The world's prettiest skating rinks were ranked & this Quebec spot beat Rockefeller Center

Quebec City was recently named one of the best places in the world to celebrate Christmas, so it's no surprise that its most famous ice rink proved it's got more visual appeal than many of the most iconic skating destinations on the planet.

Premier Inn recently conducted a study to determine which ice rinks around the world are the most visually stunning, and a spot in Old Quebec managed to outshine plenty of the world's slippery surfaces, including the famous rink at Rockefeller Center in New York City.

The study used eye-tracking technology to analyze images of over 50 ice rinks worldwide, measuring how long participants gazed at each image and how quickly the rinks captured their attention. Those metrics were combined to create an overall score revealing which festive displays have the most visual appeal.

Place D'Youville's skating rink

Place D'Youville Rink in Quebec City scored 69.7 out of 100, landing it in second place across all of North America and 11th globally.

The rink is located in the heart of Old Quebec and features a refrigeration system that ensures perfect ice surface quality no matter the weather.

By comparison, the Rink at Rockefeller Center only managed a score of 68.0, placing it fourth in North America and 14th worldwide, despite being featured in iconic Christmas movies like Home Alone 2 and Elf.

A German rink took the global crown

Düsseldorf's Kö on Ice Rink in Germany topped the worldwide rankings with a score of 89.7 out of 100. Participants spent an average of 3.2 seconds gazing at this rink, the longest of any location in the study.

Vienna's Wiener Eistraum came in second globally with a score of 79.1, while Edinburgh's George Street Ice Rink with Emirates rounded out the top three at 72.9.

Here are the top 10 most beautiful ice rinks in the world:

• Kö on Ice Rink, Düsseldorf, Germany (89.7)
• Wiener Eistraum, Vienna, Austria (79.1)
• George Street Ice Rink with Emirates, Edinburgh, Scotland (72.9)
• Chesa al Parc Natural Ice Rink, St. Moritz, Switzerland (72.8)
• Heinzels Wintermärchen Ice Rink, Cologne, Germany (72.0)
• Bondi Festival Ice Rink, Sydney, Australia (72.0)
• Grand Hyatt Seoul Ice Rink, Seoul, South Korea (71.7)
• Royal Pavilion Ice Rink, Brighton, UK (71.2)
• The UPMC Rink at PPG Place, Pittsburgh, USA (70.9)
• GATE M Dream Center Ice Rink, Shanghai, China (70.4)

North America's top rinks

Unfortunately, Montreal's colourful Esplanade Tranquille didn't make the list (despite being twice the size of the Rockefeller Center rink). However, four Canadian spots cracked the top 15 in North America.

Pittsburgh's UPMC Rink at PPG Place took first in the region with a score of 70.9. Quebec City's Place D'Youville came in second, followed by Toronto's Nathan Phillips Square Rink in third with a score of 69.3. That rink has been a seasonal attraction for over 60 years and transforms from a fountain and reflecting pool into an ice rink every winter.

Here are the top 10 most beautiful ice rinks in North America, as per Premier Inn's study:

• The UPMC Rink at PPG Place, Pittsburgh, USA (70.9)
• Place D'Youville Rink, Quebec City, Canada (69.7)
• Nathan Phillips Square Rink, Toronto, Canada (69.3)
• The Rink at Rockefeller Center, New York City, USA (68.0)
• Curry Village Ice Skating Rink, Yosemite Valley, USA (67.0)
• The Rink at Campus Martius Park, Detroit, USA (63.7)
• Frankenmuth Ice Rink, Michigan, USA (63.7)
• Skating By The Sea, Coronado, USA (62.0)
• Rothman Orthopaedics Ice Rink, Philadelphia, USA (60.5)
• Wollman Rink, New York City, USA (59.0)

Toronto's Evergreen Brick Works Skating Rink (54.7) and Kingston's Springer Market Square Ice Rink (53.7) also made the top 15 in North America, while Vancouver's Robson Square Rink rounded out the Canadian entries at 51.6.