Great suggestions. I’d add Annecy France to the list for sure. It feels just like adjacent Switzerland, but at half the price, is surrounded by mountains, and boasts a crystal clear lake. Regensburg, Germany, an hour from Munich by train, hosts a springtime festival in May called the Dult, which has the same giant beer tents, bands, sing alongs, and fun as Oktoberfest, but hotels airlines don’t triple prices to experience it! Regensburg is a completely preserved old town, which was spared the bombing of WWII. It’s totally intact and ravishingly beautiful!
Been to all of the places in the video and I have to agree with you! I'd add Montenegro to the list too. Trieste is probably my favourite Italian city, unlike many others it doesn't look like it is way overdue for a coat of paint!
Dear Nik and Allie I would highly recommend visiting Idstein in Germany which is probably the most fairytale like town in the world (looks like it’s made from candy), Durham in England which is where a lot of medieval European architecture has its roots and Conwy in Wales which is small walled medieval stone town with many half century old (some even older) buildings. These places don’t get that much tourism and yet have so much to see.
Agreed on Trieste, where I went last winter, along with Bologna; both are an excellent experience, neither overtouristed. Brescia is even better and though it doesn't have quite as many tourist sights as Trieste/Bologna it's in a great location for being based in Italy easy for day trips to Milan, Verona, Bergamo and Cremona but with cheaper hotels.
Retired American diplomat here. I was based at U.S. Embassy Tirana, Albania from 2002-05, and had a chance to travel the country. Your recommendations are very good, and I'd also add Theth in the North, a stunning destination in the Albanian Alps. In addition, Butrint in the south, a fascinating ancient archeological site, as well as the breathtaking beach town of Ksamil are also well worth the time and effort to visit.
PHENOMENAL video. I despise throngs of tourists. I love Albi and Poitiers in France, Trondheim in Norway, Lund in Sweden, Posen (Poznan) in Poland, Pilsen (Plzen) in Czechia, Pecs in Hungary, Graz in Austria, Dresden-Neustadt and Goerlitz in Germany. Spare me from the capital cities of Europe!
Yoou are right about the crowds of the capital cities, though there is a lot of beauty there. Of the smaller cities you mention, I have been to Lund, Poznan, and Graz - all beautiful!
I have been to the first three cities you mention and Ghent, the last. All totally delightful. I concur with your assessment of these. Highly recommended!
Ghent is a wonderful city. I had the fortune of doing a sabbatical year there in the early 2000s. I'm planning lots of trips over the next several years. Eastern Europe is top of that list starting later in 2025. Thanks Nik and Allie!
Agree with all your picks. I've done the tourist cities a number of times and have been seeking out lesser known but still incredible places for a few years now. Once in Europe all them are accessible and, like you say, have lesser crowds. I'm heading to Corsica, Sardinia, and Malta next. Can't wait. Thanks for sharing your expertise with us.
You forgot to mention that Ghent has one of the greatest works of art ever produced in Europe, The Adoration of the Mystic Lamb by the van Eyck brothers. Riga and Trieste are also well-worth a visit.
I have been to tallin 2 times one time was a day trip from Helsinki and got to enjoy the Christmas markets in city square. I did go back to tallin in 2019 as well as visiting Riga and lulblijana Slovenia is an underrated country and well worth the visit.
Great video/content. Thank you. (Sadly and surprisingly, Rosetta Stone wouldn't work for me now, as they don't offer the language I'm currently interested in, Croatian. 😢)
I’m not gonna talk shit about Albania, but to give you a perspective. It borders with Montenegro, right! And as a Russian😅, I was told to try and make sure not to accidentally drive there whilst renting a car…
Sorry to hear that! UA-cam has been rolling out autodubbing features - some of these things seem to be based on ones location (or perceived location if using a VPN) but I think there are still bugs being worked out....
Was going to Europe in 2024 and 2025 but with all the drama in Europe, the war, the economy, the energy issues, and etc., opted in September of 2024 to go to Japan where I felt very safe as a tourist, and in a few weeks (2025) will be heading for the Big Island of Hawaii for a month. Wife and I were in Germany and Austria in 2022 and would liked to make returned trip, but the situation there had rapidly changed. Somehow I've lost interest in visiting Europe as a whole and instead would like to make another trip to Japan later this year 😊
I wanted to get to Ghent to see the cathedral and the Adoration of the Lamb, a 15th century altarpiece that’s a masterpiece - and was stolen in World War II (en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ghent_Altarpiece ). Colmar and Rouen, France are really nice, more medieval French towns though fairly well known.
![Lp. Сердце Вселенной #60 РОЖДЕНИЕ ЛОЛОЛОШКИ [Финал] • Майнкрафт](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/YoR0pAV9FVQ/mqdefault.jpg)
Click Here to get 60% off Rosetta Stone! ➡bit.ly/rosetta_at
Link isn’t working - brings you to a 404 on the Rosetta site.
Very strange - it's still clicking through for us. Try this one? partners.rosettastone.com/awaytogether
@@awaytogether getting the same 404
the link is broken
Great suggestions. I’d add Annecy France to the list for sure. It feels just like adjacent Switzerland, but at half the price, is surrounded by mountains, and boasts a crystal clear lake. Regensburg, Germany, an hour from Munich by train, hosts a springtime festival in May called the Dult, which has the same giant beer tents, bands, sing alongs, and fun as Oktoberfest, but hotels airlines don’t triple prices to experience it! Regensburg is a completely preserved old town, which was spared the bombing of WWII. It’s totally intact and ravishingly beautiful!
Tallinn is a great city! (And easily accessible via ferry from either Stockholm or Helsinki)
Been to all of the places in the video and I have to agree with you! I'd add Montenegro to the list too. Trieste is probably my favourite Italian city, unlike many others it doesn't look like it is way overdue for a coat of paint!
Dear Nik and Allie I would highly recommend visiting Idstein in Germany which is probably the most fairytale like town in the world (looks like it’s made from candy), Durham in England which is where a lot of medieval European architecture has its roots and Conwy in Wales which is small walled medieval stone town with many half century old (some even older) buildings. These places don’t get that much tourism and yet have so much to see.
Agreed on Trieste, where I went last winter, along with Bologna; both are an excellent experience, neither overtouristed. Brescia is even better and though it doesn't have quite as many tourist sights as Trieste/Bologna it's in a great location for being based in Italy easy for day trips to Milan, Verona, Bergamo and Cremona but with cheaper hotels.
Nessebar, Bulgaria, is tiny, but unbelievably charming medieval town, surrounded by the sea. It is also in the UNESCO heritage list.
Retired American diplomat here. I was based at U.S. Embassy Tirana, Albania from 2002-05, and had a chance to travel the country. Your recommendations are very good, and I'd also add Theth in the North, a stunning destination in the Albanian Alps. In addition, Butrint in the south, a fascinating ancient archeological site, as well as the breathtaking beach town of Ksamil are also well worth the time and effort to visit.
Completely agree about Trieste! We live about an hour from this lovely city and are always excited to visit it.
Great list!
PHENOMENAL video. I despise throngs of tourists. I love Albi and Poitiers in France, Trondheim in Norway, Lund in Sweden, Posen (Poznan) in Poland, Pilsen (Plzen) in Czechia, Pecs in Hungary, Graz in Austria, Dresden-Neustadt and Goerlitz in Germany. Spare me from the capital cities of Europe!
Yoou are right about the crowds of the capital cities, though there is a lot of beauty there. Of the smaller cities you mention, I have been to Lund, Poznan, and Graz - all beautiful!
@@jd3422 ❤
Thank you for this!
Thanks for the great suggestions!
I have been to the first three cities you mention and Ghent, the last. All totally delightful. I concur with your assessment of these. Highly recommended!
Ghent is a wonderful city. I had the fortune of doing a sabbatical year there in the early 2000s. I'm planning lots of trips over the next several years. Eastern Europe is top of that list starting later in 2025. Thanks Nik and Allie!
Agree with all your picks. I've done the tourist cities a number of times and have been seeking out lesser known but still incredible places for a few years now. Once in Europe all them are accessible and, like you say, have lesser crowds. I'm heading to Corsica, Sardinia, and Malta next. Can't wait. Thanks for sharing your expertise with us.
You forgot to mention that Ghent has one of the greatest works of art ever produced in Europe, The Adoration of the Mystic Lamb by the van Eyck brothers. Riga and Trieste are also well-worth a visit.
Thanks folks.
I have been to tallin 2 times one time was a day trip from Helsinki and got to enjoy the Christmas markets in city square. I did go back to tallin in 2019 as well as visiting Riga and lulblijana Slovenia is an underrated country and well worth the visit.
Enjoyed Ghent, was similar to Bruges but yes a little quieter.
But now that you've made this video, we will all go to these cities, and create massive crowds.
What resources exist to provide information about traveling in these locations? Books, websites that you recommend?
Great video/content. Thank you. (Sadly and surprisingly, Rosetta Stone wouldn't work for me now, as they don't offer the language I'm currently interested in, Croatian. 😢)
Tallinn can be crowded when the big cruise lines are in.
We were in Bulgaria in September. Don't overlook Sofia. There's amazing food in both Sofia and Plovdiv, just avoid the HAPPY chain at all costs.
Not seeing any kids in the video. Are these places equally kid friendly or are we talking just older adults, no kids?
Is that a mosque I see in Tirana, Albania
I’m not gonna talk shit about Albania, but to give you a perspective. It borders with Montenegro, right! And as a Russian😅, I was told to try and make sure not to accidentally drive there whilst renting a car…
As an Aussie drove in both countries 2 years ago with no issues.
I tried to watch this on my Firestick and it would only play in German even when I switched it to other languages.
Sorry to hear that! UA-cam has been rolling out autodubbing features - some of these things seem to be based on ones location (or perceived location if using a VPN) but I think there are still bugs being worked out....
How did you get to travel to Europe in 2021...Covid?
We were riding the wave of reopenings in late 2021/early 2022 - had to change plans about 1000 times but we were pretty determined haha.
Was going to Europe in 2024 and 2025 but with all the drama in Europe, the war, the economy, the energy issues, and etc., opted in September of 2024 to go to Japan where I felt very safe as a tourist, and in a few weeks (2025) will be heading for the Big Island of Hawaii for a month. Wife and I were in Germany and Austria in 2022 and would liked to make returned trip, but the situation there had rapidly changed. Somehow I've lost interest in visiting Europe as a whole and instead would like to make another trip to Japan later this year 😊
Not sure what you believe the situation in Europe to be. How do you think any of these issues would affect your travels?
Which drama ?
Seems to be more US media made drama.
Well happy travels anyways.
The war is so far away from Europe that, even when I was in Romania and Bulgaria, you can't tell that it is happening.
Skipping Europe this year and next, time for something different like Malaysia and Singapore 🇸🇬. None of these places mentioned appeal to me at all.
Hmm 🤔 where is danish??? Denmark is beautiful country 🇩🇰🇩🇰
Yes it is but so are 25+ other countries not mentioned.
Aarhus seems nice but never been there.
Id add Tbilisi, Georgia. city has such a phenomenal mixture of European/ Asian feel
I wanted to get to Ghent to see the cathedral and the Adoration of the Lamb, a 15th century altarpiece that’s a masterpiece - and was stolen in World War II (en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ghent_Altarpiece ).
Colmar and Rouen, France are really nice, more medieval French towns though fairly well known.