Europe is a popular place, home to some of the planet’s most visited countries – France and Spain – and lots of its cities are buckling under the weight of so many tourists.
But there are a shedload of incredible spots to travel to that go unnoticed, whether that’s because they’re overshadowed by much bigger, more famous neighbours or just that bit further away from well-trodden paths, and 11 of them feature in our overhauled list of the most underrated destinations in the world.
The first of these is Carry-le-Rouet, a small fishing town roughly an hour west of Marseille, which sits in La Côte Bleu, the just-as-scenic but far less pricey sibling to France’s Côte d’Azur.
‘Sandwiched between two major cities, Carry is mostly residential, but don’t let that stop you from exploring its hidden calanques and untamed beaches like Plage Fernandel, named after the post-war comedic actor who called Carry home,’ writes contributor Daniela Toporek. ‘Make your way to le Sentier du Lézard or the ‘Lizard Trail’, an easy 4km hiking trail west of Carry’s harbour, and you’ll spot his home, l’oustaou de la mar (house of the sea), alongside vibrant, overgrown flora, rocky shores and views of the sea in all shades of blue stretching out into infinity.’
The Nordic region fared well, with Flåm in Norway, Malmö in Sweden and Turku in Finland all snagging a spot in the roundup, and some far-flung destinations like the Azores and the Georgian Military Highway (which goes from Tbilisi through to Russia, crossing continental lines), were included, too.
These European destinations are among the world’s most underrated
- Carry-le-Rouet, France
- Georgian Military Highway, Georgia
- Skopje, North Macedonia
- The Azores
- Flåm, Norway
- Malmö, Sweden
- Bwlch Mountain, Wales
- Sibiu, Romania
- Karpathos, Greece
- Srebrenik, Bosnia and Herzegovina
- Turku, Finland
Have a look at the full, worldwide roundup of the planet’s most underrated places.
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