October 20, 2025, 3:01 pm | Read time: 3 minutes
In which European cities are the residents happiest? The British magazine “Time Out” recently determined this. TRAVELBOOK presents the three happiest cities and shows the list.
Hand on heart, are you truly happy where you live? The locals recently surveyed by the magazine “Time Out” and whose cities were subsequently named the happiest in Europe, seem to be able to answer this question with a “Yes.”
18,500 city dwellers from around the world participated in the survey. They were asked, among other things, whether they felt happier in their city than elsewhere, whether their daily life brought them joy, whether the people there seemed positive, and whether their sense of happiness had recently increased, as well as whether their city made them happy. This is about subjective happiness, unlike the Happy City Index. Interesting to see in Europe: The ten happiest cities on the continent are located in just three countries.
Overview
The Happiest City in Europe
… is Seville in Spain. Ninety-one percent of the surveyed residents stated that this city makes them happy. Eighty-six percent enjoy their daily life in the southern Spanish city and also find their neighbors to be positive. Seventy-four percent reported that their sense of happiness in the city has recently increased. In the worldwide ranking, Seville is ranked ninth. And it isn’t only “Time Out” readers who are enthusiastic about Seville. Readers of the British “Telegraph” recently even named the city the best in Europe (TRAVELBOOK reported).
However, Seville is apparently not the only place in Spain where residents are truly happy. Three more Spanish cities made it into “Time Out’s” Top 10 happiest cities in Europe this year. This makes Spain the country with the most “happiest cities” in Europe. The other three Spanish cities where residents feel particularly happy are Valencia (ranked fourth)—itself the best city for expatriates (TRAVELBOOK reported)—Bilbao (ranked seventh), and Madrid (ranked tenth). By the way, in Bilbao, everyone—or at least everyone surveyed—is happy. One hundred percent stated that they are happier in Bilbao than anywhere else they have lived. Time for a trip to Bilbao and a visit to the Guggenheim?
Also interesting: The World’s (Un)Happiest Countries—Germany’s Poor Performance
Brits and Portuguese Are Also Extremely Happy
In addition to the Spanish city dwellers, many residents of the United Kingdom and Portugal are happy in their hometowns. For example, the British city of Brighton is where respondents are the second-happiest. The Portuguese city of Porto follows in third place. Furthermore, the United Kingdom is represented by three more cities in England and Scotland. Portugal appears with one more (and particularly beautiful) city.
Also interesting: Crowned! The Most Beautiful Capital in Europe
The Ten Happiest Cities in Europe According to “Time Out”
- Seville, Spain
- Brighton, England
- Porto, Portugal
- Valencia, Spain
- Glasgow, Scotland
- London, England
- Bilbao, Spain
- Lisbon, Portugal
- Edinburgh, Scotland
- Madrid, Spain