No-Go Destinations: 10 Stressful Holiday Destinations and 10 Alternatives

If you're returning from vacation feeling more ready for a vacation than before, your vacation destination may be among the most stressful. To help you avoid these destinations in the future, whether in Europe , Asia , or even North America , we'd like to share the results of a study by Radical Storage .

The study examined 97,409 reviews of tourist attractions in the world's 100 most visited cities according to Euromonitor's "Top 100 City Destinations Index." The study considered various keywords for stress, anxiety, and other discomfort in travelers' destination reviews (e.g., the words "crowded," "traffic," "worry," "stress," "rushed," and many more). These feelings could be triggered by factors such as crowded hotspots or conditions on public transport, among others.

The ranking indicates, as a percentage, how many reviews for the respective destination contained the previously defined keywords. Below, we reveal which ten travel destinations are the most stressful in the world – and which ten vacation destinations, in contrast, travelers find extremely relaxing.

A spoiler alert: According to the study, over half of the world's most stressful travel destinations are in Asia, one in North America, and three in Europe. However, no German city is among them.

Overly touristy Paris can be extremely stressful rather than romantic.

Source: PantherMedia / AZ

Are you planning a romantic trip to the "City of Love," France's capital, Paris ? According to an analysis by Radical Storage, this could trigger feelings of anxiety rather than love: 14.9 percent of the Paris reviews examined included terms that indicate high stress. This placed Paris in the tenth place among the most stressful travel destinations in the world.

Another European capital city that's particularly popular with travelers ranks ninth among the most stressful travel destinations: Prague . 15.2 percent of travelers reportedly expressed stress in their reviews of Prague. But don't worry; if you're looking for relaxation instead of stress on vacation, there are beautiful alternatives to Prague in the Czech Republic, such as Český Krumlov, often referred to as "Prague in miniature."

New York City is one of the travel destinations many people want to visit at least once in their lifetime. However, according to the study, it doesn't turn out to be a relaxing city trip for many: 15.4 percent of the analyzed reviews included words describing stress or other negative emotions among travelers, placing the metropolis in eighth place.

White sandy beaches, palm trees, and pure relaxation – that's what many vacationers associate with the Thai island of Phuket . However, according to the ranking, the island's capital, which bears the same name, initially triggers a lot of stress: With 15.6 percent of stress-related words in the reviews, Phuket ranks seventh, ahead of New York City. Certainly a reason to quickly leave the city and instead find relaxation at some of Phuket's other beautiful attractions .

Beijing is often described as particularly stressful in travelers' reviews.

Source: IMAGO/Xinhua

Most travelers can probably imagine that life isn't quite as relaxed in China's capital, Beijing , with its approximately 22 million inhabitants. 16.6 percent of all travelers whose reviews of Beijing were examined for the study expressed stress—resulting in sixth place in the ranking.

Travelers in China's largest city, Shanghai , with over 24 million people, found it even more stressful than in Beijing: 16.7 percent of the reviews therefore showed expressions of anxiety and stress, placing Shanghai in fifth place among the world's most stressful travel destinations.

According to the ranking, London is the most stressful city in Europe for travelers.

Source: IMAGO/ZUMA Press Wire

What might surprise you: Between the Asian megacities and in fourth place is another European capital: London . Many travelers apparently consider it the most stressful city in Europe, as 17.7 percent of travelers expressed discomfort during their visit to England's capital.

Kyoto has repeatedly made headlines in 2024 due to "overtourism." In fact, 21.5 percent of reviews indicated that travelers experienced a great deal of stress there. This currently places Kyoto among the top three most stressful travel destinations in the world. This is a good reason to immerse yourself in the country's culture elsewhere during a trip to Japan. The travel magazine "National Geographic" recommended Kanazawa, among other destinations, as a quiet alternative to Kyoto on its list of the "25 Best Travel Destinations for 2025."

Another Japanese city is considered one of the most stressful in the world:Osaka , in second place. According to the analysis, 21.6 percent of the reviews included words related to stress or anxiety among Osaka travelers.

With 38 million people in the Tokyo metropolitan area, it's no surprise that many travelers feel stressed there.

Source: imago

The fact is: Three of Japan's major cities were rated as particularly stressful by travelers in 2024, with the capitalTokyo , with its approximately 38 million inhabitants (in the entire metropolitan area), taking first place. A total of 25.2 percent of all reviews spoke not of a relaxing city trip, but of anxiety and stress during their visit to Tokyo.

The good news: There are plenty of relaxing places for your trip to Japan , and one of them is on the list of the ten most relaxing destinations according to travelers. We don't want to withhold those from you either:

Radical Storage's analysis revealed not only the most stressful travel destinations worldwide, but also the most relaxing major cities popular with vacationers. The good news: You don't necessarily have to travel far to find them, as some of the less stressful destinations are located in Europe, according to the ranking. So, if you love city breaks but also enjoy relaxing, this ranking can help you make your choice.

Sapporo demonstrates that there are Japanese cities that aren't nearly as hectic as Tokyo, Osaka, or Kyoto. The capital of the northern Japanese island of Hokkaido, characterized by mountains and wild nature, is only stressful according to 4.5 percent of reviews. And if that's still too much for you, you can quickly get out of the capital and into nature.

Sapporo shares tenth place with Doha, Qatar, which also had negative keywords in only 4.5 percent of reviews. This is good news for anyone planning a stopover in the Arab country on an extended trip to Asia or Australia.

Ninth place is also shared by two cities popular with tourists: Tbilisi, the capital of Georgia , was rated as stressful in only 4.3 percent of comments. This ensures a relaxed arrival in this increasingly popular travel destination.

Stockholm also made it onto the list of the ten most relaxing travel destinations.

Source: IMAGO/Westend61

Sweden's capital, Stockholm, is also considered a fairly relaxed destination among travelers - certainly thanks to the beautiful archipelago, where you can feel a bit of a Bullerbü feeling even in the peak summer season.

Another European destination ranked eighth among the most relaxing destinations is Crete's capital, Heraklion. Only 4.1 percent of reviews included stress-related keywords, so you can start your Greek island vacation there in a relaxed manner.

A Greek city also ranks seventh among the most relaxed travel destinations: Thessaloniki in the north of the country, which only 3.4 percent of travelers rated as stressful. From there, you can easily reach the beautiful Chalkidiki peninsula, for example, as well as the Meteora monasteries near Kalambaka or Litochoro. The village is considered a starting point for hikes on Greece's highest mountain, Mount Olympus.

In contrast to cities like Shanghai and Beijing in China, Shenzhen is considered very relaxed by travelers.

Source: IMAGO/SOPA Images

According to the analysis, there are certainly relaxed cities not only in Japan, but also in China . Shenzhen ranks sixth, with only 3.3 percent of reviews containing stressful keywords. The city in northeastern China can easily be combined with a visit to Hong Kong, for example.

According to the ranking, Lithuania's capital, Vilnius, is one of the most relaxed cities in the world. According to the analysis, only 2.6 percent of the reviews included expressions of stress. A good reason to pay a visit to the city and the country, where mass tourism is still a foreign concept.

Fourth and third place in the ranking are occupied by two Chinese cities, both of which received very few ratings indicating stress: only around 2.5 percent each. Guangzhou is located north of Shenzhen, while Guilin is further northwest inland—far from the coastal metropolises of Shanghai and Beijing, which are perceived as stressful.

Second place also goes to a Chinese city, Zhuhai, which probably has few foreign travelers to China on their bucket list. Located north of Macau, the small city is on the sea and must be very relaxed. According to the ranking, only 2.0 percent of travelers' reviews indicated feelings of stress.

According to the analysis, if you want to visit a relaxed city, Tallinn is the right place.

Source: IMAGO/robertharding

Surprise: According to the analysis, the most relaxed travel destination in the world is currently the Estonian capital, Tallinn. Like Lithuania, Estonia is not yet overrun by tourists, and only 1.6 percent of respondents rated Tallinn as stressful. The city enchants with a well-preserved historic old town and diverse sights, making it worth a visit at any time of year.

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