Culture? We at know a thing or two about that. Every year, we produce a roundup of the very best cities for culture on the planet, with eight cities from across Europe featuring on the latest edition.
From London’s free museums to Berlin’s unmatched music scene, this vast continent is jam-packed with art and culture – but which countries can claim to be the most culturally rich?
To answer that question, Latvian art gallery Inner Light has ranked all 27 EU states (sorry, UK) based on four key factors. They’ve looked at the number of UNESCO world heritage sites, the number of museums per 100,000 people, the number of well-known movies per 100,000 people, and combined all that with data from the European Commission’s cultural engagement index.
Recommended: These are the world’s most dynamic cities, according to a new index.
Topping the ranks as the most culturally rich country in Europe by this metric is Denmark. It came second in the cultural engagement index (second only to Luxembourg) with a score of 77.3, plus it has 11 UNESCO world heritage sites and around 10 museums per 100,000 people.
What makes Denmark so rich in culture? Its capital, Copenhagen, is home to brilliant museums like the Louisiana Museum of Modern Art, one of the most ‘enchanting’ in the world, and nightlife venues such as Joy, a ‘music-focused bar with a very cool crowd, which hosts a revolving door of brilliant DJs most nights of the week.’ Check out our comprehensive Copenhagen guide for more.
In second place was Germany, which has the highest number of UNESCO world heritage sites with 54, and in third place was France, which had 53 world heritage sites and the second highest number of movies per 100,000 people with 7. Read on for the full top 10.
These are the 10 most culturally rich European countries
- Denmark
- Germany
- France
- Sweden
- Spain
- Czech Republic
- Luxembourg
- Portugal
- Finland
- Estonia
Did you see that a newly extended high-speed rail line will link three of Morocco’s most spectacular cities?
Plus: This stunning Spanish island could be getting new cable cars with volcano views.
Stay in the loop: sign up to our free Travel newsletter for all the latest travel news and best stuff happening across the world.
