Destinations Europe This Popular European Country Was Just Named the No. 1 Destination for Thrill-seeking Travelers Feel the rush. By Be a Travel Writer, an online course for the next generation of travel journalists. Her photos, videos, and words have appeared in print or online for Travel + Leisure, Time, Los Angeles Times, Glamour, and many more. You'll usually find her in an airport. If you do see her there, please say hello." tabindex="0" data-inline-tooltip="true"> Stacey Leasca Stacey Leasca Stacey Leasca is an award-winning journalist and co-founder of Be a Travel Writer, an online course for the next generation of travel journalists. Her photos, videos, and words have appeared in print or online for Travel + Leisure, Time, Los Angeles Times, Glamour, and many more. You'll usually find her in an airport. If you do see her there, please say hello. Travel + Leisure Editorial Guidelines Published on April 1, 2024 Close Photo: NICOLAS TUCAT/Getty Images Some travelers consider lounging on the beach, sipping fruity cocktails with tiny umbrellas from sun up to sun down to be a perfectly fine vacation. And sure, yeah, it can be. But what if you're looking for something a bit more exciting? You know, like hurling yourself off a cliff, ziplining through a forest, or ice trekking a centuries-old glacier? To help the latter set of travelers find their vacation bliss, BestCasinoSites.net compiled a list of the top 15 must-visit destinations for thrill seekers. It began with a seed list of 61 countries and chose the winning destinations based on several factors, including each spot's number of roller coasters, casinos, rock climbing spots, mountain bike routes, hiking trails, and off-road trails. After collecting the data, the team normalized the figures and gave each spot a final adrenaline score out of 10. Once it did the final tally, the team named France as the world's one true adventure capital with a score of 8.86. "Prized for its stunning mountain ranges, the country offers over 720,000 hiking trails," the team shared in the findings. "Test your limits by conquering Europe’s highest peak, the Mont Blanc range, towering at 4,810 meters, or by jumping on one of France’s 227 thrilling roller coaster rides!" mmac72/Getty Images Mexico came in a close second with a final score of 8.56, which the researchers credited to its snow-capped peaks and El Potrero Chico, "one of the world’s biggest sport climbing areas." (It also called out the nation's more than 360 casinos as fantastic places to find an indoor adrenaline rush.) Taking the third spot is the "and of paella and sangria," aka Spain, which scored a hearty 8.41. It came in close to the top as it's home to the highest number of thrill-seeking trails, "from rock climbing (10,600), mountain biking (6,430,000), to hiking (10,300,000), among all the destinations studied." Argentina came in at a close fourth place with a score of 8.34. It gained high marks thanks to The Aconcagua, a towering mountain that attracts over 3,000 mountaineers a year, along with the nation's 172 casinos. And, as the study noted, Argentina is home to South America’s largest casino complex, the Trilenium. And rounding out the top five is none other than the United States, which scored an 8.16. The U.S. found its spot so high on the list thanks to its plentiful national parks and, of course, because it's home to the highest density of casinos, with nearly 3,000 across the country. But that's not all. The U.S., the study found, is also home to over 900 roller coasters, including the world’s second-fastest roller coaster, Kingda Ka, meaning there's plenty of adrenaline-inducing thrills right in our own backyard. See which other destinations made the list in the infographic at bestcasinosites.net.