtourism, visitors are seeking peace and quiet away from the crowds.

New research released this week reveals the top countries where you can find that tranquillity.

While Australia took the number one spot, many northern European countries pipped warmer Mediterranean destinations to the post, thanks to their historical wellness culture and safer, quieter spaces.

How do you judge how relaxing a destination is?

Over 76 destinations were analysed and then ranked by The Global Relaxation Index based on five key ‘relaxation’ factors: safety, solitude, serenity, nature, and wellness.

These were judged on the amount of protected area and forest coverage, crowd density, noise pollution, and the availability of wellness experiences. Each destination was then given a score between 1 and 100.

Iceland scored nearly perfect marks for its safety and serenity, coming in third place and as the most highly-rated European country. This should come as no surprise, given that the sparsely populated island nation is brimming with volcanoes, natural springs, and the enchantment of the Northern Lights.

Finland wasn’t far behind either, taking the fourth spot. It shares a crowd density below 20 people per km2 with Iceland.

This is in drastic contrast to the heavy crowds in Italy, which had 198.3 people per km2, and Mauritius, which was deemed the most crowded destination in the report based on its incredible 626 people per km.

Europe’s other leading relaxing destinations were Austria, ranked at number 6, Sweden at number 7, Estonia at number 8, Norway at number 9, and Portugal at number 10.

These countries were flagged to be leading the way in relaxation due to not having acres of space but because of their smart green cities, slower-paced lifestyles, and wealth of wellness traditions.

Despite its summer crowds, Spain still managed to find a place in the top 20 at the 16th spot, yet France was at 33.

Africa was also put on the map with Botswana and Namibia, which outranked other popular European destinations, such as Greece and France, which were ranked at 32 and 33, respectively.

The experts behind the index compared Australia, the top relaxing destination, with Italy, which ranked at 30, highlighting that Australia has an area 25 times larger but 50 million fewer annual visitors than the European country.

“The Global Relaxation Index confirms what many travellers already sense,” says Sean Kelly, co-founder of BookRetreats.com.

“The places we once visited for peace and quiet have become victims of their own popularity… The most peaceful escapes now lie in vast wilderness destinations like Australia and Canada, or in Northern European nations that combine safe environments with naturally calm city life.”

Canada – North America’s only destination in the top 25 – claimed second place. This was because the country offers over 4,700 wellness experiences, 34.8 per cent forest coverage, and incredible natural wonders like the Northern Lights.

Relaxation travel is expected to continue to be popular in 2025 as more travellers seek out untouched wilderness and mindful urban living experiences.

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.”

For some unlucky travellers, Christmas has been abruptly cancelled.

Huge German holiday firm TUI has begun scrapping some of its wildly popular Lapland trips as an essential element is missing: snow.

Towns like Rovaniemi, the ‘official home of Santa’, have experienced unseasonably mild conditions over the past few weeks. Rather than the typical 20-30cm of snow on the ground, November saw no more than a couple of centimetres in isolated patches, with most of the region devoid of the white stuff entirely.

On 3 and 4 December 2024, TUI cancelled several trips to Kuusamo in Finnish Lapland due to a lack of snow. Heavy rainfall in the area washed away what little snow remained, making it impossible to undertake many of the wintry excursions planned for visitors.

Why are Lapland trips cancelled?

In a statement released on Tuesday 4 December, the travel company said,

“We’ve been closely monitoring the weather forecast in Kuusamo. Unfortunately, there has been heavy rainfall today and what snow there was, has washed away.

“This means that, regretfully, it won’t be possible to operate the magical Lapland experience we had planned for you, including tasters and pre-booked excursions. We understand how devastating this news will be, and we are really sorry to have reached this outcome.”

Affected guests have been offered the option to change their travel dates, including to next winter, at no additional cost, to rebook onto another holiday with a 10 per cent discount, or to get a full refund for their trip.

Other travel agents are monitoring the weather closely, and some areas are using snow cannons to ensure their visitors have the magical winter experience they planned.

Lapland: A popular winter destination

A few decades ago, travelling to Lapland to visit Santa was something kids could only dream about. But today, thanks to hundreds of new air connections to European countries, a magical visit to the real home of St. Nick is just a ticket away.

Finnavia, the operator of Finnish airports, noted that last year over 1.5 million visitors arrived in Finnish Lapland, 20 per cent more than the previous year. In November and December alone, Rovaniemi, Kittilä, Ivalo, Kuusamo, and Kemi-Tornio airports saw 547,773 passengers pass through.

As well as Finland, Swedish Lapland has seen record visitor numbers in recent years. In the county of Norrbotten, home to Lapland, winter tourism increased by 9 per cent in 2023, with the town of Kiruna – home to the famous ICEHOTEL – seeing 50,000 more guest nights compared with the previous year.

Many visitors arrive anticipating days of chilly fun – dog sleds, snowmobiling, reindeer safaris. With little to no snow in some areas, activities like this become impossible. Even the reindeer are struggling to retrieve their favourite food, lichen, from beneath layers of packed ice.

Will there be any snow in Lapland this Christmas?

According to travel company J2SKI, very little snow is expected in Lapland over the coming days.

The next snowfall is anticipated on 6 December, and over the next week, ski areas are expected to receive between 2 and 6cm of snow. While it is possible to ski and sled on smaller depths of snow like this, the packed ice underneath is likely to make conditions unfavourable for many popular winter activities.

Is climate change hitting Lapland?

It’s not just the winter that has been mild in Scandinavia. Finnish Lapland saw the warmest summer on record this year, with June, July, and August recording record temperatures at almost all weather stations in the Northern parts of the country. On average, temperatures were 2 to 3.5 degrees C higher than the average.

Finland’s Meteorological Institute blames climate change for the heat, with researcher Mika Rantanen telling news agency AFP, “The minimum temperatures were very high in Lapland… there were no cold spells at all.”

At the end of October, Lapland was experiencing an unusually warm spell, with temperatures in Kilpisjärvi soaring to 11.2 degrees C. The average high for the region in October is just 2.8 degrees C. And in November, the town of Utsjoki recorded temperatures of 11 degrees C, breaking the previous record high set in 1975.

Jim Dale, founder and Senior Meteorological Consultant at British Weather Services told Euronews Travel that climate change is to blame. He said, “Over the past 20 years, there has been a regression of European snow, punctuated by occasional very large falls and also sudden thaws that have often made for dangerous conditions. That is climate change inspired without a shadow of a doubt.”

Dale explained that, with more moisture in the atmosphere, snowfalls are bigger when the air is cold enough. This sort of famine-to-feast scenario is a pattern he sees continuing in the future. “That isn’t to say there won’t be ordinary seasons when everything appears as it was – that’s the natural flow of weather. But it’s all underscored by climate change and the unpredictability and chaos that it can and will bring,” he added.

Sharron Livingston, travel expert and founder of The Travel Magazine, told Euronews Travel it’s not just Lapland suffering.

“The lack of snow is not unique to Rovaniemi. In 2023, the Alps around Switzerland, Italy, and France had an unusually mild winter, and there was a deficit of snow in low altitudes. It may be due to climate change or just the way it is currently and could change.”