A new study has revealed that the French capital received the highest number of tourists of any European city in 2018, attracting 19.1 million foreign visitors. It knocked the UK capital, which had 19.09 million tourists, off the top spot in Europe.

Historically and consistently, London and Paris often trade spots for the top position, but in recent years, London has frequently edged out Paris in terms of total international visitor arrivals. According to various global travel indices, London often sees slightly higher numbers of international overnight visitors, partly due to its status as a global financial hub and its massive airport infrastructure (Heathrow being a primary global gateway). However, Paris often wins in terms of "romantic" or leisure-specific tourism and maintains a very high density of visitors within its smaller geographic footprint compared to the sprawling nature of Greater London. When you factor in domestic tourists (citizens of the same country visiting the capital), the numbers can shift significantly. Both cities remain in the top tier of the world's most-visited destinations, usually hovering between 15 to 20 million international visitors annually, with the choice between them often coming down to whether the traveler prefers the iconic museums and cafes of France or the historic landmarks and theater districts of the United Kingdom.