Travel Supermarket has put together this list off the back of research from Responsible Travel Org that has discovered travellers prefer companies that embed green or eco-friendly practices into their operations, which reflects the growth we’ve seen in sustainable tourism over the last few years.
The top 10 eco-friendly cities in Europe are:
- Bern, Switzerland
- Helsinki, Finland
- Luxembourg City, Luxembourg
- Dublin, Ireland
- Brussels, Belgium
- Reykjavik, Iceland
- Lisbon, Portugal
- Amsterdam, Netherlands,
- Oslo, Norway
- Vienna Austria
The Responsible Travel Org used Trip Advisor review data to rank the top ten eco-friendly cities in Europe and the best eco-friendly hotels to stay in in these cities.
So what makes these European cities so ecofriendly?
Bern has a UNESCO protected biosphere with around 400kms of pristine nature to explore. 23% if its hotels are regarded as eco-hotels.
The islands of Vallisaari and Kuninkaansaari in Helsinki have been developed as a showcase for ecotourism, produce no waste and no pollution. The Scaandic Paasi Hotel chooses low impact suppliers and only serves sustainable fish.
Over in Iceland, 85% of its energy is powered by hydro and geothermail energy – take a closer look at one of Rekyjavik’s seven geothermal pools.
Amsterdam leads the way for ethical fashion but also has the Conscious Club – an old canal house that has been converted to a carbon neutral space that hosts yoga and has an organic cafe. Vienna in Austria however is a fab pick for ecohotels. Try the Boutique Hotel Stadthalle as it has the city’s largest lavender field on its roof and gives guests a green bonus for travelling on public transport.
Want to carbon offset your flights? Learn how you can do so easily here.
