London Takes 2nd Place In World’s Best Bleisure Cities Study

When visiting a new city it pays to know what to expect when you’re there. With that in mind, the team at luxury leather and travel goods brand, Carl Friedrik analysed Euromonitor’s top 100 city destinations to uncover the best luxury bleisure cities in the world.

Using data from Airbnb, TripAdvisor and other sources Carl Friedrik has put together a guide to the best luxury bleisure destinations in the world.

Key Findings

Lisbon is the best luxury bleisure city scoring the highest score of 1,078 out of 2,150 in the index, great news for those applying for Portugal’s new Digital Nomad Visa.
Rome provides the best luxury accommodation for bleisure breaks with 329 Airbnb Plus listings and over 1,000 Airbnb listings available.
Barcelona is the best city for coworking spaces with 93.86% of coworking options rated 4*+.
Rome is the top city for gastronomic delights with 99.5% of 11,306 eateries being rated 4*+.
Those seeking a relaxing spa experience should head to Phuket with 84.88% of their 496 spa and wellness centres rated 4*+.
Krakow is the best city to visit for landmarks and viewpoints with 87.31% of 268 attractions analysed rated 4*+.
10 Best Luxury Bleisure Cities in the World

To create the index on the best luxury leisure destinations the study on behalf of Carl Friedrik analysed:

The cities with the most luxury accommodation available
The cities with the most highly rated coworking spaces
The average rating for the different types of activities in each city
The average WiFi quality in each city
The Safety Index Score for each city
Using the data collected on accommodation, coworking, restaurants, spas and wellness centres, landmarks and viewpoints, WiFi and safety from the 100 most visited cities in the world, points were allocated to each city to determine which ones ranked best overall. Here is the top 10 list of the best luxury bleisure cities in the world.

The top destination for luxury bleisure was Portugal’s capital and largest city, Lisbon, scoring 1,077.5 points out of a possible 2,150. This is fantastic news for those keen to work remotely as the Portuguese government has recently announced a scheme that will let freelancers and remote workers live in the country for up to 12 months.

In fact, five of the top 10 bleisure cities currently offer digital nomad visas and residency to those looking to extend their trip. Portugal, Spain, Australia and the United Arab Emirates all provide this, with Italy looking to follow suit soon.

In second place is London, England with 982.2 points, followed by Rome, Italy in third place with 982.

Top Cities for Luxury Accommodation

Rome, Italy came in the top position with the full 250 points. The study found that the average cost of an Airbnb Plus listing with WiFi is $226 (£195) and the average Airbnb listing with WiFi is $159 (£137).

Cape Town, South Africa ranked in 2nd place with 245.3 points, followed by Lisbon, Portugal with 240.9 points.

Best Coworking Cities

Barcelona, Spain topped the list with 350.9 points out of 550. The analysis found that 93.86% of the cities coworking spaces were rated 4*+. Warsaw, Poland ranked in 2nd place with 334.1 points, followed by London, England with 320.3 points.

Cities with the Best Restaurants

Rome, Italy came top of the list with an estimated 11,306 restaurants, and average rating of 4.06 and 99.5% of eateries being rated 4*+. This resulted in a score of 185.2 out of 350. In second place is Melbourne, Australia with 168.7 points, followed by Playa Del Carmen, Mexico in third with 167.6.

Top Spa Cities in the World

Famous for its beautiful beaches, Phuket, Thailand topped the list for travellers looking to make time for restorative activities on their next bleisure break. With an estimated 496 spas and wellness centres the study found that the average rating was 4.65, with 84.88% of the total number of spas rated 4*+ — giving the city a score of 250.4 out of 350.

Cancún, Mexico came in 2nd place with 223.5 points, followed by Chiang Mai, Thailand in third with 194.3.

Best Cities for Landmarks and Viewpoints

Kraków, Poland took the top spot as the city with the best landmarks and viewpoints. With an estimated 268 landmarks, and an average rating of 4.49 the analysis found that 87.31% of landmarks in the city were rated 4*+ on TripAdvisor resulting in a score of 216.7 out of 350.

Edinburgh, Scotland came in 2nd place with 200.7 points and Lisbon, Portugal followed in 3rd with 196.3.

Top Cities For Strong WiFi

Riyadh, the capital and largest city in Saudi Arabia, was revealed as the best place for bleisure workers to visit with WiFi connection ranking first across the locations assessed, scoring the full 200 points. Riyadh was shown to have an average WiFi speed of 137.5Mbps and excellent WiFi quality.

Dubai, UAE took 2nd place with 195.4 points, followed in third place by Copenhagen, Denmark with 190.09.

The Safest Cities To Visit

Sapporo, Japan took the top spot with the full 100 points for the Safety Index score of 92. Singapore, Singapore and Hurghada, Egypt came in joint 2nd place with 95.4 points, followed by Vienna, Austria in 4th place with 86.7.