Traveling is great for many things, but there’s at least one thing it’s not great for — staying healthy. When daily routines are disrupted, indulgent restaurant food prevails, and parks and gyms are few and far between, wellness can easily become an afterthought.
But there are some cities where staying healthy, or at least avoiding total gluttony, is surprisingly easy.
Travel Supermarket, a travel price comparison site, analyzed major metropolises around the world to devise its Healthiest Cities Index 2019. Each city was assessed for its per-capita number of green spaces, vegan-option restaurants, yoga and Pilates centers, health-food shops, spas and gyms, with annual sunshine and the average price for a one-night stay factored in as well.
The results are at turns expected and surprising (the healthiest city in the world, for instance, comes out on top despite being known for its extremely rich cuisine). Find out if your favorite city is also one of the world’s healthiest.
46. Rome, Italy
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Home to some of the world’s most recognizable historic landmarks, with ancient ruins and magnificent art around every street corner, Rome is one of the most beautiful cities in the world.
It’s also in Italy, which means pizza, pasta, gelato and wine can also be found around every street corner. You don’t come here to be healthy; you come to let yourself go and have a grand time doing so.
But that doesn’t mean Rome lacks healthy options; indeed, the city offers 1,664 vegan-option restaurants, 88 health-food stores and more than enough spas to keep you feeling rejuvenated.
40. Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
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Ahh, Rio. Surely one of the most beautiful cities in the world with its seaside setting, stunning mountains, plethora of islands and tranquil beaches, Rio is not one many people think of when they think “healthy.” Why practice healthy living when you can spend your time sipping caipirinha cocktails, lazing about on the beach and indulging at the annual Carnival festival?
If you do want to curb the gluttony, though, it’s quite easy to do so, thanks to an amazing 120 spas, 65 health-food shops, 168 vegan-option restaurants, plenty of parks and more than enough sunshine hours to work on that tan.
34. Moscow, Russia
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Moscow is hopping with spas, gyms, and yoga and Pilates centres. Though it lacks health-food stores, it has an impressive 503 vegan-option restaurants and a very impressive 115 parks.
Really, this beautiful city seems like it should be much higher up the list. So what’s holding it back? Unfortunately, it has just 1,901 sunlight hours, much less than many other cities on here.
Then again, who cares about less-than-sunny days when you can walk Red Square, look at the Faberge eggs in the Kremlin, see amazing architecture and maybe even pop into the Bolshoi Ballet?
9. Denpasar, Indonesia
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Fun fact: Tempeh, the soy-based product that’s made its way onto vegetarian menus around the world, is from Indonesia, a country where it’s easy to eat a meat-free diet. (Should you choose to!)
In Denpasar, the capital of the Indonesian province of Bali, an incredible 1,123 restaurants offer not just vegetarian options, but vegan options; only Barcelona and Paris make vegan eating easier.
The city encourages wellness in other ways, too, boasting some 118 spas and plenty of beaches for soaking up the sun.
1. Paris, France
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Paris is not only a top choice for cuisine, culture and history; it’s the healthiest city in the world.
With 1,305 vegan-option restaurants and 155 health-food shops, you don’t have to stray too far from your sweet crepe and cheese platter to eat healthy. The city also offers 139 parks, more than any other metropolis in the world, and plenty of sunny days to enjoy their beauty (it has 1,662 hours of annual sunshine).
As if that weren’t enough, there are also more spas here than anywhere else on the planet.
When it comes to wellness, the City of Lights quite literally can’t be beat.
