spent time in many cities of Poland for work - absolutely stunning. People, food, cities etc. are lovely. I will be traveling to Bulgaria soon - Plovdiv.
Definitely felt the same was about Poland. Visited Gdańsk last year, and it was so charming, a stunning city on the water. I would also add Malta, Tallin, and Bratislava to your list. Not as touristed by Americans, affordable, and not super crowded.
As a Jew and a son of a Polish Holocaust survivor from lodz and Auschwitz I will not travel to Poland and send my money in a country where antisemitism is breastfed. No thanks
@meganmorris: this 'not as touristed by Americans' resentment is just stupid. first of all because most spots in Europe are not dominated by Americans - also not the ones who are 'known for Americans' (often based on the same mistake you did. You should ask yourself why you did this mistake). And don't confuse English speakers with Americans. Since English is the only true World language in difference to all other languages it is already overwhelmingly spoken by non classic English speakers. About 2.5 to 3 billion speak English (after the most serious research by David Crystal and his team). Only a fraction of those are Americans ...And Americans are usually well behaving and interested tourists - who often appreciate things in Europe much more than many other tourists.
Malta is awesome! Lots of historical sites, megalithic temples, limestone buildings, forts and walls everywhere. I love pastizzi (local stuffed pastries). Beaches too - quite hot and dry in the summer, though. I went in May.
Great representation of Ljubljana. As someone who lived in the city for 18 years, I can definitely say that it changed a lot in the recent 5 -10 years trying to cater to the tourists, prices rising and locals not being able to afford the same lifestyle as we used to.I still recommend it to every kind of traveler 🙈 just because it`s unique due to its small size and had an incredibly relaxed vibe
Loved Ljubljana. The food was an incredible. Everything was so cheap. And almost everyone we encountered spoke some amount of English, and they were eager to speak to us in English (perhaps it was my poor Slovenian that they didn't want to hear anymore). I can't wait to tour Poland next year from Gdansk to Krakow!
@@alexandrejeannin1869 Not where I went. This was in 2022 when the Euro and Dollar were equal in value. I know Slovenia is "expensive" compared to other, southern Balkan countries, but I found it cheaper than the big cities in Western Europe and USA.
I just visited Gdańsk, Gydinia, Krakow and Warsaw. Absolutely fabulous, full of history, beautiful architecture, etc etc. I loved Gdańsk and Krakow, really enjoyable, so many things to do and visit. The salt mine in Krakow is fabulous, as well to visit Zakopane the highest mountains part of the Tatras mountains. Many, many beautiful places to visit.
As an european, I don't think that Krakow, Zagreb and, especially, Budapest, are anywhere near of being considered "hidden" or even underrated. All of them are very popular and usually crowded with tourists.
You haven't understood the author. Although there's no doubt all these cities are visited he's talking from the perspective of someone who's coming in Europe from the US. And Americans too often tend to see only cities like London, Paris, Berlin, Rome, Athens... and overlook so many smaller destinations esp. in central and eastern Europe.
I think he's talking about the tourists coming from North and South America,Asia...when we think of Traveling in Europe,the places that comes to my mind is London,Paris,Madrid,Lisbon,Berlin and Rome...
Have visited most of the cities here and agree with your comments but never thought of Zagreb, will add to the bucket list. Krakow is our favourite for grown up family and for Father and Son weekends when we went to the sites mentioned plus the Salt Mine and a shooting range, if that is your thing, firing WW2 weapons but you can pick favourites from any period, again, obviously has to be your thing; first time for the grown up son. Thanks for the video
I spent a couple days in Zagreb before heading to the coast, loved it. Very chill atmosphere, definitely not overrun by a million tourists. Do you need a Schengen if you’re an American?
Our visit to Cyprus was Limassol and it was not as nice a Paphos sounds We also went to Rhodes and I would go back in a heartbeat: Mediterranean beaches, Greek villages, Roman, Greek, Byzantine and Crusader ruins all easily accessible. In Croatia we loved Dubrovnik a charming white marble town that made us feel we were in another time. The national park of Plitvicka Lakes in Croatia is worth the time it takes to get there. It has a natural beauty like I have never seen anywhere else.
You've got great taste! I ran the Limassol marathon while in Cyprus but that was the extent of my time there. Have not visited Rhodes but would love to. Dubrovnik was AWESOME! (but I did feel the pricing to be high) Plitvice Lakes was one of our favorite days in our month in Croatia!
Love this! In a strange world, I've been to 4 of the 5 places highlighted. And in an even stranger twist, we are heading to Cyprus/Paphos in October! So psyched to see these great cities and thank you for presenting these very cool and travel-worthy places!!
I've visited budapest,ljubliana,zagreb and krakow,and rhey are all excellent choices...but sofia or plovdiv bulgaria,with so many ancient places nearby are not to be missed.where else can you sit on an 8,000 year old throne(in perpekulon),or visit where they made sacrafices to the sun and the moon 3 milleniums ago,in (tirtuk).also,the rila and bachkovo monestaries are not to be missed.and if you're looking for a pleasant,beautiful safe place with small mountains and streams,southwest bulgaria near greece and macedonia is the perfect place. And if you visit krakow,wroclaw with it's many gnomes is nearby,and not to be missed....and can prague or karlovy vary be considered underrated?also,saint petersburg,russia is the ultimate underrated city on earth. But all in all,visiting eastern and central europe is a much better decision than western europe in countless ways.
What about Tirana, Albania? I was totally expecting it to be here especially for the Non-Schengen aspect. I'm excited to visit next year. I am absolutely going to Krakow, Poland. Traced my dad's ancestry to southeastern Poland.
Just found your site. So, I don't know if this city has been a part of your wanderings. I've been just once to Sofia, Bulgaria, in 2014, and it was well worth a visit.
Hi Nik, Michael from Sydney Australia again, thx for another great video. My wife & I should also watch Allie's food vlogs as well. We really enjoyed the food in Israel recently, then went to Paris & my wife Rosemary particularly found the food rather bland in comparison. In the next few years, we want to go to Romania because Rosemary's father came from there. Have you & Allie been there, as I could not see any videos related to that on yr channel? Thanks again from Michael (BTW, we are believers)
You are delusional that no one speaks English in Budapest. Almost every hotel restaurant, tourist destinations all speak English . Most likely speak it better than you. I myself am living in Buda and speak Hungarian, German and English also a little Russian.
Interesting route. How come you didn't stop by at Belgrade? Plenty of beautiful sites, architecture, cuisine, hospitality, amazing nightlife and the original Nikola Tesla museum as well
We went to Poland Sept 2022. When I told my wife she said, POLAND?!?! One of the best trips we've ever taken. Gdansk to Torun to Wroclaw to Krakow. All were awesome, the food and people were incredible. Torun was our favorite.
So your wife was a little apprehensive about going to Poland, but once there she was suprised at how great it is( not to mention how much value for money you get for going there!)?
We went to Poland for the fist time May 2023. I can't wait to go back. Warsaw, Torun (I still can't believe this beautiful city is not in everybody's list!!!), Poznan (wait until the Old Town work is complete; I think by 2024) and, of course, Krakow. Impossible to describe with words... you have to see it!
I think that movies have normally portrayed a very wrong image of central and eastern Europe, as dark, gray, cloudy, misterious, backwards, etc. stemming from a misconception of the dark middle ages and communist times... the latter very true unfortunately, but what one sees now, is color, joy, fun, real and true color and architecture coming back, and I mean, COMING BACK... We've been traveling to Krakow every other year, and sometimes yearly since 2010... arrive from the US either in Warsaw or Krakow normally at the begining of May, unwind there for a week, always making Krakow our headquarters, and then, to either other areas of the country or other countries, one always in the itinerary is the Dalmatian Coast where we spend a month, island hoping or inland Croatia... and the neighboring countries... when we leave Croatia, is always thru Bosnia, Medjugorje first, then the final month in Krakow again... We find the spring really lovely, and go there just a bit ahead of the crowds... When we return home, some of our friends, every time less and less, ask us why we go to those dark gloomy places...
I am from the US. But I have had the wonderful privilege of living in Kraków for the past 10 years. My heart still swells when I walk into Old Town, around the Planty or into the square or plaza at Wawel Castle. I agree with your assessment of my beautiful city!
Krakow is beautiful and so atmospheric! I've been there twice! Greetings from Croatia and do visit our also beautiful capital Zagreb and nearby little gem Ljubljana in neighbouring Slovenia!
As someone from Budapest, I can confirm that it isn’t a hidden gem anymore. I wish the tourists would concentrate on other districts than the center, because there’s so much to discover. I’m pretty sure that 99.99# of tourists have never visited my favorite bath here! 😁 What I hate about every touristy place is the identical souvenir offer, I mean , Russian dolls in Krakow, wtf? 🙄
Next time you’re in Poland, visit Gdańsk. It’s a city beside the Baltic sea, with long sandy beaches and a lovely Old Town with lots of beautiful buldings. One of my favourite cities eveeer, it’s a place I keep on falling in love with over and over again. :)
I have been living in Cracow for a long time and it was really great to hear all the nice things you have said about my city in the video. What's more it was very interesting to see how a person from a remote country perceives hidden gems in Eastern Europe because most of us consider them as must-see mainstream spots. Here are 5 hidden gems from my Eastern-European point of view: 1 Ohrid North Macedonia - a city of stunning beauty located by one of the most beautiful and cleanest lakes in Europe.2 Sibiu in Romania - a lovely city which is a mixture of Romanian, Hungarian and German culture. 3 Herceg Novi in Montenegro - a seaside resort which is full of historic places and it's less packed than Kotor. 4 Olomouc in Czechia a city with a wonderful and really big old town. 5 Balchik in Bulgaria - another holiday resort with historic spots and remains of Turkish occupation.
Loved Ljubljana and its charms. It has to be one of the cleanest cities I've seen. Didn't get to try their horse meat, but I have eaten it before and it's tasty. Didn't get to spend much time in Zagreb on my tour, so I couldn't get to see all of the city. Someday....
great to see that Poland is in your list... you should visit Gdańsk and Wrocław too. Also, I don't know when you visited Zagreb but when I did visit it in April, all important architecture are under repair for preservation/maintenance. You're lucky if you get to see those beautiful pieces. Yes I do agree with this list 100%!
Poland is amazingly underrated. I've been to Warsaw and Krakow before and this year I also had a trip to Zakopane, Wroclaw, Poznan and Torun and it was both relatively cheap and fun.
Zakopane is one of the main resort cities in Poland. Skiing in the winter, which I don't do, and great hiking in the summer in and around Tatras National Park.
It is amazing how many people hike up the mountain from the Zakopane city center. About every mile there are numerous outhouses with a sign saying how many minutes to the next outhouses. The city is wonderful. @@nztrekker
We like Poland. Did Krakow in 2019 followed by Gdansk in 2023 and Wrocław/Poznan this year. Toruń is on our to do list. As my wife and I are both over 60 we can get 30% off rail tickets.
Try also Sibiu, Brasov and Sigisoara in Romania 🇷🇴. These are well preserved, beautiful and historical cities. The food is also great and Romania is not expensive compared to western European cities.
Montenegro! A wonderful gem between Mediterranean and Venetian vibes, up to a unique and huge pristine lake and its old capital Cetinje. Further inland Europe's largest canyon and majestic mountains.
Visisted Montenegro this year. It was juuust okay. It was verry dirty. Beer cans/bottles EVERYWHERE on the pavements and next to the roads.. Insane! We've been there for 2 weeks traveling thoughout the country. The mountains are nice, kotor is overrated, as are the other towns/cities in the South.
Your assessment of Zagreb matches mine exactly. What an amazing town. We just happened upon this great city and loved it. Even got invited into the room where they fire the cannon at noon each day! I would also highly recommend Bratislava as a small capitol city that is very walkable and has a stunning castle and old town area.
I was planning a trip to Slovakia the other year, but decided not to go as my other half wasn't fit enough for all of the hikes we'd have planned at the time. Seriously considered Ukriane, but in the end went Mexico as Ukraine would've been a bit cold in March. Definitely the right call as we would have been in Ukraine when Russia invaded had we gone to Ukraine. If it was Summer, we would have gone Ukraine.
Was there in ‘19, nice in a provincial sense of old Europe, but for food? Pizza, čevapčići, ? Food seemed to be heated up from being packaged or frozen
I am from Zagreb and it's funny to hear people say it is not as touristy, because for us it seems so incredibly full of tourists it makes life difficult sometimes. Even though I know it is not as bad at all, it still seems like the city is full of tourists. there was no tourism in Zagreb whatsoever until relatively recently, maybe 30 or so years ago it started growing. We had tourists before that of course, but not nearly as much as our coastal towns for example. When I was a child and in high school, there was no tourism. But yeah, it is definitely a real city, if you visit you will feel city has it's own life independent of tourism and it will feel like you get to see authentic life.
I feel like almost all tourists visiting Croatia focus on the coastal cities: Dubrovnik, Split, Sibernik, Pula, etc. Dubrovnik especially is overrun with tourists and isba long way from Zagreb. Zagreb is also close enough to Budapest to be in competition for tourists, but not so close that it makes it very easy to visit both, such as with Bratislava, Vienna, etc.
@@Joshua-fi4ji true, its not really in the way to anywhere, if you are visiting croatian coast it is much better to fly to split or dubrovnik, and while in theory zagreb is similar to budapest, bratislava, vienna or ljubljana it is not as beautiful in my opinion. it's my city and i love it but objectively.. meh.. on the other hand, I like that it doesn't have as much tourists, and to be honest I would personally prefer it was even less or no tourists at all, because they do interrupt life and change the vibe of the city. But they bring money of course. most of zagreb neighbourhoods have no tourists though. I'd be very surprised if I saw any foreigners in some parts of city, so yeah it still keeps most of its vibe.
@@Joshua-fi4ji Zagreb was 2nd most visited City/location in Croatia in 2022., packed in summer and its especially packed during Advent. Probably gonna be the same in 2023.
@@Thoreaue interesting statistic. Do you know if that is just tourists and where those tourists are from? It is the administrative capital and largest city in the country after all. Croatia is probably best known abroad for the Dalmatia coast and I imagine this is where the majority of tourists go during summer, but there probably aren't so many people there outside of the summer months. For comparison London fills up around advent too, but a big chunk of those people are people from around the UK visiting to see the lights, go shopping and visit the Christmas Markets/Winter Wonderland (not to say there aren't also international tourists). It's sometimes hard to spot tourists around London given how much of an international multicultural city it is.
@@Joshua-fi4ji Seems I gave you wrong info - The capital Zagreb received the largest number of visitors in Croatia in 2022, at nearly 1.1 million arrivals. Rovinj came in the second place. Over the last few years Zagreb became very popular tourist destination, just last month 3 new luxury hotels were open. During advent season you cannot find free accommodation. Ppl were staying as far as Jastrebarsko - 30 km from Zagreb.
Slovenia and Croatia was on my 2020 itinerary when covid hit. Thanks for the valuable tips. I'm headed there in the fall, my 1st trip since the world re-opened (been very cautious. Btw I totally love Budapest especially during Christmas season. Did you try the polish donut? There was one next to my hotel on the main square in Krakow). Keep traveling 🤩
My husband and I are in Krakow, Poland right now! It is beautiful and historic. We also had short stays in Gdansk, Torún and a week in Warsaw. I suggest Warsaw. It’s a “real” city - had lots to do including parks, but the icing on the top is that it’s less touristy therefore less expensive! Loved the food, the milk bars and the sidewalk coffee bars!
Love this recommendation, thanks! I had an epic Romania road trip planned in 2021 and had to shift our schedule due to COVID, but will go in the future, Lord willing!
@@awaytogether continue planning your Romania trip! I've seen Bucharest and Braşov and while Bucharest might not be pretty all around, there's still plenty to do and there are buildings and churches you can just go inside so you could admire the architecture! Also, tons of good food in that city too!
I’ve been to all 5 of your cities and generally like them all. There are lots of others however. Belgrade is a very cool city and so is Sarajevo. Albania and the Greek Ionian Islands, etc. One thing I definitely agree with you on is the food in Cyprus. It is phenomenal. Greek food, Turkish food, seafood, Middle Eastern food, Cyprus as it all. Extremely reasonably priced. It’s not just exceptional fish, calamari and octopus, it’s also lamb (don’t miss the national dish kleftiko), cheese, mushrooms, dairy products, sweet wines and spirits.
Thanks for nice tips. I dont find Budapest as much underrated, but I understand for people in US, may never heard about it. There is also one pretty big music festival close to it in summer - Sziget.
Budapest is the best, I call this city my home and I love everything about it. Night life or outdoor activities, fantastic! Tomorrow we have big national holiday and traditionally huge fireworks. World athletic championship started today after few days of famous Sziget festival. It's still nice driving around the city as everyone still on holidays. Croatian coast few hours down the beautiful highway. Everything is in close driving distance, wonderful Zagreb or Ljubljana. Thanks for the food tips 😊
I’ve been in 2 of the 5 cities mentioned. Budapest and Krakow. Definitely beautiful and want to go back to in the future. Will need to go visit the other 3.
I’m so happy to hear that others visited Poland and loved it, like I did! I spent two months working mostly in Warsaw, with a couple of weeks in Kazimierz, which I just found out is very near Krakow. I worked every day, but I was writing, so I could wander a bit before settling in to work. I loved both cities and recommend them all of the time as places to visit outside of the much more popular ones we all know!
Ghent Belgium was a lovely city that my husband took me for a few days after our Norway cruise. I would definitely go back. Saving this video for future travels!
Can I add Antwerp to that. Culture, Architecture, Food, Beer and so much history it hurts. Belgiums second city is completely overlooked by travellers.
If you guys are still travelling and are near northern Croatia, worth visiting is, ISTRA region - Rovinj, Pula, Groznjan, Motovun, Lovran, Opatia and Rijeka their 3rd largest city. Also a short distance from Rijeka is the island of Krk, it’s neighbouring islands are - Mali Lozin and Cres. AMAZING. I’m sure you have already explored the islands of Croatia. What people don’t realise is, that there are 60 Inhabited islands along the Croatian coastline of over 1200 islands altogether. I left when I was 6 and have lived in Australia since 1958. Our 5th and last visit to Croatia will be in 2024. We also love Zagreb and plan to discover more of the country side on our last road trip. 😊More info on the best country to live in, by an English man who has lived there for over 20 years - Paul Bradbury (Croatian expert). Safe travels, Louise
Istrian Croatia is definitely underrated. I fell in love with Rovinj. For sure the other small cities are fun too. Mostly just German tourists. The seafood is the best I've eaten in Europe so far. Croatia is really beautiful. I also enjoyed Zagreb!
I just got back from Poland. I agree, Krakow is lovely. I stayed near the castle and had a beautiful afternoon walking around, having a beer and people watching. Gdańsk is also really pretty and from Gdańsk you can take a short train ride to Sopol on the Baltic coast. It’s a pretty town, very walkable as well.
Before I war I did an exchange trip to Ukraine back in 2017 and I must say Kyiv is still my favorite city i've ever been to. I've been to most major Canadian and American cities and doing a trip to europe next week for two and a half weeks and i'll definitely be adding Budapest to my list.
Nice tips here. I would add Poznan in Poland, Sibiu in Romania, Blois and Tours in the Loire valley in France and last but not least Plovdiv in Bulgaria, which is full of Roman heritage including a still operating amphitheatre in the old town.
Heading to Europe next month for six week with only 3 weeks worth of plans so far. This video is so inspiring! I'm definitely going to research heading East now. Thanks!
I would add Lviv, Ukraine to that list (not right now of course), beautiful city that no one from the West knows about. Vilnius, Lithuania is beautiful too! Kraków is great but personally as a pole It is not my favourite cause it's too touristy. For me most underrated polish city is Wrocław, beautiful city located close to Germany and Czech republic.
Your choices are really good, but you’ve got to check out Belgrade, Serbia. See what Lonely Planet had to say. It is the New York City of the Balkans, and it rocks! I subscribed and look forward to more videos. Thank you!
Yes, Krakow is beautiful and all the other cities in this list I want to visit. I would add Prag, Lissabon, Zürich and my hometown Hamburg (but visit it in the summer).
Honestly said, as person, which visited cca 80% of capitals of Europe, i do not recommend Zagreb for visiting, if you are in Croatia, go to Sibenik, Dubrovnik, Rovinj or Split. If you travel to central Europe, and looking for Capital citis, i would reccomend like this: Prague, Budapest and Vienna on same level. You can not make a mistake by choosing any of them, but always meet a different culture - Slavic Germanic and this very specific Hungarian :D. Just passed Bratislava. Lubjana is nice for one day, small but cute.. Belehrad is in comparism with Zagreb very nice and Sarajevo is small, but already feel this ,,oriental" culture which is quiet unique in Europe... :-) To Paphos i never been to and Krakow i visited like 10 times, very nice...
Must admit that Ljubljana and Zagreb were fairly underwhelming on my recent trip there. Felt like we ran out of things to do in under a day. We stopped at both places while traveling to Lake Bled and Plitvice Lake (both incredible!) and I wouldn't have added them as stops if I went again. Krakow though is absolutely wonderful and I agree with everything said about it!
That's probably so since you haven't prepared for your trip and explored in advance what each of these cities has to offer. For instance Zagreb is city full of exquisite and unique museums some of which also hold expositions of the international value! Zagreb is also one of the rare capital cities that has over 900 meters high mountain with stunning nature, serious ski tracks and vistas where you can come by car, bike, by foot but also with very long and spectacular cable car. This is also very green city with astonishing parks including the huge and oldest in southeastern Europe public park Maksimir with many alleyways, lakes, heritage buildings. Zagreb hosts beautiful botanical gardens and series of city green areas in a shape of horseshoes. I bet you also haven't been to medieval Medvedgrad castle that is high above the city, in medieval upper town, Lotrščak tower observatory, crossed throughout unique Stone gate and Zagreb pedestrian tunnel, stunning cathedral with roots in medieval times, in parts of New Zagreb where you'll find ultra modern and grand Museum of contemporary art with many pieces of art including those by the world famous artists! Zagreb offers a lot even in terms of cuisine, it has numerous interesting restaurants. This city also hosts large number of interesting manifestations of international level, it's host city of world famous In Music indie, pop and rock festival located at the amazing artificial Jarun lake, it has been voted three times as the best European Advent destination, it has very live classic and modern art scene, great opera and ballet house, grand concert hall that is home of internationally recognised Zagreb philharmonic where there are also many concerts of international classic and more modern performers and list goes on and on! Even beautiful and ornate Zagreb central cemetery or Mirogoj with series of monumental colonnades and towers is superb tourist attraction in itself and must see attraction! And at the top of all of that, in very near proximity you'll also find charming small town Samobor, astonishing medieval castles Trakošćan and Veliki Tabor, J.B.Tito birthplace in Kumrovec, baroque era gem Varaždin! But I guess you haven't heard or seen any of these things since you've come with prejudice and stayed probably only day or two which is not enough time even to walk past major tourist attractions let alone immerse yourself more thoroughly in some of them! Although smaller than Zagreb, Ljubljana is also amazing place that has to offer a lot! Also both cities have great locals and unimaginably vibrant and cool lifestyle, coffe culture, farmers markets and many other things that esp.someone from the US and parts of Western Europe can't see anymore back home!
@@dollimelaine You haven't prepared yourself in advance so it's no wonder that you had such a experience in otherwise amazing and very interesting city that offers a lot that so many of you simply miss out.
I agree, I lived in Zagreb and apart from a stroll around Gornji Grad, the old town, I can't think of anything to recommend it. I'd stick to the coast.
@@johnnybee69 It is shameful If you as a former resident of this city can't recommend much more than this an this tells s lot about your lack of knowledge, your narrow interests, weak power of observance and culture! I can go on and on about Zagreb as long as it takes! What exactly other than sea, beach and sun do you find that much more interesting that is present in, let's say Split after you're done with Diocletian's palace tour?! At the other hand Zagreb is city almost 5 times more populous and over 5 times larger with huge selection of interesting stuff unless you're really shallow person that is only going after beach!
Have u been to Malta yet?? Full of history and lots to see, would need approx 3-5 days for the first visit, very affordable, friendly people, 95% speak english, good public transport, food is amazing and not expensive (massive portions mind!), good local wine. Another Europe's hidden gem! 😉
I bet there is a ton of Europeans who haven't heard about Ljubljana as well. And about most of other capitals of countries proclaimed after Yugoslavia had been split, like Podgorica or Skopje. Most of us probably have heard about Sarajevo, but mostly in context of Balcan war; that it's a capital and of which country... definetely not as many. Believe me, I've learned about Skopje and Ljubljana only because I've travelled there and I think I'm one of the least oblivious people I know. I'm Polish, by the way. I visited all the cities you've mentioned, most od them during their Christmas markets (Budapest, although it wasn't my first time there, Zagreb and Ljubljana); in my opinion it's very good season to visit many places in Europe. Paphos for me too was a chill out destination as it turned out. The least time of the five I spent in Crocow, probably because it's in Poland and I still have problems with traveling around my trully beautiful homeland (besides Zakopane; I love Zakopane and Polish Tatra Mountains, although I don't visit them as often as I'd like to). Come visit Europe more, there is so many hidden gems here you wouldn't believe. Poland included, of course.
How did you not include Lisbon? It is affordable capital cities in Europe, beautiful and getting tons of tourism (maybe too much). We have so many historic and beautiful towns and cities to visit, but most recognize the capital. The other cities you mentioned are beautiful but most of them are in Eastern Europe. Perhaps, the video described as the best cities in Eastern Europe to visit. Those are beautiful cities though…not taking anything from those cities.
Zagreb is actually geographically more west than Vienna, and more west than Stockholm!! So, Croatia is considered central Europe, situated on north Mediterranean! Fyi! Also, culturally, Croatia was more than 400 years a part of Habsburg monarchy and previous to that, more than 600 years a part of Roman empire (some parts of Croatia are still bilingual today btw, with both Croatian and Italian being official languages)! So also culturally and even in terms of the religion (with mostly Roman Catholic religion being practiced amongst its citizens), its definitely central Europe (together with Slovenia)! Ur welcome!✌🏻☺️👋🏻
Ok so for me what constitutes as an “underrated city” is when the city is overshadowed by a far better known domestic rival, so here are my options: UK - just to clarify upfront I am actually British or to be more specific English and I am actually a born and raised Londoner, however for me there are so many gems in the country that are always so overlooked by the capital. One of the greatest places to visit in the UK is Brighton & Hove obviously everyone who lives in the country knows about it but so many foreign tourists are surprisingly unaware of its existence, the food is amazing, it has some of the best places to go shopping with so many quirky stores and then nightlife is great, plus its right on the beach so what’s not to love? However for me the most underrated city is Manchester and I think it’s even underrated by Brits ourselves. Obviously it’s really famous for sport and music and these have both heavily influenced the cities unique cultural identity. Manchester was once an industrial powerhouse and I personally really love the well preserved Victorian architecture from this time period, most of the old factories have been reconverted into housing, shopping centres or food courts. The nightlife is also great you’ll have a great night out, especially if you are in the Northern Quarter which is fiercely independent, I love how well the city has preserved certain districts so they maintain distinct vibes. Honestly why it’s not on most travellers bucket lists is a mystery to me? (I’d also recommend Bristol, Glasgow & Liverpool for similar reasons listed above) Germany - Hamburg is my recommendation of a very underrated German city, it’s as cool as Berlin but perhaps without the ego and it’s super undiscovered which I think makes it more hip. The Reeperbahn is epic too, a really fun city to explore! France - Marseille has a reputation as being a bit dangerous and yeah it can be though I’d argue no more so than any other metropolitan city, but man it’s really worth a visit, hardly any tourists here too so quite a unique travel experience based on that fact alone Spain - statistically a country that always features at the top of most travelled to destinations but that’s mainly tourists flocking to coastal beach resort towns on the med. For me though I’d recommend getting yourself up to the Atlantic coastline and explore San Sebastián which is in my opinion a perfect little beach city, also hands down the best food I’ve ever eaten in Spain. Neighbouring Bilbao is also nearby and there’s a cheap coach between both, it’s also worth a visit mainly because it’s unlike any other city in Spain as it’s far more industrial so has quite unique architecture (it looked more like Liverpool or Manchester for that reason than say Madrid). (I’d also give an honourable mention to Valencia which I really liked and even preferred to Barcelona which I found quite overrated) Lastly I’d recommend the country of Belgium in general, which is always treated as a bit of a joke by the rest of Europe and I get why, it’s a confusing place which has a French and Dutch speaking population who never mix but I think it’s really underrated, Brussels is always referred to as a dirty or a boring place but I disagree, it’s no dirtier than Paris or Barcelona and I’ve never had a bad time there Anyway apologies that’s long, hopefully that’s given you some inspiration who ever is reading this
Although I respect your opinion.. and all of the cities are wonderful .. I’d hardly call Budapest, Kraków or Zagreb “hidden gems”.. they all receive at least 2 million foreign tourists a year… and probably millions more from their own respective countries. Pafos is also a huge destination for Europeans !
I hear what you’re saying. I’d challenge the notion that underrated equals unvisited. Siem Reap Cambodia is visited by millions every year as well, but I’d still say it doesn’t get the credit it deserves. I never thought this video would have the reach that it does, but my original intention was to inform an American traveler, who has only ever thought about visiting Rome or Paris, or major sites in western Europe. I recognize most of these places are still pretty main stream. Regardless, THANK YOU, for watching and taking the time to give me feedback. Happy Travels.
Loved my visit to Krakow - hard to chose between that and Seville as my favourite European City break so far. I strongly recommend the latter if you haven't been
An excellent list. I love Budapest 🇭🇺. I prefer Limassol and Larnaca in Cyprus 🇨🇾. I would also add Belgrade 🇷🇸 to the list. I don’t know if you’d call it a ‘hidden’ gem, but I would also add Luxembourg 🇱🇺.
I had the same thoughts in the beginning about Poland but ended up loving it and seriously thinking about going to live there, there are many amazing cities there, Gdansk & Gdynia, Warsaw , Poznan, and my favourite Wroclaw, also if you've time try to go to the mountains in the south, Zakopane is soooo beautiful in autumn🍁☘🌺🍁
Been to most of Europe (I live here, although I come from Missouri). I like the even smaller places. Regensburg, Germany...Verona, Italy (not that small), Strasbourg (& Colmar), France...Brno, Czechia...Ceske Budejovice, also Czechia, anywhere in Portugal. I know many Americans only get to visit Europe once, maybe twice, so that London, Berlin, Rome, etc. are places they must see, but I think you learn so much more about a place if you keep your travel time to a minimum. Concentrate on a smaller region instead of 11 cities in 10 days.
Since you've kindly asked about other European destinations that folks may recommend, I'll throw in another Balkan location. I was assigned to the U.S. Embassy in Albania for three years, and can highly recommend the southern Albanian city of Ksamil. It's near the Greek border on the Ionian Sea, and really is the jewel of the region. It's beautiful, affordable, has very friendly people and offers delicious cuisine.
I'll tell you what. I bought me a small condo right on the water in New Plagia, Chalkidiki in Greece and I've been spending my springs and summers here for a few years now (yep that's where I am right now). It helps of course that I can work from anywhere in the world. Thessaloniki, a large city is half an hour away and I go there frequently. Lots of history, not to mention it's Alexander the Great's hometown, great cafes, restaurants, bars and boutiques with awesome clothes and fashion. And the entire Chalkidiki has fantastic beaches and awesome food. I'll most likely retire here, or spend at least 8 months out of the year here.
I recently visit Budapest, I saw the Csardas Princess performance in Opereta House. Zagreb and his Old Town is amaizing. Krakow and his Wawel Dragon castle is lovable.
I would recommend Vilinius in Lithuania, such an awesome city with loads of great places to eat and super interesting history and plenty of day trips out. Doing the balloon ride was definetly the highlight!
OMG!!! I need to spend more than 90 days in Europe next year... my first 30 days is all the main MUST SEE places in W. Europe... Rome, Paris, London... ect. Im taking my mom with me for that. But I want to travel all the world and vlog... now I have more desire for E. Europe!!
In Zagreb, in the city parc, are 2 litlle but beautifull museums: Strossmayer Kunstsammlung Old Masters and 100m nearby in a adorable villa the National museum of croatian art. The second is a lovable place🤗 You can trink a coffee in a garten full antiques, also on this street. Ask the museum cashier🤔
I absolutely love this video. I've never been to Paphos but all the others are places I've been to many times and I adore them all. In terms of hidden gems I don't know what to suggest. One of my favourite cities is Brno in the Czech Republic. I have personal reasons to feel attached to this place (I was a university student here back in the 1970s!!) but I prefer it to Prague. Certainly fewer beautiful spots than Prague but also fewer tourists, tourist traps and with lots of great bars and restaurants and just a more representative experience of life in the Czech Republic.
spent time in many cities of Poland for work - absolutely stunning. People, food, cities etc. are lovely. I will be traveling to Bulgaria soon - Plovdiv.
Definitely felt the same was about Poland. Visited Gdańsk last year, and it was so charming, a stunning city on the water. I would also add Malta, Tallin, and Bratislava to your list. Not as touristed by Americans, affordable, and not super crowded.
Loved Gdansk
As a Jew and a son of a Polish Holocaust survivor from lodz and Auschwitz I will not travel to Poland and send my money in a country where antisemitism is breastfed. No thanks
@meganmorris: this 'not as touristed by Americans' resentment is just stupid. first of all because most spots in Europe are not dominated by Americans - also not the ones who are 'known for Americans' (often based on the same mistake you did. You should ask yourself why you did this mistake). And don't confuse English speakers with Americans. Since English is the only true World language in difference to all other languages it is already overwhelmingly spoken by non classic English speakers. About 2.5 to 3 billion speak English (after the most serious research by David Crystal and his team). Only a fraction of those are Americans ...And Americans are usually well behaving and interested tourists - who often appreciate things in Europe much more than many other tourists.
Malta is awesome! Lots of historical sites, megalithic temples, limestone buildings, forts and walls everywhere. I love pastizzi (local stuffed pastries). Beaches too - quite hot and dry in the summer, though. I went in May.
Oh my goodness! I went on a Riverboat Cruise this summer and we stopped in Bratislava on our way to Prague. I love this City even more than Vienna.
Great representation of Ljubljana. As someone who lived in the city for 18 years, I can definitely say that it changed a lot in the recent 5 -10 years trying to cater to the tourists, prices rising and locals not being able to afford the same lifestyle as we used to.I still recommend it to every kind of traveler 🙈 just because it`s unique due to its small size and had an incredibly relaxed vibe
Loved Ljubljana. The food was an incredible. Everything was so cheap. And almost everyone we encountered spoke some amount of English, and they were eager to speak to us in English (perhaps it was my poor Slovenian that they didn't want to hear anymore). I can't wait to tour Poland next year from Gdansk to Krakow!
Cheap? Prices in Ljubljana are equal to Italy
@@alexandrejeannin1869 Not where I went. This was in 2022 when the Euro and Dollar were equal in value. I know Slovenia is "expensive" compared to other, southern Balkan countries, but I found it cheaper than the big cities in Western Europe and USA.
@@alexandrejeannin1869Italy is very cheap compared to France and Germany.
Yes, yes, yes!❤😊❤
@@AYVYN True. Even Germany is cheaper than France. Only Switzerland and the Scandinavian countries are more expensive than France.
I just visited Gdańsk, Gydinia, Krakow and Warsaw. Absolutely fabulous, full of history, beautiful architecture, etc etc. I loved Gdańsk and Krakow, really enjoyable, so many things to do and visit. The salt mine in Krakow is fabulous, as well to visit Zakopane the highest mountains part of the Tatras mountains. Many, many beautiful places to visit.
As an european, I don't think that Krakow, Zagreb and, especially, Budapest, are anywhere near of being considered "hidden" or even underrated. All of them are very popular and usually crowded with tourists.
You haven't understood the author. Although there's no doubt all these cities are visited he's talking from the perspective of someone who's coming in Europe from the US. And Americans too often tend to see only cities like London, Paris, Berlin, Rome, Athens... and overlook so many smaller destinations esp. in central and eastern Europe.
I agree none of these are "hidden" when you are bouncing of tourist. I love Hungary 🇭🇺it was a popular tourist spot 20yrs ago.
Having been to all three mentioned I can only agree aha
yes and even in Italy they only think of some main cities not Perugia not Palermo not ..... @@fapmashina1
I think he's talking about the tourists coming from North and South America,Asia...when we think of Traveling in Europe,the places that comes to my mind is London,Paris,Madrid,Lisbon,Berlin and Rome...
Have visited most of the cities here and agree with your comments but never thought of Zagreb, will add to the bucket list. Krakow is our favourite for grown up family and for Father and Son weekends when we went to the sites mentioned plus the Salt Mine and a shooting range, if that is your thing, firing WW2 weapons but you can pick favourites from any period, again, obviously has to be your thing; first time for the grown up son. Thanks for the video
I found Zagreb rather dull....just another opinion...but you might love it!
I spent a couple days in Zagreb before heading to the coast, loved it. Very chill atmosphere, definitely not overrun by a million tourists. Do you need a Schengen if you’re an American?
Croatia is in the schengen zone since january 1st this year, so everything like the rest of the eu.
Our visit to Cyprus was Limassol and it was not as nice a Paphos sounds We also went to Rhodes and I would go back in a heartbeat: Mediterranean beaches, Greek villages, Roman, Greek, Byzantine and Crusader ruins all easily accessible. In Croatia we loved Dubrovnik a charming white marble town that made us feel we were in another time. The national park of Plitvicka Lakes in Croatia is worth the time it takes to get there. It has a natural beauty like I have never seen anywhere else.
You've got great taste! I ran the Limassol marathon while in Cyprus but that was the extent of my time there. Have not visited Rhodes but would love to. Dubrovnik was AWESOME! (but I did feel the pricing to be high) Plitvice Lakes was one of our favorite days in our month in Croatia!
You should add Romania to your travel list, there are some beautiful cities to explore there, like Sibiu, Brasov, Oradea…😊
Thank you for sharing!! Going to add Krakow & Ljubljana to next years travel list! Great video!! ✈️❤️👍🏼
Love this! In a strange world, I've been to 4 of the 5 places highlighted. And in an even stranger twist, we are heading to Cyprus/Paphos in October! So psyched to see these great cities and thank you for presenting these very cool and travel-worthy places!!
Tallinn, Estonia was a great visit.
On my list for sure!
What a coincidence! Me and a friend are going in 2 weeks in Ljubljana for a couple of days,and we are hyped!
Loved Zagreb, Lbjiana, Wrocław, Gdansk.
thanks for the idea
Thanks so much. Leaving end of this month for a 2 month solo trip. These are definitely on my list!!!! 🎉
Happy Travels! Enjoy.
I've visited budapest,ljubliana,zagreb and krakow,and rhey are all excellent choices...but sofia or plovdiv bulgaria,with so many ancient places nearby are not to be missed.where else can you sit on an 8,000 year old throne(in perpekulon),or visit where they made sacrafices to the sun and the moon 3 milleniums ago,in (tirtuk).also,the rila and bachkovo monestaries are not to be missed.and if you're looking for a pleasant,beautiful safe place with small mountains and streams,southwest bulgaria near greece and macedonia is the perfect place.
And if you visit krakow,wroclaw with it's many gnomes is nearby,and not to be missed....and can prague or karlovy vary be considered underrated?also,saint petersburg,russia is the ultimate underrated city on earth.
But all in all,visiting eastern and central europe is a much better decision than western europe in countless ways.
Omg I’ve been to Heritage in Zagreb and not doubt is amazing experience!!!
Delicious right?!
Put Skopje and Ohrid in Macedonia on your list, also Varazdin in Croatia
Thank you !
Go to Tallinn, Estonia! Best old town in Europe for me, and you can do an amazing day trip to Lahemaa national park
Please , I need a video about the French Riviera! I’m traveling next April 2024 for a good week all the way from Austin Texas . Claudia
This guy is so earnest, I bet he's the best traveller ever!
What about Tirana, Albania? I was totally expecting it to be here especially for the Non-Schengen aspect. I'm excited to visit next year. I am absolutely going to Krakow, Poland. Traced my dad's ancestry to southeastern Poland.
Have not had the pleasure of visiting yet! I planned a trip there once but we had to change plans. Soon!
I like Tirana, but it is not remotely at the level of the cities in this video.
There are soooooo many great places in Europe, they cannnot all be on a short list😅
@@surlespasdondine I believe you are correct! :)
Tirana or Sarajevo are marvelous city breaks that dont break the bank
Go to Hintertupfingen in Germany
Ålesund Norway
Just found your site. So, I don't know if this city has been a part of your wanderings. I've been just once to Sofia, Bulgaria, in 2014, and it was well worth a visit.
Have you been to Bratislava? We have and it might be one of those "hidden gem" cities
Yes, loved Bratislava! Wanted more time there!
Hi Nik, Michael from Sydney Australia again, thx for another great video. My wife & I should also watch Allie's food vlogs as well. We really enjoyed the food in Israel recently, then went to Paris & my wife Rosemary particularly found the food rather bland in comparison. In the next few years, we want to go to Romania because Rosemary's father came from there. Have you & Allie been there, as I could not see any videos related to that on yr channel? Thanks again from Michael (BTW, we are believers)
Hi Michael! Thanks for watching and writing. We have yet to visit Romania but really want to! God Bless and Happy Travels
Don't come to Slovenia we don't wanna have our prices raised 😂😂😂
Already went! Thanks for having me 🤣 See you again in 2028 😘
No one in Budapest speaks English. We were stopped by the police but thankfully we had a pass to prove we were authorized to visit.
That's not true. I met quite a few people in Budapest who spoke English.
You are delusional that no one speaks English in Budapest. Almost every hotel restaurant, tourist destinations all speak English . Most likely speak it better than you. I myself am living in Buda and speak Hungarian, German and English also a little Russian.
Interesting route. How come you didn't stop by at Belgrade? Plenty of beautiful sites, architecture, cuisine, hospitality, amazing nightlife and the original Nikola Tesla museum as well
It’s on my list!!!!
We went to Poland Sept 2022. When I told my wife she said, POLAND?!?! One of the best trips we've ever taken. Gdansk to Torun to Wroclaw to Krakow. All were awesome, the food and people were incredible. Torun was our favorite.
So your wife was a little apprehensive about going to Poland, but once there she was suprised at how great it is( not to mention how much value for money you get for going there!)?
We went to Poland for the fist time May 2023. I can't wait to go back. Warsaw, Torun (I still can't believe this beautiful city is not in everybody's list!!!), Poznan (wait until the Old Town work is complete; I think by 2024) and, of course, Krakow. Impossible to describe with words... you have to see it!
old town in krakow will be finished just before christmas this year@@carlosi.sintora9836
@@carlosi.sintora9836 high five, Toruń is my home town 💪
I think that movies have normally portrayed a very wrong image of central and eastern Europe, as dark, gray, cloudy, misterious, backwards, etc. stemming from a misconception of the dark middle ages and communist times... the latter very true unfortunately, but what one sees now, is color, joy, fun, real and true color and architecture coming back, and I mean, COMING BACK...
We've been traveling to Krakow every other year, and sometimes yearly since 2010... arrive from the US either in Warsaw or Krakow normally at the begining of May, unwind there for a week, always making Krakow our headquarters, and then, to either other areas of the country or other countries, one always in the itinerary is the Dalmatian Coast where we spend a month, island hoping or inland Croatia... and the neighboring countries... when we leave Croatia, is always thru Bosnia, Medjugorje first, then the final month in Krakow again...
We find the spring really lovely, and go there just a bit ahead of the crowds... When we return home, some of our friends, every time less and less, ask us why we go to those dark gloomy places...
I am from the US. But I have had the wonderful privilege of living in Kraków for the past 10 years. My heart still swells when I walk into Old Town, around the Planty or into the square or plaza at Wawel Castle. I agree with your assessment of my beautiful city!
Krakow is beautiful and so atmospheric! I've been there twice!
Greetings from Croatia and do visit our also beautiful capital Zagreb and nearby little gem Ljubljana in neighbouring Slovenia!
As someone from Budapest, I can confirm that it isn’t a hidden gem anymore. I wish the tourists would concentrate on other districts than the center, because there’s so much to discover. I’m pretty sure that 99.99# of tourists have never visited my favorite bath here! 😁
What I hate about every touristy place is the identical souvenir offer, I mean , Russian dolls in Krakow, wtf? 🙄
What's your favourite baths?
Budapest as well as Prague^^ Slovenia, Croatia and Poland are definitely on my list
Next time you’re in Poland, visit Gdańsk. It’s a city beside the Baltic sea, with long sandy beaches and a lovely Old Town with lots of beautiful buldings.
One of my favourite cities eveeer, it’s a place I keep on falling in love with over and over again. :)
I have been living in Cracow for a long time and it was really great to hear all the nice things you have said about my city in the video. What's more it was very interesting to see how a person from a remote country perceives hidden gems in Eastern Europe because most of us consider them as must-see mainstream spots. Here are 5 hidden gems from my Eastern-European point of view: 1 Ohrid North Macedonia - a city of stunning beauty located by one of the most beautiful and cleanest lakes in Europe.2 Sibiu in Romania - a lovely city which is a mixture of Romanian, Hungarian and German culture. 3 Herceg Novi in Montenegro - a seaside resort which is full of historic places and it's less packed than Kotor. 4 Olomouc in Czechia a city with a wonderful and really big old town. 5 Balchik in Bulgaria - another holiday resort with historic spots and remains of Turkish occupation.
Nepodporuj ty negramoty v tom, ze stredni a jizni Evropa je vychod.
Wow! Thank you for your list - it sounds very intriguing, as does nick's. Can't wait!
Olmouc is very quaint I enjoy it.
Jeśli jesteś Polakiem, jesteś środkowoeuropejskim,
Loved Ljubljana and its charms. It has to be one of the cleanest cities I've seen. Didn't get to try their horse meat, but I have eaten it before and it's tasty. Didn't get to spend much time in Zagreb on my tour, so I couldn't get to see all of the city. Someday....
great to see that Poland is in your list... you should visit Gdańsk and Wrocław too. Also, I don't know when you visited Zagreb but when I did visit it in April, all important architecture are under repair for preservation/maintenance. You're lucky if you get to see those beautiful pieces. Yes I do agree with this list 100%!
Poland is amazingly underrated. I've been to Warsaw and Krakow before and this year I also had a trip to Zakopane, Wroclaw, Poznan and Torun and it was both relatively cheap and fun.
Zakopane is one of the main resort cities in Poland. Skiing in the winter, which I don't do, and great hiking in the summer in and around Tatras National Park.
@@nztrekker I thought it would be that bad for you , considering you’re from NZ...
What would be bad? I'm also not from New Zealand. I've been there many times and use the handle.@@paulsz6194
It is amazing how many people hike up the mountain from the Zakopane city center. About every mile there are numerous outhouses with a sign saying how many minutes to the next outhouses. The city is wonderful. @@nztrekker
We like Poland. Did Krakow in 2019 followed by Gdansk in 2023 and Wrocław/Poznan this year. Toruń is on our to do list. As my wife and I are both over 60 we can get 30% off rail tickets.
Try also Sibiu, Brasov and Sigisoara in Romania 🇷🇴. These are well preserved, beautiful and historical cities. The food is also great and Romania is not expensive compared to western European cities.
You've named my favorite towns in multi - ethnic Transylvania.
And while in Braşov, try to make a day trip to see Sinaia (and Peleş castle) and the nearby fortified churches of Hărman or Prejmer! 😁
Montenegro! A wonderful gem between Mediterranean and Venetian vibes, up to a unique and huge pristine lake and its old capital Cetinje. Further inland Europe's largest canyon and majestic mountains.
I’ve somehow had Montenegro plans interrupted twice - but am determined to go! Thanks for watching
Please dont Hype Montenegro... Should be a secred.
Visisted Montenegro this year. It was juuust okay. It was verry dirty. Beer cans/bottles EVERYWHERE on the pavements and next to the roads.. Insane! We've been there for 2 weeks traveling thoughout the country. The mountains are nice, kotor is overrated, as are the other towns/cities in the South.
@@elzinga87 it's a jugo country nothing surprising here but the sea side is nice
@@TheZerosd Naah, sea
side is nothing special. But maybe for you it is
I’ve been to Budapest often. I enjoy walking around the city and just experiencing its daily life. The bridges are among my favorite in Europe.
Yes, Budapest is also very nice! But not sure if it's so unvisited that it should be on an underrated list?
Your assessment of Zagreb matches mine exactly. What an amazing town. We just happened upon this great city and loved it. Even got invited into the room where they fire the cannon at noon each day! I would also highly recommend Bratislava as a small capitol city that is very walkable and has a stunning castle and old town area.
I was planning a trip to Slovakia the other year, but decided not to go as my other half wasn't fit enough for all of the hikes we'd have planned at the time.
Seriously considered Ukriane, but in the end went Mexico as Ukraine would've been a bit cold in March.
Definitely the right call as we would have been in Ukraine when Russia invaded had we gone to Ukraine.
If it was Summer, we would have gone Ukraine.
I loved Zagreb. In fact I loved the whole of Croatia!
Was there in ‘19, nice in a provincial sense of old Europe, but for food? Pizza, čevapčići, ? Food seemed to be heated up from being packaged or frozen
Croatia 🇭🇷 we love you 😘
I am from Zagreb and it's funny to hear people say it is not as touristy, because for us it seems so incredibly full of tourists it makes life difficult sometimes. Even though I know it is not as bad at all, it still seems like the city is full of tourists. there was no tourism in Zagreb whatsoever until relatively recently, maybe 30 or so years ago it started growing. We had tourists before that of course, but not nearly as much as our coastal towns for example. When I was a child and in high school, there was no tourism. But yeah, it is definitely a real city, if you visit you will feel city has it's own life independent of tourism and it will feel like you get to see authentic life.
I feel like almost all tourists visiting Croatia focus on the coastal cities: Dubrovnik, Split, Sibernik, Pula, etc.
Dubrovnik especially is overrun with tourists and isba long way from Zagreb.
Zagreb is also close enough to Budapest to be in competition for tourists, but not so close that it makes it very easy to visit both, such as with Bratislava, Vienna, etc.
@@Joshua-fi4ji true, its not really in the way to anywhere, if you are visiting croatian coast it is much better to fly to split or dubrovnik, and while in theory zagreb is similar to budapest, bratislava, vienna or ljubljana it is not as beautiful in my opinion. it's my city and i love it but objectively.. meh.. on the other hand, I like that it doesn't have as much tourists, and to be honest I would personally prefer it was even less or no tourists at all, because they do interrupt life and change the vibe of the city. But they bring money of course. most of zagreb neighbourhoods have no tourists though. I'd be very surprised if I saw any foreigners in some parts of city, so yeah it still keeps most of its vibe.
@@Joshua-fi4ji Zagreb was 2nd most visited City/location in Croatia in 2022., packed in summer and its especially packed during Advent. Probably gonna be the same in 2023.
@@Thoreaue interesting statistic. Do you know if that is just tourists and where those tourists are from? It is the administrative capital and largest city in the country after all.
Croatia is probably best known abroad for the Dalmatia coast and I imagine this is where the majority of tourists go during summer, but there probably aren't so many people there outside of the summer months.
For comparison London fills up around advent too, but a big chunk of those people are people from around the UK visiting to see the lights, go shopping and visit the Christmas Markets/Winter Wonderland (not to say there aren't also international tourists). It's sometimes hard to spot tourists around London given how much of an international multicultural city it is.
@@Joshua-fi4ji Seems I gave you wrong info - The capital Zagreb received the largest number of visitors in Croatia in 2022, at nearly 1.1 million arrivals. Rovinj came in the second place. Over the last few years Zagreb became very popular tourist destination, just last month 3 new luxury hotels were open. During advent season you cannot find free accommodation. Ppl were staying as far as Jastrebarsko - 30 km from Zagreb.
Slovenia and Croatia was on my 2020 itinerary when covid hit. Thanks for the valuable tips. I'm headed there in the fall, my 1st trip since the world re-opened (been very cautious. Btw I totally love Budapest especially during Christmas season. Did you try the polish donut? There was one next to my hotel on the main square in Krakow). Keep traveling 🤩
My husband and I are in Krakow, Poland right now! It is beautiful and historic. We also had short stays in Gdansk, Torún and a week in Warsaw. I suggest Warsaw. It’s a “real” city - had lots to do including parks, but the icing on the top is that it’s less touristy therefore less expensive! Loved the food, the milk bars and the sidewalk coffee bars!
Three Romanian towns worth a visit are Oradea,Cluj napoca, and Turda. The salt mine outside Turda is absolutely fascinating
Love this recommendation, thanks! I had an epic Romania road trip planned in 2021 and had to shift our schedule due to COVID, but will go in the future, Lord willing!
Sibiu!
@@awaytogether continue planning your Romania trip! I've seen Bucharest and Braşov and while Bucharest might not be pretty all around, there's still plenty to do and there are buildings and churches you can just go inside so you could admire the architecture! Also, tons of good food in that city too!
I’ve been to all 5 of your cities and generally like them all. There are lots of others however. Belgrade is a very cool city and so is Sarajevo. Albania and the Greek Ionian Islands, etc. One thing I definitely agree with you on is the food in Cyprus. It is phenomenal. Greek food, Turkish food, seafood, Middle Eastern food, Cyprus as it all. Extremely reasonably priced. It’s not just exceptional fish, calamari and octopus, it’s also lamb (don’t miss the national dish kleftiko), cheese, mushrooms, dairy products, sweet wines and spirits.
Great travel tips, particularly Ljubljana, which I never considered. Thx!
Thanks for nice tips.
I dont find Budapest as much underrated, but I understand for people in US, may never heard about it. There is also one pretty big music festival close to it in summer - Sziget.
Budapest is the best, I call this city my home and I love everything about it. Night life or outdoor activities, fantastic! Tomorrow we have big national holiday and traditionally huge fireworks. World athletic championship started today after few days of famous Sziget festival. It's still nice driving around the city as everyone still on holidays. Croatian coast few hours down the beautiful highway. Everything is in close driving distance, wonderful Zagreb or Ljubljana. Thanks for the food tips 😊
When visiting Krakow - the Wieliczka Salt Mine is a must trip. Trips from Krakow to Zakopane for a few days would be highly recommended too.
I’ve been in 2 of the 5 cities mentioned. Budapest and Krakow. Definitely beautiful and want to go back to in the future. Will need to go visit the other 3.
I’m so happy to hear that others visited Poland and loved it, like I did! I spent two months working mostly in Warsaw, with a couple of weeks in Kazimierz, which I just found out is very near Krakow. I worked every day, but I was writing, so I could wander a bit before settling in to work. I loved both cities and recommend them all of the time as places to visit outside of the much more popular ones we all know!
Ghent Belgium was a lovely city that my husband took me for a few days after our Norway cruise. I would definitely go back. Saving this video for future travels!
Yeah, Ghent is a gem. Better than Brussels and less crowded than Bruges.
Can I add Antwerp to that. Culture, Architecture, Food, Beer and so much history it hurts. Belgiums second city is completely overlooked by travellers.
If you guys are still travelling and are near northern Croatia, worth visiting is, ISTRA region - Rovinj, Pula, Groznjan, Motovun, Lovran, Opatia and Rijeka their 3rd largest city. Also a short distance from Rijeka is the island of Krk, it’s neighbouring islands are - Mali Lozin and Cres. AMAZING.
I’m sure you have already explored the islands of Croatia. What people don’t realise is, that there are 60 Inhabited islands along the Croatian coastline of over 1200 islands altogether.
I left when I was 6 and have lived in Australia since 1958. Our 5th and last visit to Croatia will be in 2024. We also love Zagreb and plan to discover more of the country side on our last road trip.
😊More info on the best country to live in, by an English man who has lived there for over 20 years - Paul Bradbury (Croatian expert).
Safe travels, Louise
Maybe you will visit homeland for 7th time and more
Istrian Croatia is definitely underrated. I fell in love with Rovinj. For sure the other small cities are fun too. Mostly just German tourists. The seafood is the best I've eaten in Europe so far. Croatia is really beautiful. I also enjoyed Zagreb!
I just got back from Poland. I agree, Krakow is lovely. I stayed near the castle and had a beautiful afternoon walking around, having a beer and people watching. Gdańsk is also really pretty and from Gdańsk you can take a short train ride to Sopol on the Baltic coast. It’s a pretty town, very walkable as well.
Krakow is one of the most popular touristic cities, for heaven's sake. What hidden gem?
Before I war I did an exchange trip to Ukraine back in 2017 and I must say Kyiv is still my favorite city i've ever been to. I've been to most major Canadian and American cities and doing a trip to europe next week for two and a half weeks and i'll definitely be adding Budapest to my list.
Nice tips here. I would add Poznan in Poland, Sibiu in Romania, Blois and Tours in the Loire valley in France and last but not least Plovdiv in Bulgaria, which is full of Roman heritage including a still operating amphitheatre in the old town.
Poznan was ok - it wasn’t as good as Gdansk or Wrocław. The historical squares do become similar after a bit!
Heading to Europe next month for six week with only 3 weeks worth of plans so far. This video is so inspiring! I'm definitely going to research heading East now. Thanks!
I would add Lviv, Ukraine to that list (not right now of course), beautiful city that no one from the West knows about. Vilnius, Lithuania is beautiful too! Kraków is great but personally as a pole It is not my favourite cause it's too touristy. For me most underrated polish city is Wrocław, beautiful city located close to Germany and Czech republic.
Thank you for mentioning Lviv, I love this city and definitely everyone should visit it after we win the war against ruzzian Nazi.
@@yuriya1220 I love Lviv, I hope that this terrible war will end soon and I can visit it again one day.
Aarhus, Denmark ; Vilnius, Lithuania
Your choices are really good, but you’ve got to check out Belgrade, Serbia. See what Lonely Planet had to say. It is the New York City of the Balkans, and it rocks! I subscribed and look forward to more videos. Thank you!
A European hidden gem, Lviv, Ukraine - the best coffee and chocolate paired with cobbled streets and a charming atmosphere ❤
There's no doubt. As soon as it is a safe place again Lviv will be definitely worth visiting.
Yes, Krakow is beautiful and all the other cities in this list I want to visit. I would add Prag, Lissabon, Zürich and my hometown Hamburg (but visit it in the summer).
I've been to Hamburg in December, had a great time!
Kracow # 1 !!!. Best experience ever!
Gdansk, Wroclaw, Vilnius, Riga, all amazing! Fun trip. Start in Vilnius, go up to Riga then Tallinn, then take a short fast ferry over to Helsinki.
Honestly said, as person, which visited cca 80% of capitals of Europe, i do not recommend Zagreb for visiting, if you are in Croatia, go to Sibenik, Dubrovnik, Rovinj or Split. If you travel to central Europe, and looking for Capital citis, i would reccomend like this: Prague, Budapest and Vienna on same level. You can not make a mistake by choosing any of them, but always meet a different culture - Slavic Germanic and this very specific Hungarian :D. Just passed Bratislava. Lubjana is nice for one day, small but cute.. Belehrad is in comparism with Zagreb very nice and Sarajevo is small, but already feel this ,,oriental" culture which is quiet unique in Europe... :-) To Paphos i never been to and Krakow i visited like 10 times, very nice...
Must admit that Ljubljana and Zagreb were fairly underwhelming on my recent trip there. Felt like we ran out of things to do in under a day. We stopped at both places while traveling to Lake Bled and Plitvice Lake (both incredible!) and I wouldn't have added them as stops if I went again. Krakow though is absolutely wonderful and I agree with everything said about it!
I also was finished with Zagreb in a day. So many other interesting places to visit.
That's probably so since you haven't prepared for your trip and explored in advance what each of these cities has to offer. For instance Zagreb is city full of exquisite and unique museums some of which also hold expositions of the international value! Zagreb is also one of the rare capital cities that has over 900 meters high mountain with stunning nature, serious ski tracks and vistas where you can come by car, bike, by foot but also with very long and spectacular cable car. This is also very green city with astonishing parks including the huge and oldest in southeastern Europe public park Maksimir with many alleyways, lakes, heritage buildings. Zagreb hosts beautiful botanical gardens and series of city green areas in a shape of horseshoes. I bet you also haven't been to medieval Medvedgrad castle that is high above the city, in medieval upper town, Lotrščak tower observatory, crossed throughout unique Stone gate and Zagreb pedestrian tunnel, stunning cathedral with roots in medieval times, in parts of New Zagreb where you'll find ultra modern and grand Museum of contemporary art with many pieces of art including those by the world famous artists!
Zagreb offers a lot even in terms of cuisine, it has numerous interesting restaurants. This city also hosts large number of interesting manifestations of international level, it's host city of world famous In Music indie, pop and rock festival located at the amazing artificial Jarun lake, it has been voted three times as the best European Advent destination, it has very live classic and modern art scene, great opera and ballet house, grand concert hall that is home of internationally recognised Zagreb philharmonic where there are also many concerts of international classic and more modern performers and list goes on and on! Even beautiful and ornate Zagreb central cemetery or Mirogoj with series of monumental colonnades and towers is superb tourist attraction in itself and must see attraction!
And at the top of all of that, in very near proximity you'll also find charming small town Samobor, astonishing medieval castles Trakošćan and Veliki Tabor, J.B.Tito birthplace in Kumrovec, baroque era gem Varaždin!
But I guess you haven't heard or seen any of these things since you've come with prejudice and stayed probably only day or two which is not enough time even to walk past major tourist attractions let alone immerse yourself more thoroughly in some of them!
Although smaller than Zagreb, Ljubljana is also amazing place that has to offer a lot!
Also both cities have great locals and unimaginably vibrant and cool lifestyle, coffe culture, farmers markets and many other things that esp.someone from the US and parts of Western Europe can't see anymore back home!
@@dollimelaine
You haven't prepared yourself in advance so it's no wonder that you had such a experience in otherwise amazing and very interesting city that offers a lot that so many of you simply miss out.
I agree, I lived in Zagreb and apart from a stroll around Gornji Grad, the old town, I can't think of anything to recommend it. I'd stick to the coast.
@@johnnybee69
It is shameful If you as a former resident of this city can't recommend much more than this an this tells s lot about your lack of knowledge, your narrow interests, weak power of observance and culture!
I can go on and on about Zagreb as long as it takes! What exactly other than sea, beach and sun do you find that much more interesting that is present in, let's say Split after you're done with Diocletian's palace tour?!
At the other hand Zagreb is city almost 5 times more populous and over 5 times larger with huge selection of interesting stuff unless you're really shallow person that is only going after beach!
Have u been to Malta yet?? Full of history and lots to see, would need approx 3-5 days for the first visit, very affordable, friendly people, 95% speak english, good public transport, food is amazing and not expensive (massive portions mind!), good local wine. Another Europe's hidden gem! 😉
I bet there is a ton of Europeans who haven't heard about Ljubljana as well. And about most of other capitals of countries proclaimed after Yugoslavia had been split, like Podgorica or Skopje. Most of us probably have heard about Sarajevo, but mostly in context of Balcan war; that it's a capital and of which country... definetely not as many. Believe me, I've learned about Skopje and Ljubljana only because I've travelled there and I think I'm one of the least oblivious people I know.
I'm Polish, by the way.
I visited all the cities you've mentioned, most od them during their Christmas markets (Budapest, although it wasn't my first time there, Zagreb and Ljubljana); in my opinion it's very good season to visit many places in Europe. Paphos for me too was a chill out destination as it turned out. The least time of the five I spent in Crocow, probably because it's in Poland and I still have problems with traveling around my trully beautiful homeland (besides Zakopane; I love Zakopane and Polish Tatra Mountains, although I don't visit them as often as I'd like to). Come visit Europe more, there is so many hidden gems here you wouldn't believe. Poland included, of course.
How did you not include Lisbon? It is affordable capital cities in Europe, beautiful and getting tons of tourism (maybe too much). We have so many historic and beautiful towns and cities to visit, but most recognize the capital. The other cities you mentioned are beautiful but most of them are in Eastern Europe. Perhaps, the video described as the best cities in Eastern Europe to visit. Those are beautiful cities though…not taking anything from those cities.
Zagreb is actually geographically more west than Vienna, and more west than Stockholm!! So, Croatia is considered central Europe, situated on north Mediterranean! Fyi! Also, culturally, Croatia was more than 400 years a part of Habsburg monarchy and previous to that, more than 600 years a part of Roman empire (some parts of Croatia are still bilingual today btw, with both Croatian and Italian being official languages)! So also culturally and even in terms of the religion (with mostly Roman Catholic religion being practiced amongst its citizens), its definitely central Europe (together with Slovenia)! Ur welcome!✌🏻☺️👋🏻
Ok so for me what constitutes as an “underrated city” is when the city is overshadowed by a far better known domestic rival, so here are my options:
UK - just to clarify upfront I am actually British or to be more specific English and I am actually a born and raised Londoner, however for me there are so many gems in the country that are always so overlooked by the capital. One of the greatest places to visit in the UK is Brighton & Hove obviously everyone who lives in the country knows about it but so many foreign tourists are surprisingly unaware of its existence, the food is amazing, it has some of the best places to go shopping with so many quirky stores and then nightlife is great, plus its right on the beach so what’s not to love?
However for me the most underrated city is Manchester and I think it’s even underrated by Brits ourselves. Obviously it’s really famous for sport and music and these have both heavily influenced the cities unique cultural identity. Manchester was once an industrial powerhouse and I personally really love the well preserved Victorian architecture from this time period, most of the old factories have been reconverted into housing, shopping centres or food courts. The nightlife is also great you’ll have a great night out, especially if you are in the Northern Quarter which is fiercely independent, I love how well the city has preserved certain districts so they maintain distinct vibes. Honestly why it’s not on most travellers bucket lists is a mystery to me? (I’d also recommend Bristol, Glasgow & Liverpool for similar reasons listed above)
Germany - Hamburg is my recommendation of a very underrated German city, it’s as cool as Berlin but perhaps without the ego and it’s super undiscovered which I think makes it more hip. The Reeperbahn is epic too, a really fun city to explore!
France - Marseille has a reputation as being a bit dangerous and yeah it can be though I’d argue no more so than any other metropolitan city, but man it’s really worth a visit, hardly any tourists here too so quite a unique travel experience based on that fact alone
Spain - statistically a country that always features at the top of most travelled to destinations but that’s mainly tourists flocking to coastal beach resort towns on the med. For me though I’d recommend getting yourself up to the Atlantic coastline and explore San Sebastián which is in my opinion a perfect little beach city, also hands down the best food I’ve ever eaten in Spain. Neighbouring Bilbao is also nearby and there’s a cheap coach between both, it’s also worth a visit mainly because it’s unlike any other city in Spain as it’s far more industrial so has quite unique architecture (it looked more like Liverpool or Manchester for that reason than say Madrid). (I’d also give an honourable mention to Valencia which I really liked and even preferred to Barcelona which I found quite overrated)
Lastly I’d recommend the country of Belgium in general, which is always treated as a bit of a joke by the rest of Europe and I get why, it’s a confusing place which has a French and Dutch speaking population who never mix but I think it’s really underrated, Brussels is always referred to as a dirty or a boring place but I disagree, it’s no dirtier than Paris or Barcelona and I’ve never had a bad time there
Anyway apologies that’s long, hopefully that’s given you some inspiration who ever is reading this
Although I respect your opinion.. and all of the cities are wonderful .. I’d hardly call Budapest, Kraków or Zagreb “hidden gems”.. they all receive at least 2 million foreign tourists a year… and probably millions more from their own respective countries. Pafos is also a huge destination for Europeans !
He is American and is mostly talking to Americans. I would bet there are places in the USA that are very popular that us Europeans have never heard of
I hear what you’re saying. I’d challenge the notion that underrated equals unvisited. Siem Reap Cambodia is visited by millions every year as well, but I’d still say it doesn’t get the credit it deserves. I never thought this video would have the reach that it does, but my original intention was to inform an American traveler, who has only ever thought about visiting Rome or Paris, or major sites in western Europe. I recognize most of these places are still pretty main stream. Regardless, THANK YOU, for watching and taking the time to give me feedback. Happy Travels.
For Zagreb you didn't mention uptown! Next time, hit me up, I have a lovely apartment there in the center ☺️
Loved my visit to Krakow - hard to chose between that and Seville as my favourite European City break so far. I strongly recommend the latter if you haven't been
An excellent list. I love Budapest 🇭🇺. I prefer Limassol and Larnaca in Cyprus 🇨🇾. I would also add Belgrade 🇷🇸 to the list. I don’t know if you’d call it a ‘hidden’ gem, but I would also add Luxembourg 🇱🇺.
Poland is nice indeed but would say Wroclaw is a more underrated city then Krakow
I had the same thoughts in the beginning about Poland but ended up loving it and seriously thinking about going to live there, there are many amazing cities there, Gdansk & Gdynia, Warsaw , Poznan, and my favourite Wroclaw, also if you've time try to go to the mountains in the south, Zakopane is soooo beautiful in autumn🍁☘🌺🍁
Krakow and Budapest are highly visited cities.
Been to most of Europe (I live here, although I come from Missouri). I like the even smaller places. Regensburg, Germany...Verona, Italy (not that small), Strasbourg (& Colmar), France...Brno, Czechia...Ceske Budejovice, also Czechia, anywhere in Portugal. I know many Americans only get to visit Europe once, maybe twice, so that London, Berlin, Rome, etc. are places they must see, but I think you learn so much more about a place if you keep your travel time to a minimum. Concentrate on a smaller region instead of 11 cities in 10 days.
I fell in love with Regensburg this summer. I could see myself being very happy living there.
Krakow is very high on our travel list, as well as Slovenia and a return trip to Croatia to see the Northern part of the country.
Tahlinn Estonia. If you liked the old world charm of Krakow, you'll love the middle age capital city of Tahlinn.
Since you've kindly asked about other European destinations that folks may recommend, I'll throw in another Balkan location. I was assigned to the U.S. Embassy in Albania for three years, and can highly recommend the southern Albanian city of Ksamil. It's near the Greek border on the Ionian Sea, and really is the jewel of the region. It's beautiful, affordable, has very friendly people and offers delicious cuisine.
I'll tell you what. I bought me a small condo right on the water in New Plagia, Chalkidiki in Greece and I've been spending my springs and summers here for a few years now (yep that's where I am right now). It helps of course that I can work from anywhere in the world. Thessaloniki, a large city is half an hour away and I go there frequently. Lots of history, not to mention it's Alexander the Great's hometown, great cafes, restaurants, bars and boutiques with awesome clothes and fashion. And the entire Chalkidiki has fantastic beaches and awesome food. I'll most likely retire here, or spend at least 8 months out of the year here.
I recently visit Budapest, I saw the Csardas Princess performance in Opereta House. Zagreb and his Old Town is amaizing. Krakow and his Wawel Dragon castle is lovable.
I am still surprised every time a traveler from afar finds my Zagreb likable. Thank you!
Belgium: Brussels, Brugge, Gent, Antwerp....ever seen ????
I would recommend Vilinius in Lithuania, such an awesome city with loads of great places to eat and super interesting history and plenty of day trips out. Doing the balloon ride was definetly the highlight!
OMG!!! I need to spend more than 90 days in Europe next year... my first 30 days is all the main MUST SEE places in W. Europe... Rome, Paris, London... ect. Im taking my mom with me for that. But I want to travel all the world and vlog... now I have more desire for E. Europe!!
Lyon, France. A charming city for lovers of food and history.
I spent maybe 2 days in Lyon years and years ago on my first ever trip to Europe. Loved it. Some of the best food of that entire trip!
In Zagreb, in the city parc, are 2 litlle but beautifull museums: Strossmayer Kunstsammlung Old Masters and 100m nearby in a adorable villa the National museum of croatian art. The second is a lovable place🤗 You can trink a coffee in a garten full antiques, also on this street. Ask the museum cashier🤔
I absolutely love this video. I've never been to Paphos but all the others are places I've been to many times and I adore them all.
In terms of hidden gems I don't know what to suggest. One of my favourite cities is Brno in the Czech Republic. I have personal reasons to feel attached to this place (I was a university student here back in the 1970s!!) but I prefer it to Prague. Certainly fewer beautiful spots than Prague but also fewer tourists, tourist traps and with lots of great bars and restaurants and just a more representative experience of life in the Czech Republic.
Ljubljana is great for like a day trip.