ATHENS – GNUSA
Greece has been named the world’s top country for 2026 by readers of the prestigious travel magazine Condé Nast Traveller, one of the most influential publications in the global travel industry.
Greece came close to achieving a perfect score in the magazine’s highly regarded Readers’ Choice Awards, announced on October 6, earning 98.14 out of 100. Japan placed second with a score of 97.01, followed by Italy (96.48), Türkiye (94.90), and Portugal (94.64). The top 10 was rounded out by Costa Rica, Croatia, Indonesia, Kenya, and Thailand.
“It’s official, our love affair with Greece has reached fever pitch, and you, the readers of Condé Nast Traveller, have declared it the best country in the world in 2026,” the magazine states, noting that “the destination as a whole is attracting record-breaking tourist numbers“.
The publication highlights the enduring appeal of Greece’s islands, stating: “The crystal Aegean waters are beckoning us back to some of your favourite islands in the world: postcard-perfect Santorini, mythology-steeped Mykonos, and gargantuan Crete, with its re-emerging viticultural scene”.
“That roster of dreamy islands is ever-expanding, with more and more visitors venturing out to under-the-radar Paros, car-free Hydra, mysterious Ios, and windswept Tinos,” Condé Nast Traveller adds.
The magazine does not limit its praise to the islands, however, making special mention of Athens and recommending readers not to ignore the Greek capital. “As it rebuilt itself after a paralysing debt crisis, the ancient city leaned into a scrappy, creative energy that has yielded forward-thinking restaurants, avant-garde galleries, and hip hotels, ranking Athens among Europe’s unexpectedly coolest capitals”.
Top 20 Countries Ranking
“Maybe it was the Odyssey effect but the siren call of Greece was stronger than usual this year – not so much for encounters with Circe and the Cyclops as for its millennium-hopping culture and things to see and do, from Santorini sunsets to, take a deep breath, Athens’ new National Museum of Underwater Antiquities”, Condé Nast Traveller wrote in its introduction to the Top 20 Countries ranking.
The Top 20 list is completed by South Africa, Spain, Norway, Vietnam, New Zealand, Cambodia, India, France, Qatar, and Canada.
