Top Ten Underrated European Cities
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Everybody knows cities like Paris, London, Rome, and Barcelona are among the best in Europe, but there are many other fabulous European cities that just don’t get their fair share of the limelight. Whether the country’s capitals and bigger cities steal their thunder or official city tourism authorities don’t advertise their cities well, the cities on my list are slightly overlooked by travelers. And if you are looking to broaden the scope of your trips to Europe to include some less-talked-about but very unique places, add one of my ten most underrated European cities to your must-see in Europe list.
- Siena Hotels Guide
Online reservations for hotels in Siena and Siena city guide
Siena Italy
Italy unquestionably is most desirable travel destination in the world. Everyone dreams to see Rome, Venice and Florence at least once in a lifetime. The country is full of popular vacation spots and attractions. But even the savviest of travelers exploring Italy could miss Siena, Italian capital of the Middle Ages. ‘The Beloved’, the jewel under the Tuscan sun, Siena is a unique city with historic architectural treasures and traditions which go back to the thirteen century, to the times when the city flourished as one of the major cities of Europe. And now sites like Piazza del Campo, the Duomo, Palazzo Pubblico and Palazzo Sansedoni, remind us of long history of the city. The Palio, the traditional horse race, which is held twice during the summer, is one of the most famous attractions of the city. And if you decided to visit Siena, better plan your visit around the Palio race, and you will enjoy best of Siena at the same time: the city under the sun, the Palio, Sienes specialties and great Tuscan wines!
Lyon France
It would be fair to say that Lyon is world-wide known city. The city, together with its suburbs and satellite towns, is the second-largest metropolitan area in France after Paris. However, Paris stole from Lyon not only the first place in size, but also in popularity. Most of tourists, visiting France, go to Paris, The South of France and French ski resorts, slightly overlooking Lyon. Meanwhile, Lyon is a very beautiful city with its architectural renaissance buildings and monuments, many museums and gardens, a famous opera house and great night life. And not everyone knows that Lyon is considered to be the gastronomic capital of Europe. With the big number of Michelin starred restaurants and finest chefs in Europe, the huge variety of local specialties and delights, Lyon is truly French cuisine paradise.
- Bratislava Hotels & Tourist Guide
Online reservations for hotels in Bratislava and tourist guide to the city
Bratislava Slovakia
Prague is the most lovable Eastern European travel destination, and the city definitely deserves it. But, what about Prague’s little sister Bratislava? Unfortunately, Bratislava has to exist in the shadow of gorgeous Prague. And that’s too bad, because Bratislava is a beautiful old city with its own fascinating history, impressive castles and churches, charming squares and streets. With history going back to 200 BC, Bratislava was formed under many cultural influences from the Celtics to Romans to Germans to Hungarians. Six centuries of Roman influence left many architectural sings of Roman culture in the old city, with the finest one – the Bratislava Castle. The castle, built above the River Danube, now is home for Slovak National Museum and a great viewpoint of the city and the river. The city and particularly Old Town has been completely and stunningly renovated with new real estate developments, great accommodations, diverse restaurant and nightlife scene. Prepare to be charmed and even consider extending your stay!
- Hotels in Copenhagen
Luxury hotels in Copenhagen, romantic hotels and charming bed and breakfasts - Copenhagen Hotels and City Guide
Online reservations for hotels in Copenhagen and Copenhagen city guide
Copenhagen Denmark
Nobody could say that Copenhagen is unpopular or unknown. Still, I think, that the city deserves more attention and popularity. And why not, the city is absolutely fantastic – beautiful canals and cobbled squares, copper spires and narrow streets, quaint old homes and blooming gardens, cozy sidewalk cafes and tempting pastry shops. Certainly the most famous attraction is Tivoli Gardens, an amusement park and pleasure garden right in the heart of Copenhagen. Best known for its flower gardens, Tivoli Gardens is also home for one of world’s oldest wooden roller coaster and the world’s tallest carousel. And of course another reason to visit Copenhagen is beer. Now Copenhagen is becoming one of top beer-drinking destinations in Europe. The city has many top class beer bars, brewpubs and beer shops. Here you can even easily find beers even from Greenland and the Faroe Islands.
- Utrecht Hotels Guide
Comprehensive guide to Utrecht hotels and Holland hotels with discount online reservations
Utrecht Holland
Utrecht is one of the oldest cities in the Netherlands. The city was founded in AD 47 as a Roman garrison. Standing on a tributary of the Rhine, Utrecht has several canals with Oudergracht, the oldest one. A walk along Oudergracht will give you a great tour of the old city. But the most romantic way to see the city of Utrecht is by horse-drawn carriage. The beautiful Gelderland horses will take you around the outer canals, parks, narrow alleyways, the inner canals and most impressive buildings of Utrecht. The skyline of Utrecht is a mass of spires - the city is full of beautiful churches, monasteries, castles and convents dated as far as 11th century. So, if you decided to visit ‘the country of windmills and cheese’, don’t limit your trip with Amsterdam, take a day or two to explore the Netherlands and include Utrecht in your itinerary.
- Brussels Hotels Guide
Online reservations for Brussels and Belgium hotels - Brussels
Travel to Brussels - things to do and places to see
Brussels Belgium
Tourists zipping between Amsterdam and Paris by train usually miss Brussels, but its rich, chocolaty mix of food and culture pleasantly surprises those who stop. As the capital of the European Union, the city is multicultural with a world of ethnic restaurants, not to mention Brussels specialties: mussels, Belgian fries, waffles, chocolate and yeasty local beers. Relax on the Grand Place, Brussels’ main square in the heart of the old town, enjoy Belgian cuisine and watch the parade of tourists from around the world. Or take a walk around old town, the city is great for walking tours, and stop by in a couple of Brussels museums. You can spend a few days in Brussels or just a few hours – Brussels is a great place to visit at any occasion.
- Bruges Hotels Guide
Online reservations for Bruges and Belgium hotels
Bruges Belgium
Most of the people probably never heard about Belgian city Bruges before recent Colin Farrell movie In Bruges. In fact, Bruges (Brugge in Dutch), is one of the most beautiful and well preserved medieval cities in Belgium with Renoir canals, gilded architecture, Flemish art and stay-a-while cafes. What can be better than ride a bike along a canal, then munch mussels and wash them down with the world’s best Belgian beer. Or make your trip to Bruges a romantic getaway – the city is perfect for a romance. Whatever you do in Bruges, you would feel like you are in a different world and even with the touristic crowds, Bruges is the kind of place where you don’t mind being a tourist.
- Scotland Hotels Guide
Online reservations for hotels in Edinburgh Scotland
Edinburgh Scotland
Even being Scotland’s capital and second-largest city Edinburgh is slightly overlooked by travelers. Meanwhile, Edinburgh is a unique combination of spectacular landscapes, elegant streets, cobbled alleys and incomparable sunsets. The buildings of this vibrant capital city, from the historic houses and famous Edinburgh Castle of the Royal Mile to the elegant Georgian terraces and crescents of the New Town, offer the perfect complement to the natural setting of hills and crags. Even though Edinburgh is most known for Hogmanay celebrations of the New Year, the city is perfect for a visit any time of the year. Don’t miss the surrounding Scottish lowlands and coastal villages on the outskirts of the city.
- Tallinn Travel
Online reservation of hotels in Tallinn and Tallinn travel tips
Tallinn Estonia
The capital of unknown for many but totally fabulous the Republic of Estonia, Tallinn is quite different from any city in Scandinavia or Europe. The cobbled streets with old merchant houses and medieval castles, church spires and red-tile roofed homes, the Old Town with ancient stone walls – Tallinn is surprisingly well preserved medieval town on the coast of the Gulf of Finland. And the city has managed to keep its uniqueness and style in spite of commercial and cultural European influence for last fifteen years. For those travelers who are looking for unexplored but civilizing and stylish destinations, Tallinn is a perfect choice. But hurry up, before Tallinn really takes off.
- The Churches of Old Lviv, Ukraine
- Lviv Info
Travel guide to Lviv, tourist information and hotels reservations
Lviv Ukraine
Ukraine as whole country should be on top of the list of underrated destinations in Europe. And even though some adventurous travelers and brave businessmen take a chance on Crimea and Kiev, Lviv doesn’t get enough attention. Lviv, the architectural jewel of western Ukraine, is a noticeably different from any Ukrainian cities. The city with quite and quaint old town, exquisite churches and cathedrals, wooded hills, charming cafes and cozy coffee shops is ideally suited for a walk and relaxation. Something you cannot say about many Ukrainian towns. A few hours spent in the old town would make you forget about any of Lviv’s shortcomings, such as traffic and pretty bad roads. But don’t forget you wouldn’t need too much money to enjoy memorable trip to Ukraine, and that makes the country a very desirable budget destination in Europe.
There are many underrated European cities. Please share with us your travel to Europe experiences and feel free to add your favorite European destinations to the list.
What is your favorite European travel destination?
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I couldn't vote for a favourite travel destination, too difficult. I lived near Edinburgh for a few years and always found the city surprisingly beautiful despite the weather. I've been to Lyon and stayed there for a few weeks travelling around the surrounding areas, each place was prettier than the previous one! I’ve also travelled Italy from North to South and found Tuscany one of the prettiest areas in the country. I would go back any time to any of those cities; they are all charming in their own right.
Thumbs up!
Wanderlust, nice Hub as always. I was surprised to see that my choice of Scotland is apparently a lot of other people's as well. Who knew... :)
Hey Wanderlust, this is a really great top ten list. Brussels is definitely underrated. I love it and brag about it to all my friends, yet nobody else I know have been. Edinburgh is also a great pick, the Castle itself, plus the Ghost Walks make it amazing. You can post this to our site http://www.toptentopten.com/ and then link back to your site. The coolest feature is you can let other people vote on the rankings of your list.
Sevastopol is a port city in Ukraine, located on the Black Sea coast of the Crimea peninsula.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sevastopol
Absolutely advise to visit this city. Especially the place there called Chersonesus.
I LOVE INNSBRUCK, AUSTRIA, BECAUSE IT IS BEAUTIFUL, AND MANAGEABLE. SLOVENIA IS BEAUTIFUL AND INEXPENSIVE DESTINATION, CLOSE TO AUSTRIA. MANY PLACES ARENT MENTIONED BECAUSE PEOPLE HAVENT BEEN THERE. UKRAINE, BULGARIA, ROMANIA. IT TAKES WORK TO GET THERE, BUT THEN THEY ARE INEXPENSIVE USUALLY, AND UNSPOILED.
Thank you everybody for nice words.
ReuVera, I've been to Sevastopol, it is a lovely city. But if have to choose a destination in Ukraine on a sea coast, that would be Odessa. If you like Sevastopol you would like Odessa too.
Mark, thank you for stopping by and you pointed absolutely right, Ukraine, Bulgaria, Romania, Slovenia not only interesting and beautiful countries, but also very affordable for a budget traveler.
Fantastic Hub. Great to see Edinburgh in there - we used to live there and it remains my (male's) favourite city in the world.
Wonderful hub. Hope to visit any or all of these countries in future.
What a great hub! I try to always keep a running list of European cities that are good alternatives to the really popular ones. I haven't been to most of the ones on your list, but I'll definitely check them out someday!
Cool you mention Utrecht, I live there, but I never actually seen the 'horse' thing :) You are right about the 'oudegracht' shouldn't be missed when you are in the Netherlands!
citylover, thank you for stopping by, I did 'horse' thing in Utrecht several years ago and it was really great! However maybe something has changed since then....
Thanks to everybody for comments and have a great time in Europe!
Wonderful hub. I've visited most, and agree with all. Siena, Lvov and Tallinn are amazing, as is Bratislava.
Hello, Wanderlust! I've visited most of these (Brussels and Brugge not two weeks ago!), and I agree, these cities are underrated. Then again, it's difficult to compete with their big sister cities, a lot better known and publizided, more easily accesible by plane, etc.
Have not visited many on these. You have given me an inclination to do so. Thank-you
I think Russia is also another country which is underrated in terms of travel destination. I have seen in discovery channel, the country consists of really stunning monuments.
karmadir, I absolutely agree with you, that Russia is a beautiful country. However, the topic of my hub is underrated European cities, and it rather difficult to consider Russia as an European country. For those who is planning to visit European part of Russia, I will suggest to go to Moscow, St Petersburg, Sochi and cities of Golden Ring.
i would vote for albania the best city in europe
serena, as far as I know Albania is a country, not a city :) It would be nice if you tell us more what you like about Albania and what cities you recommend to visit. Thank you.
Very interesting hub. Your list seems indeed quite comprehensive to me. You have included really some gems. Europe has sooo many fascinating cities it is of course extremely difficult to make a selection.
These are really great european cities, especially the Bratislava with its impressive castles, thanks for sharing Bratislava tourist guide to the city. One of the places I want to go on my wish list would be Paris and Rome.
ah Europe not the only reason i'm in the process of getting a passport but definetly a place i could spend a year or two now that i now about these great places too
Very nice. I went to Bruges after seeing the movie. What a wonderful little town. Please tell us more of your travels. Always looking for a new place to visit.
Tough call, Siena and Edinburgh are beautiful, I have often heard that Bruge and Coppenhagen are too.
Great travel article. I love it! I have only been to Edinburgh of those on this page. I was scheduled to go to Tallinn and Copenhagen but had to cancel that trip. I would like to visit all of these places. Thank you for the journey.
Great travel article. love it! I have only been to Edinburgh of those on this page. Loving both italy and france. For further information on both counties and other European Travel
Excellent choices. I have been to half of these cities and you have chosen well. Lviv, Ukraine, your last pick, is Europe's hidden gem (for now). See my hub article: "Churches of Old Lviv, Ukraine".
The most beautiful city I know is the Lithuanian capital Vilnius, other cities I like are Bratislava, Olomouc (Czech Republic), Budapest, Krakow (Poland)...
I agree that Siena, Bruges and Lyon are absoultey terrific cities to visit and offer great opportunities for the traveler. Having been to all three I can absolutely confirm this to be the case. Great choices!
And many of these are so close together now with no borders to go through.
I just toured Lviv a couple of weeks ago and can say it's definitely recommended. I'm from the US. I didn't know what to expect. It was my first trip to Europe. I first toured Krakow and the nearby sites such as Auschwitz and the Salt Mine. Then I took the overnight train from Krakow to Lviv. It was about 6 hours. While Krakow is full of tourist, Lviv isn't, which makes the place even more special. It is a good idea to hire a tour guide, at least on the first day, to show you around the city. Few people know English there. The architecture is very well preserved and there many very historic churches. And the city if fairly safe.
I was on a bus tour of Europe two summers ago and we stopped in Bratislava for lunch. Because it was only for lunch (actually, we got a couple of hours to walk around), I am hardly qualified to make an opinion but I'll share mine anyway! We found it a scary place to be an just didn't get a good vibe! It felt very communist, everyone was staring at us coldly and when we came home, I turned all of our Bratislava photos into black and white because I felt they would capture the mood/vibe better that way.
Really interesting article! Another little known place that I like in Europe is Lucerne, Switzerland.
Belgrade, Serbia.
I would just like to say, there are many cities in France that are amazing travel destinations! Especially in Southern France, such as places like Montpellier and Nice. I was quite happy to see Lyon on here.
This was awesome. Thanks so much for sharing!
Really enjoyed reading this!
Great and highly relevant tips to Europe. I also think Larnaca in Cyprus and Odessa in Ukraine is underrated. Odessa got the prettiest girls in the world..
Wonderful! Have bookmarked for future trips!
Good article and interesting - Edinburgh, Talinn and Bruges are far than underrated cities. I live in Edinburgh and its heaving with tourists-year round :) Good to see Lyon, Siena, Brussels and Lviv make your list.
Here's my pick of 10 underrated cities of Europe
Lucca
Leipzig
Brno
Glasgow
Porto
Nantes
Bodrum
Lisbon
Valencia
Krakow
Kash Bhattacharya
www.europebudgetguide.com
Great Hub! I've only been to 2 places on this list Brussels and Edinburgh. Haven't been anywhere in eastern Europe so far and that's next on my list!
thanks for this list! I can add some places in Italy like Ferrara and Perugia.
it is a great tip regarding underrated cities in Europe.
wish I could visit all of them. for further information about those places maybe you can visit http://www.trivago.co.uk
Munich (Munchen)is well worth a visit. Also Kiev in the Ukraine
Siena is a must
What a great article. Tallinn and Copenhagen were two of my FAVORITES. I did a hub page on Copenhagen. http://hubpages.com/hub/copenhagenhotel. I enjoyed Brussels very much as well and the others are certainly on my list!!
I love Siena, Italy! I was happy to see it included on your 'top 10' list -- it definitely deserves to be there.
Hey wanderlust,
It was hard to pick a destination, but I picked Holland, I am from there and love the fact you mention Utrecht.
I have been living out of Holland for almost 4 years and I feel like a tourist when I am there. So many nice places to see.
Apart from that I still want to go and explore the Eastern part of Europe, a misunderstood and underrated place all over.
Love the list. Only been to Utrecht. It was a great experience. I thought Maasctricht was a beautiful place to visit as well.
awesome hub. i was relieved to see i had visited a few of the places on the list! Would love to see them all now. I put Italy for my favourite destination- i have had some amazing times there. thanks for the cool hub!
Great hub - may I also suggest Luzern in Switzerland? It's so pretty yet not very famous.
Check out my hub as well! http://hubpages.com/hub/How-To-Organise-The-Perfec
Sammy
Glad to see both Siena and Edinburgh here. They're definitely two of my favourites!
Prague is another awesome place.
Germany ?????????????????????
what is with Germany ??? It is one of the most underrated holiday countries in europe !! There is so much to see and do from the beaches on the Baltic to the mountains in Bavaria, not to mention the fun cities of Munich,Nürnberg,Leipzig,Dresden,Kiel,Heidelberg, just to name a few. there is also the Rhine und the Mösel rivers which are really beautiful,and not forgetting their superb wines which are available in all the little villages, and in Bavaria the thousand and one private breweries with their assortiment in local beers.
Like I said a really underrated and under estimated holiday land.
Addition to my comment previously, the people are really charming and helpful the days of the Teutonic German are long gone.
Many thanks to everybody for comments and suggestions!
Philmo, I love Germany, and agree with you totally. I wouldn't say though that Munich is underrated, but the rest of your suggestions we can easily add to the list. My personal faves in Germany Berlin, Munich and Cologne.
Thanks for this list, now I can make my comparison. But got interested to learn the happiest place on earth. Denmark.
You have a tourist friendly hub. More power.
I'm a little surprised not to see Prague on your list but I guess there was only room for ten. It is an absolutely gorgeous ancient city that was barely touched during World War II. A must see when you are in Central Europe.
Richard, you are right, Prague is an absolutely gorgeous city, but it is also the most popular city in Eastern Europe among tourists. So how come it is underrated? Thank you for commenting.
I've just come back from my Central European holyday, I do not have to tell you that my ever favorites are Budapest, Vienna and Prague:) But We got out to the country in Hungary and spent two amazing days in a town called PECS -that little town is mindblowing....
I bet Istanbul is the most inspiring city..Highly recommended. Nothing like you can ever see.
filiz, Istanbul is hardly underrated, not to mention is hardly European :) Thank you for stopping by.
Wow, I don't think I've ever seen a picture of Talinn before. It looks absolutely stunning!
Underrated are Berlin and Budapest. Way prettier, more exciting and interesting then boring Bratislava & Co listed here.
Also agree on Russia.
Superb Hub informing European Cities, I would like to visit all of these a I've Visited Barcelona that was an amazing experience by looking at the pictures it's super attractive, I will definitely visit some of them if my destiny sets it.
Thanx for giving this useful information, Superb Hub!
Regards!:-)
Thanx again!
Bratislava is grim, one of the most unfriendly places i have been
I find this an interesting hub. Thanks for posting.
I would agree that Lviv is one of the most beautiful cities in Europe, fantastic architecture, a fascinating histopry, and beautiful women :)
In your list I would also include Avignon, some small cities in Provence, France and also Sibiu (Romania) which is a beautiful country in spite of its inhabitants.
Hi
I really enjoyed the list as I live in Europe and like to travel to different countries (I've had Holland, Beglium, Luxembourg, Germany, France, Switzerland, Austria and Italy :) and I was a little ashamed to admit that, even though I live in Holland, I'd never visited Utrecht before!
So that's next on my list :D
Thanks for the hub
Siena is a delight. I know most people package Pisa with Florence. Big mistake!
I want to check out Lyon, Copenhagen and Belgium. Thanks for this article!
Bruges definitely is one of those cities that is underrated. It has great history and architecture and if people book in advance, it is one of those inexpensive places to go as well!
Good to see some less known destinations highlighted within the EU. Thanks for the good pictures and write up.
I recently learned about Piestany, Slovakia and a Slovakian artist, now living in America, who is not being underrated at all: Andrea "Adka" Jones.
I really love this article! Regarding this, I also have an AWESOME TIP! I recently discovered special city maps. Locals in cities all over the world share their insider tips on a HAND-DRAWN MAP: www.facebook.com/alacartemaps
Lovey list. I love to travel as well, but have yet to visit most of the recommended destinations on this list. Great hub!
And beautiful article thanks. Many peoples ask which are the the best cities to travel in Europe. We spend our days thinking about the best places to go, the sky’s the limit. Recommendations and tips about, best cities to visit in europe, according to votes from thousands of well traveled readers. And beautiful photos.http://recommendeo.com/best-cities-to-visit-in-eur
I just came back from Edinburgh, I loved it, and I would recommend you go to the little town of Culross in the fife kingdom, it is about 40 minutes by car from Edinburgh center
This is a great article. I've been to 5 of the cities featured (Siena, Copenhagen, Brussels, Bruges, Edinburgh) and would say that all 5 were amazing destinations. I really wouldn't call Copenhagen an 'underrated' destination, but Siena, Bruges, and Edinburgh definitely place amongst some of the top, underrated places in Europe.
You've picked a lot of excellent cities, many of which I have visited and personally enjoyed. I would also Norway in general especially Bergen and the western fjords region. If you are traveling from Oslo I strongly recommend taking the train. It is absolutely breathtaking!
Lviv is a Polish city. now in Ukraine.
Luxembourg and Riga, Latvia are also great places to visit.
U missed Dubrovnik, Croatia; Tirana, Albania; Belgrade, Serbia; Sofia, Bulgaria; Bucharest, Romania; Lisbon, Portugal; Malaga, Spain
Ceske Budejovice, Czech republic
Wanderlust, I now will add Lyon and Tallinn to my list of places to see before I die. Thanks for the beautifully done descriptions. You hit the highlights very well. I voted up and interesting.
Europe has so many hidden gems and it's difficult to list out the top 10..it should be more of Top 100. When I was in Germany, I really enjoyed Heidelberg
If you put a map including Azerbaijan and even some parts of Kazakhstan, then Istanbul is sure a European city that is located on European lands.
Bordeaux is really pretty as well and Toulouse. In fact the entire South West of France is very pretty
Lgali 3 years ago
nice hub nice pictures