elnap29

tcreath and vttraveler - I'm so pleased there are others who have experienced the charm of Burghausen. Few seem to have heard of it.

kakapo

Perhaps too small to be a city but the town of Damme in Belgium (not far from Bruges) is a beautiful place with wonderful 15th Century (and older, I think)architecture, pretty little houses, friendly cafes, lovely surroundings and a peaceful ambience.
To me it has the historical interest and prettiness of Bruges without the frenzy (and pricetag) of a major tourist destination.
There are a lot of other lovely little places in Flanders - to me it's the forgotten corner of Belgium.
Others on my list of Hidden European Treasures would be Bath and York in England, Tallin in Estonia, and (another one that's probably only a town) Visby in Sweden.

Girlspytravel

VTraveler-BRUSSELS is an underrated European city? Surely you jest!

I must say, PADOVA in Italy is DEFINITELY underrated in Europe, my god, Padova is one of the greatest art cities in the entire world, and it's got everything else you'd want in an Italian city as well, a great historic coffeehouse, a fascinating university, where Galileo taught, one of the most incredible cathedrals I've ever seen, (il Santo), a world famous herbarium, and, is an imminently walkable, primarily pedestrian city! It is shadowed of course, by the fame of its former sovereign Venice, but in this day and age, I say there is no excuse not to make the half hour train ride from Venice to Padova, to wonder at the marvels of Giotto and his school of painters, the wondrous medieval frescoes to be found here.

USNR

We nominate Annecy, in the mountains of France, with its turquoise-green lake, rushing stream, lovely setting, comfortable hotels, quiet evenings.

Debs

Seconding PM's vote for the beautiful Portugese island of Madeira and Neo Patrick's choice of Malta (and Gozo) in the Mediterranean - neither of which are over touristed by Americans.

Would also include Bergen, Budapest, Lisbon, Reykjavik, Trieste and Zagreb.

Great question!!

KarenKM

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tcreath

elnap29, we stopped in Burghausen on the way to Berchtesgaden from Regensburg, mostly to see the "longest castle in "Europe" but found ourselves quite charmed by the town as well. We spent a lovely afternoon there and had a nice lunch. You are right; it doesn't get much recognition here. I would love to go back!

Tracy

LarryJ

No particular order:

Porto, Portugal
Annecy, France
Aix Les Baines, France
Bruge, Belgium
Lucerne, Switzerland
Collioure, France
Etretat, France
Le Treport, France

So many places..........so little time.

Larry J

VirginiaC

Travemunde, Germany, a seaside resort;
Chester, England, Roman walls and Elizabethan architecture;
Bangor, Wales, great spot for castle hoppping

Girlspytravel

Further to the lovely art city of Padova: Shakespeare's "Taming of the Shrew" largely took place in the city, and to quote the Bard himself:

For the great desire I had to see
fair Padua, nursery of arts, I am arrived…
and am to Padua come, as he that leaves
a shallow plash to plunge in the deep, and
with satiety seeks to quench his thirst.

—William Shakespeare

hypatia

Damme,Belgium
Bibury,ENG
Wurzburg,Germany
Hall in Tirol,Austria
Oxford,ENG
Pompeii Town,IT
Colmar,FR
Bacharach,Germany
Sorrento,IT
Bern,Switz
Toledo,Spain
Vernazza,IT

All way famous(except for Damme) ..all underrated...there are countless great unknown places I havent begun to hit yet

mahya

I agree, Brugge Belgium absolutely charming and rarely mentioned - under-rated.

Not worth a stop: the Azores

But for me nothing matches the wonders of Paris.

Nonconformist

Warsaw (not that it's small, but overlooked on the tourist trail).

Vttraveler

elnap29--I agree Burghausen is seldom mentioned on this forum but well worth a visit (Michelin gives it 2 stars--worth a detour) We only went there on a day trip when we were renting an apartment in a small village father south along the Inn (neubeuern). Wasserburg am Inn is another beautifully sited somewhat smaller town nearby.

girlspytravel
No, I am serious that Brussels is underrated.

I agree with you about Padova (which is why I listed it). The Giotto frescoes at the Cappella Degli Scrovegni are truly amazing.

Clifton

Galway
Sibiu
Granada (the city, not just the Alhambra).

Reen

Agree completely that Padova is very underrated. I also think that Portugal, in general, gets less attention that it deserves. Lisbon, Porto, Coimbra, Evora are all very special places just to mention a few.

traveller1959

Wernigerode, Germany - much more beautiful than Rothenburg ob der Tauber and less touristy.

wally34949

I was quite impressed with Valencia, Spain last summer. Beautiful downtown area, cheap restaurants, great public transportation and the train ride from Barcelona was right along the water.

basingstoke2

Mahya -just curious- why do you think the Azores is "not worth a stop?" Which of the islands have you been to. I've been there 14 times but only to the central island group- Terceiera, Sao Jorge,Faial, and Pico. Obviously I think they are great for their outstanding natural beauty, hospitable people, and good simple food.

elina

>>>Mahya -just curious- why do you think the Azores is "not worth a stop?"<<<

I had similar thought when I read that. I suppose it depends on a person´s preferences. I did a little island-hopping tour in The Azores a couple of years ago: Terceiera, Sao Jorge, Faial, and Pico, plus Flores on top of those (by plane). And I really enjoyed it. BUT we were there in June (or was it July) when all the hydrangeas and other flowers were in full bloom, and did a lot of hikes and nature tours, and visited all kinds of local events, including bull-fight Terceira style, religious fiesta, local auction, and so on.