Plotline turns TikToks and Instagram posts into places on a map, so we can see what travelers keep for each trip. We took 11 destinations in southern Europe that come up for winter sun, from the Canary Islands to Athens, and counted the travelers who saved places in each and what kind of places they were. By October 31, 2026, 1,503 travelers had saved at least one place in these destinations, 42,094 saves in all.
Key findings
- Barcelona leads with 647 travelers. Its Sagrada Família, saved by 294, is the most-saved place in any of the 11.
- Madeira is third with 272 travelers, ahead of the Costa del Sol (229) and the Algarve (218). Its two most-saved places are a mountain peak and a laurel forest.
- In the cities, food comes first. It is 45% of the places saved in Athens, 38% in Barcelona and Lisbon, and 36% in Valencia.
- On Madeira and the Canary Islands the outdoors comes first: trails, peaks, viewpoints and parks. That is 46% of what travelers saved on Madeira, where food is 11%, the lowest share of the 11.
- Beaches are a small part of every destination's saves. The Algarve has the highest share, 16%, and the Canary Islands are next at 12%. In Barcelona and Lisbon they are about 1%.
- 523 travelers, about a third of the total, saved places in more than one of these destinations. Barcelona and Lisbon is the most common pair (169 travelers), then Lisbon and the Algarve (154).
The 11 destinations, ranked
Food, outdoors and beaches are shares of all the individual places saved in each destination. Outdoors covers beaches, parks, gardens, viewpoints, peaks, trails and other natural places, so it includes the beaches. A traveler counts once per destination, however many places they saved there.
| # | Destination | Travelers who saved a place | Most-saved place | Food | Outdoors | Beaches |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Barcelona | 647 | Sagrada Família (294) | 38% | 7% | 1% |
| 2 | Lisbon, Sintra and Cascais | 465 | LX Factory (122) | 38% | 8% | 1% |
| 3 | Madeira | 272 | Pico do Arieiro (86) | 11% | 46% | 1% |
| 4 | Málaga and the Costa del Sol | 229 | Colomares Castle (50) | 33% | 8% | 2% |
| 5 | Sicily | 224 | Mount Etna (32) | 25% | 15% | 2% |
| 6 | Algarve | 218 | Benagil Cave (77) | 32% | 32% | 16% |
| 7 | Athens | 216 | Acropolis (74) | 45% | 6% | under 1% |
| 8 | Seville | 151 | Royal Alcázar (79) | 28% | 10% | 0% |
| 9 | Canary Islands | 136 | Mount Teide (22) | 22% | 42% | 12% |
| 10 | Valencia | 115 | City of Arts and Sciences (35) | 36% | 8% | 3% |
| 11 | Malta | 105 | Blue Lagoon, Comino (24) | 26% | 21% | 5% |
The cities: food first
Three of Barcelona's five most-saved places are Gaudí's: the Sagrada Família (294 travelers), Park Güell (244) and Casa Batlló (243). La Boqueria, the market on La Rambla, is fourth with 218. Shops are 14% of what travelers save in Barcelona, the highest share of the 11. For where to eat, see the Barcelona restaurants travelers found on TikTok.
Lisbon's top places are close together. LX Factory, a former industrial complex now full of shops and restaurants, leads with 122 travelers, and the next five all have between 102 and 105: Belém Tower, Manteigaria and its custard tarts, the Miradouro de Santa Luzia viewpoint, Jerónimos Monastery and Pena Palace in Sintra. Nearly half the travelers who saved a place around Lisbon, 212 of 465, saved something in Sintra. Cafés are 8% of Lisbon's saves, a share only Valencia beats.
Food is 45% of what travelers save in Athens, more than anywhere else on the list. The Acropolis is the most-saved place (74), then the Acropolis Museum and Mount Lycabettus with 45 each. The Parthenon has its own entry on Google Maps, saved by 33. Little Kook, a café known for its themed decorations, has 35, and Thanasis, the kebab shop in Monastiraki, 32.
Valencia has the highest shares of cafés (9%) and bars (8%). The City of Arts and Sciences leads with 35 travelers, then the Central Market (29), the Turia Gardens in the old riverbed and La Lonja de la Seda (24 each), and Malvarrosa Beach (19).
Barcelona and Lisbon also appear in our 3-day itineraries for Europe, built from the same kind of saves.
Sights first: Seville, Málaga and Sicily
Sights are 40% of what travelers save in Seville, the highest share of any city here. The Royal Alcázar (79) and Plaza de España (78) are one traveler apart. Las Setas, the timber canopy over Plaza de la Encarnación, is third with 50, just ahead of the cathedral (49).
On the Costa del Sol, the most-saved place is Colomares Castle in Benalmádena (50), a monument to Christopher Columbus built to look like a castle. Ronda, inland, is a destination in its own right: 91 travelers saved something there, 40% of everyone who saved a place in this area, and 24 saved its bridge, the Puente Nuevo. In Málaga itself the Alcazaba (27) and the cathedral (26) lead.
Sicily is the third sights-first destination (34%), and it has the highest share of hotels, 11%. Mount Etna is the most-saved place (32), then the Scala dei Turchi, the white cliff near Realmonte (25), and the old tuna fishery at Scopello (22). Travelers also save whole towns here: Taormina (48), Cefalù (43) and Palermo (41).
The islands and the Algarve: outdoors
Madeira's saves are mountains and trails. Pico do Arieiro (86) and Fanal Forest, an old laurel forest in the northwest (85), are almost tied at the top. The Ponta de São Lourenço peninsula (40) and PR1, the trail from Pico do Arieiro to Pico Ruivo (38), come next. Outdoor places are 46% of what travelers saved there and sights another 33%. 104 travelers saved Madeira itself, more than saved any single place on the island, and 119 of the 272 also saved places in Lisbon.
The Canary Islands have 136 travelers. Tenerife has the most (83), then Lanzarote (54) and Gran Canaria (28). Mount Teide and its national park lead with 22, then Anaga Rural Park on Tenerife (14) and, on Lanzarote, Jameos del Agua and Timanfaya National Park (11 each). Outdoor places are 42% of what is saved in the islands, and beaches 12%.
Beaches are 16% of what travelers save in the Algarve, the highest share of the 11, but its most-saved place is a sea cave. Benagil Cave was saved by 77 travelers, more than twice the next, the cliffs of Ponta da Piedade near Lagos (35). Marinha Beach (31) and Praia do Camilo (30) follow. Most of the Algarve's travelers saved Lisbon too: 154 of 218.
Malta's saves split almost evenly: food 26%, sights 25% and outdoors 21%. Its top places are on the water. The Blue Lagoon on Comino leads (24), then St Peter's Pool, a natural swimming spot near Marsaxlokk (18), and the Blue Grotto sea caves (15). Popeye Village, the film set from the 1980 Popeye movie, also has 15.
The most-saved places in each destination
| Destination | Most-saved places (travelers) |
|---|---|
| Barcelona | Sagrada Família (294), Park Güell (244), Casa Batlló (243), La Boqueria (218), Ciutadella Park (179) |
| Lisbon, Sintra and Cascais | LX Factory (122), Belém Tower (105), Manteigaria (105), Miradouro de Santa Luzia (103), Jerónimos Monastery (102), Pena Palace (102) |
| Madeira | Pico do Arieiro (86), Fanal Forest (85), Ponta de São Lourenço (40), PR1 Vereda do Areeiro (38), Cascata dos Anjos (34) |
| Málaga and the Costa del Sol | Colomares Castle (50), Alcazaba (27), Málaga Cathedral (26), Puente Nuevo in Ronda (24), Gibralfaro Castle (22) |
| Sicily | Mount Etna (32), Scala dei Turchi (25), Tonnara di Scopello (22), Valley of the Temples (19), Bam Bar in Taormina (18) |
| Algarve | Benagil Cave (77), Ponta da Piedade (35), Marinha Beach (31), Praia do Camilo (30), Seven Hanging Valleys Trail (20) |
| Athens | Acropolis (74), Acropolis Museum (45), Mount Lycabettus (45), National Garden (39), Little Kook (35) |
| Seville | Royal Alcázar (79), Plaza de España (78), Las Setas (50), Seville Cathedral (49), María Luisa Park (39) |
| Canary Islands | Mount Teide and Teide National Park (22), Anaga Rural Park (14), Jameos del Agua (11), Siam Park (11), Timanfaya National Park (11) |
| Valencia | City of Arts and Sciences (35), Central Market (29), Turia Gardens (24), La Lonja de la Seda (24), Malvarrosa Beach (19) |
| Malta | Blue Lagoon on Comino (24), St Peter's Pool (18), Blue Grotto (15), Popeye Village (15), Upper Barrakka Gardens (14) |
How we counted
- A save is a traveler keeping a place on their Plotline map, almost always after sharing a TikTok, Instagram post or other link into the app. Each traveler counts once per place, and once per destination, however many places they saved there.
- Each destination is an area on the map, not a city name. Lisbon includes Sintra and Cascais. Málaga and the Costa del Sol runs from Estepona to Nerja and inland to Ronda. The Algarve is the coast from Sagres to the Spanish border. Sicily, Madeira with Porto Santo, Malta with Gozo and Comino, and the Canary Islands are the whole islands. Barcelona, Valencia, Seville and Athens are the cities and their nearest suburbs.
- The traveler counts include anyone who saved a whole town or region, such as "Madeira" (104 travelers) or "Ronda" (76). The shares and the place rankings count individual places only, so towns, regions, neighborhoods, airports and stations are left out of those.
- The shares come from the category Plotline gives every place, which follows its type on Google Maps. Food covers restaurants, bakeries and dessert shops. Outdoors covers beaches, parks, gardens, viewpoints, mountains, trails and nature reserves.
- Where Google Maps lists one place twice, we counted each traveler once: Mount Teide with Teide National Park, and the two entries for the Blue Lagoon on Comino. The Acropolis and the Parthenon are separate entries, and we kept them apart.
- We chose the 11 destinations. Cyprus is not on the list because only 38 travelers saved places there, too few to compare.
- The data covers every save made through October 31, 2026, in any month. It doesn't show when travelers plan to go or when they saved these places. Plotline's data starts in March 2026, so there is no earlier year to compare with yet.
- We left out places a traveler turned down while importing a post, the sample places Plotline offers new users during sign-up, places added by Plotline's AI trip planner, and two Plotline team accounts.
- This measures what travelers plan to visit, not where they went. Plotline's users plan from TikTok and Instagram, so the list favors places that do well there.
- Every figure is an aggregate count of travelers. None identifies an individual.
Citing this study
You're welcome to quote these figures with credit to Plotline and a link to this page. Suggested citation: Plotline, "Winter Sun in Europe: What Travelers Save in 11 Destinations," November 2026, getplotline.app/blog/most-saved-winter-sun-destinations-europe. For questions, email jeff@getplotline.app.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the most popular winter sun destination in Europe?
Of the 11 destinations we looked at, Barcelona: 647 travelers saved places there on Plotline through October 31, 2026. Lisbon with Sintra and Cascais is second (465) and Madeira third (272), ahead of the Costa del Sol (229) and the Algarve (218).
What do travelers save in Madeira?
Mostly mountains and trails. Pico do Arieiro (86 travelers) and Fanal Forest (85) are the most-saved places, then the Ponta de São Lourenço peninsula (40) and PR1, the trail from Pico do Arieiro to Pico Ruivo (38). Outdoor places are 46% of what travelers save on Madeira, and food is 11%.
What are the most-saved places in Lisbon?
LX Factory leads with 122 travelers, then Belém Tower and the Manteigaria bakery (105 each), the Miradouro de Santa Luzia viewpoint (103), and Jerónimos Monastery and Pena Palace in Sintra (102 each). 212 of the 465 travelers who saved a place around Lisbon saved something in Sintra.
Which winter sun destination in Europe has the most beach saves?
The Algarve. Beaches are 16% of the places travelers save there, against 12% in the Canary Islands and 5% in Malta. Even so, the Algarve's most-saved place is a sea cave, Benagil Cave, with 77 travelers.
Which Canary Island do travelers save the most?
Tenerife. 83 travelers saved places there, against 54 for Lanzarote, 28 for Gran Canaria and 24 for Fuerteventura. Mount Teide and its national park are the most-saved place in the islands, with 22 travelers.
Does this data show the best time to visit?
No. It counts which places travelers saved through October 31, 2026, in any month, not when they plan to go. Plotline's data starts in March 2026, so there is no earlier year to compare with yet.