Europe

Cities across Europe are feeling the pressure from overtourism, with individual destinations taking vastly different approaches to stemming the overflow of visitors. While Dubrovnik has visitor limits and cruise restrictions, Copenhagen is encouraging travellers to use public transport and help with eco-initiatives while in town. Discover more by reading on…

Judging panel:

Dr Anna Spenceley, Christopher Imbsen, Diana Jarvis, George Kipouros, Jana Apih, Jeremy Smith, Dr Lauren Siegel, Lyn Hughes, Dr Nicole Cocolas, Sally Davey and Tiffany Chan

France

Normandy

If you’re thinking of ditching your car and heading to France this summer, the Normandy Low Carbon Rate may come in handy.

Initiated by Normandy Tourism last spring, in partnership with businesses across the region, it offers discounts to visitors who arrive by train, bus or bicycle. Travellers can get at least a 10% reduction at around 100 participating sites across Normandy by presenting a valid ticket or a bike photo upon arrival.

The initiative aims to encourage tourists to choose greener transportation methods. At the same time, it provides an incentive to local attractions, including the Museum of Fine Arts in Rouen and the Normandy Victory Museum, to adopt more sustainable practices. The ultimate winner is the traveller. DJ (Photos: French Wanderers / Marie-Anaïs Thierry / Thierry Houyel)

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Portugal

The Azores

This mid-Atlantic archipelago, 1,600km off the Portuguese mainland, is the perfect destination to spot whales and dolphins. This is partly thanks to the recent 30% expansion of its Marine Protected Areas (MPAs).

The waters here teem with healthy cold-water coral reefs, and visitors can be reassured that local tour operators offering diving and snorkelling trips are all governed by strict ethical codes of practice. You’ll also find the world’s largest breeding population of Cory’s shearwaters (pictured) among the islands. In recent years, young birds have increasingly become disorientated by the islands’ artificial lights, so a community-led conservation initiative was devised to ensure their safe passage to the Atlantic Ocean.

Visitors can now participate in rescue missions culminating in their release at dawn or join a guided workshop to learn more about their delicate natural marine ecosystem habitat. DJ (Photos: Shutterstock)

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Scotland

A road trip through the glens, forests and coastlands of Scotland is an archetypal Scottish experience.

But with routes like the iconic North Coast 500 becoming increasingly clogged with vehicles, Visit Scotland is offering up some great alternatives by promoting six other scenic journeys. Both Heart 200, a 322km circular route through the Cairngorms, Loch Lomond and Highland Perthshire, and The Coig, five routes that include drives through Ayrshire and across the water to Arran, offer plenty of possibilities.

What’s more, the 6,000 electric charging points across the country mean you can now drive them in an electric vehicle. DJ (Photos: Shutterstock)

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Estonia

Hiiumaa Island

With more than 320km of marked forest hiking trails, many of them opening out onto untouched deserted beaches, Hiiumaa Island is a haven of unspoilt nature and tranquillity.

It has also been leading the way in Estonia in terms of sustainability for the last 30 years, thanks to its Hiiumaa Green Label scheme.

This is awarded to services or products made on the island that use local resources, highlighting sustainable practices or traditional skills. Over 140 businesses and products are now part of the scheme. DJ (Photos: Visit Estonia / Magnus Heinmets / Priidu Saart / Shutterstock)

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Lithuania

Vilnius

Awarded the title European Green Capital in 2025, there is much about this city that is, literally, green. In fact, some 70% of the municipal area is covered in green spaces, threaded by 140km of bike lanes and 1,495km of walking paths interlinking all the major neighbourhoods, including a historical city centre packed with Baroque architecture.

Beyond this, some 90 accessible lakes encircle the city – like a medieval moat – with many reachable via public transport. This didn’t all happen naturally. The city has played a big part, including the creation of the Vilnius 100km, a circular trail showcasing lesser-known green areas and cultural highlights.

And if you get thirsty along the way, free drinking-water stations are scattered all over town. The city has also invested heavily in biodiversity programmes, including an initiative aimed at maintaining the natural environment by monitoring changes due to human activities. DJ (Photos: Saulius Žiūra / Shutterstock)

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Portugal

Guimarães

Guimarães in northern Portugal is set to become the European Green Capital for 2026.

It was awarded the title for a number of reasons, ranging from its air quality and biodiversity to its circular economy and climate change mitigation. But it also has plenty of cultural highs, including a UNESCO-listed historical centre and former tannery district that features a 10th-century fortress and the 15th-century Ducal Palace.

It’s a town almost made to be explored on foot. The city’s green spaces feature many restored urban parks and public areas, offering yet another reason for its green award. Its year-long reign will likely include a programme of events; these are still to be announced. DJ (Photos: Shutterstock)

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Croatia

Dubrovnik

Dubrovnik has long suffered from overtourism. The constant influx of cruise passengers and the sheer number of feet clattering the cobbles of the citadel, drawn by its World Heritage status and starring role in TV’s Game of Thrones, has been an ongoing struggle for locals and visitors alike.

But, thanks to its Respect the City initiative, it’s now emerging as a leader in sustainable tourism management. A study undertaken in 2022 helped set visitor limits, while the Dubrovnik Pass both funds heritage preservation and encourages visitors to venture beyond the crowds. Cruise tourism has also been reformed, with strict limits on arrivals, longer stays and scheduled docking to reduce congestion.

Meanwhile, the city Management Plan now prioritises residents’ quality of life, including noise regulations. As a result, Dubrovnik has raised its Global Sustainable Tourism Council score from 70% to 86%, proving that responsible tourism and community engagement can happily coexist. DJ (Photos: Sime Fabris / Darko Vrbica)

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Germany

With its policies driving sustainable initiatives, Germany aims to achieve climate neutrality by 2045. This trickles into tourism in many ways, and two standout projects exemplifying this are the East Frisian island of Langeoog and Stranddorf Augustenhof, a Baltic Sea holiday village.

First up is Langeoog, a 20 sq km island in the UNESCO-listed Wadden Sea. It has been car-free since 1949, and the island promotes environmental awareness and low-impact travel through its activities. For example, more than 3,000 visitors participate in its guided mudflat hikes annually, which showcase the area’s biodiversity and offer a great day out. Bicycle rentals, electric carts and renewable energy sources, including solar and wind power, help reduce CO2 emissions by about 1,000 tonnes per year. And as Germany’s first Fair-Trade Island (since 2012), ethical consumption is high on the agenda, with businesses expanding Fairtrade products by over 40%.

On the other hand, visitors to Stranddorf Augustenhof, a beachside holiday village on the German Baltic Sea coast, will discover an array of innovative eco-technologies. Its energy-efficient design features green roofs and a combined heat and power plant using solar, wood pellets and heat pumps. DJ (Photos: Lower Saxony)

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Denmark

Copenhagen

According to a 2023 study by the Kantar Sustainability Index study, 82% of consumers claimed they want to act sustainably, but only 22% actually changed their behaviour.

It’s this finding that inspired the city of Copenhagen to devise CopenPay: a scheme aimed at turning green actions into currency for cultural experiences. It serves to bridge the gap between desire and behaviour. For example, climate-friendly activities such as biking, using public transport and participating in clean-up events earn participants rewards, including kayak rentals, vegetarian lunches, boat rides and more.

It’s aimed at visitors and residents alike, and the trust-based system brings together the community and tourism industry. It was trialled in the summer of 2024 across more than 5,000 participants, who undertook 1,000 hours of volunteer work. As a result, around 1,200kg of waste was collected and there was a 29% increase in people using sustainable transport. DJ (Photos: Shutterstock)

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Netherlands

With much of the flat coastal regions of the Netherlands having been reclaimed from the sea, the Dutch landscape was, historically, very fertile.

However, big-business arable and dairy farming has been the norm in the Netherlands for decades, and the soil has suffered through over-fertilisation. With organic, vegan and locavore diets becoming ever more popular, the agricultural industry is swiftly making the transition, too, with a move towards organic farming and farm-to-fork culinary experiences.

There are now 23 Michelin Green-starred restaurants throughout the country, while Arnhem and Eindhoven have plenty of dedicated vegan restaurants. In Utrecht, you can even now go on a vegan cycling tour.
DJ (Photos: Shutterstock)

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Greece

Pylos

The Costa Navarino complex spans four resorts, villas, three spas and a new open-air dining and entertainment ‘marketplace’ on the south-west coast of Greece’s Peloponnese region.

It even includes a Blue Flag beach with a protection programme in place for loggerhead turtles. Before its redevelopment, the area largely consisted of degraded farmland; it has since seen the biggest olive tree transplanting programme in Europe take place, plus the addition of 9,900 indigenous trees.

It has also been credited with kickstarting a revival in the region, bringing jobs, training and visitors to an area that was in need of all three. GC (Photos: Shutterstock)

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Finland

Crowned the world’s happiest country for seven consecutive years by the UN-sponsored World Happiness Report, Finland is clearly an upbeat place.

Now, capital Helsinki has become the first city worldwide to be awarded the Green Destinations certificate by the Global Sustainable Tourism Council. This covers environmental, cultural and social governance, and it underscores the country’s dedication to responsible tourism.

Sustainable Travel Finland was established to provide companies and attractions with a concrete toolkit for developing sustainable tourism. So far, there are more than 500 businesses signed up DJ (Photos: Shutterstock)

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Spain

While parts of Spain, such as Barcelona and the Balearics, suffer from overtourism, there’s still plenty of this vast country to see. RENFE’s Spain Rail Pass offers international visitors a flexible, high-speed and cost-effective way to explore it by train.

Best of all, its cities are finding ways to improve access to their big sights for everyone. In Madrid, a new Accessible Tourism Guide provides seven self-guided routes, mapped so that visitors of all abilities can explore the city’s Literary Quarter or the fine food and LGBTQ+ culture of the Chueca area. Valencia has improved accessibility for visitors with speech and communication difficulties, particularly those with autism. There is pictogram imagery around its historic centre, and for those with impaired vision, there are audio recordings of the six main routes around the city.

As last year’s European Green Capital, Valencia is far from slowing down in terms of its sustainability efforts. Four different ‘Green Routes’ have now been plotted through the city’s natural spaces, which can be explored by bike or on foot. DJ (Photos: Shutterstock)

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Monaco

As one of the smallest and most densely populated countries on Earth, Monaco may not on first sight appear to be a paradigm of sustainability. Yet, in recent years, the principality has made strides towards this.

Firstly, by committing to reducing greenhouse gas emissions by 55% by 2030 (relative to 1990 levels) and to achieving carbon neutrality by 2050. Secondly, over 80% of the city-state’s hotel capacity is now certified by internationally recognised environmental standards (Green Globe, Green Key, Planet 21), while 97% of its hotels are signatories to Monaco’s National Pact for Energy Transition.

The principality is integrating many renewable energy solutions, including the installation of 5,000 sqm of solar panels on rooftops, and it has long pioneered seawater heat pump systems in both public and private infrastructure. Visitors can also experience its biodiversity conservation across its protected marine areas, 933 catalogued heritage trees and the widespread adoption of organic maintenance practices in public gardens. Together with a green transport system featuring electric buses, solar-powered water taxis and a vast e-bike network, Monaco offers a surprisingly low-impact, high-integrity escape that goes far beyond its famed luxury. (Photos / Video: Shutterstock / Visit Monaco / BVergely)

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Austria

Austria’s mountains lend themselves to low-impact escapes – climbing, cycling, hiking – although the difficulty in getting about means that travellers still often rely on cars.

To counter this, SalzburgerLand’s Saalfelden-Leogang region has just introduced Guest Mobility Tickets for overnight stays, allowing visitors to use its public transport for free. Allied with weekly guided ‘Climate Hikes’ and the use of regenerative fuel in the mountain cable cars, it’s part of a much wider scheme to get visitors to see the region as more than a winter ski slope.

A similar approach is being taken in Kufsteinerland on the Bavarian border, where the KufsteinerlandCard already offers free public transport and connections to resorts, in addition to a wide network of walking and cycling trails. The region has become only the second in Tirol to gain the Austrian Ecolabel, created to reward destinations for their green policies. And together with a glut of certified sustainable stays, such as the wood-and-clay-built Bio Chalet Haus Wagner, it’s a great option for those wanting a low-impact escape.

The same can be said of the UNESCO Biosphere Reserve of Großes Walsertal. Some 45% of the valley’s 180 farms are organic, while over two-thirds of its land is preserved. Work is also being done to ensure the area is operated entirely on green energy by 2030, with its electric grid already run on renewables. Tourism here is aimed at educating visitors on the natural world, with the herbal walks hosted by the Alchemilla Association being a great example of a day out that connects you with nature. GC (Photos: Shutterstock)

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