With the rapid growth of the wellness, meditation and yoga retreat industry since Covid 19 and with so many different types of retreat available out there for consumers to choose from, we decided to take a look into which places deserve the title of being crowned the best yoga retreats in Europe. Our team of researchers studied retreats all over Europe based on criteria of popularity, affordability, accessibility and overall appeal. This is our definitive run down of the 3 best yoga retreats in Europe!
#1 Bliss Yoga Retreats in Tenerife ( Canary Islands), Ibiza Spain and coming soon to the UK
The winner as decided by our team of researchers for the title of the best yoga retreat in Europe goes to Bliss Yoga Retreats. The best yoga retreat in Spain due to their consistent reviews and overwhelming from our insiders. Opening in 2020 they already run 12 sold out yoga retreats every winter in sunny South Tenerife, as well as several summer retreats in the hedonistic island of Ibiza and their success continues as they have a yoga retreat franchise opening in the UK soon.
Their retreats have two yoga classes a day with highly experienced yoga teachers, so guests can enjoy an energising morning Vinyasa class or a more meditative relaxing evening Yin class or both! This gives their guests a chance to fully immerse themselves in their yoga practice and try a couple of different styles to see what works best for them.
Their retreats are fully inclusive with all meals provided including a 3 course dinner every night with local wines and a selection of delicious desserts to choose from. Each afternoon they have a different free island excursion such as exploring the breath-taking Masca Valley, hiking around the volcano Mount Teide or visiting a secret hippy beach known only by the locals.
Bliss Yoga Retreats has 4 core principles around which they have designed their retreat; these are Freedom, Fun, Friendship and Adventure. Freedom – They consciously decided that they want to give their guests the freedom to choose how to enjoy their own retreat and so they have both healthy and less healthy food options available and the food is both varied and abundant. Fun – they don’t take themselves too seriously and encourage guests to embrace their silly side with music, singing, dancing and themed dinner nights. Friendship – they focus on creating a relaxed social atmosphere in their retreats where people can feel free to be their authentic selves with each other. Adventure – They have daily free island excursions to help their guests explore more of the island, encouraging guests to spend time together and get to know each other on a deeper level.
What we liked most about Bliss Yoga Retreats though was their focus on inclusivity, with their core mission at the retreat being ‘to make the blissful experience of attending a yoga retreat something which is accessible to everyone’. So they make it clear that everyone is welcome regardless of their age, level of ability or lifestyle choices. They also stand by their promise of accessibility by giving 2 free places on each retreat in exchange for helping at the retreat so that even those who haven’t got the budget can take part and benefit from their retreat.
With a shared room at Bliss Yoga Retreats coming in at less than 200 euros a night, we found that it ticked every box for us with popularity and affordability, as well as accessibility and overall appeal.
#2 Breathe Yoga and Meditation Retreats in Canary Islands, Spain
Number 2 on our list for the best yoga retreats in Europe is Breathe Yoga Retreats which is a more conventional spiritual type of retreat. Their core focus is to allow their guests to disconnect from the everyday stresses of life and reconnect with their own bodies and minds. They have a dazzling array of holistic treatments available for those looking to go deeper on their healing journey so as well as the usual massages and reiki you can also enjoy sound baths, mantra single circles or family constellation sessions.
What we particularly liked about this retreat was that despite its more conventional approach they also give guests the freedom to choose how they want to enjoy the experience with wine available for dinner and a glass of champagne offered to guests while enjoying sunset at the end of the week.
They aren’t big on social media yet and currently only offer retreats in one location but their retreats in Tenerife certainly seem to fill up fast. One to watch for sure
#3 Helios Yoga Retreats in Algarve, Crete, Mykonos and More
Helios is a rapidly growing yoga and fitness retreat with pop up luxury retreats hosted all over Europe. They pride themselves in providing the best in experienced instructors, luxurious accommodation, unique excursions and mouth-watering meals.
Their yoga and fitness retreat in Mykonos is hosted in a clifftop villa with infinity pool and panoramic views over the dazzling Aegean Sea and a day’s itinerary at Helios can include an invigorating morning yoga class, a fiery afternoon fitness class and an exciting array of excursions from quad biking and hiking, to snorkelling and jet skiing, to dancing barefoot in the sand as the sun sinks below the horizon at a stylish island beach club. What we particularly liked about this retreat was how accessible it was for normal people with their focus on making their retreats relaxed and open minded so no one feels judged if they aren’t living up to the perfect health regime.
The popularity of their retreats is unquestionable with a quickly growing social media following and the help of their Instagram famous teachers they regularly sell out multiple retreats in each exotic destination and their focus on delivering a premium standard of experience clearly shines through. For us the only point on which they didn’t quite deliver for us was accessibility, with a shared room for 5 nights in Mykonos coming in at over €2600 this retreat certainly isn’t within everyone’s budget.
Sarah Brown is a dedicated health journalist with a background in biomedical sciences and a master’s degree in health communication. Known for her clear and engaging writing, she covers a wide range of topics from medical breakthroughs to mental health. Her work, featured in leading health publications, makes complex medical concepts accessible to all. Outside of writing, Sarah volunteers at local health clinics and participates in community health programs.
