Athens Ranks 50th Best City in Europe Among 180 Destinations

Athens, Greece.

Athens is Europe’s 50th best city, according to the second annual 2024 Europe’s Best Cities Report by global place branding advisor Resonance Consultancy.

Resonance, a leading global advisor in tourism, real estate, and economic development, highlighted the European cities best positioned for a new post-pandemic urban reality and a resilient future in the face of geo-political and environmental polycrisis.

The 2024 report analyzed 180+ European cities (principal cities of metropolitan areas with populations of more than 500,000) to determine the Top 100 by using a combination of core statistics and qualitative evaluations and recommendations by locals and visitors in digital channels such as Tripadvisor, Google, Facebook and Instagram.

“Resonance Consultancy’s Best Cities rankings are determined by analyzing the performance of each city for a wide range of factors that have demonstrated moderate to strong correlations with attracting employment, investment, and/or visitors,” said Resonance President and CEO Chris Fair.

Athens drops seven places

Acropolis, Athens.

Although Athens fell this year to 50th place in the ranking compared to the 43rd place it was in 2023 the report notes: “As the 2,500-year-old cradle of Western civilization, Athens understands resilience,” highlighting that the ancient capital “is busy” making up for lost time with “ambitious city-building”.

The Greek capital was praised for its “spanning new metro lines connecting soulful destination neighborhoods,” which host community parties, concerts, and workshops.

Moreover, Athens ranked 11th best for its outdoor offerings including restaurants and entertainment, 20th for sites and landmarks, and 18th for museums.

In addition, the report points out the four-kilometer-long Grand Promenade that allows visitors to walk from the foot of the Acropolis to the most important archaeological sites of the city. It also highlights the Athens Olympic Museum in Maroussi, as well as the National Gallery of Athens.

Europe’s top 10 best cities for 2024

Paris, France.

For the second year in a row, London reigns over all European cities. Despite COVID lockdowns, economic devastation, Brexit, and the war in Europe, the city is top of mind for students, foreign investors, and tourists.

Paris ranked 2nd for the second year running, and due to the 2024 Summer Olympic and Paralympic Games, the city will be the protagonist of this summer.

In third place was Berlin, which climbed from seventh place last year. The German capital ranks highly in the categories relating to culture, including festivals, concerts, and nightlife.

The top ten list also includes Rome (4th place), Madrid (5th place), Prague (6th), Barcelona (7th), Amsterdam (8th), Istanbul (9th), and Milan (10th).

As leading global advisors in branding, marketing and placemaking for destinations and cities around the world, Resonance conducts extensive research on the rise of cities, the key trends propelling their growth and the factors that shape our perception of urban centers as desirable places to live, visit and invest.