North America's Most Relaxing City For Travelers Isn't In California Or Florida

When it comes to a relaxing city destination, you might think of one that has palm trees, beaches, and year-round warmth, like those along Florida's or California's shores. Yet while the U.S. coast has some great places to visit, it turns out that the most relaxing city on the continent is actually Vancouver in British Columbia, Canada.

Conde Nast Traveler has reported on data from the travel eSIM group Holafly, which looked at which global cities allow visitors the best opportunities to relax in 2026. Vancouver scored 66.6, making it No. 4 on the list, and the first North American destination. Holafly confirmed its methodology in its 2025 report on the world's most relaxing cities. First, it looked at the world's 50 best cities, as ranked by the marketing firm Resonance Consultancy. From those, it looked at the number of "parks and nature reserves, the number of spa and wellness centers, air quality, average annual sunshine hours, traffic congestion, and happiness" using data from sites such as Happy City Index and Numbeo. 

Vancouver is already one of North America's most livable cities, so it's not a huge surprise that it's one of the most relaxing cities as well. Breaking down some of the elements that Holafly uses to determine its ranking, Vancouver has more than 220 parks according to the City of Vancouver. Stanley Park, a waterfront space that stretches nearly 1,000 acres, is one of the most famous, with trails, totem poles, and an aquarium. VanDusen Botanical Garden, meanwhile, has more than 7,500 different plants, and themed areas including a rose garden, sunflower meadow, and hedge maze.

Vancouver has an annual average of 1,932 hours of sunshine according to Weather & Climate; however, they are concentrated in summer. December only gets 56 hours of sunshine, compared to 289 hours in July. Air quality is good, though, as reported by IQ Air.

When it comes to spas in Vancouver, Tripadvisor lists more than 310 spa and wellness options, including yoga studios, gyms, and salons. Smile Thai Wellness Spa downtown is the top spa according to traveler ranking, with a 4.8-star rating and more than 330 reviews. Treatments include Thai massages, herbal compress massages, and reflexology. Fairmont Pacific Rim's high-end and well-reviewed spa is another good option as it has hot and cold therapy options. It also offers treatments inspired by the area, such as the Coastal Mountain Cleanse, which incorporates a seaweed masque, steam, and massage. The hotel is in Vancouver's walkable waterfront Coal Harbor neighborhood, which is home to great restaurants, hotels, and shops.

With all these ways to relax in Vancouver, the city makes for an idyllic, safe trip, particularly for solo travelers. If you want to plan all your travels around relaxing destinations, the first city on the list is Copenhagen in Denmark, which is also one of the world's happiest cities. It is followed by Barcelona in Spain and Vienna in Austria. After Vancouver, the next city on the continent is Miami, at No. 6.