Europe's most polluted cities are popular tourist destinations
An analysis of air pollution in Europe has turned up some interesting results. The city that came on top as the most polluted one is quite a surprise.
A so-called "eurotrip" is a good idea both for a longer holiday and for a short city break. The capital cities of the Old Continent are practically at your fingertips. Good train connections to Vienna, Prague or Berlin encourage you to spend a weekend in a foreign city, while regular (and sometimes even cheap!) flights make it possible to get away from Poland to wherever you like.
Popular holiday destinations are of course Italy, Spain, France, Malta, Cyprus, Croatia or Greece. These countries win the holiday bingo: pleasant temperatures, monuments, and beautiful landscapes. Add to that local food, museums, and sunbathing and we have a real combo. What else do you need?
Europe's most polluted cities. Surprising results
In the face of the climate crisis, calls for care for the environment are becoming louder and louder and warnings about air pollution do not go unheeded. We may scoff at Krakow, but ultimately we know that exposing ourselves to prolonged inhalation of pollutants has negative effects on our health, particularly affecting heart and lung function.
Car rental service Stress Free Car Rental commissioned a study (based on World Health Organisation guidelines) that checked pollution levels in popular tourist destinations in Europe. The results of the analysis are staggering.
Top 10 most polluted cities in Europe. Are these still attractive cities for holidays?
To our surprise, Poland managed to avoid being stigmatised. No city from our country is on the "list of shame". Instead, it is Italy and Germany that appear twice in the Top 10. The first place in the ranking is occupied by Milan, where pollution level considered safe for humans is exceeded four times. In the second place we find Athens with a score as much as six points lower than Milan, and Prague rounds off the infamous podium.
Paris, which is said to be one of the dirtiest cities, also made the list, but "only" ranks seventh. The big surprise is Amsterdam closing the list, which has a reputation of a very green city.
Below you can find the full list of the dirtiest cities in Europe according to the Stress Free Car Rental ranking.
- Milan - Italy
- Athens - Greece
- Prague - Czech Republic
- Barcelona - Spain
- Berlin - Germany
- Rome - Italy
- Paris - France
- Brussels - Belgium
- Hamburg - Germany
- Amsterdam - Netherlands
Source: Well.pl
