Travelling for leisure is often the highlight of the year for many of us with holidays being the punctuation points in our lives, those moments where we stop and take a moment to relax and exhale.

Whilst relaxation has always been centre stage when it comes to holidays, a new trend of dopamine travel has seen relaxation take a supporting role, with many travel seekers wanting to squeeze as much joy and happiness out of their trips as possible, with prospective destinations being researched for their ‘feel-good’ factor. 

With so much investment, both financial and emotional, put into our holiday destinations before we arrive, the pressure to select the perfect location can be overwhelming.

From the diverse landscapes of the Mediterranean islands to the majestic Fjords of Norway, it can be difficult to decide where to begin your next adventure and which destinations will bring the most joy. 

To make the decision a little easier, Scenic travel experts have collaborated with Dr Gurpreet Kaur and compiled a comprehensive ranking of Dopamine Destinations - the top 20 port destinations that are the most likely to release the ‘feel-good’ hormone.

Our Dopamine Destinations ranking is based on five prominent factors when it comes to dopamine release whilst travelling. Clinical Psychologist, Dr Gurpreet Kaur breaks the ranking factors down below:

• Sunshine - is a natural dopamine provider because it helps balance hormones through the Vitamin D we receive and helps connect us with nature. 

• Cuisine - good quality foods provide essential nutrients and vitamins which are essential for dopamine regulation, however eating food we enjoy also gives us pleasure, which in turn provides a dopamine hit.

• Step Count - walking reduces the stress hormone cortisol, in turn helping to regulate dopamine levels. The amount of walking that can bring pleasure will depend on each person, their fitness and motivation to walk. 

• Air Quality - poor air quality can impact mood, reducing oxygen levels and therefore impacting brain function. The better the air quality the better the ability of the brain to produce and regulate dopamine. 

• Green Spaces - nature has a healing effect if a person is able to be mindful about their connection to nature. Being mindful naturally increases dopamine production with forest bathing studies showing an increase in serotonin and dopamine suggesting that green areas are a good way to increase the ‘feel -good’ chemicals.

So, without further ado, we present our definitive ranking of Dopamine Destinations - the hot list of port cities to dock at to delight the soul and leave you feeling good whilst you explore.  

The most dopamine inducing destination in our ranking is Split, in Croatia. With 2,631 daylight hours a year, you’ll get a much-needed dose of Vitamin D to help fuel production of the feel-good chemical.

When it comes to green space, this city boasts Marjan Park, a 79 square kilometre nature reserve with panoramic views waiting for you at Telegrin Peak (585 ft) where you can look out over the Split skyline as well as the Adriatic Sea.

This park, also referred to as the ‘lungs of the city’ could be a contributing factor to Split’s air quality score - the lower the number the better in this case.

Widely considered to be, and scoring highly in our ranking as a walkable city, Split has plenty of tree lined paths that are a pleasure to stroll down, as well as a well-known coastal path with views of the sea. The city boasts plenty of walking tours for those who want to make the most of the sights whilst travelling on foot. 

Amsterdam may be best known for its bicycles and canal waterways, but it is also one of the greenest cities in Europe, where supposedly trees outnumber the city’s residents. No small feat and a contributing factor in the city’s claiming of the second spot in our dopamine destination ranking. 

When searching for parks in the city, the choice can be overwhelming, but arguably the most famous, and oldest, is Vondelpark, a 120-acre urban park full of manicured lawns, footbridges and ponds, that dates back to 1865.

If the way to your heart (and happiness) is through food, Amsterdam ranks highly with an average restaurant rating of 4.6 out of 5. Home to 23 Michelin starred restaurants as of October 2024, the city is known for delicacies from stroopwafles, stamppot, bitterballen and panenkoeken to name a few. 

And when it comes time to walk it off, you’ll be pleased to hear that Amsterdam is a very walkable destination. Flat terrain and with many of its sights located within a small radius, the city boasts canal side pedestrian friendly streets that make the perfect place to stroll and take in the city’s unique architecture. 

Rounding out the top three of our dopamine inducing destinations is Tallinn, the capital of Estonia and one of the best-preserved Medieval cities in Europe, with its Old Town being named as a UNESCO World Heritage Site.  

Scoring the highest out of all the cities for its clean air quality, it’s unsurprising that Tallinn is also home to dozens of parks and green spaces. In fact, the city’s green credentials led to it winning the European Commission’s European Green Capital Award for 2023.

Whether your interests lie in the Botanic Garden, the Japanese Gardens or the 172-acre Kadriorg Park and Gardens, there really is some greenery for everyone.

Not only known for its green credentials, Tallinn is home to some wonderful cuisine that is closely linked to its Baltic heritage, with restaurants earning a 4.6 out of 5-star rating on average.

Local delicacies include rye breads, sprat sandwiches, the Estonian pastry Pirukad, Mulgipuder which is a porridge of mashed potatoes and barley and Kohuke, a sweet cheese curd and chocolate snack. 

 

The remainder of our top 20 Dopamine Destinations span across the world, with ‘feel-good’ cities located in the United States and Canada, Spain and Portugal, the United Kingdom, Argentina, Norway and Singapore. 

We know that not every factor in our Dopamine Destinations ranking will be of equal importance to every traveller, but what we do know is that sunshine hours are a big deciding factor for many when choosing a holiday destination and Vitamin D is a big factor in dopamine production. 

With that in mind, we present to you the top 10 sunniest destinations based on sunlight hours in a year for all you sun worshippers out there. 

The ability to be able to navigate and explore with ease can play a large part in our enjoyment of a destination. No one enjoys saying farewell a place with a feeling of FOMO* because they didn’t manage to experience something they were told was an ‘absolute must see!’

For those curious explorers amongst us, we have curated the top 10 most walkable cities to pound the pavements of.

_{*Fear of missing out}

Through collaboration with Clinical Psychologist Dr Gurpreet Kaur* we identified five factors that influence dopamine production and that were relevant to travel experiences. These factors have then been used in the weighted rank in this study. 

• Hours of Annual Sunshine - based on 2023 weather data for each destination analysed. Increased exposure to sunshine and subsequently the absorption of Vitamin D is linked to improved mood and wellbeing.

• Air Quality (PM2.5 levels) - we assessed the air quality in each location, specifically focussing on PM2.5 levels, as lower levels of particulate matter contribute to better respiratory health and a more pleasant outdoor experience. In this instance the lower the number assigned, the better the quality of air is.   

• Quality of Green Spaces - the quality of parks and green spaces was evaluated based on past visitor reviews, providing insight into how enjoyable these spaces were.

• Quality of Nearby Restaurants - this was also evaluated through the average Google review rating to determine the enjoyability of local restaurants.

• Walkability - this was measured through factors such as the average walking distance from the port to several popular tourist attractions, also factoring in the elevation changes. 
  
  

Each of the five factors was assigned equal weighting in our analysis, giving each a score value of 20, for a maximum dopamine score of 100. 

The weighted rank analysed 44 internationally representative port destinations sourced from a list of 99 of the most popular cruise ports. The 44 destinations were based on locations we were able to secure all the data points for.  

Dr Gurpreet Kaur is a Chartered Clinical Psychologist with a Doctorate in Clinical Psychology from University College London. More information on her credentials can be found here.