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There’s a growing obsession with living longer, and you’ll hear a lot of chatter about peptides, red light therapy and the like.
But longevity doesn’t have to involve fancy tools or supplements – it’s about getting the basics right. Which is exactly what those living in “blue zone” regions (aka areas with a high number of centenarians) do.
There are two named “blue zone” areas in Europe – Ikaria in Greece and Sardinia in Italy – but there are plenty of other places that embrace the lifestyle principles that are said to be responsible for longevity, like walking a lot, eating simply, and having a strong sense of community.
Looking to experience a longevity lifestyle for yourself, sans 30-step morning routines? Then you might just want to check out CV Villas’ new ranking of the best European destinations for longevity.
The villa holiday company ranked almost 100 destinations against several lifestyle principles from Dan Buettner’s ‘Power 9’ Blue Zone research to create a longevity score out of 100.
These include walkability, which was based on elevation range; pace of life, which looked at average annual working hours; the number of vegan-friendly restaurants and wineries per capita; and community, which looked at cafés and churches per capita.
“From their walkability to their good food, sense of community and general downshift from the pace of life so many of us are used to, these destinations offer everything that a good, restful holiday should be,” Hannah Marshall, marketing manager at CV Villas, said.
"While Europe has only two officially designated Blue Zones, our years of destination expertise mean that we know many other places on the continent have a similar way of life.”
The top longevity destinations in Europe
Four of the top 20 cities are located in Malta, including the number one spot, Valletta. The Maltese capital topped the ranking thanks to its walkability and its sociable dining spots, offering “exactly the kind of everyday movement and balanced rhythm that supports a longevity lifestyle”.
Paxos in Greece came in second place. It was praised for its close-knit, unhurried community life as well as its walkability, while its unspoilt nature “allows holidaymakers to truly slow down and properly unwind as part of the local way of life”.
Third place went to St. Tropez in France, while fourth place went to a rather surprising destination: Eger in Hungary.
Not only is this historic town walkable, but there’s a moderate, sociable drinking culture here, with locals gathering to share the famed Bull’s Blood red wine blend over dinner, something believed to contribute to long life.
The top 20 longevity destinations
- Valletta, Malta
- Paxos, Greece
- St. Tropez, France
- Eger, Hungary
- Mdina, Malta
- Ibiza, Spain
- Taormina, Italy
- Lefkada, Greece
- Budva, Montenegro
- Dingle, Ireland
- Neesebar, Bulgaria
- Bad Ischl, Austria
- Piran, Slovenia
- Ålesund, Norway
- St. Julian’s, Malta
- Gozo, Malta
- Ksamil, Albania
- Levoča, Slovakia
- Bordeaux, France
- Novi Sad, Serbia