This Ancient European City Was Just Named the Most Walkable Tourist Destination on Earth

"Leave it to Greece, the country that gave the world everything from philosophy to democracy to the Olympic Games, to offer the modern world something else extremely valuable today: the most walkable tourist destination in the world. According to BookRetreats.com Greece's capital, Athens, has been named the most walkable tourist destination in the world. The honorific was the determined conclusion from a study done by the booking platform in collaboration with Dr. Natalie Dattilo-Ryan, a Harvard-affiliated clinical psychologist and holistic happiness expert."

"As part of BookRetreats.com's larger Holiday Happiness Index study, the study looked at nearly 50 cities throughout the world and ranked them for five "feel good" considerations including what they offered in terms of sunlight, quality sleep, a healthy diet, time in nature, and physical exercise. A city's walkability was determined by measuring using factors such as the walking distance between key monuments and other tourist attractions, with shorter walking times earning higher scores."

Athens received a perfect 20/20 walkability score from BookRetreats.com following collaboration with Dr. Natalie Dattilo-Ryan. The Holiday Happiness Index evaluated nearly 50 global cities on sunlight, sleep quality, healthy diet, time in nature, and physical exercise. Walkability was measured by walking distances between key monuments and tourist attractions, with shorter times earning higher scores. Athens's historic center places major sites like the Acropolis, Panathenaic Stadium, the Temple of Olympian Zeus, the Ancient Agora, and the Temple of Hephaestus within 30 minutes or less. The city offers lively street life, pedestrian-only paths, and hilly neighborhoods that can challenge extended walking.

Read at Travel + Leisure