Poland is one of the worst countries for nature lovers to travel to in Europe, a new study by Uswitch.com/mortgages can reveal.
With new research indicating that greater exposure to nature is associated with better health and well-being — it is no surprise that many of us are considering travelling away from urban areas in search of greener spaces, fresher air, and a slower pace of life.
Intrigued by this, Uswitch.com/mortgages were keen to discover the best European countries for nature lovers. To do this, the experts created a points-based index system that evaluates the following factors in 33 countries: forest, flat land, water coverage, the volume of wildlife richness and outdoor hiking trails.
The Best European Countries for Nature Lovers
| Rank | Country |
Forest Coverage |
Flatland Coverage |
Water Coverage |
Number of Unique Wildlife Species |
Outdoor Trails* |
Overall Nature Score Out of 10 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | Switzerland | 32.98% | 14.08% | 7.97% | 767 | 1.34 | 7.22 |
| 2. | Slovenia | 71.46% | 2.12% | 12.75% | 673 | 0.25 | 6.65 |
| 3. | Croatia | 42.36% | 4.97% | 5.03% | 724 | 0.20 | 6.60 |
| 4. | Austria | 49.16% | 10.25% | 1.54% | 823 | 0.17 | 6.15 |
| 5. | Bulgaria | 42.24% | 4.09% | 2.91% | 792 | 0.01 | 5.90 |
| 6. | Sweden | 63.16% | 7.22% | 8.40% | 660 | 0.05 | 5.85 |
| 7. | Slovakia | 48.35% | 0.94% | 5.96% | 660 | 0.06 | 5.68 |
| 8. | Spain | 21.78% | 10.79% | 0.83% | 1510 | 0.32 | 5.52 |
| 9. | Luxembourg | 44.97% | 0.00% | 32.73% | 435 | 7.93 | 5.41 |
| 10. | Italy | 26.97% | 3.30% | 1.37% | 1271 | 0.16 | 5.40 |
*Outdoor trails refers to the number of trails per 100km2. The full dataset used throughout this study can be found, here.
With a score of 4.23 out of a possible 10, Poland is one of the worst countries for nature lovers to travel to in Europe. Despite its magnificent natural scenery, Poland scored low in comparison to other countries due to its score of 0.13% for flatland — the fourth-lowest coverage of flatland out of all 33 countries analysed — and 1.95% for water coverage. Poland does rank highly, however, for its volume of unique wildlife [713] — which includes 423 birds and a total of 290 distinctive insects and mammals. As well as this, the country has a high average rating for its outdoor trails [9.28 out of 10] — the fourth-highest rating out of all 33 countries analysed — despite only having 0.01 trails per 100km2.
The best European country to be near wildlife
Spain [5.52 out of 10] and Italy [5.40 out of 10] are the best European countries for wildlife lovers with 1,510 and 1,271 unique species respectively. If you want to be closer to distinctive birds, insects and mammals, France [5.10 out of 10] is also home to a wide variety of wildlife with 1,189 unique species — 93% more than their neighbour Luxembourg — with 522 bird species and 508 distinctive insects.
The best European country to be near hiking trails
For those who enjoy hiking and exploring outdoor trails, the United Kingdom [5.38 out of 10] has been revealed as the best country to be. Narrowly missing the top ten in 11th place, the UK is home to 9,834 unique trails with an average rating of 8.56 out of 10 — boasting 4 trails per 100km2 — the third-highest volume of trails per 100km2 out of all 33 countries analysed.
Despite the green space and water body coverage in the UK totalling 23.49%, the country ranks surprisingly higher than Ireland for these factors, which total only 11.46% for forest coverage and water bodies. France has the third-highest number of hiking trails amongst the top 10 countries, with 5,516 unique spaces to explore, making this neighbouring country a great choice for nature lovers.
The best European country to be near green spaces
Slovenia is the best European country for those who want to be surrounded by green spaces and bodies of water. This country is among the most forested countries in Europe with an impressive 71.46% of forest coverage and 12.75% of water coverage.
Sweden also ranks highly for green spaces, with 63.16% of forest coverage and 8.40% of water coverage, equivalent to 70.06 square metres of green space per person in Stockholm. As a result, Sweden ranks sixth overall in Europe for nature lovers with a score of 5.85 out of a possible 10.
All Inclusive
Luksusowy kwartalnik turystyczno-podróżniczy. Od 2004 roku opisujemy miejsca, do których warto lecieć dłużej niż na weekend, i ludzi, którzy je prowadzą.
