This City Was Just Ranked the Happiest Travel Destination in the World for Its Sunshine, Walkability, and Green Spaces

"The city of Lisbon, Portugal, ranked as the happiest destination in the world for travelers, according to a study from BookRetreats, which offers packaged wellness vacations. That was thanks to its more than 2,800 hours of annual sunshine, expansive green spaces, and healthy restaurants throughout. "Walkability is another of Lisbon's mood-boosters," company wrote in its study. "The city is compact and easy to navigate on foot, with panoramic viewpoints that reward slow exploration.""

"The happiness study was based on a quantitative ranking of "feel-good factors," including annual sunlight, walkability, public green space per capita, public perception of noise and light pollution, and restaurants classified as "healthy." Beyond Lisbon, the Finnish city of Helsinki ranked second after receiving the top score for low noise and light pollution. It's no wonder when Finland has been named the happiest country in the world for eight consecutive years, in part due to its citizens' commitment to volunteering, donating, and helping others."

"Home to Walt Disney World Resort, Universal Orlando Resort, and more, the report found Orlando was also one of the greenest cities with more than 2,000 square feet of green space per person (the most of any other city on the list). "This greenery stretches across more than 148 parks, gardens, and recreation areas," the report noted. "Visitors can kayak through the city's chain of lakes, wander trails in protected wet"

Lisbon ranks as the happiest travel destination because of more than 2,800 annual hours of sunshine, expansive public green spaces, prevalent healthy restaurants, and high walkability with panoramic viewpoints that reward slow exploration. The ranking used quantitative "feel-good" factors including annual sunlight, walkability, public green space per capita, public perception of noise and light pollution, and presence of healthy restaurants. Helsinki placed second after scoring highest on low noise and light pollution, linked to Finland's strong civic volunteering and generosity. Orlando placed third, noted for theme parks and over 2,000 square feet of green space per person across 148 parks and recreation areas.

Read at Travel + Leisure