This is the city in Europe with the most pleasant smell and we didn’t expect it

When we think about the smell of cities, we rarely imagine anything other than rising sewers and the sweat of people on crowded public transport.

This is a preconceived idea that should however be dismantled, according to a new study conducted by the HAYPP company and released by Time out. 30 European metropolises they were thus sifted to determine where the air is sweeter than honey. The researchers took into account factors such as cleanliness and the proportion of florists, bakeries and perfumeries to assign each city an “olfactory score” and establish an objective ranking.

And I might even tell you that the results are amazing.

Paris, the second city in the ranking where it smells particularly good

It is therefore Athens which rises to first place in this olfactory ranking with a score of 8.3 out of 10, thanks to its 31 florists and 22 perfumeries. Its commitment to cleanliness has also worked in the Greek capital’s favor, with an environmental performance index (EPI) of 56.2.

Paris slips into second position (yes, you read that right), followed by Zurich. It’s a safe bet that, for one thing, bakeries must have had their say. You can find the complete ranking on the Time Out website for other surprises that smell of spring.

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