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10 Underrated Places in Europe to Visit Instead of the Famous Ones

Ten places in Europe that do what the famous names do, with a fraction of the crowds. Each one is named against the place it replaces, with the airport you fly into, the onward bus or train, the best months and what a day on the ground really costs.

Photo: Diego Delso, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons. Text added by Trip Under.

Every place on Trip Under has to name the famous place it replaces. Each of these does what people fly to the famous one for, whether a Roman theatre, a Gothic old town or a lake with a chapel on it, without the queues. Costs are what one person spends on the ground each day; flights to each gateway are not included.

All ten at a glance

The Balkans: the best value in Europe

Four of the six cheapest places on the list are in the Balkans. Carry cash: in Albania and North Macedonia, buses, ticket desks and small guesthouses mostly want local currency.

Theth & Valbona, Albania: ₹2,350 a day

Instead of: Ksamil. Best months: Jun–Sep.

Two stone villages either side of a 1,800 m pass, a ferry up a flooded canyon to reach them, and guesthouse beds for ₹1,500. Guesthouses at both ends of the walk include dinner and breakfast, which is why the day rate is so low. The valleys open mid-June to early October. There is no ATM in either village, so bring all your lek from Shkodër.

Getting there: fly into Tirana (TIA) and get to Shkodër, the staging town, then Shkodër → Koman → ferry → Fierzë → Valbona (9 h, about ₹2,200 one way). See the Theth & Valbona plan →

Plovdiv, Bulgaria: ₹4,300 a day

Instead of: Athens. Best months: May, Sep.

A Roman theatre you can sit in for the price of a coffee, a stadium under the shopping street, and painted Revival houses on three hills. The stadium and the views from Nebet Tepe cost nothing. Bulgaria has used the euro since 1 January 2026.

Getting there: Sofia (SOF), then bus Sofia Central Bus Station → Plovdiv (about 2 h, about ₹860 one way). See the Plovdiv plan →

Berat & Gjirokastër, Albania: ₹4,700 a day

Instead of: Dubrovnik. Best months: May–Jun, Sep.

Two UNESCO Ottoman towns where people still live inside the castle walls: Berat's thousand white windows and Gjirokastër's grey stone roofs. Two UNESCO towns a few hours apart: give it four days, two nights in each. Only one direct bus a day is listed between them, at 14:00, so ask at Berat bus station the day before.

Getting there: Tirana (TIA), then bus Tirana → Berat (about 2 h 15 m, about ₹650 one way). See the Berat & Gjirokastër plan →

Ohrid, North Macedonia: ₹4,800 a day

Instead of: Lake Bled. Best months: May–Jun, Sep.

A clifftop chapel over one of Europe's oldest lakes, Byzantine frescoes in every second church, and a fortress walk for the price of a coffee. July and August are packed and prices jump; come in late May, June or September.

Getting there: Skopje (SKP), then bus Skopje → Ohrid (about 3 h 20 m, about ₹1,480 one way). See the Ohrid plan →

Central Europe: the old towns without the queues

Wrocław, Poland: ₹4,200 a day

Instead of: Kraków. Best months: May–Sep.

A city of twelve islands and a hundred bridges, with a market square as grand as Kraków's and hundreds of little bronze dwarfs hidden in its pavements. Restaurants on the Rynek charge roughly double; walk one street off the square.

Getting there: fly direct to Wrocław (WRO) from a European hub, or take the train Warsaw → Wrocław (PKP Intercity IC/TLK) (about 4 h 30 m, about ₹1,650 one way). See the Wrocław plan →

Košice, Slovakia: ₹4,800 a day

Instead of: Prague. Best months: May–Sep.

A Gothic cathedral, a singing fountain and a mile-long main street of pastel townhouses, at half Prague's prices and a tenth of its crowds. Eat your main meal off the weekday lunch menu and you halve your food spend. The train from Bratislava runs through the Tatras.

Getting there: fly into Košice (KSC) via Vienna, or take the train Bratislava → Košice (ZSSK InterCity or RegioJet) (about 5 h, about ₹2,300 one way). See the Košice plan →

Portugal and Spain: the other side of Iberia

Coimbra, Portugal: ₹6,600 a day

Instead of: Lisbon. Best months: May–Jun, Sep.

A hilltop university older than most countries, a baroque library of gold and books, and its own slower, sadder fado sung by students in black capes. Trains stop at Coimbra-B, outside the centre, so allow time for the shuttle. Late May's student festival fills every bed.

Getting there: Lisbon (LIS), then Intercidades Lisboa → Coimbra-B (about 1 h 45 m, about ₹2,065 one way). See the Coimbra plan →

Asturias, Spain: ₹7,500 a day

Instead of: Barcelona. Best months: May–Jun, Sep.

Green Spain: limestone peaks, glacial lakes and cider poured from above the head, an hour from fishing villages stacked above the Bay of Biscay. Base yourself in Cangas de Onís. Car access to the Covadonga lakes is banned on high-season days, so take the bus. Three courses on the lunchtime menú del día is the best value in Spain.

Getting there: Asturias Airport (OVD) → Oviedo (about 45 min, about ₹840 one way). See the Asturias plan →

The north: dearer, and worth it

Tartu, Estonia: ₹7,400 a day

Instead of: Tallinn. Best months: Jun–Aug.

Estonia's university town: a leaning town-hall square, a ruined cathedral on a park hill, and the country's best museum in a hangar-sized building on an old Soviet airfield. Many museums close on Mondays. Book the bus or train online: the same seat costs more on the day.

Getting there: Tallinn (TLL), then Lux Express from Tallinn Airport → Tartu (about 2 h 30 m, about ₹1,210 one way). See the Tartu plan →

Westfjords, Iceland: ₹14,000 a day

Instead of: the Golden Circle. Best months: Jun–Aug.

Flat-topped mountains dropping straight into long, empty fjords, a waterfall shaped like a bridal veil, and roads where you meet more sheep than cars. The dearest place on the list by far. Self-catering from an Ísafjörður supermarket brings it down.

Getting there: fly into Keflavík (KEF), take the Flybus to Reykjavík, then fly Reykjavík city airport (RKV) → Ísafjörður (IFJ) (40-50 min, about ₹9,400 one way). See the Westfjords plan →

Which one should you pick?

When to go

May, June and September suit almost everything south of the Baltic, with fewer people than July and August. Theth and the Westfjords are summer-only. Wildfire risk runs from April to October in Portugal and the Balkans, so check local advice before hill walks.

Frequently asked questions

Sources and how we priced this

• Daily costs, routes, fares, best months and warnings: each place's Trip Under page (linked above), built on our cost method. Prices are stored in rupees and shown in your currency at fixed rates.
• Travel advice summaries come from the UK FCDO pages cited on each place page (checked August to October 2026).
• Flights to each gateway are not included: they depend on where you start. Check live fares, and check entry rules for your passport, before you book.

Keep reading

Costs come from Trip Under's place data and our cost model (see methodology). They are indicative ballparks for budget travel and move with season and demand. Check live bus, train and room prices before you book. Trip Under is reader-planned, not an agency, and takes no commission on any booking.