Istanbul was crowned “Most Desirable City” in Europe at the Wanderlust Reader Travel Awards 2025, taking home the Gold Award at a ceremony held last week at the National Gallery in London.
The Turkish metropolis won the Silver award in 2024. "The East-meets-West magnetism of Istanbul propelled it to Gold," the magazine said, adding that Istanbul "blends history with modernity, from its skyline of domes and minarets to its emerging art and dining scenes."
Particular highlights for readers, the U.K.-based independent travel magazine wrote, included crossing the Bosphorus at sunset, savoring dishes that blend centuries of influence and wandering between churches, mosques and modern art galleries.
George Kipouros, Wanderlust’s editor-in-chief, said the “readers describe it as a city that still surprises them every time.”
"Istanbul’s energy lies in how comfortably it lives between worlds. It has history in its stones but also imagination in its future," he added.
The recognition comes amid a standout year for the city. Istanbul Airport was recently named the world’s Best Airport for Food in Condé Nast Traveler’s 2025 Readers’ Choice Awards.
“This Gold award for Istanbul reaffirms its position as Europe’s most captivating city,” the Türkiye Tourism Promotion and Development Agency (TGA) said in a statement.
It added that Türkiye welcomed 50 million international visitors in the first nine months of 2025 — a 1.6 percent increase from 2024 — and now leads the world in sustainable tourism, with more than 2,000 GSTC-certified hotels, accounting for over 80 percent of all such properties globally.
