Some countries have a rep for being friendlier than others – but which countries are the friendliest? Well, according to the votes of readers of travel site Condé Nast Traveller, the most welcoming country in Europe is… Ireland!
Which comes as a surprise to pretty much no one. Irish charm and hospitality is, after all, known the world over as a bit of a thing. Still, it’s nice to see the craic is alive and well.
Second in CNT’s poll came Portugal, followed by Greece. Here are the full top ten friendliest countries in Europe, according to this year’s Condé Naste Traveller Readers’ Choice Awards.
The awards also ranked the friendliest cities in Europe and the friendliest countries in the entire world. Here are the top tens for those two.
Friendliest cities in Europe
- San Sebastián, Spain
- Bruges, Belgium
- Reykjavik, Iceland
- Copenhagen, Denmark
- Porto, Portugal
- Dublin, Ireland
- Oslo, Norway
- Lisbon, Portugal
- Stockholm, Sweden
- Amsterdam, Netherlands
Friendliest countries in the world
- French Polynesia
- Colombia
- New Zealand
- Thailand
- Costa Rica
- Botswana
- Peru
- Belize
- Sri Lanka
- Philippines
That’s right: Ireland doesn’t even get a look-in here. In fact, if you want a warm welcome, you’re better off heading to the Pacific, Central America or Southeast Asia.
Notably, none of these lists include Germany. We found out earlier this year that Berlin is the world’s rudest city – and proud of it.
So if you’re looking for your next trip to be full of particularly friendly locals, now you know where (and where not) to go.
Did you see that these are the safest countries for solo female travellers?
Plus: you could get paid to travel around Australia and New Zealand in a campervan.