Lisbon has been named Europe's leading city destination for 2026 at the World Travel Awards, beating contenders including London, Rome and Barcelona at a ceremony held over the weekend in Montenegro. The Portuguese capital also won the award for Europe's leading cruise destination, while Athens was named the continent's best destination for a short city break. Portugal emerged as one of the biggest winners, taking the title of Europe's leading overall destination alongside several other major tourism awards.
The World Travel Awards, sometimes described as the Oscars of the travel industry, have been held annually since 1993 and recognize destinations, hotels, airlines, airports and tourist attractions across dozens of categories. Winners are selected through online voting by travel industry professionals and the general public, with votes from verified industry professionals counting twice. The results therefore reflect voters' preferences rather than an objective ranking based on measurable quality or traveler satisfaction.
Lisbon is no stranger to the top prize. The city previously won the leading city destination award in 2023 and 2024 before Porto took the title in 2025. In recent years, Portugal's capital has become one of southern Europe's most popular urban destinations, attracting visitors with its historic neighborhoods, steep cobblestone streets, iconic yellow trams, lively nightlife and growing restaurant scene. Its latest victory reinforces its position as a major European tourism destination.
Portugal's success extended well beyond its capital. The Algarve region in the country's south was named Europe's leading beach destination, while Madeira won the award for leading island destination. The Azores were recognized as Europe's leading regional adventure tourism destination, and Porto received the title of leading cultural city destination, adding to Portugal's strong showing across urban, coastal and nature tourism.
Athens
(Photo: Roy Elman)
Greece also featured prominently among the winners. Athens took the prize for Europe's leading city break destination, a separate category from the overall city destination award won by Lisbon. The country's hospitality industry collected several honors, including AMOH in Rhodes, named Europe's leading new resort, and Avali in Corfu, which won the award for leading new boutique hotel. Domes Noruz Chania in Crete was recognized as Europe's leading honeymoon resort, while Sani Resort in Halkidiki was named the continent's leading family resort.
Host country Montenegro enjoyed its own moment in the spotlight, winning the award for Europe's leading nature destination, while the historic coastal town of Kotor was named the continent's leading emerging tourism destination. Elsewhere, Italy took the prize for Europe's leading cultural destination, Dubrovnik in Croatia was recognized as the leading seaside metropolitan destination, and Disneyland Paris won the award for Europe's leading theme park resort.
Cyprus also secured two major awards through City of Dreams Mediterranean in Limassol, which was named Europe's leading casino resort and leading integrated resort. The results highlighted the range of destinations competing for international visitors, from established European capitals to smaller coastal cities and luxury resorts.
Biogradska Gora National Park, Montenegro
(Photo: Shutterstock/ASAP/RnDmS)
In the aviation categories, Turkish Airlines was named Europe's leading airline for 2026. Swiss International Air Lines won the business class award, Air France took the first class prize, and Lufthansa was recognized for economy class. Spanish carrier Volotea was named Europe's leading low-cost airline, while Zurich Airport in Switzerland received the title of Europe's leading airport.
With awards covering everything from city breaks and beach vacations to luxury hotels and airlines, the 2026 results offer travelers a broad selection of destinations for their next European getaway. Portugal's strong performance, led by Lisbon's return to the top of the city rankings, was one of the clearest highlights of the ceremony. For travelers planning a European vacation, however, the awards are best treated as a guide to popular and industry-recognized destinations rather than a definitive measure of which place offers the best experience.