The latest index from Sainsbury’s Bank places Cornwall, England, at the summit of the world’s best spots for slow travel in 2025, edging out Portugal’s sun-splashed Algarve and the lavender-scented hillsides of Provence, France. For journeyers weary of frantic itineraries, the list offers a fresh roadmap for lingering longer and moving more deliberately.
Decoding the “slow travel” surge
First coined in the early 2000s as an offshoot of the Slow Food movement, slow travel prioritizes connection over collection—collecting memories, not passport stamps. Travelers spend more days (or weeks) in one locale, choose local transport such as trains or bicycles, and allocate more dollars to small businesses instead of tour buses. Rising concerns about sustainability, overtourism and traveler burnout have amplified the movement’s appeal.
Sainsbury’s Bank, a U.K.–based financial institution best known for consumer banking and travel insurance, analyzed nature access, culinary quality, relaxation potential, accommodation variety and flight affordability to compile its “30 Best Destinations for Slow Travel in 2025.” The bank’s analysts observed that bookings for stays longer than seven nights on major platforms grew by double digits in 2023 and are trending upward again for 2024.
How Cornwall claimed the crown
Cornwall’s allure is nothing new. The peninsula’s rugged coastline, Celtic heritage and end-of-England mystique have long pulled travelers down the A30. What pushed it to No. 1 this time was a mix of stellar nature scores and budget-friendly lodging. While London hotel prices soared past £200 a night last summer, countless Cornish guesthouses and self-catering cottages still hover below £120, according to U.K. hospitality tracker STR.
The study praises Cornwall’s “sleepy fishing villages, dramatic peaks and sea-spray adventures.” From pedaling the 11-mile Coast-to-Coast Trail between Portreath and Devoran to boarding a wildlife cruise past Mousehole’s technicolor harbor, visitors are spoiled for ways to slow down. Locally sourced plates also help set the pace. “Slow travel is about immersing yourself rather than ticking boxes,” the report’s authors wrote, emphasizing dishes such as potted Cornish crab that “taste like the tide itself.”
Beyond Cornish clichés
Seasoned travelers may think they know Cornwall—pasties, surfing and Poldark–fueled photo ops—but slow travel rewards deeper digs.
- Holywell Bay’s sea caves: Low tide reveals cathedral-like caverns where time itself appears frozen in quartz-veined walls.
- Cornwall’s creative trails: Artist studios in St Ives open by appointment; pottery workshops in Penzance let guests throw clay locals have mined for centuries.
- Camel Valley vino: England’s flagship sparkling-wine estate offers “lazy vineyard lunches” that roll from noon to late afternoon.
Algarve: Portugal’s culinary coastline
The Algarve ranks second thanks to its top score in the cuisine category. Think cataplana seafood stews, salty-sweet figos cheios and peri-peri chicken charred over citrus wood. Clifftop boardwalks connect beach coves, while the region’s Ecovia bicycle path runs nearly 214 miles from Cape St. Vincente to Vila Real de Santo António on the Spanish border.
For slow travelers chasing shoulder-season sunshine, average winter highs sit around 60°F, yet Atlantic water still sparkles clear enough for dolphin spotting. And while package-holiday sprawl has crept into spots like Albufeira, skip inland to the Monchique Mountains for cork-oak forests and chameleon sightings.
Provence: France’s sensory playground
Provence clinches third, excelling in relaxation and food culture. The index lauds canal-side open-air markets in L’Isle-sur-la-Sorgue, truffle-hunting near Richerenches and “garden-to-table Provençal fare” in Michelin-starred bistros. Lavender fields are still postcard favorites, yet vineyards now anchor many extended stays via gîtes—rural farm stays bookable from €75 per night.
High-speed rail from Paris cuts the carbon footprint for domestic visitors, shortening journeys to under three hours. Once there, travelers can hop TER regional trains to Roman-era towns like Arles or cycle the Alpilles olive-grove loops while breezes carry rosemary and cicada song.
Rounding out the top 10
Although Sainsbury’s Bank released a full roster of 30 destinations, the remainder of the top ten offers enticing variety:
- Lanzarote, Spain – Lava fields and farm-to-fork papas arrugadas
- Oslo, Norway – Fjord ferries on a single transit pass
- County Mayo, Ireland – Wild Atlantic Way without Galway crowds
- Dubrovnik, Croatia – UNESCO walls at dawn, Adriatic swims at dusk
- Montenegro, Balkans – Kotor Bay kayaking and vineyard-backed homestays
- Iceland – Ring Road hot springs and farm guesthouses
- Tallinn, Estonia – Car-free medieval core and Baltic sauna culture
What travelers should know
Switching from whirlwind touring to slow travel may sound straightforward, yet the devil is in the details. Here are key takeaways before you extend that itinerary:
Tips for Travelers
- Book longer stays early. Cottages and agritourism lodges often give weekly discounts but have limited inventory. Secure spots six to nine months out for peak seasons.
- Embrace shoulder seasons. April–May and September–October in Cornwall or the Algarve bring mild temperatures, open restaurants and lower nightly rates.
- Factor transit passes. Railcards in the U.K., passe Navigo Découverte extensions in France and Interrail options across Europe allow unlimited regional hops without rental-car fatigue.
- Pack purposefully. Slow travel does not mean overpacking. Quick-dry layers, a reusable tote for farmers’ markets and sturdy walking shoes cover most scenarios.
- Prioritize local experiences. Cooking classes, foraging walks and language lessons align with slow-travel philosophy while funneling money to communities.
Sustainability spotlight
Spending longer in one place often translates to fewer flights and reduced emissions. Visit Cornwall, the region’s tourism board, reports that visitors who stay seven nights rather than three lower their CO₂ footprint per day by nearly 40 percent due to fewer travel legs. Likewise, the Algarve Tourism Bureau is piloting a “Seastainability” badge for guesthouses that source seafood from certified fisheries and use solar water heaters.
Budget considerations
Slow travel can be less expensive—or shockingly pricey—depending on choices. Weekly cottage rentals average £830 in Cornwall during summer 2024, according to holiday-let site Vrbo, but can drop below £550 outside school holidays. Conversely, the average nightly rate for a boutique B&B in Provence rose 18 percent year over year, propelled by American demand and euro-zone inflation.
Flight affordability factored heavily into the index. With low-cost carriers such as easyJet and Ryanair offering shoulder-season fares to Faro for under $90 one-way from London, the Algarve scored high. Travelers based in North America should compare open-jaw tickets—into Paris, out of Lisbon, for example—to reduce backtracking.
The rise of remote work retreats
Another accelerant for slow travel is the normalization of remote work. Portugal’s Digital Nomad Visa allows stays of up to one year; France’s long-stay visitor visa covers extended Provençal sojourns provided applicants show proof of income and health insurance. Cornwall has no visa distinction (it sits within the U.K.), yet coworking spaces now dot towns like Newquay and Falmouth, providing reliable fiber connections.
“Being able to log on from a beach town one morning and hike sea cliffs that afternoon turns a regular holiday into a lifestyle sample,” remote-work consultant Ana Costa said during a Lisbon coworking summit in March.
Planning your 2025 slow-travel itinerary
Whether you chase Cornish pasties, Algarve octopus or Provençal rosé, the through-line is time. Add buffer days. Choose one region over five. Chat with café owners. Slow travel demands discipline—resisting the urge to see it all—but rewards with deeper memories and smaller carbon footprints.
Sainsbury’s Bank will update its index annually. Expect dark-horse entries from South America and Asia in 2026 as long-haul carriers ramp up new nonstop routes. Until then, Europe’s Atlantic edge and Mediterranean interior offer more than enough to fill a calendar without filling a passport with rushed stamps.
Pack patience, book that longer stay, and let the world’s best slow-travel destinations remind you that sabbaticals can start with a single extra day.
