The study applied a composite scoring system that combined noise and light
pollution levels, population density, annual visitor numbers, access to nature
and parks, average commute times, and Instagram saturation to determine which
urban destinations offer the quietest holiday environments.
Rhodes, Greece ranked first globally, achieving a Quietcation Score of 99.56. The
city recorded the shortest average commute time among all cities analysed at
16.5 minutes and the lowest population density, with 89 people per square
kilometre. Noise pollution levels were measured at 31.25, while Instagram
saturation remained limited, with approximately one million posts tagged at the
destination.
At the opposite end of the rankings, Delhi was identified as the world’s
least suitable city for quiet holidays, scoring 14.53. The study cited extreme
noise pollution at 63.99, population density of 23,360 people per square
kilometre, and the longest average commute time recorded in the analysis at
57.53 minutes.
Top 10 Best Cities for “Quietcationing” in 2026
|
Rank |
City |
Country |
Noise and Light Pollution Level |
People per
km² |
# of
Visitors Per Year |
Nature and Parks Per 10 km² |
Average
Commute Time (Mins) |
# of
Instagram Posts |
Quietcation
Score |
|
1 |
Rhodes |
Greece |
31.25 |
89 |
2,252,100 |
7.00 |
16.50 |
1,000,000 |
99.56 |
|
2 |
Vilnius |
Lithuania |
30.44 |
1,350 |
1,200,000 |
4.99 |
25.81 |
4,200,000 |
96.48 |
|
3 |
Edinburgh |
United
Kingdom |
31.49 |
2,135 |
1,660,000 |
20.08 |
26.27 |
8,000,000 |
95.05 |
|
4 |
Oslo |
Norway |
31.87 |
2,457 |
1,000,000 |
19.60 |
27.83 |
6,900,000 |
94.41 |
|
5 |
Helsinki |
Finland |
22.97 |
1,892 |
4,000,000 |
12.57 |
24.46 |
4,500,000 |
89.98 |
|
6 |
Tallinn |
Estonia |
31.34 |
2,878 |
4,265,258 |
32.08 |
24.35 |
3,900,000 |
89.56 |
|
7 |
Valencia |
Spain |
32.52 |
15,082 |
206,404 |
55.70 |
19.68 |
7,800,000 |
89.01 |
|
8 |
Stockholm |
Sweden |
27.64 |
4,549 |
2,471,200 |
22.51 |
34.06 |
13,300,000 |
86.34 |
|
9 |
Kyoto |
Japan |
36.76 |
1,763 |
3,029,600 |
16.91 |
29.29 |
6,900,000 |
85.30 |
|
10 |
Copenhagen |
Denmark |
35.38 |
15,918 |
3,061,000 |
73.86 |
26.92 |
3,200,000 |
80.48 |
European destinations dominated the results, occupying 16 of the top 20
positions and all of the top five. Vilnius ranked second with a score of 96.48,
followed by Edinburgh in third place at 95.05. Oslo ranked fourth with 94.41,
while Helsinki placed fifth with a score of 89.98.
Kyoto was the only Asian city to feature in the global top 10, ranking
ninth with a score of 85.30. The study found that it outperformed larger
Japanese cities, with Tokyo ranked 59th at 50.67 and Osaka ranked 55th at
54.48.
The findings indicate that high tourism volumes do not necessarily
eliminate tranquillity. Rhodes welcomes approximately 2.25 million visitors
annually while maintaining its quiet profile. Helsinki accommodates around four
million visitors each year, and Copenhagen, which ranked tenth, records
approximately 3.06 million annual visitors.
The study also noted that access to nature, while important, is not the sole determining factor. Paris recorded the highest number of parks per 10 square kilometres at 304.55 but ranked 83rd overall, while Rhodes achieved its top ranking with seven parks per 10 square kilometres.
“‘Quietcationing’ represents a fundamental shift in how people approach
travel. After years of chasing Instagram-famous destinations and bucket-list
crowds, travellers are prioritising genuine rest and mental recharge. You don’t
need to retreat to unknown villages, cities such as Rhodes and Kyoto prove that
popular destinations can still offer tranquillity through smart urban planning
and infrastructure.
Commute times and local stress levels directly affect holiday quality. When
locals spend an hour a day in traffic, that stress inevitably spills over into
the visitor experience. The highest-scoring cities have mastered the basics:
accessible nature, manageable crowds, and low ambient stress. That’s what
separates a restorative break from an exhausting one,” said Jacob Wedderburn-Day, travel expert
and CEO & Co-Founder of Stasher.
The methodology excluded destinations with travel restrictions or
insufficient data and applied weighted metrics across six categories. Noise and
light pollution accounted for 35% of the overall score, population density and
annual visitor numbers each represented 20%, access to nature and parks
accounted for 13%, average commute times for 7%, and Instagram saturation for
5%.
Each city received a Quietcation Score out of 100, with lower raw scores
preferred across all categories except access to nature and parks. Data sources
used in the study included Numbeo, World Population Review, TripAdvisor,
Instagram, Nomad.com, Versus.com, and Road Genius.
Tags: Rhodes, Greece Jacob Wedderburn-Day, Stasher
