Portugal just pulled off a one-two. Porto has taken the top spot as Europe's friendliest city in Condé Nast Traveller's 2026 Readers' Choice Awards, with Lisbon right behind it in second. For a country of around ten million people, having both of its biggest cities beat every other destination on the continent for warmth of welcome is quite a statement.
The awards are voted on entirely by the magazine's readers, who were asked to single out the places where hospitality runs warmest — cities where locals will happily help you decode a menu or point you the right way on the metro. Porto's win, the magazine says, reflects its growing reputation as a go-to city break for food lovers and culture fans alike, along with its authenticity and laid-back pace. The advice on offer is simple: find a square lined with azulejo tiles, order petiscos (Portugal's answer to tapas) in a neighbourhood restaurant, and you'll see why so many visitors end up coming back.
Lisbon's second-place finish comes with its own charms. The capital, built across seven hills above the River Tagus, is described as a city of winding alleys, fado music and pastéis de nata — but it's the people who seal the deal. The magazine points to the youthful, inclusive atmosphere in the steep neighbourhoods, the ritual morning espresso in busy cafés, and the Festival of Saint Anthony in June, when the cobbled streets turn into open-air street parties.
The rest of the top five is a mix of canals, archipelagos and Scandinavian cool: Amsterdam third, Stockholm fourth and Malta's tiny capital Valletta fifth. Further down, Edinburgh takes sixth, Vienna seventh, Krakow eighth, with Palma and Granada representing Spain in ninth and tenth. Genoa, Cork, Paris, Rome and Reykjavík round out the fifteen.
For travellers, the takeaway is clear. If friendliness matters to you — and it usually does when you're navigating somewhere new — Portugal is the obvious pick for a 2026 city break. Porto gives you riverfront charm, port wine cellars and a compact centre you can cover on foot; Lisbon adds hills, trams and a livelier nightlife scene. They're close enough by train or a short flight to combine in one trip, and you'd be visiting the two cities Europeans themselves rate as the most welcoming on the continent.
