Destination Sleep Tourism: The Best Cities in the World for a Sleepcation

If you’ve ever been offered a pillow menu, you’re familiar with the emergence of “sleep tourism.” It’s a trend that’s becoming a multibillion-dollar business, set to grow by 8%, or $400 billion, by 2030.

And maybe you’ve even splurged on a retreat with relaxing amenities like a Golden Moon Milk nightcap or even a sleep cocoon where you can marvel at the aurora while practicing your best sleep hygiene habits.

We wanted to know the top places to take a sleepcation and return well rested, so we searched for global cities with the most local hotels offering a combination of sleep hygiene features, luxe comfort amenities, and relaxing ambiance (along with hotel must-haves and pollution-free skies).

Here are the best places on earth to get some shut-eye.

Big Takeaways

• #1 Bern, Switzerland, is the best place to grab some zzz’s in the entire world. Followed by #2 Luxembourg City, and #3 Tallinn.   
• 3 Swiss cities land in the top 10 cities in the world for a sleepcation: #1 Bern, #8 Zurich, and #10 Lausanne. 
• #4 Madison, Wisconsin is the highest ranking city in the United States.
• Henderson, NV tops the list for sleep hygiene features. 31% of hotels there boast air purifiers, blackout curtains, or fitness centers.
• To sleep in zen luxury, head to Bali, Indonesia, where you’ll find 20% of hotels offer robes, spas, or yoga rooms.
• For peaceful ambiance, head to the red rocks of Sedona, AZ, where you’ll find 22% of hotels come with hot springs baths, fireplaces, or mountain views.

How We Found the Best Cities for Sleep Travel

We started with a list of cities around the world that have been featured in lists such as “most tranquil,” “relaxing,” “for a good night’s sleep” and other similar top travel-to lists. We included all cities with complete data sets.

Then, we analyzed the 95 resulting cities, looking at over 70,000 hotels listed on Tripadvisor to find which offered the most sleep-inviting hotel amenities and Numbeo for their pollution index (which accounts for noise, light, and air pollution). Finally, we created a score for “pressure to sightsee,” so sleepers won’t feel compelled to get out of bed and explore.

The top cities for sleep travel score is an average of all hotel amenity categories, the pollution score, and the less pressure to sightsee score.

Dig in deeper with our complete methodology.

Bern, Luxembourg City, Tallinn: Slumber Meets Luxury in the Top Sleep Tourism Destinations

What may be considered the lap of European luxury, the top three ranking cities, Bern, Luxembourg City, and Tallinn are the top destinations for sleep tourism. All offer visitors upscale comfort with plenty of local hotels offering indulgent and sleep inducing amenities set against the backdrop of some of the world's most serene cities. 

With three Swiss cities in the top ten, Switzerland is the place to go for a sleep tourism inspired getaway, along with unbeatable mountain views, peaceful valleys, and pristine springs. #1 Bern is home to a long list of spa resorts and wellness hotels. In #10 Lausanne you can book a "Bio-Dynamic Sophrology" session at the Royal Savoy to improve sleep and relaxation or in #8 Zurich you can head to The Dolder Grand's 43K square feet spa (4K square meters).  All three Swiss top-ten winners also rank in the top 20 globally for the least light and noise pollution. So, it's no wonder that in Switzerland you can stay in hotels where as you drift to sleep you have a pure view of the starry night sky from your bed. 

Among the top ten, small and large cities are outliers. Little Portofino is the only city on the list under 100,000 residents, while Vienna, Austria, is the only city over 1 million. While small cities may struggle with building a large enough tourism infrastructure to offer hotel density of sleep-specific amenities, big cities often wow tourists with their bright lights and all-night action, making them less than optimal for sleep. 

Stick to the sweet spot: with 50,000 to 100,000 residents, small cities in beautiful, but calm and quiet places, make up 7 of the top ten sleepcation winners.

The 10 Best Cities for Sleep Tourism

1. Bern, Switzerland

Luxuriate in this medieval dreamland with its crystal clear river and distant alpine foothills. There are plenty of spa hotels to help you out, like the swanky Hotel Schweizerhof where you can choose between a dry sauna, massage, and calming, cave-like hot tub in the renowned spa—all designed to help you relax.

2. Luxembourg, Luxembourg

The walled city perched atop a hill sports fabulous vistas from multiple parts of town. When you’re done taking it all in, opt for quieter park view rooms at Luxembourg’s burgeoning sleep retreat hotels, like the Le Royal Hotel. Here, your room may come with its own Turkish bath. 

3. Tallinn, Estonia

While it’s a charming port with a cozy Old Town, Tallinn won’t distract you too long if you’re committed to getting some shut-eye—the city has a perfect score with less pressure to sightsee. Go midsummer when the sun barely sets to take advantage of peaceful beach bonfires and then head back to your hotel, pull those blackout shades, and get some rest.

4. Madison, Wisconsin

With a sky-high “hotel sleep hygiene” score, Madison visitors are almost double as likely as #2 Clearwater to find their hotel comes with amenities to sleep better, like blackout shares, air purifiers, and a fitness center. So gaze out at Lake Mendota, hit the elliptical, and fall into effortless sleep.

5. Vienna, Austria

Check into an Austria Trend Hotel for a sleep-centered experience that includes a pillow menu, sleep guide, and several herbal tea choices. With little light and noise pollution and few big tourist destinations, you won’t feel pressure to do anything but hit the hay.

6. Clearwater, Florida

This is one Florida beachtown that doesn't get overrun  with "wild spring break energy" and which boasts high hotel amenity rates and low pollution. So get enough sun to get sleepy, then retreat to this quiet barrier island where there’s nothing to distract you from the task at hand. 

7. Portofino, Italy

The only city on the top ten list with a population under 100,000 residents, this gorgeous outcropping on the Mediterranean south of Genoa comes with the highest density of luxe hotel features in the top ten (second only to Bali, Indonesia overall) and the lowest pollution scores. So enjoy the Mediterranean breezes while you hit up the extra yoga rooms and on-site spas in this coastal gem.

8. Zurich, Switzerland

When it comes to wellness, you can’t beat Switzerland’s mountain air or its high-end spas. Zurich is no different. Hopping on the “sleep retreat” trend, just an hour from the city center you can find Resort Bad Ragaz, where you can luxuriate in marble halls with natural thermal spring-fed bathing pools. Nothing says dreamtime like warm mineral spas and a room that overlooks the Swiss Alps.

9. Reykjavik, Iceland

Fed by geothermal water warmed by underground volcanic activity, the natural spa waters of Iceland are sure to relax visitors who stroll the human-sized capital of Reykjavik and want to experience calming energy and stunning natural views, then fall asleep close to the arctic circle, where darkness is a local specialty.

10. Lausanne, Switzerland

At the north end of Lake Geneva, you’ll find sleepy towns, jazz concerts, and some of the world’s best spa retreats. Lausanne scores #11 in the world for luxe sleep amenities but also makes a strong showing with a number of hotels offering fireplaces, hot spring baths, and mountain views. 

They’re Gambling on Sleep Hygiene in Henderson, NV

Of all cities analyzed, Henderson, Nevada has the most hotels offering sleep hygiene-related features.

Maybe it’s all that desert sunshine and dusty sand. Henderson, NV, just outside Las Vegas, is more likely to have air purifiers and blackout shades than elsewhere in the country. But they’re also likely to offer guests fitness centers.

And other hotels in the desert Southwest aren’t keeping up with Henderson’s sleep hygiene prowess, so climate isn’t the simple answer.Maybe Henderson’s just hip to what visitors need to sleep well, wake rested, and rejuvenate their bodies.

One unique finding is that this category winners in sleep hygiene are disproportionately American. Though we analyzed just 23 American cities of 95 total sleep tourism destinations, the top 14 sleep hygiene cities are all in the U.S., suggesting that what is a unique sleep hygiene amenity elsewhere is a hotel necessity for American travelers.

Say, “Om” in Bali Where Luxe Features like Yoga and Spas Rule

Of all cities analyzed, Bali has the most hotels offering zen-related amenities. 

Bali, Indonesia, is a small island that packs a huge punch in the wellness world. With resorts dedicated to sleep, but also yoga and wellness, visitors can luxuriate in thatched cottages through the dappled sunlight of a teak forest. Yoga? Yes. Reflexollogy? Meditation? Lavender baths? Yes. Yes. Yes. You’ll find high-end spa offerings all over the island.

Bali conquers this category so thoroughly that its 19% density among hotels of luxe spa features like robes, yoga rooms, and spas, is more than double 5 of the top ten cities in this category.

Other winners include sites known for their natural beauty, like Portofino and Sedona, and those known for fresh mountain air, like Banff and Park City, Utah. Of course, luxe spa amenities can be costly, so other top winners are found in pricy enclaves like Dubai and Scottsdale, Arizona. 

Sedona’s a Vortex of Peaceful Ambience 

Of all cities analyzed, Sedona has the most hotels offering a peaceful ambience. 

It’s hard to beat the U.S. for peaceful ambience — when it comes to hotels with fireplaces, natural springs, and breathtaking mountain views, the US has a lot to offer. Take Sedona, Arizona, where 22% of city hotels offer one (or more) of these features. 

Like Bali, Sedona has a headstart in wellness that spills over into sleep health and helps it carry its category. The stunning red rock mountain town has long been rumored to be the site of vortices where earth energies converge, which helped give rise to Sedona’s retreat culture, and now, its winning sleep ambience.

Other mountain towns with athletic and retreat cultures win the top 5 in sleep: Boulder, Banff, and Park City are ski resorts where high-end hotels with spa facilities help make the towns global vacation destinations. Scottsdale, with desert mountain views, is also a likely spot to find your hotel room comes with a cozy chiminea for frosty winter nights, and a spa to ease your pain after a long day on the links.

Your Perfect Sleepcation? Consider Both Resorts and the Cities They’re In

Sleepcations, like yoga retreats before them, have emerged in enclaves where existing resorts have been able to add on to their more general wellness and spa offerings.

Today, sleep-deprived visitors can find the highest density of sleep amenities in areas where wellness already reigns supreme. But to reap the biggest benefits, they’re looking for something more: areas in “healthy” environments where there’s little light and noise pollution, and visitors are already used to finding peace and quiet.

That’s meant there are some unexpected winners that show that sleep health is different from overall wellness. So while hotels matter, the cities in which they are located also matter for great sleep. 

As sleepcations grow, tired travelers will be more likely to find amenities like herbal teas and personalized bedding across the world. For now, book a sleep retreat in one of these winning cities to stamp out your sleep debt once and for all.

Methodology: How to Uncover the Best Destinations for a Sleep-focused Getaway? 

We extracted the names of cities around the world that have been featured on lists like “most tranquil,” “relaxing,” “for a good night’s sleep” and which also are home to some of the worlds most exclusive hotels offering sleep-focused services (like in London, NYC, and Tokyo). We trimmed the resulting list where data wasn’t available, for a final collection of 95 cities around the world, 23 of which are located in the United States. 

Then, we analyzed their density rate of hotel amenities via data from Tripadvisor, their Numbeo pollution index (which accounts for noise, light, and air pollution), and created a score to weigh cities highly in spots where tourists won’t feel compelled to take tours and plan big excursions.

Tripadvisor hotel amenities:

From Tripadvisor, we pulled data for over 70,000 hotels across the 95 cities to find which offered any of 11 specific hotel amenities directly associated with getting good sleep and getting it in a place that can help you unwind and relax. We broke those factors into the following sleep vacation-related categories:

• Basic in-room comforts: room service & whirlpool bathtub
• Sleep hygiene features: air purifier, blackout curtains, and a fitness center
• Luxurious and relaxing amenities: bathrobes, yoga room, and on-site spa
• Peaceful environment and ambience: fireplace, hot spring bath, and mountain views

For each factor, we calculated the density of how many hotels listed on Tripadvisor in each city provide the given amenity. We then calculated the average category score based on this factor density. 

Pollution Index from Numbeo:

The Numbeo Pollution Index surveys people about various aspects of pollution in their cities, including air quality, noise and light pollution during the night, availability of green spaces, and more. Cities with the highest score in this category have a lower index number, indicating less pollution. 

Less pressure to sightsee score:

A common sleep tourism sentiment is that great sleep cities shouldn’t be bustling with sightseeing opportunities, museums, and historical landmarks. 

So we wanted to derive a score to slice out which cities may still have some culture and history but less so than big tourist destinations like New York City, Rome, and Paris. These cities certainly are home to a fine selection of luxurious hotels to sleep in, but are cities where visitors will probably feel pressured to head out and see as much as possible instead of resting and catching up on some peaceful sleep.

To calculate this score, we first found the density of local hotels that offer walking tours (Tripadvisor). Hotels with no walking tours received the highest scores, while those with the most walking tours had the lowest scores. 

The top cities for sleep travel are an average of all hotel amenity categories, the pollution score, and the less pressure to sightsee score.