In a study of the world's friendliest cities, Dublin placed comfortably inside the global top 15 of the final list of 200 cities, beating bigger names on the tourist trail.
The warmth of a genuine welcome is something we all seek, especially when we travel. That's why the travel experts at Fernwayer identified and quantified the world's friendliest cities based on an analysis of 1.2 million travel reviews on Reddit.
Friendliness is a slippery thing to measure, so the study set out to capture something more specific: the sense of being genuinely received by the people who live in a place. The travel industry is very good at “looking after” visitors, but being looked after efficiently, and being welcomed in are not the same thing. The second takes curiosity, warmth, and a desire to know someone. And it runs both ways.
To turn that feeling into something measurable, the researchers analyzed how travelers talk about the places they visit: more than 1.2 million Reddit comments across 200 cities, drawn from hundreds of travel, city, and other relevant subreddits. For each city, the researchers weighed how often travelers described its residents as friendly, welcoming, or hospitable against terms like unfriendly or rude, then normalized the result to a Friendliness Score from 0 to 100.
Ireland's capital placed well ahead of many larger European capitals, reinforcing survey data long associated with Irish hospitality and culture. Dublin ranked #13 in the world and #5 in Europe for friendliness, with a score of 92.4/100.
The Irish city was one of only a handful of European cities to break into the global top 15.
Overall, Mérida, Mexico (95.0/100) was crowned the world’s friendliest city, while Glasgow, Scotland (94.9/100) ranked as the second friendliest city, with Bogotá, Colombia (94.5/100) placing third. Glasgow was also named the friendliest city in Europe.
3
Getty Images
The research revealed that many of the friendliest cities turned out to be lesser-known places within their own countries, quietly outscoring the larger capitals travelers flock to. But regardless of where a city scored in the index, warmth and a friendly welcome can be found anywhere — with the right approach.
“Even brief interactions with strangers tend to boost our mood and sense of connection. Because strangers are unfamiliar, there is naturally some uncertainty about how interactions will unfold, and some people may worry about how they will be perceived or whether the interaction will be awkward," says Taylor N. West, Ph.D., a social psychologist at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, who studies the benefits and barriers to connecting with strangers and acquaintances.
"However, across multiple studies now we find that when people make an effort to engage with strangers, they tend to go better than we expect, and they get easier over time.
“My work shows that positive moments of connection with strangers don't just feel good in the moment, but also have benefits beyond the interaction."
3
Getty Images
West added: “Strangers can also expose us to people, experiences, and perspectives outside our usual social circles. That may be especially valuable when traveling, when the people we encounter can have vastly different backgrounds and life experiences from our own.”
“Unfamiliar social norms can also provide a natural opportunity for connection. Asking a local, even a server or bartender, about a custom, or even how to eat a particular food gives someone an opportunity to share something about their culture. Approaching these moments with genuine interest and curiosity can go a long way.”
Top 10 Friendliest Cities in Europe:
- Glasgow, UK
- Manchester, UK
- Hamburg, Germany
- Belgrade, Serbia
- Dublin, Ireland
- Vienna, Austria
- Nafplio, Greece
- Santorini, Greece
- Porto, Porgugal
- Bristol, UK
To read the complete report, click here.