Travel + Leisure World’s Best Awards: Prague Among Europe’s Best Cities in 2026

According to the 2026 World’s Best Awards by travel magazine Travel + Leisure, Prague is among Europe’s most popular cities. In the European ranking, the Czech capital takes second place, while it ranks 18th worldwide.

Florence, Prague and Salzburg are Europe’s best cities, according to the US travel magazine Travel + Leisure. In the 2026 World’s Best Awards, readers voted Florence as Europe’s favourite city. Prague came second, followed by Salzburg in third place.

The three European cultural cities also performed strongly in the global ranking. Florence is the highest-ranked European city in 13th place. Prague ranks 18th worldwide, followed by Salzburg in 22nd place. The global ranking is led by San Miguel de Allende in Mexico.

Foto: Florence | Giuseppe Mondì | Unsplash

The Travel + Leisure World’s Best Awards are presented annually based on a readers’ survey. According to the magazine, more than 207,000 readers took part in this year’s vote. In total, around 661,000 votes were cast across more than 10,000 destinations, hotels, cruise lines and other travel experiences.

Florence secured the top spot in Europe thanks in part to its rich Renaissance heritage, renowned hotels and traditional trattorias in its historic neighbourhoods.

Foto: Salzburg | Leonhard Niederwimmer | Unsplash

Florence, Prague and Salzburg are among Europe’s most important cultural cities. Their historic old towns are UNESCO World Heritage Sites and are regarded as some of the best-known and best-preserved historic city centres on the continent. To this day, the three cities continue to attract visitors from around the world with their architecture, cultural heritage and centuries of history.

The European top five is completed by Kraków in Poland and Porto in Portugal.

Europe’s Top 15 Cities

1. Florence, Italy

2. Prague, Czech Republic

3. Salzburg, Austria

4. Kraków, Poland

5. Porto, Portugal

6. Ljubljana, Slovenia

7. Rome, Italy

8. Funchal, Portugal

9. Bruges, Belgium

10. Seville, Spain

11. Vienna, Austria

12. Lisbon, Portugal

13. Madrid, Spain

14. Siena, Italy

15. Budapest, Hungary