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Underrated holiday destinations

96 replies

WisteriaHysteria22 · 30/05/2022 12:13

So inspired by the current emperor's new clothes holiday thread, where have people been on a holiday that exceeded expectations or is currently underrated/less mainstream?

OP posts:
sheepandcaravan · 30/05/2022 12:15

There was an absolutely cracking thread on this last year maybe? Will see if I can find it.

Had some super ideas.

WisteriaHysteria22 · 30/05/2022 12:18

Oh yes please @sheepandcaravan ! Reading the other one, looking at my list and thinking ah, maybe time for a rethink, ha!

OP posts:
WisteriaHysteria22 · 30/05/2022 12:22

My starter for 10 is the Greek mainland (coastal) unspoilt, unhurried, beautiful food, nice locals and other visitors. Also the two places we visited had a real focus on natural products/organic food/biodiversity etc. this was years before it was fashionable.

OP posts:
sheepandcaravan · 30/05/2022 12:23

Working my way down watched list. It was really helpful.

sheepandcaravan · 30/05/2022 12:26

I Google searched, underrated places in the uk, may 2021

Also
Underrated holiday destinations, same month. Both good.

Seem unable to link. Sorry

ramonaquimby · 30/05/2022 12:28

Sark. what an amazing place!

FelicityFlops · 30/05/2022 13:58

Germany, beaches on the Baltic or the islands off the west coast, lakes in the south. Places along the Rhine, especially opposite Alsace and the Vosges.
Austria, especially upper Austria
Alsace and the Jura in France

BarbaraofSeville · 30/05/2022 14:05

The surprising hits from any 'much nicer than most people think' holiday destination threads are often Mallorca and Lanzarote.

People just have to open their minds to Mallorca being far more than Magaluf and 'Lanzagrotty' only really applying to Costa Teguise and the new part of Puerto del Carmen.

Both islands have lots more of interest with architecture, authenticity, arts, culture, stunning landscapes, beaches, water sports, good food etc etc. You'd have to choose your accommodation quite badly to end up in the AI beer and chips hell hole that you fear.

PAFMO · 30/05/2022 14:10

BarbaraofSeville · 30/05/2022 14:05

The surprising hits from any 'much nicer than most people think' holiday destination threads are often Mallorca and Lanzarote.

People just have to open their minds to Mallorca being far more than Magaluf and 'Lanzagrotty' only really applying to Costa Teguise and the new part of Puerto del Carmen.

Both islands have lots more of interest with architecture, authenticity, arts, culture, stunning landscapes, beaches, water sports, good food etc etc. You'd have to choose your accommodation quite badly to end up in the AI beer and chips hell hole that you fear.

What puts me off is being on the same plane as them before we go off to different bits!

I'll offer up Brussels. Yep. Brussels. I lived there for 6 months years ago and hated every single second. But that wasn't Brussels, it was me. Visited with DD in 2019 and thought it was fab. Wonderful boutique hotel cheap as anything 100metres from the gallery that takes you into the Grande Place. Great food, nice people, interesting museums and exhibitions. Went to the EU buildings and they were utterly fascinating. Spent the whole day in there (all free) and only came out because we were starving.

Plannersareus · 30/05/2022 14:14

The Belgian coast, did this as part of a backpacking trip, you can get trams along most of it and there are some lovely places to visit along the way.

timtam23 · 30/05/2022 14:16

I really enjoyed Helsinki, some of the smaller Finnish cities in the Lakeland region and of course the lakes themselves

DameHelena · 30/05/2022 14:21

Aarhus in Denmark. Maybe not underrated as such, but presumably not as visited as Copenhagen.
It has a lovely cobbled quarter with indie shops and cafes, what people describe as a 'forest' (more a wooded hillside, but very nice) with paths to meander along, and a beach/swimming area with municipal sauna and changing rooms etc, all spotless and functioning (quite the novelty to a Brit!)
And a wonderful art gallery where you can easily spend the whole day.
It is small, but that makes it manageable.

Abracadabra12345 · 30/05/2022 14:22

Plannersareus · 30/05/2022 14:14

The Belgian coast, did this as part of a backpacking trip, you can get trams along most of it and there are some lovely places to visit along the way.

We’re going to Brussels this year so it’s great to read! How do you get to the Belgian coast? (Yes, I can google)

Dreikanter · 30/05/2022 14:43

I think I probably put these on the last thread, but Cadiz, the northern coast of Spain and the northern region of Portugal are all underrated in my opinion.

FloweryCurtainTwitcher · 30/05/2022 14:50

Texas. Amazing weather, culture and food and much cheaper than Florida or San Francisco

Confuseddotcombo · 30/05/2022 14:51

Ischia island off the Amalfi coast in Italy. Sister island to Capri, which is awfully stressful to visit due to the space and amount of US/British/ Asian visitors.

Hardly any of these tourists visit Ischia, even though it is far superior in terms of spas, food, beaches, mountain vistas. The hotels are so cheap compared to the rest of the Amalfi coast, it’s really strange why it’s not ‘on the map’.

nearlyspringyay · 30/05/2022 15:19

The Hebrides

Plannersareus · 30/05/2022 15:53

I got the Eurostar to Calais and worked my way up to the coast the first time. Second time we got the ferry to Rotterdam and drove to Belgium, we had a toddler at the time and they loved the trams.

www.belgiancoast.co.uk/en/inspiration/coastal-tram

Plannersareus · 30/05/2022 15:57

This reply has been withdrawn

This message has been withdrawn at the poster's request

Nutellanjam · 30/05/2022 15:59

Aletsch Arena in Switzerland. Brilliant in winter and summer

Onelankwen · 30/05/2022 16:15

Abracadabra12345 · 30/05/2022 14:22

We’re going to Brussels this year so it’s great to read! How do you get to the Belgian coast? (Yes, I can google)

You can take a train from Brussels to Ostend. Knokke, Blankenberge, Nieuwpoort and De Panne all have their own railway stations. All Belgian coastal towns and villages are linked to one another by tram. I personally think De Haan is the most beautiful one, Knokke-Zoute is the poshest one and Blankenberge is the most popular one. In Knokke you can also visit the Zwin, a beautiful nature reserve.
You could also interrupt your train ride from Brussels towards the coast in Ghent and/or Bruges. Absolutely worth it!
(I grew up near the Belgian coast)

Kris02 · 30/05/2022 17:08

The UK generally is underrated. London, in particular, is a place we all take for granted. But it really is one of the greatest cities in the world. I went to the London Marathon last year, and pretty much everyone I spoke to said the same thing: "why the hell don't I come to London more often?"

Cambridge would be my next choice. In fact, I'd nominate Cambridge as my favourite place in the world. I especially love it on bright, cold, sunny mornings in Autumn. I go and have a coffee, watch the students and professors drifting about, then spend the rest of the day looking at the beautiful buildings and mooching around the bookshops. It's incredible to think of the people who've studied there, and walked the same streets - Newton, Darwin, Wordsworth, Byron, Nabokov, Wittgenstein, Stephen Fry, Bertrand Russell, etc.

Manchester. People have this fixed idea of it as grim, scruffy and post-industrial. Actually, it's a place to watch. I wouldn't be surpised to see it booming ten or twenty years from now.

Northumberland is underrated. The whole area around the English-Scottish border is gorgeous (and relatively empty).

Norway is pleasant - quiet and civilized. I also like Brussels. Portugal is underrated, especially Lisbon. Oh, and Madrid. Everyone goes to Barcelona instead, but I really loved Madrid (also much bigger than I expected).

I guess it depends what you like. Lots of people have this thing about Australia, for example - like it's some kind of paradise. Well, fine, if you like hot sunshine and beaches I guess it is. But I'm not a beach person, and I really dislike the heat. Personally, I can't imagine anything more boring than living in a small Australian town.

yikesanotherbooboo · 30/05/2022 17:20

@FelicityFlops have you watched Nordic Murders on Walter presents set in this area?
We had a lovely holiday on mainland Denmark near Aarhus ; beautiful beaches and excellent quality accommodation.
We also had a good family holiday in Sweden with swimming in lakes and the Baltic and lots to see and do.

generalh · 30/05/2022 17:26

Aigues Mortes in the south of France

BarbaraofSeville · 30/05/2022 17:27

UK is good as a holiday destination as long as you're not bothered about decent weather.

Most people go abroad for the guaranteed sun, or a change of scene from what they normally do on a weekend as day trips. If you holiday in the UK, you've got to plan for rain, which often means paying for inside attractions, which then makes it expensive.

Or you end up staying in your accommodation that you paid £££s for, which then inevitably leads to the realisation that you could have stayed at home and done the same for free.

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