1) Stockholm, Sweden

Stockholm was the first city to be crowned European Green Capital in 2010 – and it clearly hasn’t rested on its laurels. Since taking the accolade, the Swedish capital has continued to forge ahead with green initiatives and has successfully slashed carbon emissions by 25 per cent since the Nineties.

The city aims to be fossil fuel free by 2050, a target it hopes to achieve by improving public transport, slashing waste and increasing biodiversity, amongst other things. The city also has a strong culture of cycling, which has kept many residents out of cars.