The Best Eco-Friendly Cities to Visit Around the World

Below are some of the best eco-friendly cities you can visit today, along with a look at how vegan culture has become an essential part of sustainable urban life. Demand for this kind of travel has never been higher: eco-conscious and sustainable tourism grew substantially through 2025, with travelers worldwide placing environmental responsibility at the center of their destination choices far more than in previous years.

Copenhagen, Denmark

Copenhagen has long been one of the cleanest and most livable cities in the world. The air feels crisp, bikes outnumber cars, and the harbor is so clean that locals swim in it during summer. Its current Climate Strategy 2035 focuses on reducing emissions inside the city and cutting the wider climate footprint of consumption, construction, and municipal operations. In 2025, the Economist Intelligence Unit's Global Liveability Index ranked Copenhagen the single most liveable city on earth, ending Vienna's three-year run at the top. That ranking covers infrastructure, healthcare, and daily life.

Exploring by bike is the best way to see it. You can stop at local cafés, organic bakeries, and markets filled with locally grown produce. Vegan travelers will feel at home here. Places like Souls, Ark, and 42Raw serve colorful, plant-based dishes that are both inventive and deeply satisfying. Even traditional restaurants now offer vegan menus that celebrate Nordic ingredients such as mushrooms, rye, and wild berries.

Vancouver, Canada

Vancouver sits between the ocean and the mountains, and that geography seems to have inspired its sustainable mindset. The city invests heavily in green public transport, renewable energy, and the preservation of surrounding forests.

There is also a strong vegan culture here as you can see as soon as you arrive at the airport. You can find cozy spots like MeeT or The Acorn where the food is so good even non-vegans are converted. The farmers' markets are filled with local produce, and most coffee shops proudly serve plant-based milks. It is easy to spend a few days eating, hiking, and breathing some of the freshest air in North America.

Amsterdam, Netherlands

Amsterdam's canals get the postcards. The city's cycling paths, electric boats, and energy-efficient buildings are what keep emissions down. Waste reduction and circular-economy projects show up in second-hand shops and community compost programs.

Vegan options are everywhere too. From the famous Vegan Junk Food Bar to small cafés serving oat-milk cappuccinos and plant-based pastries, it is clear that conscious eating has become part of daily life. Locals see sustainability as something joyful, not restrictive.

Kyoto, Japan

While Japan is known for its technology, Kyoto is a reminder that sustainability can also come from tradition. The ancient capital is full of wooden houses, gardens, and tea rooms that encourage slow living. Many hotels use natural materials and limit plastic use. The public transport system makes it easy to get around without relying on cars.

Japan welcomed a record 42.7 million international visitors in 2025, and Kyoto in particular has responded by leaning further into quiet, responsible tourism, discouraging crowds in fragile heritage areas and steering visitors toward slower, more intentional experiences. The city's ethos of treading lightly has only deepened as overtourism has become a national conversation.

Vegan food can be found in the form of shojin ryori, a Buddhist temple cuisine that avoids animal products. These meals are often served in beautiful lacquer boxes with tofu, vegetables, and rice, prepared with simplicity and care. Eating vegan in Kyoto feels like a meditation rather than a restriction.

Stockholm, Sweden

Stockholm sits on fourteen islands surrounded by forests and clean water. It is one of the world's leaders in eco-friendly urban planning. Most hotels use renewable energy, and even luxury establishments focus on zero waste and responsible sourcing.

The vegan scene is impressive. Restaurants like ChouChou and Hermans serve organic food with views of the water. Supermarkets stock countless plant-based products, and locals are increasingly choosing oat milk or vegan pastries with their coffee. Sustainability feels natural here, like a quiet part of everyday life.

What green travel looks like in practice

Sustainable travel is not about giving up comfort or fun. It is about shifting priorities. Choosing to bike instead of drive, eat locally instead of importing, and respect local ecosystems instead of exploiting them makes travel more meaningful. What once felt like a niche preference has quietly become a mainstream expectation. More and more hotels, airlines, and tour operators now publish sustainability commitments because travelers are actively asking for them.

Vegan restaurants in these cities sit next to transit and cycling, not as a separate lifestyle brand. Menus use local produce because that is what the kitchens buy.

These cities show that lower-carbon travel can still include good food. Green travel is a set of choices, not a purity test.