Want solitude and safety? Europe’s most relaxing holiday destinations

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.”

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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.