Budapest voted as top European destination

With a total of 62,128 of the more than half a million of votes cast, the Hungarian capital has been chosen as the top travel destination in Europe as published on the website of Best European Destinations that organized the voting.

With a total of 62,128 of the more than half a million of votes cast, the Hungarian capital has been named as the top travel destinations as published on the website of Best European Destinations that organized the voting.

As the website points out, “the city setting is stunning with a rich architectural and historical heritage: it offers an unmatched combination of culture, blooming gastronomy and the advantages of thermal waters and world heritage sights. The pearl of the Danube is not only the best European destination, it is also one of the most beautiful and safest cities in the world. Budapest offers the elegance of Paris, the architectural heritage of Vienna, the charm of Porto, Stockholm’s gentle way of life.” It suggests that spending your time in the Hungarian capital should include programs such as a Danube Cruise, a visit to the Buda Castle or an alternative Budapest walking tour of both Buda and Pest.

Since 2009, European Best Destinations has been promoting culture and tourism in Europe to millions of travelers but also to tourism professionals and the media. It has partnership with more than 300 tourism offices in Europe and the EDEN Network created by the European Commission. The website says its visitors are mainly from the United States, the United Kingdom, Germany, Austria, Switzerland and Ireland.

This year, the online vote for the best European destination took place between January 15 and February 5 to choose from among Athens, Berlin, Braga, Bratislava, Brussels, Budapest, Cavtat, Dinant, Florence, Geneva, Kotor, London, Malaga, Metz, Monte-Isola (sustainable destination), Paris, Poznan, Riga, Sainte-Maxime and Vienna.

According to the final results, the tenth edition of this competition is a record year with a total 515,375 votes from 153 countries and more than 145,000 shares of the voting page on social networks. Budapest, which received 23% of its votes from Hungary and 77% of votes from the rest of the world, finished ahead of Braga, Portugal and Metz, France.