The 10 dirtiest cities in the world

For travelers, cleanliness is more than just a detail: it affects comfort, the feeling of safety and, ultimately, the quality of the experience. Overflowing garbage cans, unkempt streets or dirty monuments can turn the most attractive destination into a disappointment.

A new international analysis looks at this aspect, revealing which major cities appear cleanest to tourists and where, on the contrary, dirt is likely to spoil the visit.

The study is signed by Radical Storage, a global luggage storage platform, which sifted through travelers' perceptions through an in-depth analysis of online reviews.

Analysts examined the 100 cities included in Euromonitor's Top 100 City Destinations Index, evaluating the ten most-visited attractions in each. The sample is vast: over 70,000 reviews published on Google over the last twelve months. Reviews containing keywords such as 'clean' or 'dirty' were classified as positive or negative judgments on urban cleanliness. Cities with fewer than 100 relevant reviews were excluded, to ensure that the results were based exclusively on visitors' actual experiences.

At the top of the list of cities perceived as the dirtiest is Budapest. 37.9% of the reviews analyzed gave a negative assessment of the Hungarian capital's cleanliness, often citing pressurized waste disposal systems and insufficient upkeep of public spaces. The visitor boom noted in recent years is also a factor: in September 2025, in fact, Hungary's tourism sector recorded growth of 8.3%, with the capital alone posting a 12% increase on the same period in 2024, putting a strain on urban maintenance.

Rome takes second place with 35.7% of critical opinions. Visitors' unease seems to mirror that of residents: in 2023, the Eternal City ranked only seventh in terms of resident satisfaction, with 71% declaring themselves dissatisfied. Additionally, the quality of life in the city appears to be on the decline compared to the previous five years, with barely 3% of those surveyed believing it has improved.

Next comes Las Vegas (31.6%), a position that comes as little surprise given the continuous flow of tourists and the busy pace of city life. Despite this, local authorities have launched initiatives such as 'Pick It Up Las Vegas', designed to clean up manholes, tunnels, streets and parks, demonstrating an ongoing commitment to improving the city's image.

Florence comes fourth, with 29.6% negative ratings. The city's narrow medieval streets and intense pedestrian traffic make cleaning operations particularly complex. The city, however, is innovating: 'intelligent' litter garbage cans equipped with AI technology have been introduced, designed to simplify and make the act of littering for locals and tourists alike less attractive.

Despite its timeless charm, Paris still registers 28.2% of reviews reporting dirtiness or lack of maintenance. However, the French capital has embarked on major rehabilitation work in preparation for the 2024 Olympic Games, with significant investments in urban cleanliness.

The top 10 dirtiest cities are rounded out by Milan (6th), Verona (7th), Frankfurt (8th), Brussels (9th) and Cairo (10th).

(MP/Greenme.it/Translation and adaptation: The Global Nature Pic: Unsplash)