Europe’s Top 20 Best Destinations for 2022 Travel

While Europe has experienced its share of COVID-19 surges and the accompanying disruptions over the past two years, in many countries, restrictions are now relaxing or falling away entirely as the pandemic moves toward becoming endemic.

There's, "a growing call to consider the coronavirus a permanent fixture in our lives is resonating in the world of travel and among industry representatives," the New York Times wrote recently, according to Forbes.

While entry rules and safety measures in each country continue to wax and wane with COVID-19 conditions, travelers who've longed for an escape to the Continent may find that 2022 presents the opportunity to realize those dreams.

Then, the question becomes which destination(s) to choose from among Europe's many cultural gems. Fortunately, European Best Destinations (EBD) just released its thirteenth annual list of the trendiest places to travel in Europe for 2022.

The promotional organization, which works in partnership with hundreds of tourist offices, surveyed over 520,000 travelers in 182 countries. They were presented with a selection of over 400 destinations to choose from, and rankings were then awarded to the top 20 most-voted-upon destinations.

Participants submitted their entries online between January 20 and February 10. Fifty-six percent of them hailed from within Europe, while 44 percent were from outside Europe.

The competition, like the rest of its thematic rankings compiled throughout the year, has historically bolstered real-life tourism in the winning locales, resulting in an average tourism growth of more than 15 percent in the promoted destinations.