What is it that makes a city worth living in? Is it the transport, green space, arts scene or nightlife? Its beauty, its sense of community, or the diversity and inclusivity it champions? Well, we’d argue all of those factors are crucial, but there’s one thing that they all contribute to above all – our happiness.
That’s right – we could bet quite a lot on the fact that a happy city is probably a pretty great one, and that’s why Time Out called on 18,500 city dwellers to find out what it is about where they live that brings them joy.
More specifically, we asked them to respond to the following statements: ‘I feel happier in my city than other places I’ve lived’, ‘the people in my city seem positive’, ‘I find joy in the everyday experiences my city offers’, ‘the sense of happiness in my city has grown a lot recently’, and overall, ‘my city makes me happy’.
Recommended: The 39 coolest neighbourhoods in the world in 2025.
Based on their insight, we’ve produced a list of the world’s happiest cities, as well as a roundup of all the hubs in Europe where locals are most likely to be grinning ear to ear, and topping this ranking (and claiming ninth place on the worldwide list) it was – insert dramatic pause here – Seville!
Seville comes first for happiness on the continent
Why? Well, 86 percent of residents we spoke to said they found joy in the everyday and that their neighbours seemed positive, while 74 percent agreed that the sense of happiness had grown lately. Overall, a staggering 91 percent of Seville’s locals that we spoke to said their city made them happy, but it’s far from the only joyful place to live in Spain.
Valencia came in fourth, and Madrid came in tenth, but perhaps the most impressive insight from our investigation came from seventh-place ranker Bilbao. One hundred percent of the people we spoke to in the Basque city said they were happier in Bilbao than anywhere else. Must be the pintxos.
The UK also fared pretty darn well, with two English and two Scottish cities claiming a spot in the top 10. The final two spots were claimed by Portugal, meaning Europe’s happiest cities are all in the same three countries.
These are Europe’s 10 happiest cities, according to locals
- Seville
- Brighton
- Porto
- Valencia
- Glasgow
- London
- Bilbao
- Lisbon
- Edinburgh
- Madrid
🛌 Have a look at the best Airbnbs in Seville and across Spain.
Check out our worldwide roundup of the planet’s happiest cities in 2025.
Did you see that these are Europe’s coolest neighbourhoods right now?
Stay in the loop: sign up to our free Time Out Travel newsletter for all the latest travel news and best stuff happening across the world.