Safest Cities in Europe: Dublin and Lisbon Make Top Five + Viking Cruises For 2024

A little bit of this and a little bit of that today.

SAFEST EUROPEAN CITIES

A story at InsiderMonkey.com lists the safest cities in the world, which is an important topic any time but seemingly more so now given global events. Using data from the Global Peace Index, they assigned cities with a safety score. In this, the lower the number the more safe the city is deemed to be.

Here’s the top 25 in descending order

25. Vilnius, Lithuania, 1.671

24. Rome, 1.662

23. Bucharest, 1.649

23. Madrid, 1.649

21. Sofia, 1.643

20. Warsaw, 1.634

19. Stockholm, 1.625 (very surprising it’s not in the top five)

18. Riga, Latvia, 1.582

17. Bratislava, 1.578

16. Tallinn, Estonia, 1.563

15 Oslo, 1.55

14. Brussels, 1.523

13. Budapest, 1.508

12. Amsterdam, 1.49

11. Berlin, 1.456

10. Zagreb, 1.45

9. Helsinki, 1.399

8. Prague, 1.379

7. Bern, 1.339

6. Ljubljana, 1.334

5. Lisbon, 1.333

4. Vienna, 1.316 (Here’s a link to a story I wrote on Vienna not long ago)

3. Dublin, 1.312

2. Copenhagen, 1.31

1. Reykyjavik, 1.124

I’m a bit surprised to see Amsterdam ranked higher than both Stockholm and Oslo, but I’m not an expert on European city safety.  I’m pleased to see a few of my fave cities in the top 10. Bern is achingly beautiful, while Ljubljana (Slovenia) is a city I’ve been touting since my first visit in 2009. I also love Lisbon and Dublin, and I find Vienna to be quite diverse and even quirky in spots.

TOP NON-EUROPEAN CITIES TO VISIT THIS YEAR: AUSTRALIA RULES THE DAY

The folks at Which?, a consumer group based in the UK, asked more than 1,800 members of its online panel about their fave cities to visit outside of Europe. Locations were marked on seven separate criteria, including the quality of food and drink, cultural sights and tourist attractions, ease of getting around and value for money.

The results were quite interesting. Taking top prize was Sydney, with a city score of 88%. The city received a string of four-star ratings in categories including accommodation, shopping, food and drink, as well as cultural sights and attractions.

Cape Town took second place with a city score of 85%, and an impressive five-star rating for food and drink. Chicago, Kyoto, and Singapore, all tied for third place.

Here’s the full top 20:

SYDNEY – 88% (1st)

CAPE TOWN – 85% (2nd)

CHICAGO, KYOTO, SINGAPORE – 84% (Tie for 3rd)

MELBOURNE – 83% (6th)

PERTH, TOKYO, WASHINGTON D.C. – 82% (Tie for 7th)

CHRISTCHURCH, VANCOUVER – 81% (Tie for 10th)

BANGKOK – 80% (12th)

BOSTON – 79% (13th)

NEW YORK CITY, WELLINGTON – 78% (Tie for 14th)

BRISBANE – 77% (16th)

HO CHI MINH CITY, KUALA LUMPUR – 75% (Tie for 17th)

HONG KONG – 73% (19th)

TORONTO – 72% (20th)

Australia clearly cleaned up on this list, with three cities in the top seven and four in the top 16. The U.S. had four cities in the top 14, while New Zealand had two in the top 14, and Canada featured two in the top 20.

Here’s a link to a story I wrote about Western Australia and Perth a couple years ago.

Montreal had a 66% score and was tied for 29th. San Francisco was down at 32nd with a score of 64% and Los Angeles was 35th with 60%. The lowest rated city by the Which? panel was Las Vegas, which finished 37th with a score of 52%.

 

VIKING CRUISES FOR 2024: NEW SHIPS, NEW DESTINATIONS

RIVER VOYAGES

New Itineraries

• Viking launched a special 12-day voyage to commemorate the 80^th anniversary of Operation Overlord and the historic battles of Normandy with the new Paris & D-Day 80^th Anniversary voyage from London to Paris with departure dates running from March through November 2024. Due to strong demand, Viking will also offer the London, Paris & D-Day itinerary starting in 2025.  
• With increased interest in extended voyages, Viking added a new 15-day river voyage, Lyon, Provence & the Rhineland, that combines a sailing on the Rhine River with one in Southern France beginning March 2024. 

New Ships

• Viking recently announced an expansion of its river fleet in Southeast Asia with the new Viking Tonle. Designed for the Mekong River, the 80-guest vessel will join its identical sister ship, the Viking Saigon (debuted in 2022) and will sail between Kampong Cham, Cambodia and Mỹ Tho, Vietnam as part of Viking’s popular 15-day Magnificent Mekong itinerary. The ship is under construction and is currently scheduled to debut in October 2025. More details are available in the press release here. 
• With strong demand on the Nile River, Viking will add two additional sister ships, the Viking Hathor and the Viking Sobek, which will be delivered in 2024 and 2025, respectively. By 2025, Viking will have six ships on the Nile, offering the largest and most elegant fleet, by far.  
• In 2025, Viking will also welcome a new Viking Longship on the Seine River. This identical sister ship will join our current fleet of four Viking Longships sailing the river, docking in our exclusive location in the heart of Paris, near the Eiffel Tower, offering an exceptional experience for travelers and coincide with the Paris Summer Olympics in 2024. 

 

OCEAN VOYAGES

New Itineraries

• Beginning in 2024, Viking will introduce the Iconic Iceland, Greenland & Canada itinerary. This 15-day voyage will immerse guests in striking natural beauty and volcanic landscapes, while delving into the rich history of Viking exploration, allowing for leisurely strolls through the charming streets in ports of call.  
• The Malta, Morocco & the Mediterranean itinerary will make its inaugural voyage in late 2024. The roundtrip journey from Barcelona spans seven countries in 16 days, featuring visits to UNESCO-designated sites, North African cities, the Alhambra palace and other scenic wonders.  
• Viking is set to unveil the Viking World Voyage I in 2025. The colossal 180-day adventure traverses the globe, encompassing 37 countries on an unforgettable voyage across six continents.  
• Setting sail in 2025, Viking will embark on a new adventure with the Grand Australia Circumnavigation itinerary. The 32-day sailing takes guests on a voyage around Australia, offering the chance to uncover a harmonious blend of iconic natural wonders, lesser-known cultural gems, and captivating histories in cities such as Perth, Adelaide, and Melbourne. The itinerary includes exploration of Indonesian treasures Komodo and Bali.  

New Ships

• In late 2024, Viking welcomed a new sister ship to the Ocean fleet, the Viking Vela. 

 

EXPEDITION VOYAGES

Longitudinal World Cruises 

• In 2023, Viking launched the new intercontinental Longitudinal World Cruise collection, with expedition ships sailing between Antarctica and the Great Lakes. On these epic voyages, guests will achieve more travel milestones in a single journey than most people accomplish in a lifetime – from the heart of North America through engineering marvels like the Welland and Panama Canals, into the Chilean fjords and finally to Antarctica. Upcoming new 2024/2025 itineraries: Longitudinal World Cruise IV and Longitudinal World Cruise V. 
   

Antarctica and the Arctic 

• Viking announced three new summer season expedition voyages in the Arctic set to debut in July 2025. The new itineraries range from 13 to 27 days and explore the polar north in Canada and Greenland. More specific itinerary information is available online: Into the Northwest Passage, Canada & Greenland Explorer and Canada & the Northwest Passage. 
• More recently, Viking announced another wave of new itineraries in Antarctica for the 2025 season. The new 87-day From the Arctic to Antarctica itinerary will expand offerings to the “White Continent,” sailing from Nuuk, Greenland to Ushuaia, Argentina.