A new study has revealed the top European capitals for a shopping vacation, with Bucharest emerging as the best destination.

Conducted by online casino review platform Turvallinen-kasino.com, the research assessed 11 shopping-related factors to create a comprehensive shopping index ranking European capitals.

The analysis considered aspects such as the number and average ratings of flea markets, street markets, gift shops, and shopping malls. It also factored in the average cost of public transport, taxi fares, and theft rates in each city.

The 10 best European capitals for a shopping vacation

Rank	City	Index score (/100)
1	Bucharest, Romania	71.14
2	Warsaw, Poland	69.63
3	Zagreb, Croatia	68
4	Prague, Czech Republic	67.58
5	Budapest, Hungary	67.55
6	Sofia, Bulgaria	66.86
7	Rome, Italy	64.42
8	Ljubljana, Slovenia	63.58
9	Riga, Latvia	63.38
10	Lisbon, Portugal	61.54

Bucharest, Romania, emerged as the best European capital for a shopping vacation, with an index score of 71.14 out of 100. Bucharest has the lowest taxi fare with a base tariff of £0.51 and the fourth lowest reported thefts with 311.37 cases reported per 100,000 residents nationally. 

Bucharest has 107 gift and specialty shops, with an average rating of 4.48, 19 shopping malls, with an average rating of 4.29, and three flea and street markets, with an average rating of 3.94. 

Poland’s capital, Warsaw, is in second place, with a score of 69.63 out of 100. Warsaw has 98 gift and specialty shops with an average rating of 4.36 and 28 malls with an average rating of 4.42. Transportation is more expensive than Bucharest, with a one-way ticket costing £0.87. However, Warsaw offers a balanced shopping and safety experience with moderate theft rates. Poland recorded 321.08 thefts per 100,000 residents in 2022. 

Zagreb, Croatia, ranks third with an overall score of 68.00 out of 100. The city features 107 specialty shops, 15 malls, and two flea markets. Zagreb has the highest average ratings for its specialty shops at 4.83 and affordable transportation, with a one-way ticket priced at just £0.45. The city also benefits from the third lowest theft rate at only 287.06 thefts per 100,000 residents. 

One of the most visited cities in Europe, Prague, Czech Republic, ranks fourth with a score of 67.58 out of 100. It has an impressive 326 speciality shops, 34 shopping malls, and 12 flea markets. On average, a one-way public transport ticket in Prague costs £1.01. 

Budapest, Hungary, comes in fifth with a score of 67.55 out of 100. The city boasts 255 specialty shops, 23 shopping malls, and 14 flea markets. Budapest reported 501.76 thefts per 100,000 residents in 2022.

 

Sofia, Bulgaria, ranks sixth overall with an overall score of 66.86 out of 100. The city features 123 specialty shops, 12 malls, and three flea markets. It offers the fourth most affordable public transportation, with a one-way ticket costing an average of £0.69. 

Rome, Italy, scores 64.42 out of 100 and ranks in seventh place. It has the second-highest number of flea markets (36) and the third-highest number of specialty shops (531) on the list, along with 30 shopping malls. The average cost of a one-way ticket on Roman public transit is £1.26. The city also has the 11th-highest theft rate, with 1,431.39 reported incidents in 2022. 

Ljubljana, Slovenia, ranks eighth with a score of 63.58 out of 100. The city offers three flea markets with an average rating of 4.24, 97 specialty shops with an average rating of 4.55 and nine malls with an average rating of 4.33. 

Riga, Latvia, follows in ninth place with an index score of 63.38 out of 100. The city features 90 specialty shops, 17 shopping malls, and three flea markets. 

Lisbon, Portugal, rounds out the top 10 with a score of 61.54 out of 100. The city offers 265 specialty shops,15 malls, and 8 flea markets. Lisbon reported 708.7 thefts per 100,000 residents in 2022. 

Luxembourg, Luxembourg ranked as the worst European capital for a shopping vacation, with a score of 26.22 out of 100. The city offers only three shopping malls, 13 gift and specialty shops, and no flea markets. Luxembourg has the highest taxi fare per kilometre at £2.52. Additionally, the city’s flea markets and gift shops have relatively low ratings, averaging 3.76 and 3.81, respectively.