Most Underrated European Cities?
Oct 5th, 2007, 07:12 AM
#1
Original Poster
Join Date: Jan 2007
Posts: 78,320
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
Most Underrated European Cities?
What are some of the cities off the main London-Paris-Rome-Venice-Florence type beaten path that surprised you or were a lot more - the often smaller cities that you enjoyed but which don't get that much hype and aren't on many foreign tourists' itineraries.
Just list - no comments please
Mine:
Lyon, La Rochelle, Strasbourg, Nancy, France
Antwerp, Gent, Belgium
Haarlem, Holland
Cacares, Salamanca, Spain
Porto, Guimaraes, Nazare, Coimbra, Portugal
Bern, Switzerland
Regensburg, Bamberg, Celle, Germany
Bratislava, Slovakia
Bristol, Salisbury and Winchester, England
Luxembourg City, Luxembourg
Cork, Ireland
Lund, Sweden
Potsdam, Germany (the city)
Just list - no comments please
Mine:
Lyon, La Rochelle, Strasbourg, Nancy, France
Antwerp, Gent, Belgium
Haarlem, Holland
Cacares, Salamanca, Spain
Porto, Guimaraes, Nazare, Coimbra, Portugal
Bern, Switzerland
Regensburg, Bamberg, Celle, Germany
Bratislava, Slovakia
Bristol, Salisbury and Winchester, England
Luxembourg City, Luxembourg
Cork, Ireland
Lund, Sweden
Potsdam, Germany (the city)
Oct 5th, 2007, 07:18 AM
#2
Join Date: Feb 2003
Posts: 12,076
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
Verona comes to mind. It's fairly well known, I guess, but you rarely see it mentioned among the top destination cities in Italy.
It's the first European city I ever stayed in, and still one of my favorites. A great place to wander around and soak in.
It's the first European city I ever stayed in, and still one of my favorites. A great place to wander around and soak in.
Oct 5th, 2007, 11:04 AM
#15
Join Date: Sep 2008
Posts: 2,804
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
I don't see much talk here about Budapest though I know many go there. I really enjoyed my trip there---same with Vienna. Again, a very major city but not one that I hear people get particularly worked up about (unlike Paris, Rome, etc.)...
Oct 5th, 2007, 11:23 AM
#16
Join Date: Nov 2006
Posts: 4,433
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
Katie, I think Budapest gets plenty of good press here (from me, among many). Some of the other places nominated surprise me because I think they are generally highly rated.
I'll nominate Rennes and Saumur, revealing my preference for France as a destination country.
I'll nominate Rennes and Saumur, revealing my preference for France as a destination country.
Oct 5th, 2007, 11:26 AM
#17
I've been to Budapest twice and enjoyed it, but I can't imagine telling anybody that it is a must. Nor overrated Prague, for that matter.
I would say that Marseille is extremely underrated, especially since so many people claim that it is horrible because of "immigrants"!
I would say that Marseille is extremely underrated, especially since so many people claim that it is horrible because of "immigrants"!
Oct 5th, 2007, 11:29 AM
#18
Original Poster
Join Date: Jan 2007
Posts: 78,320
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
but still Vienna and Budapest are places non-veteran tourists don't all that often seem going to - Prague and Munich get many more foreign tourists i believe and though they are great places so are Vienna and Budapest.
As for thinking some of the places mentioned get a lot of ink - only relatively to the mega tourist cities it's lost in the shuffle for say folks planning first or second trips to Europe.
Basically any city besides London, Paris, Barcelona, Florence, Rome, Venice, Munich and Amsterdam and a very few others are the focal points. And though they are all great places in season it's generally from one tourist mob scene to another - whilst other cities may be more relaxed and just as interesting.
As for thinking some of the places mentioned get a lot of ink - only relatively to the mega tourist cities it's lost in the shuffle for say folks planning first or second trips to Europe.
Basically any city besides London, Paris, Barcelona, Florence, Rome, Venice, Munich and Amsterdam and a very few others are the focal points. And though they are all great places in season it's generally from one tourist mob scene to another - whilst other cities may be more relaxed and just as interesting.
Oct 5th, 2007, 11:39 AM
#19
Join Date: Jan 2003
Posts: 13,194
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
I'm not sure why "just list... no comments" - - aren't comments worth something to explain?
And likewise, to dissent?
Anyhow, others are offering some comments, so I will too...
Agreeing with candidates proposed earlier:
Gent - - loved it; hope the Hotel Erasmus will never change (but I fear it will - - some perfect things can only get less perfect)
Dissenting:
Lyon - - wasn't there long enough... not as long as one might like to visit, but I found it very difficult to negotiate by car, even hard to get out of town (a Friday afternoon, driving towards Chambery - - maybe that was the problem). Remember: this is a BIG city.
Luxembourg City - - once again, maybe too much of a spot impression, as I only stopped ther for supper one night, nearly a decade ago, but it seemed to match notions that others had planted in my head: high-priced, relatively charmless.
Odense - - went seriously looking for the charm, but I feel like I never found it
My candidates (some of these are fairly small, but hopefully they qualify as cities)...
Thaxted, UK - - pleasant to look at, and a fantastic Indian restaurant whose name I have since forgotten
Stirling (Scotland), UK
Etretat, France
Paimpol, France
Biarritz, France
Dijon, France - - all the reasons that I thought I would like Lyon seemed to be there in spades for Dijon, and I didn't even give it a proper visit
Turin, Italy - - shhh... don't tell anybody; this deserves to be number one behind the "big three" in Italy destinations (though everyplace in Italy deserves to be number one behind the big three, doesn't it?)
Trento, Italy - - one of the best day trip destinations I ever had
Graz, Austria - - if Vienna seems too "cold" or formal for you, and Salzburg seems too touristy, then come discover Austria here.
Seu d'Urgell, Spain
Luebeck, Germany
Weimar, Germany
Ulm, Germany - - sorry to learn that this is now a hotbed of jihadism, but maybe you wouldn't encounter it if you don't go looking for it.
Jelenia Gora, Poland - - maybe this was just a really good day (day trip), but I wasn't pleasantly surprised at ease of getting around, nice to look at it, even without specific tourist attractions, and quite manageable without any meaningful Polish on my part (beyond usual tourist, please, thank you), and not because we encountered many English speakers either; German was slightly useful.
Best wishes,
Rex
And likewise, to dissent?
Anyhow, others are offering some comments, so I will too...
Agreeing with candidates proposed earlier:
Gent - - loved it; hope the Hotel Erasmus will never change (but I fear it will - - some perfect things can only get less perfect)
Dissenting:
Lyon - - wasn't there long enough... not as long as one might like to visit, but I found it very difficult to negotiate by car, even hard to get out of town (a Friday afternoon, driving towards Chambery - - maybe that was the problem). Remember: this is a BIG city.
Luxembourg City - - once again, maybe too much of a spot impression, as I only stopped ther for supper one night, nearly a decade ago, but it seemed to match notions that others had planted in my head: high-priced, relatively charmless.
Odense - - went seriously looking for the charm, but I feel like I never found it
My candidates (some of these are fairly small, but hopefully they qualify as cities)...
Thaxted, UK - - pleasant to look at, and a fantastic Indian restaurant whose name I have since forgotten
Stirling (Scotland), UK
Etretat, France
Paimpol, France
Biarritz, France
Dijon, France - - all the reasons that I thought I would like Lyon seemed to be there in spades for Dijon, and I didn't even give it a proper visit
Turin, Italy - - shhh... don't tell anybody; this deserves to be number one behind the "big three" in Italy destinations (though everyplace in Italy deserves to be number one behind the big three, doesn't it?)
Trento, Italy - - one of the best day trip destinations I ever had
Graz, Austria - - if Vienna seems too "cold" or formal for you, and Salzburg seems too touristy, then come discover Austria here.
Seu d'Urgell, Spain
Luebeck, Germany
Weimar, Germany
Ulm, Germany - - sorry to learn that this is now a hotbed of jihadism, but maybe you wouldn't encounter it if you don't go looking for it.
Jelenia Gora, Poland - - maybe this was just a really good day (day trip), but I wasn't pleasantly surprised at ease of getting around, nice to look at it, even without specific tourist attractions, and quite manageable without any meaningful Polish on my part (beyond usual tourist, please, thank you), and not because we encountered many English speakers either; German was slightly useful.
Best wishes,
Rex
Oct 5th, 2007, 11:41 AM
#20
Join Date: Sep 2005
Posts: 6,818
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
Where to begin:
Stockholm
Bergen
Trondheim
Oslo
Jyvaskaala (Fin)
Tashkent/Bukhara/Samarkand (Uzbekistan)
Suzdal (Russ)
Konstanz (Ger)
Triberg ("
Potsdam ("
Brasov, Sighishoara and Iasi (Yash), (Romania)
Varna and Sofia(Bulg)
Antalya, Pammukale (Turk)
Krakow
The Tatra region of Slovakia
Ronda (Sp)
Gibraltar
Pau and Biarritz area (Fr)
Another vote for Strasbourg, Colmar
Caen and Bayeux
Chamonix
Spa (Belg)
Lake District (Eng)
Belfast
Galway
Out of Europe:
Several others, but this is restricted to Europe.
Stu T.
Stockholm
Bergen
Trondheim
Oslo
Jyvaskaala (Fin)
Tashkent/Bukhara/Samarkand (Uzbekistan)
Suzdal (Russ)
Konstanz (Ger)
Triberg ("
Potsdam ("
Brasov, Sighishoara and Iasi (Yash), (Romania)
Varna and Sofia(Bulg)
Antalya, Pammukale (Turk)
Krakow
The Tatra region of Slovakia
Ronda (Sp)
Gibraltar
Pau and Biarritz area (Fr)
Another vote for Strasbourg, Colmar
Caen and Bayeux
Chamonix
Spa (Belg)
Lake District (Eng)
Belfast
Galway
Out of Europe:
Several others, but this is restricted to Europe.
Stu T.
