Estonia once again ranks among Europe's top ten friendliest countries

TALLINN - Readers of one of the world's most renowned travel publications, Condé Nast Traveller, have voted Estonia to seventh place in the 2026 ranking of Europe's friendliest countries.

Estonia has made it into the prestigious top ten for the second year in a row - last year, the publication's readers chose Estonia as the friendliest country in Europe.

Condé Nast Traveller highlights Estonia's historic cities, wild nature, and islands, and praises Estonians' politeness and respectful attitude towards visitors. The publication recalls that travel enthusiasts first highlighted Estonia in the ranking of Europe's friendly countries in 2025, when it immediately claimed the top spot.

"People may come to Estonia for its nature, Tallinn, the islands, or the culinary experiences, but they often return because of how they felt here," said Agnia Nast, head of the tourism department at EIS. "Estonian hospitality may not be the loudest or most effusive, but it is genuine. Once an Estonian starts talking to you, you can quickly get to real stories, good recommendations, or even an invitation to go to grandma's for pancakes. We may not always smile the most, but our interest in other people is sincere. And for Estonians, it's somehow natural to want to show their Estonia as they know it themselves - not just the sights, but also the people, the stories, and the life surrounding them. Perhaps that's why our people are remembered by visitors."

The Condé Nast Traveller Readers’ Choice Awards survey was held for the 29th time this year, making it one of the longest-running reader polls in travel journalism. Nearly 300,000 readers participated in the voting.

The results for the top ten were very close, with only small point differences separating the countries. This year, Ireland took the title of Europe's friendliest country, followed by Portugal and Italy. Ahead of Estonia were Greece, Spain, and Turkey; Estonia was followed by Slovenia, Croatia, and Austria. Travel enthusiasts voted Costa Rica as the world's friendliest country and Porto as Europe's friendliest city.

The Condé Nast Traveller brand operates in eight markets, including the United Kingdom and the United States. Its digital channels have nearly 10 million unique users per month worldwide and over 17 million followers on social media.