Ready to retire? These three Australian cities have ranked among the top global travel destinations for retirees

If you’re a) retired, b) love to travel, and c) planning your golden gap year, then this next piece of news is targeted at you. You’ve likely spent your entire life waiting to clock off for good and take a permanent vacation – around 64 years if we’re going by the average retirement age in Oz. Well, a ranking of the best travel destinations for retirees has just been released and three Aussie cities made the top ten.

To compile the list, travel insurance website, Paying Too Much, compared 45 popular cities from around the world, ranking them on factors that are particularly relevant to senior travellers over the age of 60. These factors included the number of high-quality hotels and their average cost in off-peak periods, the quality of healthcare available, the number of tours in the cities that run during off-peak season, the number of walking trails and how many things there are to do.

Australia excelled across the board, ranking as the most desirable location for retirees to travel. Melbourne claimed first place in the city rankings with the highest number of top-notch hotels, plus the second-lowest off-peak rates for a comfortable stay. You won’t be short of ways to entertain yourself with Melbourne tallying the highest number of things to do, including loads of walking trails and city tours – and if you like to do both at once, walking tours, too.

Photograph: Visit Victoria

As for the rest of the global list, Sydney followed close behind in second place, winning bonus points for having the highest number of walking routes out of any city. Next on the list was Amsterdam, Berlin and Auckland, with our very own Brisbane in sixth place.

The ‘top global destination for travel during retirement’ wasn’t a title that we ever anticipated claiming, but hey, we’ll take it all the same.

Here are the top ten global travel destinations for retirees in 2024: