Does the idea of jumping out of a plane, bungee jumping off a bridge or swimming with sharks get you excited? If yes, you're most likely a bit of an adrenaline junkie, and you’ll be pumped to learn that Melbourne is one of the world’s ten best destinations for thrill-seekers.
The top ten list comes from entertainment site CanadaCasino.ca, which analysed Google search data to gauge interest in 48 of the world’s riskiest activities, ranging from skydiving to bull riding. To determine which cities were the best for blood-pumping adventures, they then combined these scores with the number of adrenaline-packed activities available in each city, including the percentage of challenging hiking and biking trails, to rank the destinations.
Melbourne was crowned as Australia’s best city for risk-takers and ranked sixth globally. Whether you’re soaring over the city in a hot air balloon at sunrise or racing on its iconic F1 circuit, you could easily spend an entire month ticking off the 41 adrenaline-inducing experiences on offer. Plus, our city reportedly has a whopping 327 hiking trails and 181 biking trails that are rated at a moderate/difficult level – and they will surely get your heart pumping.
It turns out Australia is a playground for adrenaline junkies, with more cities cracking the top ten than any other country in the world. Brisbane ranked seventh-best in the world, with a higher search volume for risk-taking activities and more challenging hiking trails than Melbourne. However, it offers less diversity, with only 30 attractions to get your heart pumping, including paragliding over Mount Tamborine, abseiling at Kangaroo Point Cliffs and cage diving near Moreton Island.
Sydney just made the cut in position number ten. The NSW capital boasts the highest number of adrenaline-fuelled attractions in Australia, from jet boating on Sydney Harbour to hang gliding over Sydney’s iconic beaches and horseback riding in the hinterland. While Sydney topped the Aussie charts for interest in thrill-seeking activities, its ranking was brought down by a limited number of challenging biking trails.
Keen to take your adrenaline-pumping adventures overseas? Famous for its incredible alpine slopes, intense multi-day treks and rugged mountain biking trails, Interlaken in Switzerland claimed the top spot as the best destination for thrill-seekers worldwide. The Swiss city is home to more hiking trails than any other city in the top ten, with 94.6 per cent of these classified as difficult. Second place went to Los Angeles, which recorded the highest number of challenging bike trails at 633. London took the third spot, offering more than 130 adrenaline activities – the most of any city included in the final ranking.
Here are the ten best cities for risk-takers and adrenaline-seekers:
- Interlaken, Switzerland
- Los Angeles, USA
- London, UK
- Whistler, Canada
- Mexico City, Mexico
- Melbourne, Australia
- Brisbane, Australia
- Barcelona, Spain
- Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia
- Sydney, Australia
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