Revealed: The best European cities for a workcation

The nine-to-five is looking increasingly less tied to one particular desk. For remote workers with the freedom to take their laptop on the road, a workcation offers the chance to swap the daily commute for a Parisian café, a Lisbon terrace or a London coworking space, without actually taking time off.

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But not every city is equally well set up for the working holiday. A new ranking from Compare the Market has compared destinations across Europe and the wider world, looking at everything from broadband and mobile speeds to coworking spaces, accommodation costs, attractions and the price of a cappuccino and a beer.

The study scored cities on how well they could play host to a ‘workcation’, with the results weighted according to how impactful each factor is when deciding where to go, to reveal the best places to holiday and do a little work on the side (or vice versa).

The best European cities for a workcation

Paris, France

Each city was given an overall score out of 100, and Paris came in first place with 63.4.

The City of Lights was found to have the best fixed broadband download speeds in Europe, as well as decent mobile download speeds.

Of course, there are endless things to do and see in the French capital, which is home to countless museums, galleries and landmarks. In fact, Paris had the second-highest number of attractions in the study, beaten only by Rome.

Where Paris falls down is on affordability – or lack thereof.

Accommodation costs and cappuccino prices were found to be particularly expensive, and among the highest in the dataset.

Lisbon, Portugal

Lisbon came in second place with an overall score of 61.2, cementing its reputation as one of Europe’s best cities for remote workers.

One of its biggest advantages is affordability. A one-month apartment rental can cost as little as €237, making Lisbon the cheapest European city in the study for accommodation. A cappuccino is also a relatively reasonable €2.55.

The Portuguese capital also has plenty of practical perks, including fast internet with fast fixed broadband speeds.

Add in sunny weather, a strong café culture and a growing remote-working scene, and Lisbon makes a pretty convincing case for swapping the office for a city-centre terrace.

London, United Kingdom

London took third place with a score of 60.0, thanks largely to its excellent work infrastructure and huge choice of things to do once workers slam their laptops shut.

The city has 562 coworking spaces, more than twice as many as second-placed Barcelona, making it one of the easiest places in Europe to find somewhere to actually get some work done.

When the working day is over, there’s certainly no shortage of ways to fill it. London recorded 4,450 TripAdvisor attractions in the study, from museums and galleries to historic sights, theatres and markets.

The catch is the cost. Accommodation and beer is notoriously expensive and a cappuccino comes in at an average of €4.80, making London one of the more expensive places in the ranking for a coffee break.

The worst European cities for a workcation

At the other end of the scale is Salzburg, Austria’s fourth-largest city, which came in with a score of just 10 out of 100.

While the Sound of Music filming location is famously picturesque, it is incredibly expensive, with the cheapest one-month apartment rental in the city costing €2,211.41 – the highest in the ranking.

There’s also a significant lack of coworking spaces. In fact, Salzburg is home to just seven – the fewest of any destination analysed. Internet speeds are also less than impressive, meaning people working more than holidaying should steer clear.

Munich came in second to last place, with a score of just 20 out of 100.

While the Bavarian city has a reputation for being efficient, its internet speeds leave something to be desired. Germany has the third-slowest fixed broadband speeds in the study, while mobile speeds are the second-slowest.

It’s also an expensive place to set up a temporary office. The cheapest one-month apartment rental in Munich costs €1,437, putting it among the priciest destinations in the ranking.

Hamburg fared slightly better than Munich, scoring 23 out of 100, but still landed among Europe’s worst workcation destinations.

Like Munich, the city is let down by relatively slow internet speeds and higher living costs compared with many of the top-ranked cities.

It does, however, have a few things going for it. A one-month apartment can be found for around €889, while there are 81 coworking spaces dotted around the city.

So while Hamburg might not be the best place for a workcation, it’s certainly a more affordable option than its fellow German city.