1. France- 89 million tourists a year
France, the most popular travel destination globally, starts up this list. Paris has always been the main draw for visitors to France. While some may consider Paris overdone, it attracts more than 30 million tourists annually. The city of Paris is lovely, but there is much more to see in France.
The French countryside is gorgeous, and many more towns in France are worth visiting (Lyon, Nice, Marseille, Bordeaux, etc.). River canal tourism is on the rise in France, as is the country’s magnificent coastline, and you can even visit France on a budget.
2. Spain- 83 million tourists a year
Spain offers something for everyone, with its rich history, beautiful landscapes, mild Mediterranean climate, exotic locations, and mouthwatering food. At least 10 cities in the nation attract over a million tourists annually, and 49 sites that UNESCO recognizes as World Heritage Sites. (although there are also a lot of places to visit that are less well known.) Barcelona is Spain’s most popular travel destination, followed by Madrid, Seville, Palma de Mallorca, Granada, and Valencia.
It might not be easy to narrow down your options for sightseeing in Spain. That’s why we recommend breaking up your vacation so that you may focus on experiencing different parts of the country. You may make the most of your time in Spain by consulting our sample itineraries covering Northern Spain, Southern Spain, and the country’s Eastern Seaboard. We’ve compiled a list of some of Spain’s most popular tourist destinations.
3. Italy- 64 Million tourists a year
Italy has more World Heritage Sites than any other nation (58), which is our favorite. Because most people only have a short amount of vacation time, and because there are so many unique destinations in Italy, planning a trip to Italy may be a real challenge. You may go sightseeing in Rome and Florence, unwind in Sicily and Puglia, see the sights in many tiny towns, and find some remarkable hidden jewels. This list may go on indefinitely.
Additionally, the northern part of the nation is so densely packed with tourist attractions and historical sites that it would take months to see all there is to see (Milan, Venice, Turin, Como, Bologna, Bergamo, Tuscany, Verona, Genoa, etc.). Although it will be challenging, we will attempt to provide a brief overview of Italy’s most famous tourist attractions in our next article.
4. Germany- 39.5 million tourists a year
Germany may not have the Mediterranean’s stunning beaches, Switzerland’s ski resorts, or the world-class museums found in Paris or London. Still, the nation has a lot to offer, can be visited on a budget, and is seeing the fruits of its investment in domestic tourism.
A single city doesn’t primarily drive Germany’s tourism, and its top five visited cities have the most negligible variation in the number of foreign visitors compared to the other nations on this list. You’ll find some of Germany’s most popular attractions in other articles.
5. The United Kingdom- 39 million tourists a year
The United Kingdom is our ending point for the top 5. While there is some validity to the statement that England, Scotland, Wales, and Northern Ireland should each be included on this list, we opted to include the United Kingdom since most prominent publications publish data for tourism in the UK.
Nearly 20 million foreign visitors flock to the nation’s capital annually, making it the most popular tourist destination in the United Kingdom. Edinburgh, Manchester, Birmingham, Liverpool, Cornwall, and the Lake District are just a few other top tourist spots in the United Kingdom. This is what the vast majority of visitors to the UK do when they are here.
