The ability to detect and identify aromas is ancient, far predating humans. It was known to even the most basic forms of life: National Geographic reported some years ago that “Studies of two species of soil bacteria showed that both colonies could detect the scent of airborne ammonia.”
Today, vision is our predominate sense for appraising our environment, but the sense of smell connects more immediately to memory and emotion, not just metaphorically but in a demonstrable biological sense.
Our senses of vision, hearing, taste, and touch operate by sending signals to the thalamus, the part of the brain whose functions include relaying signals to other cranial areas — in this case transmitting sensory stimuli along to the cerebral cortex for interpretation. The sense of smell, on the other hand, doesn’t mess around: It goes straight from receptor cells in the nostrils to the olfactory bulb, an organ that connects directly to the limbic system — which, among other things, controls the aforementioned memory and emotion.
While what we see might usually take precedence, then, it’s hardly surprising that what we smell can vividly affect our experiences — among other things having a major impact on our impressions of the places we travel through, whether it’s the next room or some foreign capital. And a place that smells good will probably not only give us pleasure but remain in our memories for a long time.
To determine the nicest smelling cities in Europe, 24/7 Tempo reviewed a study conducted by the vape e-commerce site Haypp. The site considered 30 cities in all, 27 of them in Europe (with Nassau, Bahamas; Auckland, New Zealand; and Sydney, Australia included for some reason). We have chosen to spotlight the European top 20. (If you’re more the stay-at-home type, see this list of 38 places in the U.S. every American should visit.)
To arrive at their ranking, Haypp considered the Environment Performance Index published by World Population Review, which measures 40 metrics across 11 categories, and then factored in the number of presumably good-smelling businesses per 10 square kilometers in each city — bakeries, perfume shops, candle shops, and flower shops. The overall score was calculated as a weighted average of the EPI scores and percent ranks of these businesses.
Scroll down to see the nicest smelling cities in Europe:
20. Madrid, Spain
- Environmental Performance Index: 56.6
- Number of bakeries: 120
- Number of perfume shops: 90
- Number of candle shops: 9
- Number of flower shops: 121
- Overall score: 5.37
19. Vienna, Austria
- Environmental Performance Index: 66.5
- Number of bakeries: 99
- Number of perfume shops: 60
- Number of candle shops: 7
- Number of flower shops: 120
- Overall score: 5.73
18. Prague, Czech Republic
- Environmental Performance Index: 59.9
- Number of bakeries: 90
- Number of perfume shops: 73
- Number of candle shops: 13
- Number of flower shops: 122
- Overall score: 5.79
17. Bratislava, Slovakia
- Environmental Performance Index: 60.00
- Number of bakeries: 83
- Number of perfume shops: 45
- Number of candle shops: 18
- Number of flower shops: 98
- Overall score: 5.80
16. Tallinn, Estonia
- Environmental Performance Index: 61.40
- Number of bakeries: 80
- Number of perfume shops: 19
- Number of candle shops: 4
- Number of flower shops: 120
- Overall score: 6.17
15. Vilnius, Lithuania
- Environmental Performance Index: 55.9
- Number of bakeries: 74
- Number of perfume shops: 61
- Number of candle shops: 20
- Number of flower shops: 120
- Overall score: 6.30
14. Riga, Latvia
- Environmental Performance Index: 61.10
- Number of bakeries: 77
- Number of perfume shops: 41
- Number of candle shops: 31
- Number of flower shops: 120
- Overall score: 6.51
13. Helsinki, Finland
- Environmental Performance Index: 76.5
- Number of bakeries: 54
- Number of perfume shops: 19
- Number of candle shops: 28
- Number of flower shops: 87
- Overall score: 6.52
12. Brussels, Belgium
- Environmental Performance Index: 58.20
- Number of bakeries: 110
- Number of perfume shops: 66
- Number of candle shops: 13
- Number of flower shops: 65
- Overall score: 6.92
11. Stockholm, Sweden
- Environmental Performance Index: 72.70
- Number of bakeries: 120
- Number of perfume shops: 43
- Number of candle shops: 10
- Number of flower shops: 122
- Overall score: 7.03
10. Amsterdam, Netherlands
- Environmental Performance Index: 62.60
- Number of bakeries: 121
- Number of perfume shops: 69
- Number of candle shops: 18
- Number of flower shops: 121
- Overall score: 7.11
9. Valletta, Malta
- Environmental Performance Index: 75.20
- Number of bakeries: 12
- Number of perfume shops: 2
- Number of candle shops: 3
- Number of flower shops: 0
- Overall score: 7.20
8. Bucharest, Romania
- Environmental Performance Index: 56.00
- Number of bakeries: 99
- Number of perfume shops: 120
- Number of candle shops: 27
- Number of flower shops: 122
- Overall score: 7.21
7. Copenhagen, Denmark
- Environmental Performance Index: 77.90
- Number of bakeries: 120
- Number of perfume shops: 31
- Number of candle shops: 25
- Number of flower shops: 100
- Overall score: 7.00
6. Nicosia, Cyprus
- Environmental Performance Index: 58.00
- Number of bakeries: 115
- Number of perfume shops: 64
- Number of candle shops: 34
- Number of flower shops: 64
- Overall score: 7.71
5. Luxembourg, Luxembourg
- Environmental Performance Index: 72.30
- Number of bakeries: 41
- Number of perfume shops: 41
- Number of candle shops: 6
- Number of flower shops: 46
- Overall score: 7.76
4. Dublin, Ireland
- Environmental Performance Index: 57.40
- Number of bakeries: 122
- Number of perfume shops: 30
- Number of candle shops: 54
- Number of flower shops: 122
- Overall score: 7.80
3. Zurich, Switzerland
- Environmental Performance Index: 65.9
- Number of bakeries: 109
- Number of perfume shops: 79
- Number of candle shops: 18
- Number of flower shops: 109
- Overall score: 8.08
2. Paris, France
- Environmental Performance Index: 62.5
- Number of bakeries: 120
- Number of perfume shops: 122
- Number of candle shops: 41
- Number of flower shops: 121
- Overall score: 8.15
1. Athens, Greece
- Environmental Performance Index: 56.2
- Number of bakeries: 122
- Number of perfume shops: 86
- Number of candle shops: 32
- Number of flower shops: 122
- Overall score: 8.34