Travelling might be an escape for many, but not every travel destination delivers a stress-free experience.
According to the Daily Mail, a new study analysing 51 of the world’s most-visited cities has revealed which ones test tourists’ patience the most.
Researchers factored in weather discomfort, crime rates, tourist density, and visitor reviews mentioning stress. And the results were surprising, with a South African city even featuring in the top 20.
The ‘City of Love’ is also the most stressful for tourists
The results showed that Paris, France, was the most stressful travel destination, attracting more than 47.5 million tourists annually, all packed into just 105km².
That makes the French capital 10 times busier than New York in terms of tourists per square kilometre. While its weather and crime levels were relatively average, the overwhelming crowds earned Paris the top spot.
Second place went to Hanoi, Vietnam. The city’s sweltering humidity made it physically uncomfortable for visitors, ranking highest in weather-related stress.
Add in the high number of reviews mentioning stressful experiences, and Hanoi leaves many travellers hot, bothered, and overwhelmed.
In third place was Shanghai, China, which sees a staggering 300 million visitors each year – 47 318 people per km².
Shanghai also made the top 20 for both crime and stress-related reviews, sealing its position as one of the world’s most challenging destinations to navigate.
The top 20
According to the study, these were the top 20 most stressful travel destinations:
| City | Overall rank | Negative reviews | Crowds | Crime | Weather |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Paris, France | 1st | 24th | 1st | 5th | 14th |
| Hanoi, Vietnam | 2nd | 4th | 38th | 24th | 1st |
| Shanghai, China | 3rd | 19th | 15th | 33rd | 20th |
| Berlin, Germany | 4th | 30th | 30th | 25th | 30th |
| Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam | 5th | 11th | 45th | 23rd | 9th |
| Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia | 6th | 26th | 10th | 4th | 37th |
| London, United Kingdom | 7th | 22nd | 33rd | 7th | 24th |
| Hong Kong, China | 8th | 17th | 17th | 49th | 10th |
| Cairo, Egypt | 9th | 3rd | 41st | 12th | 47th |
| Rome, Italy | 10th | 40th | 21st | 21st | 18th |
| Amsterdam, Netherlands | 11th | 36th | 8th | 42nd | 3rd |
| Los Angeles, United States | 12th | 1st | 16th | 9th | 35th |
| New York City, United States | 13th | 23rd | 11th | 8th | 38th |
| Auckland, New Zealand | 14th | 9th | 50th | 28th | 4th |
| Cape Town, South Africa | 15th | 21st | 49th | 2nd | 13th |
| Singapore, Singapore | 16th | 41st | 23rd | 39th | 2nd |
| Rio de Janeiro, Brazil | 17th | 48th | 42nd | 1st | 7th |
| Florence, Italy | 18th | 18th | 7th | 29th | 29th |
| Phuket, Thailand | 19th | 35th | 26th | 31st | 11th |
| Toronto, Canada | 20th | 5th | 32nd | 26th | 5th |
Have you visited any of these cities? Did you find them stressful?
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