World’s most visited country misses out in traveller ranking of best cities

 Italy leads the continent with three cities in the top 25, while France is notably absent.

🌎 Florence has been named Europe’s top city in Travel + Leisure’s 2025 World’s Best Awards, a reader-voted survey that highlights travellers’ favourite destinations around the globe.

🌎 The Tuscan capital came in 11th overall, the highest-ranking European city on this year’s list. The top spot globally went to San Miguel de Allende in Mexico, followed by Oaxaca and Tokyo. 

🌎 While the overall top 10 was dominated by cities in Latin America and Asia, several European cities rounded out the list, all favoured by readers looking for culture, food and historic charm.

Italy stands out with three cities on the list

🌎 The rankings are based on nearly 180,000 reader responses. Cities were rated across six categories: sights and landmarks, culture, food, friendliness, shopping and value.

🌎 Italy was the only European country with three cities in the top 25: Florence (11), Rome (18) and Siena (23). All earned praise for their timeless beauty, great food and culture, from centuries-old cathedrals and trattorias to cobblestoned streets full of local life.

🌎 The results track with tourism data: Italy was the fourth most-visited country in the world in 2024, drawing more than 71 million international visitors.

🌎 Florence continues to enchant travellers with its intimate scale, world-renowned art and sunlit piazzas. From the Uffizi Gallery’s Botticellis to Florence Cathedral’s terracotta dome, the Tuscan capital offers a walking-distance feast of masterpieces. Its rustic restaurants - many family-run for generations - add to the timeless atmosphere.

🌎 Rome, meanwhile, offers something few cities can match: layers of living history. The Eternal City’s blend of ancient ruins and street-level spontaneity earned high marks from readers. This year’s Jubilee, an occasion that brings together Catholics from around the world every 25 years, is also taking place in the wake of Pope Francis’ passing in April.

🌎 And then there’s the well-preserved Tuscan city of Siena. A UNESCO World Heritage site since 1995, the 12th-century city rises from rolling hills, with its medieval brick buildings and Gothic towers an immediate draw. Its lively restaurants and famed Piazza del Campo, where the Palio horse race unfolds twice each summer, set the pace for a city that feels like a welcome step back to a bygone era.