Parts of Europe are getting overcrowded. In Spain, the government has started clamping down on holiday rentals as island residents tell property developers they’re ‘not welcome’. In Italy, Venice is bringing back its tourist daytripper tax, and Amsterdam is suffering from so much overtourism that even nearby towns are starting to feel the strain.
If you want to be a more conscientious traveller, it might be time to look beyond the obvious. The only issue with seeking out hidden gems, however, is that by their nature they’re hard to find. That’s where we can help.
’s writers have travelled across the world, and seen the good, the bad, and the criminally underrated. Their suggestions are based on real-life experiences, so you know you can trust them.
’s top pick for Europe’s most underrated holiday destination is Izola in Slovenia. This little medieval town is often overlooked in favour of the country’s more famous spots like Lake Bled or the capital city of Ljubljana, but travel writer John Bills reckons that ‘Izola is where Slovenia’s coast shines brightest’.
Izola is ideal if you’re looking for a quiet, chill break. Bills notes that ‘the pace of life is undeniably slower in this gorgeous fishing village’, making it the perfect place to unwind and forget all the stresses of everyday life. ‘Positively dripping in Venetian elegance’, Bills continues, it’s packed full of the ‘narrow, winding streets hide delightful cafes, romantic restaurants, and scenes of everyday life that have long been lost to the coast’s more mainstream destinations’.
From Ljubljana, it’s a two-and-a-half-hour direct train followed by a ten-minute bus journey, making it fairly accessible to tourists. There’s also a robust network of buses in Slovenia that makes getting around easy. You can also hike from the nearby Koper, which Bills calls ‘undoubtedly the best way to arrive’ in Izola.
Machynlleth, a small Welsh market town which may seem ordinary, but is really ‘something truly special’, was named the second most underrated place to go, and the Dutch town of Tilburg – which combines ‘delectable architecture and almost relentless creativity with a curious history’ – came third.
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