As the European summer ends, those looking for some R&R will have to fly further afield or embrace a colder city break closer to home.
While some travellers are looking for a calming retreat, others yearn for a sensory buzz. So, to help Brits cut down on the endless hours of holiday research and find the right city for their needs, experts at Lotus Car Rental have revealed the most overwhelming cities for the senses.
Those wanting excitement from their next getaway do not need to venture far, as the UK capital, London, ranked as the 9th most overwhelming city for the senses, topping Tokyo, Las Vegas and Dubai.
With the iconic red buses, black cabs, bicycles and even tuk-tuks, London had the most traffic, with the average 10km car journey on its busy roads taking over 37 minutes.
Endless shopping, world-famous attractions and a hub of global food offerings make LDN a tourist hotspot, with London Heathrow ranked the second busiest airport, welcoming 79.2 million passengers each year.
As one of the most recognisable capital cities in the world, London’s bustling streets are the 5th most densely populated with the 10th biggest population.
Despite its excitement, London did not top the list as the most overwhelming city for the senses. The experts at Lotus Car Rental studied 39 popular tourist destinations and found that the most overwhelming city to visit in the world is Delhi, India, with Bangkok, Thailand, and popular British holiday spot Istanbul, Turkey, ranked second and third, respectively.
Top 10 most overwhelming cities
| Rank | City | Country | Total Score/39 |
| 1 | Delhi | India | 27.9 |
| 2 | Bangkok | Thailand | 27.6 |
| 3 | Istanbul | Turkey | 24.9 |
| 4 | Paris | France | 24 |
| 5 | New York | United States | 24 |
| 6 | Kuala Lumpur | Malaysia | 23.8 |
| 7 | Toronto | Canada | 23.3 |
| 8 | London | United Kingdom | 23.1 |
| 9 | Tokyo | Japan | 22.4 |
| 10 | Milan | Italy | 21.8 |
Host of the 2024 Olympics and city of love, Paris, ranked as the fourth most overwhelming city for the senses. Ranking highly for traffic (ranked 6th), population density (ranked 9th) and built-up area size (ranked 10th).
While a sensory feast can be an exciting pull for some tourists, others may be looking for a slower pace.
Those wanting a less demanding city break for the senses may want to check out, the Republic of Ireland capital, Dublin, ranked as the 6th least overwhelming city.
Just an hour’s flight away from many UK airports, Dublin came in as the 6th smallest population and built-up area.
The city had the 5th cleanest air, 2nd lowest level of light pollution and 10th lowest levels of hearing loss (as an indicator of noise levels).
Rankings were compiled through the combined analysis of several data points covering air quality, noise levels, light pollution, built-up area size, annual airport passengers, population size and density, and traffic to create a standardised index.
You can find the full study, including the exhaustive list of the most and least overwhelming cities and busiest airports here: https://www.lotuscarrental.is/blog/sensory-cities-the-most-and-least-overwhelming-places-to-holiday
