TRAVEL: Best cities for 2017

DUBLIN has been ranked as the 43rd best city break destination to visit in Europe in 2017, according to GoEuro’s latest ranking of 100 European cities. 

That means there’s over 40 cities around Europe where Dubs can have a better time than around our own town, so which ones are they?

GoEuro is a website and app that compares and books rail coach and air travel across Europe and in collaboration with HomeToGo they’ve come up with the answers.

The rankings are based on five categories; public transport, accommodation, food and drink, nightlife and day activities.

Taking the top spot across all five categories is Barcelona with a score of 98.35, followed closely by Prague (with a score of 96.14), Berlin (95.76), Madrid (94.81) and London (93.84). 

The study also broke down the top cities to visit depending on traveller’s priorities – whether it be nightlife, accommodation, attractions or cuisine.

So here are the results for the best cities to visit in 2017.

Best for nightlife

Night owls should head to Berlin next year, which was given a 5/5 rating by GoEuro. This is followed closely by Krakow (4.9), Barcelona (4.8 pic above), Kiev (4.7) and Madrid (4.6). Spaniards clearly love a big boogie, as four of their cities (Barcelona, Madrid, Valencia and Seville) have made it on to GoEuro’s list of the top 10 best cities for nightlife.

Best for attractions and activities

Perhaps unsurprisingly, due to its abundance of attractions and shopping opportunities, London grabs the top spot with a 5/5 rating. Cities that closely follow in ranking include Paris (pic above 4.9), Rome (4.8), Prague (4.7) and Barcelona (4.6).

For travellers looking to experience eastern European culture, Moscow, Istanbul and St Petersburg have been ranked as three of Europe’s top 10 best cities for keeping busy with attractions and activities.   

Best for great value accommodation

For short city breaks, most travellers don’t want to fork out a fortune on a place to stay. Those after great value accommodation in Europe should head to Kiev, Zagreb, Budapest (pic above) or Siena as all four cities have been ranked as the top destinations for best value accommodation, with 5/5 ratings.

Cities that follow closely behind include Sarajevo (4.9), Coimbra (4.9), Pilsen (4.6), Riga (4.5), Sofia (4.5) and Bucharest (4.3).

Best for food and drink

Spain is the winner in this category, with Barcelona and Madrid (pic above) ranking as Europe’s top two cities for food and drink (5/5). Travellers seeking gastronomical delights should also consider booking holidays next year to Paris, Rome, Istanbul or Berlin as these cities have been ranked within the top 10 best cities for food and drink. 

Best for public transport

Transport often comes as an unexpected cost when planning a city break. For travellers on a budget, Bucharest and Sofia (pic above) have been ranked as two of the best cities for affordable public transport, followed closely by Kiev, Sarajevo, Gdansk and WrocÅ?aw. 

For example, in Bucharest, the average taxi rate is 64c per kilometre and a one-way ticket on Kiev’s public transport costs just 0.16c per journey. For the music fans, head to Kiev next May, as the Eurovision Song Festival is being hosted in the city on the May 13.

To see the full list of cities click here.