We love wandering a little off the conventional tourist routes. Discovering some amazing towns, cities and beaches is something we particularly relish during our travels! We enjoy these smaller towns for less crowds, fewer tours/cruises, and we feel they are generally a more ‘authentic experience’. We also love visiting locations that have less publicity as there are less expectations and a greater sense of discovery. Take a look below at 5 places you might not have heard about but we think you should visit!
5 places in Europe you might not have heard about but should visit!
Lake Ohrid – North Macedonia
The lakeside town of Ohrid in North Macedonia was one of the highlights from our travels to date! We spend a wonderful week relaxing, swimming, adventuring and eating! Lake Ohrid is a charming town dotted with Ottoman houses, picturesque views, a hilltop fortress, and all sitting on the edge of a beautiful lake. Like all of North Macedonia, Lake Ohrid is extremely budget friendly! Whilst getting to the town isn’t as simple as some other destinations, you can fly in directly from northern and central European destinations (e.g. Austria, Germany, Sweden, Netherlands).
Want to know more? Check out our highlights and recommendations for Lake Ohrid here.
Brasov – Romania
The delightful town of Brasov is situated in the heart of Transylvania in Romania. Located only a few hours away from the capital of Bucharest, Brasov is an underrated and relatively unheard-of little gem. The town itself is bursting with colourful houses, great cafes, and is surround by green mountains. Brasov is also located in excellent proximity for day trips to other Transylvanian destinations like the Sighișoara, Sibiu, Bran Castle, Transfagarasan Highway and more.
See our thoughts on Brasov here!
Lake Bled – Slovenia
When we visited Lake Bled we were both surprised and instantly fell in love with the place! We couldn’t believe how stunningly beautiful it was, and how little we or other travellers we met knew about it. Situated close to the Slovenian capital of Ljubljana (and a 4-5 hour shuttle from Venice), Lake Bled is an excellent addition to your Italian, Slovenian, Austrian or Croatian adventures. Swim in the lake, hike the mountains, run or cycle around the like, hire a row boat or paddle board.. there’s lots to do!
Check out why we rate Lake Bled as one of our favourite places in Europe!
Kas – Turkey
The Turkish Riviera isn’t unknown, but it’s definitely a little off the radar compared to popular beachside destinations like Croatia, Italy, Greece and more. Along the Turkish coastline towns like Antalya and Fethiye are more popular, however we encourage you to venture a little further and visit Kas! This small beachside town is a paradise, offering crystal clear waters, great food options, a wonderful café/bar scene, and more!
Have a look at our trip to the beautiful Kas here!
Antiparos – Greece
The Greek Islands are some of the more picturesque and popular travel destinations around the world! There are so many islands to visit, with the experience, cost, and amount of tourists varying considerably depending on where you go. The popular island of Paros is picturesque and the trendy town of Naoussa looks like a postcard. However, we encourage you to not only visit Paros, but check out the smaller, calmer and just a beautiful sister island called Antiparos. Only a short ferry ride away from Paros, Antiparos offers the Greek Island charm without as much chaos.
See our favourite moments from Antiparos here!
We acknowledge that we have missed many other great hidden gems on this list, but these are just a few of our favourites. Take a look at some of our favourite ‘hidden gems’ from our travels here. And please let us know your favourite off the radar locations you think people should know about in the comments below!
Enjoying our posts & advice? Subscribe to our blog!
Jump your email into the list below. We won’t spam you! It’ll just keep you updated whenever we post another travel-related adventure, memory or tid-bid!
WANT TO SEE MORE food recommendations & TRAVEL MEMORIES?
See some highlights and recommendations from our travels in Italy!
Want to visit Portugal? We think you should, it’s one of our favourites! See some highlights here!
Check out highlights from the amazing country of Switzerland!
Check out further highlights from our time in the Europe! Take a look!
