By Dianne Apen-Sadler
Published on
The advent of low-cost flights revolutionised the way we travel, opening up short breaks in nearby European cities to many.
Rather than a week spent in the sun lazing on the beach, travellers seek out cultural experiences, visiting museums and heritage sites before dining out on local dishes.
For those planning their next city break, Nicosia should be on your to-visit list for 2026, according to European Best Destinations.
The website, which has been naming the top destinations across the continent for itineraries focused on beaches, ski resorts, road trips and more annually since 2009, just named Cyprus’ capital as the number one place for culture this year.
Where to explore in cultural Nicosia
Praised by European Best Destinations for its “blend of heritage and contemporary creativity”, Nicosia is compact and walkable.
Continuously inhabited since 3000 BC, Nicosia’s Old Town is one of the best places to dive into the city’s history, surrounded by Venetian walls dating back to the 16th century.
Here, you can walk between museums and galleries such as the Museum of Byzantine Art, the Leventis Museum, which traces the history of the city, and the Cyprus Museum, which was the country’s first archaeological museum.
Nicosia was also praised for its year-round programme of music, dance, film and art events, with European Best Destinations noting these are “central” to the city’s identity.
Annual events not to miss include the Faneromeni Arts Festival, which takes place each summer, the Cyprus International Film Festival, and the various Christmas village pop-ups.
Other top destinations for culture in Europe
Second place in the rankings went to Florence in Italy, which made the list thanks to both its classical art scene, where you’ll see works from greats like Botticelli, Michelangelo and Leonardo da Vinci at the Uffizi Galleries and Galleria dell’Accademia, and its contemporary one, as seen at galleries like Centro Pecci and Aria Art Gallery.
Unsurprisingly, the food – which was just added to UNESCO’s intangible cultural heritage list – also added to the city’s cultural pull, with must-try dishes like ribollita soup, pappardelle al cinghiale pasta and pistachio gelato.
Another Italian city – Verona – also made an appearance on the list in sixth place.
Austria’s capital Vienna claimed third place, thanks to its Museum Quarter and its palaces. The top 10 was rounded out by Leuven in Belgium (4th), Šibenik in Croatia (5th), Tomar in Portugal (7th), Rouen in France (8th), Oxford in the UK (9th) and Graz in Austria (10th).
How the rankings are decided
Using information such as museum density, the diversity of cultural ventures, and the city’s festival calendar, a longlist of 40 cities is created.
From this pool of cities, European Best Destinations’ experts will narrow down the selection to 10 standouts by evaluating the visitor experience, the heritage value and the contemporary creative scene.
More than 22,000 travellers from 131 countries were then asked to rate these cities based on how much they would like to visit in the coming year, the authenticity of the city, and its overall cultural appeal.
These ratings are used to create a traveller score, which is combined with the expert score, to create the final cultural score out of 20.