It comes as the annual report by Resonance Consultancy, a leading advisor in tourism, real estate and economic development, was published. Resonance's rankings quantify and benchmark the relative quality of place, reputation and competitive identity for the continent’s major urban centres.
To rank the performance and perception of Europe’s Best Cities for 2025, Resonance analysed the principal cities of metropolitan statistical areas with populations of more than 500,000 (according to Eurostat, Demographia and National Statistical Offices, our population sources). They determined the top cities using a combination of core statistics and user-generated data from online sources such as Google, Tripadvisor and Instagram to measure quality of place when it comes to experiential factors.
In total, 100 cities feature on the list – but we've broken it down to the Top 21, such are the heights Edinburgh has risen to in this year's ranking. Take a look through our photo gallery to see Europe’s Best Cities for 2025 – and where Auld Reekie is placed on the list.
1. Where Edinburgh ranks as Europe’s 100 Best Cities are named
Scroll through our gallery to see where Edinburgh ranks as Europe’s Best Cities in 2025 are named in Resonance Consultancy's annual report. Photo: Pixabay
2. London, England
Rank: 1st. 'The storied metropolis claims the throne atop Europe’s Best Cities ranking in 2025 for a third consecutive year'. Photo: Pixabay
3. Paris, France
Rank 2nd. 'While the 2024 Summer Olympic and Paralympic Games showcased athletic achievement, it was Paris that blew our minds with future-focused urban reinvention the likes of which the world has never seen.' Photo: Pixabay
4. Berlin, Germany
Rank 3rd. 'Tolerance, cultural ambition and coveted talent make Berlin a city you’ll be hearing a lot more about over the rest of the decade and beyond'. Photo: Pixabay