The workcation is no longer just a pandemic-era buzzword, rather it’s a full-blown travel category, with professionals increasingly stretching a business trip or a holiday into weeks of remote work from somewhere far more scenic than their home office.
But not every city can pull this off. According to a report by Forbes citing new data from travel eSIM provider Holafly, the destinations that work best for this hybrid lifestyle are the ones that get the unglamorous basics right before the postcard views even enter the picture.
What the data actually measured
As per the report, Holafly evaluated cities on a set of practical metrics: broadband speeds, average hotel prices, access to WeWork coworking spaces, walkability, proximity to nature, and average summer temperatures.
The idea, reports Forbes, is that remote workers need infrastructure just as much as inspiration — a fast connection and a decent desk matter more on a workcation than a scenic skyline ever will.
Paris tops the list
The French capital claimed the number one spot, according to the report, thanks to what Forbes describes as its balance between work-friendly infrastructure and quality of life. Paris scored 9.7 out of 10 for walkability and posted broadband speeds of 240.67 Mbps, comfortably fast enough for video calls and heavy file transfers alike.
It also earned the maximum possible score for access to nature, giving remote workers green spaces to decompress in between deadlines, alongside no shortage of coworking options across the city.
Bangkok claims second place
Thailand’s capital came in second, as per the data, on the back of fast internet, a warm climate and notably affordable accommodations. Bangkok recorded the fastest broadband among the top five bar one, at 317.03 Mbps, while hotels averaged around just $32 a night according to the report — a price point that is hard to match in most other major workcation hubs, making it an easy pick for longer stays.
London ranks third despite steeper hotel costs
London rounded out the top three, even though it carried the highest-priced accommodation of any city on the list, reports Forbes. What kept it competitive was an excellent walkability score and strong access to nature, alongside broadband speeds of 158.25 Mbps and coworking spaces that are easy to reach for anyone who would rather not work out of a hotel room or rental apartment. The city’s overall lifestyle appeal, in other words, outweighed the extra spend on stay.
Hong Kong takes fourth with the fastest internet
Hong Kong secured fourth place, according to the report, and posted the single fastest broadband speed across the entire top five at 355.55 Mbps. It also matched the maximum score for nature access, along with a strong 9.0 walkability rating, and offers plenty of coworking infrastructure, including WeWork locations scattered across the city. For remote workers who prioritise connection speed above all else, Hong Kong edges out the rest of the field on that single metric.
Guangzhou rounds out the top five
Closing out the ranking is Guangzhou, which earned its spot as per the data through a combination of fast internet, affordable accommodation and solid access to nature. It’s a less obvious pick than the other four cities on this list — Guangzhou rarely features on typical travel bucket lists — but the report suggests its infrastructure quietly rivals better-known workcation hotspots, offering a budget-friendly alternative for remote workers open to exploring southern China.
What it means for the future of remote work
Taken together, the ranking reveals a larger shift in how remote-work-friendly cities are being evaluated. Scenic appeal alone no longer cuts it, according to the report — what separates a genuinely workable destination from an aspirational one is dependable connectivity, walkable streets, and coworking spaces that don’t require a long commute. For professionals weighing where to base their next workcation, the message from this data is clear: check the Wi-Fi speeds before you check the sunsets.