Planning a trip can be equal parts exhausting and exhilarating. It can feel like there are so many possibilities and options to choose from that it feels hard to pick. Do you go with the time-honored classics? Or do you branch out and head off the beaten path and discover something new?
Someone asked “What are some underrated places that really surprised you?” and travelers shared their best stories. From truly hidden gems to locations that have really improved lately, get comfortable as you read through, perhaps take some notes, upvote your favorite examples and be sure to share your own thoughts in the comments below.

#1

My answer always is Vilnius, Lithuania. A storybook of a place. The city and its inhabitants were beautifully presented and people were so nice to me.

Image credits: SeaSexandSun

#2

Plovdiv, Bulgaria, the oldest continuously inhabited city in Europe at 8000 years old, it’s got so many Roman ruins that half of them aren’t even marked on the tourist map.

Image credits: GrandDukeOfNowhere

#3

Trier in Germany! It’s the oldest town in Germany and has several UNESCO sites. It’s got a bridge that dates to the 2nd century AD, a LOT of Roman ruins and the Karl Marx museum in the house he was born in. It’s also incredibly safe and easy to walk around with an attractive town centre, and gorgeous scenery around the River Mosel. There’s also great, cheap local wines.

It’s very popular with German tourists I think, but less so international ones. I don’t see people talk about it much. If you like history or wine or both, go.

#4

Underrated for me because I never planned on going there but Scotland and the towns surrounding Edinburgh. It was so incredibly storybook beautiful and the mix of castles and pastures and legit mountain ranges were so much to take in.

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#5

Turin. I went there bc I needed to travel due to a painful breakup. I lived near Italy and was craving Italian food but I did not like Milan so I gave it a try.

I instantly loved that city. Food was amazing, I had loootssss of focaccia di recco, wine and gianduja. The city center is beautiful and so are the men there lol and so nice people too. Exactly what I needed. I truly have a space for Turin in my heart and much gratitude.

Image credits: gedankenauflauf

#6

Dalyan in Turkey – up there in my top 3 destinations I’ve visited. Scenic, good restaurants, close to the beach, close to hiking, friendly solo place where you don’t need to worry about walking home alone in the dark as a female. I had the best 8 days there.

Image credits: Ill-Law-8457

#7

Slovenia. Currently here and half way through my 2 week trip. I’m at 30 countries and this is hands down the most picturesque place I’ve ever been.

#8

Pretty much all of Portugal. I went because I got cheap tickets and enjoyed it more than anywhere else in Europe that I have been.
Kenai penninsula Alaska. Seward and Homer are both fantastic sea towns with stunning scenery and wildlife. I have been other places in Alaska, but flying into Anchorage in doing those two towns makes a fabulous trip.

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#9

Peloponnese peninsula in Greece.

Fantastic coastline, rugged mountains and loads of history. A great spot for a road trip!

#10

Helsinki was beautiful but I will say make sure you pack sunscreen if you go there in the summer time. I got sunburned at 9 o’clock at night!

Image credits: smartymartyky

#11

Malta is off the beaten track for most. small islands, beautiful landscape. fascinating history.

#12

Zagreb, Croatia!

Foggy, humid and cold in December, but so fun to walk around — lovely ppl, amazing food, interesting shops and little museums and things to duck into ?.

Image credits: sumothurman

#13

Lucca Italy.

Old renaissance town center surrounded by original fort walls, which are a public walkway now. Met incredibly nice local restaurant owners who’s food was amazing. Surrounding country is Tuscany. Old City in the modern age.

Image credits: phiz36

#14

Taipei is grossly under-rated. It’s a fascinating city, with lots to see and do. The National Palace Museum, for instance, is one of the world’s great museums but is fairly obscure. The food is excellent, and there’s a great local arts and creative scene. Taipei also has excellent public transport, so it’s easy to get around.

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#15

Saving this thread for future travel ideas!

Not sure if underrated, but mine is Sarajevo. Interesting mix of architecture, fascinating history from ancient times to the tragedies of the war, beautiful nature walking distance from the city and the thing I liked most of: friendly and welcoming people. Had many interesting conversations, my airbrb neighbor chatted with me like I was an old friend and store personel telling jokes like I was a regural. Also felt really safe as solo travelling woman, much safer than western cities like Rome or Amsterdam.

#16

Cadiz, Spain was such a pleasant surprise for me. It’s so pretty with fascinating history – a Roman amphitheatre that had been buried under buildings for centuries. Plus a beautiful beach in the old town!

#17

Turin, Italy. Gorgeous town in the foothills of the Alps with amazing food and a regional coffee specialty – bicerin- which involves chocolate & hazelnut cream. I don’t think it gets enough attention, maybe because Italy has so many great places.

#18

Southern Colombia (Nariño, Putumayo, Cauca, Huila, etc.). Everyone goes to Medellin and the Caribbean, but there are a lot of beautiful places to go and interesting things to do in the less touristy parts of the country. You’re also less likely to be harassed or scammed for being a foreigner; in my experience people tend to be a little more genuine. In particular I recommend San Agustín, Pasto, Popayán, Tierradentro, the Sibundoy Valley, and Mocoa.

Image credits: Arcaness

#19

The Hague, Netherlands. Another boring European city? Perhaps. But the architecture, both old and new, museums, the food, and the cleanliness of the city blew me away.

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#20

Killarney, Ireland. May not be underrated but I hadn’t heard of it until I started looking into traveling around Ireland. It’s a small town right on the border of a stunning national park with mountains and lakes. You can walk into the park from town.

#21

Trieste, Italy. I fell in love with the city instantly. I loved the history, the food, and the weather!

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#22

Xi’an, China. It’s on most tourists itinerary for the terracotta warriors as a 1-night stop, but Xi’an has so much more! Unlike most other Chinese cities, the center is completely walkable, lots of temples and many hidden gems. My absolute favorite place in China, Xi’an people are also super chill.

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#23

Ireland blew me away. Not exactly under-rated, except I found the smaller towns rather than the tourist spots so much more charming. Lovely people, scenery, history everywhere I went. I was just enchanted.

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#24

Genoa, was just a place I added due to the location and had an extra couple days. I really enjoyed it, There was so much history and character in that city.

#25

Mine is Budapest. It’s such a stag do place but it’s actually super duper sophisticated. Going back again in sept. Perfect time
To go.

#26

Nikko, Japan. I felt so at peace in a way I didn’t expect, but maybe all the shrines will do that.

Image credits: prosperity4me

#27

Have probably been mentioned here, both sounds similar. Torino, Italy and Toruń Poland.

#28

Coba, in quintana roo, Mexico. Just over an hour away from tulum, but a whole other world. Gorgeous Mayan ruins with almost no tourists, all the community extremely friendly and polite, all of them speaking yucatec Mayan. In the middle of the jungle, really. Good traditional food like tacos and cochinita pibil. I really wish I’d stayed longer, though there’s not so much to do there besides the ruins. Would go back in a heartbeat, really felt like community.

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#29

Siem Reap, Cambodia! Gateway to the amazing Angkor Wat temple complex. Lovely people, great food, and budget friendly accommodations with one of the world’s greatest historical sites.

#30

Watkins Glen State Park in Upstate NY. Went for an afternoon hike, ended up staying for 2 full days. Wept openly in amazement at several points on the trail. Easily one of the most breathtaking waterfall hikes I’ve ever been on.

On the first day, I hiked through the park and took a break for a late lunch about a half an hour away. A quick thunderstorm rolled through and I realized that it meant there was probably no one left at the park. I had a few hours before sunset & I returned for my second hike. It’s one of the best decisions I’ve ever made.

Not only was it completely empty, the intense rain had transformed the park into a landscape of misty gorge trails, rushing waters and sparkling plant life. It was like walking through a natural history exhibit. Plus, with no one else on the trail, it gave me endless opportunities to pause & take as many photos of whatever I wanted, and to play in the waterfalls that flowed over the trail itself. It was a truly unforgettable experience.

#31

I really love Bruges, Belgium! Quick train from Brussels. Was there for work but made a little trip out of it. Friendly people, good food, old charm.

#32

Grenada (Caribbean culture and landscapes) and Curacao (unique culture, history and blue water) are underrated Caribbean islands.

#33

Skopje, North Macedonia and Vilnius, Lithuania.

#34

Never though I was going to see my city Curitiba mentioned here. I would not change it to move to any other city in Brazil. I have no idea how aware foreigners are of Curitiba as a city that exists and as a foreign tourist destination. I’m glad you liked it!

#35

Antofagasta, Chile. Absolutely beautiful place next to the ocean, especially next La Portada.

Lukachukai Mountains between Arizona and New Mexico has some incredible sunsets that are out of this world.

#36

India. Specifically the Dharamshala area in Himachal Pradesh. It’s a melting pot of culture and the scenery is beautiful. Had some of the best Tibetan, Italian, Indian & Thai food here and it’s very inexpensive.

#37

I’m going to throw in Tasmania, Australia. I lived there for 10 years and it’s a beautiful place and very easy to get around by Australian standards as long as you have a car. The National Parks are stunning and Hobart is a cute little waterfront town. Lots of Australian colonial history.

#38

One of mine is Curitiba, Brazil. The centre of the city is beautiful. They also have some amazing parks. Plus there’s a park with capybaras literally everywhere! The foods great as well

#39

Hopkins Belize.

#40

I’ve been trying to do some deeper Brazil travel, and Curitiba was pretty under my radar, but the capybara park has me sold now. I think my favorite city in Brazil so far is Belem, which is another underrated gem.

In general I find that Latin American and Eastern European capitals tend to have the crowd here actively encourage other tourists to avoid them, and it’s a bummer, since the food, history, architecture, markets, and just simple nuances of daily life all varies so much between each place. I find most of them super underrated from a travel perspective.

#41

Baja Sur. I was expecting it to be a party scene which Cabo is but you can seek out cool snorkeling and water activities (La Paz, Cabo Pulmo), cute towns (Todos Santos, San Jose) and hikes.

Image credits: greenwoodgh0st

#42

Kas Turkey.

#43

Tirana, Albania. The colorful houses, good food, and some amazing hiking right at the edge of town.

#44

Isfahan, Iran is apparently magical.

#45

Bagan, Myanmar.

#46

I’m not sure if it is underrated, but Lugano, Switzerland, surprised me. It’s a fantastic place.

#47

Brussels, Belgium

Fairbanks, Alaska

Lisbon, Portugal

Laos

China – all over

Guatemala.

#48

Algarvae Portugal.

#49

San Cristobal de las Casas in Chiapas ?

Originally only planned to pass through on the way from Oaxaca to Guatemala, loved it so much I decided to stay and build a community ?.

#50

Cascade Head, Oregon. My favorite place in the world. My personal #1 wonder of the world.

#51

Sri Lanka.

#52

Vienna. Lots more to see than I thought there would be. Great cafés.

Izmir province, Turkey. Ephesus is great, but so are Izmir, Bergama and Kusadasi.

#53

Honestly? Chicago surprised me a lot. I’ve been to New York a bunch, and was only going to Chicago for a concert so I wasn’t expecting to enjoy it much, but wow! Easily had more fun there than New York. Such a charming city, can’t wait to go back!

#54

Might sound strange, but Hong Kong. I was expecting pollution and a busy and stressful metropolitan city. But it has a lot of green lungs and I really enjoyed taking the ferry/boat to the islands.

Image credits: UnknownPleasures3

#55

Albuquerque, NM. Only place I’ve ever visited that immediately felt like home, even more than my hometown.

Image credits: lovindashow

#56

Tombstone, Arizona.

#57

Kansas! Friendliest state i have ever lived in.

#58

Florence, oregon. beautiful little ocean town where the woods touch the sea.

#59

Traverse city in Michigan (if you’re not from US).

#60

Walmart. They have EVERYTHING.

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