Lisbon has done it again. The Portuguese capital was named Europe's Best Cruise Destination at the 2026 World Cruise Awards, announced on Monday 12 October at a ceremony held at Princess Grand Jamaica as part of World Travel Week. It's the city's third win in the awards' short history, following victories in 2021 and 2024.
The competition was stiff. Lisbon beat out Athens, Barcelona, Dubrovnik, Kotor, Funchal, Monte Carlo, Nice, Rome, Oslo and Southampton for the European crown. The Lisbon Port Authority credited the win to the people working in the city's cruise sector and, notably, to the warmth of Lisbon residents themselves — a reminder that how visitors are treated matters as much as the sights.
Portugal's dominance in this category is striking. Since the World Cruise Awards launched in 2021, Lisbon and Madeira have traded the European destination title between them every year. And the 2026 edition added plenty more Portuguese silverware: Portugal was named Europe's Best River Cruise Destination, river operator DouroAzul took Europe's Best River Cruise Line, and Madeira's Port of Funchal won the global award for the World's Best Cruise Terminal for Sustainability. The Lisbon Cruise Terminal, meanwhile, picked up its sixth consecutive nomination for Europe's Best Cruise Terminal, though that honour went to Iceland's Port of Reykjavik – Vör Cruise Terminal this time.
Elsewhere, Abu Dhabi was named the World's Best Cruise Destination, Vietnam the World's Best River Cruise Destination, and regional awards went to Jamaica, the Seychelles, Mexico and Canada's Prince Edward Island. Norwegian Cruise Line took both global and European Best Cruise Line, Dubai's DP World Mina Rashid was named World's Best Cruise Terminal, and Royal Caribbean's Icon of the Seas won World's Best Large Cruise Ship. Ships were also singled out by theme: Sun Princess for dining, Disney Wish for families, Celebrity Apex for romance and Utopia of the Seas for entertainment. Australis won Best Expedition Cruise Line and Pandaw Best River Cruise Line.
Worth knowing how these awards work: winners are decided by votes from cruise industry professionals and the public over a year-long programme, so Lisbon's win reflects both trade confidence and genuine traveller enthusiasm.
Why does this matter if you're not a cruise obsessive? Lisbon is one of Europe's easiest port cities to fold into a land-based trip. Ships dock at the Lisbon Cruise Terminal on the riverfront at Alcântara, within easy reach of Belém, the historic centre and the Alfama's hillside lanes. If you're planning a river cruise instead, the Douro — recognised again as Europe's best — threads through port wine country between Porto and the Spanish border, a very different but equally rewarding way to see the country. And if Madeira keeps winning sustainability prizes for Funchal's port, that Atlantic island deserves a spot on the shortlist too.
