A vacation can truly be a time to recharge, but some destinations are more relaxing than others.
When it comes to restful cities, San Diego came out on top thanks to its abundance of parks and nature reserves, consistently excellent weather, and wealth of spas, according to a new study from Holafly, an international eSim provider. The city boasts a whopping 266 green spaces (more than any other city on the list), more than 3,000 hours of sunshine per year, and 359 different spas and wellness centers.
“Whether it’s a long walk through a park, a relaxing day at a spa, or simply soaking up the sun in a new city, people are prioritizing trips that help them feel better both physically and mentally,” Holafly wrote as part of the study, adding the company looked at different factors “linked to physical and emotional well-being,” including “access to parks and nature reserves, the number of spa and wellness centers, air quality, average annual sunshine hours, traffic congestion, and happiness.”
The second-most relaxing city in the world was Singapore, which offers 242 parks and nature spaces along with 698 spas and wellness centers. The city also features good air quality, according to the study, along with 2,022 hours of sun each year.
Singapore was followed by Vienna, Austria, which boasted one of the best air quality scores, the shortest average traffic time, and more than 2,000 hours of sunlight per year. Australian cities Sydney and Melbourne rounded out the top five.
While it didn’t crack the top of the list, the Spanish city of Barcelona was lauded for its wellness offerings thanks to having the highest number of spas and wellness centers among all ranked cities, according to the study; while Helsinki, Finland, was praised for its “exceptionally clean air.”
To determine its list, Holafly looked at 50 top cities around the globe and awarded each a score on a scale of one to 100. All of the data was collected in July.
Beyond large cities, there are plenty of relaxing vacation destinations to consider from soaking in the geothermal waters of Iceland’s Blue Lagoon to swimming in the pristine waters of Australia’s Whitsunday Islands, enjoying the crystalline lakes in Canada’s Banff National Park, reveling in the quiet as you keep an eye out for wildlife in Kenya’s Maasai Mara National Reserve, and more. Or head to Queenstown, New Zealand, which has been called one of the best cities in the world for tranquil energy.
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