Condé Nast has named Ireland the friendliest country in Europe

IRELAND IS THE friendliest country in Europe, according to readers of Condé Nast.

The publishing giant behind magazines Vogue, GQ and The New Yorker published its 2026 Readers’ Choice Awards today. The results are based purely on votes from its UK readership, the publication caveated.

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Our best award among the lot was the title of friendliest country in Europe. Ireland lost out on the friendliest country globally to Costa Rica.

One Co Laois hotel also scooped up an award as a favourite hotel in Europe: the lavish 5-star country house Ballyfin. One of the FAQs on its website is “Do you have a helipad?”, if that illuminates you to the hotel’s clientele.

As for the best beaches in the world, one beach from Co Kerry made the five-strong list of winners.

Ballyheigue “stretches a continuous, 10 km long strip of sandy beaches and dunes along the Atlantic coast” and looks out over Tralee Bay.