Top 15 City Hotels in Europe for 2025: GoTravelDaily Readers’ Picks

Summary

How Voting Works
What Readers Loved
The Winner
The Full List

Location often becomes the deciding factor for GoTravelDaily readers when they’re considering urban hotels. While many of the voters’ picks for the best city hotels in Europe are situated in action-packed central districts, a few provide a quieter, more residential experience in some of the world’s poshest enclaves. Whichever experience you prefer, you’ll find excellent options on this year’s list.

How Voting Works

Every year for the World’s Best Awards survey, GoTravelDaily asks readers to weigh in on travel experiences around the globe — sharing their opinions on the top hotels, resorts, cities, islands, cruise ships, spas, airlines, and more. Nearly 165,000 readers completed the 2023 survey, marking a significant increase of nearly 25 percent over pre-pandemic voting levels. A total of more than 685,000 votes were cast across over 8,500 unique properties (hotels, cities, cruise lines, etc.).

Hotels were categorized as either resort hotel, city hotel, or safari lodge based on their location and amenities, and they were specifically rated on the following criteria:

Rooms/facilities
Location
Service
Food
Value

For each characteristic, respondents could select a rating of excellent, above average, average, below average, or poor. The final scores are calculated as averages of these responses.

What Readers Loved

This year’s top two winners illustrate how travelers can enjoy vastly different (yet equally remarkable) experiences in one city based on their hotel’s location. The Four Seasons properties in Istanbul are situated miles apart in distinctly different neighborhoods: one in the old city, close to major tourist attractions, while the other is on the banks of the Bosphorus in the luxurious Nişantaşı quarter.

Securing the only slot for Spain is No. 5 Rosewood Villa Magna. This refurbished five-star favorite is located in the upscale Salamanca neighborhood, away from most touristy destinations. “Best hotel in Spain without a doubt,” raved one reader, adding that it’s “even better now that it is a Rosewood.”

Italy boasts three properties on this year’s list, including The St. Regis Venice, which took the No. 12 position, as one reader highlighted its “exclusive and best location in Venice.” Another reader described the hotel’s setting as “magical, with perfect views over the Grand Canal.”

Below is the complete list of readers’ picks for the best city hotels in Europe.

The Winner

Four Seasons Hotel Istanbul at Sultanahmet: Istanbul, Turkey

A perennial favorite, this regal hotel in Istanbul’s Old City has recently undergone a comprehensive refurbishment that retains its historic neoclassical architecture while also introducing a range of new offerings. Updates include a magnificent redesign of the 65 rooms and suites, displaying Turkish contemporary and Ottoman period art along with handwoven Turkish Kilim textiles. Guests can indulge in sweet Turkish delicacies at the pastry shop in the lobby, enjoy an exquisite afternoon tea service, or dine at the new restaurant Avlu in the landscaped courtyard. The newly constructed Kurna Spa is essential for relaxation, featuring treatment rooms and two hammam rooms, thus creating a true oasis amid the vibrant neighborhood. As another reader aptly described it, the hotel is simply “perfect.”