5 Eco Hotels For Your Summer Vacay In Europe

Let’s start by saying if you’re looking to take an environmentally conscious vacation, travelling by train instead of plane is a good start. 

But it's just as important to choose the right accommodation. 

Eco hotels help you reduce your carbon footprint as the small changes they have implemented can have a big positive impact on the environment. They’re the perfect choice no matter what kind of vacation you are looking for, and you’ll sleep better knowing your holiday is a little bit greener.

What is an eco hotel?

Eco hotels are an environmentally sustainable hotel or accommodation that has made important environmental improvements to its structure in order to minimise its impact on the environment. They rely on environmentally friendly practices such as the use of solar and wind energy, the use of recycled (construction) materials, and the support of local communities and vendors. This means that at an eco-friendly hotel, you'll find a healthier, greener environment while supporting the local economy. 

We have curated a list of various amazing Eco-Hotels in some of Europe’s most popular destinations. With a variety of budgets, you can easily find the perfect destination and sustainable accommodation for your next European holiday.

1. Conscious Hotel Westerpark - Amsterdam, Netherlands

Conscious Hotels is one of the most eco-friendly hotel chains in Europe and their motto is ‘eco-sexy’. Their chic Westerpark hotel is housed in a magnificent 19th-century building in the northwest part of Amsterdam city centre. 

It’s fully electric, and the power comes from a windmill located in the Amsterdam harbour. This hotel is also cooled and heated up by its Aquifer Thermal Energy Storage (ATES) system, and it's certified Green Key Gold. 

Rooms are outfitted with eco-friendly, recycled and certified cradle-to-cradle materials and all of their food is 100% organic and vegetarian.

2. Impact House - Lisbon, Portugal

Sustainability is more than a checklist at this buzzing little B-Corp certified hostel–it’s a way of life. 

In 2018, the founders of Impact+ decided to create another brand of the company: Impact House, a hostel committed to sustainability and NGO support in Lisbon.

They have partnerships with local non-profits, events and volunteer programmes to champion green issues. They also have an onsite vegetable garden, a swimming pool, an art gallery showcases local and disabled artists and a terrace serving local and plant-based meals. Although they do everything they can to minimise food waste, they ensure to donate any surplus to NGOs that make sure the food will be given to individuals or families in need. 

Their electricity is exclusively from renewable sources and they offset the CO2 emissions that they can’t avoid and are working to achieve Net Zero by 2030.

3. Wheatland Farm - Devon, England

Wheatland Farm is an ongoing conservation project, and you become part of that when you stay.

Wheatland Farm’s wooden eco lodges all have solar hot water (with immersion back up for rainy days!) and run on 100% renewable energy, most of it generated on site from their wind turbine and solar PV panels. 

The five cottages get bags of character from a strict upcycling ethos, using straw bales from their neighbouring fields, lime plaster made in Devon, local wood cladding, and a host of recycled materials.

Wheatland Farm is a far cry from most Devon holiday parks – instead it’s small and personal, with wildlife at your doorstep.

4. Cas Gasi - Ibiza, Spain

In the hills of Ibiza, luxury boutique hotel Cas Gasi is a restored country home set on four hectares of picturesque Mediterranean landscape of pine forests, orange and olive groves, almond, fig and carob trees plus organic vegetable plots. 

Cas Gasi has been promoting an ecologically-sound way of life for more than 20 years and has been at the forefront of various sustainable initiatives. The hotel and owner focus all their efforts on supporting the earth’s natural balance. These include organic farming, solar energy, water conservation, eliminating the use of chemicals when cleaning the pools and washing laundry, installing solar heating panels, fitting a sand-filtered well supplying the hotel’s water needs, and a sewage treatment plant.

With just 12 suites and rooms, the property is quiet and exclusive, perfect for those who wish to be away from the hustle and bustle of Ibiza life. 

5. Hotel ZOO - Berlin, Germany 

Built in 1891 as a private residence and converted into a hotel in 1911. It has been renovated and redesigned yet maintains the feel of luxury and glamour of the past. It’s both contemporary and traditional. This has been one of West Berlin’s poshest stays for more than a century and has since played home to international film festivals and supermodels.