Best Cities to Visit as a Senior
Last updated on 06/26/2023
Golden Getaways: Exploring Senior-Friendly Destinations
The golden years are some of the best to travel in, to be able to explore new places and discover new cultures. Whilst traveling is enjoyable at any age, not worrying about the stress of work and being able to travel with your grandchildren make some of the best vacations. Whether that be a trip of a lifetime touring the temples of Thailand or relaxing on the beaches of Greece.
Traveling can come with its own challenges, and at InsureMyTrip we’ve created an index that ranks 50 cities worldwide, considering what is important for senior travelers. An overall score for each city allows you to see what we believe is the best city for senior travelers. You can also see how cities rank for each category.
| Rank | City / Country | Country | Overall |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Istanbul,Turkey | Turkey | 8.09 |
| 2 | Athens,Greece | Greece | 8.03 |
| 3 | Rome,Italy | Italy | 7.99 |
| 4 | Bangkok,Thailand | Thailand | 7.92 |
| =5 | Tallinn,Estonia | Estonia | 7.68 |
| =5 | Vilnius,Lithuania | Lithuania | 7.68 |
| =7 | Prague,Czech Republic | Czech Republic | 7.61 |
| =7 | Riga,Latvia | Latvia | 7.61 |
| 9 | Berlin,Germany | Germany | 7.53 |
| 10 | Helsinki,Finland | Finland | 7.50 |
Best City for Senior Travelers
The best city for senior travelers is Istanbul Turkey, with an overall score of 8.09, the average quality of things to do at 4.63/5 stars, and the city has just 2,523 people per km². Boasting Mediterranean beaches and ancient cities Turkey is a great place to visit for travelers wanting a bit of everything.
In second place is the ancient city of Athens, Greece with an overall score of 8.03 and over 180 senior tours on offer and an average population age of 45 this city is great for people looking for a more adventurous vacation. In third place is another ancient city, this time the capital of Italy, Rome, with an overall score of 7.99, the average quality of things to do at 4.65/5 stars.
The remaining cities in our top ten are Bangkok, Thailand (7.92), Tallinn, Estonia and Vilnius, Lithuania (7.68), Prague, Czech Republic and Riga, Latvia (7.61), Berlin, Germany (7.53) and Helsinki, Finland (7.5).
Best Cities for Seniors: Tourism
For some tourism is the most important factor when booking a vacation, whether that be requiring a lot of tours to fill the days or highly rated attractions. Sneaking into first place for the best rated attractions is Vilnius, Lithuania with 4.66/5 stars. Boasting a mix of highly rated museums and gardens, Vilnius has a broad range of attractions to enjoy.
Our cities with the highest number of tours are Athens, Greece with 181, Colombo, Sri Lanka with 121 and Rome, Italy with 107. All these tours are designed for people over seventy and can be short one-day tours or up to a weeklong.
Best Cities for Seniors: Wellbeing
Sometimes things don’t always go to plan when traveling, and if medical care is required it’s important to be in a country with a good healthcare system. From the cities analyzed Seoul, South Korea has the highest score on the Numbeo Healthcare Index with a score of 83. We would recommend always purchasing travel health insurance to avoid any unexpected costs when traveling abroad.
Another important element of wellbeing is how peaceful a country is, feeling safe and wandering around is an important factor in picking a vacation. According to the Global Peace Index, New Zealand is the most peaceful country on our list, with a score of 1.27.
Best Cities for Seniors: Mobility
The elevation of a city can be preferable to those who don’t want to walk up steep hills, from our data the city with the least hills is Amsterdam, Netherlands. The city lies 6.6ft below sea level, some of the inclines in the city are the bridges over the extensive canal system.
Public transport is also an important factor for those with less mobility as, when spanning a whole city, it can be a great way to get from attraction to attraction. Of the cities analyzed the one with the highest number of public transport users is Zurich, Sweden whose network uses a mix of trams, buses, boats and trains.
Best Cities for Seniors: Demographics
It can be important when traveling to blend in with those around you, to be a similar age, and not feel too crowded in a small space. Tokyo, Japan has the highest average population age at 49, meaning that the city is more likely to be designed for older travelers. The least crowded city on our list is Bratislava, Slovakia with 1,297 people per km2, making it a less stressful environment to be in.
Methodology
Each data point consists of the latest research available from reputable sources. The data was standardized using minmax normalization. The minmax normalization value is multiplied by 10 to create a score (between 0-10). A score of 10 is always the best result, while a score of 0 is the worst. Each city is then ranked on their overall average rating across all data points which includes both city-level data and three country-level data point.
InsureMyTrip segmented factors into four categories (Tourism, Well-being, Mobility and Demographics). In addition, we’ve provided an “Overall Rating” for each location. The categories were organized in order of the most important and relevant factors while travelling as a senior. As some seniors may struggle more with mobility issues, this gives these seniors an opportunity to target cities that are solely appropriate for this criterion. On the other hand, seniors may be anxious about their health while traveling, hence “Well-being” gives these seniors an opportunity to solely target high performing cities in this category. Alternatively, the “Overall Rating” gives seniors an encompassing view of which cities are the most appropriate across all relevant factors.
Sources
Quality of Things To Do
The average review for the top things to do in each city
Google Travel
Choice of Senior Tours
The number of tours aimed at seniors in each city
Tour Radar
Healthcare
An estimation of the overall quality of the health care system
Health Care Index
Peacefulness
A measure of peacefulness using 23 indicators such as safety, crime, security and conflict
Global Peace Index
Ease of Walking
Uses the topography of a city
Topographic Map
Public Transport Index
The percentage of the population in each country who use public transport (user penetration rate)
Statista Public Transportation Index
Average Population Age
The average age in each country
World Data
Spaciousness
Population density per square kilometer
City Population
