Places not to go?

Laurel,

I'm sure the tourist traffic will increase in those towns now that they've been featured in CN Traveller. I've also been to some of those on the list, and seeing these pictures makes me want to return!

Interlaken, Switzerland
Known for its stunning lakes and old timber houses, the Swiss town of Interlaken also happens to be a mecca for adventure travelers. Aside from sledging and kayaking, . . .

I don't remember many timber houses in Interlaken.
And the adventures they describe are not in Interlaken, but smaller places further into the mountains.

Hallstätt, Austria
Population: 779

No Umlaut, its just Hallstatt. It may only have 779 inhabitants, read this though: https://www.bbc.com/news/av/world-europe-49171477/hallstatt-a-town-of-800-people-that-gets-a-million-tourists-a-year

Kaysersberg, France
Population: 4,677
. . . the tiny, cobblestoned village . . .

I agree Kayserberg is not to be missed, but 4677 inhabitants is a small town, not a "tiny village".

My favourite small towns - I'm not telling you lot.☺

😀
Smart cookie!

Ken, I agree some of the pictures compel me to want to return but we've found our own favorites elsewhere these days.

Chris, I'd be happy to have people stop in Interlaken and go no further (says my evil twin). I wanted to go to Hallstatt but the recent spate of articles make it sound anything but idyllic

I've been to about 8 of these and they are no hidden gems. They are already busy. Interlaken does have some timbered buildings. I actually have a picture of one.

I've only been to three of them, and while they are lovely, I'm not sure I would consider Vernazza for a "low key romantic get-away."

@Laurel - It's not idyllic, but it IS beautiful!

Laurel,

You could try visiting Hallstatt in the "off season". It's one of the most beautiful places I've visited in Europe and I'd like to go back for another visit some day. It's best to stay at least one night.

You may find this interesting - https://www.earthtrekkers.com/one-day-in-hallstatt-dachstein-krippenstein-austria/ .

I've been to several and they were mostly overwhelmed by tourists. Hallstatt was part of my RS Alpine tour, I see it's been dropped from the itinerary. I was there in early June and it was swamped with day-trippers. I visited Kayserberg a couple weeks later and enjoyed it, though there were lots of tourists there too. Flam was chock-full of cruise ship tourists (I was one of them). The cruise also stopped in the Faroes and Shetlands, both lovely, probably because they are so remote.

Janet, I know of where you speak. Not “idyllic” is a good thing! 😈.

Ken, thanks for the link to Earth Trekkers. I hadn't discovered them yet. I also yearn to go to Hallstat but have been concerned about crowds. What is your recommendation for off season times to visit? September? October?

It’s articles like this that have me choosing locations that NEVER appear on these lists. Yes, the towns are beautiful but for the most part, they are overrun with tourists and their character has become touri$t d€p€nd€t. There are so many “secondary” cities and villages that have as much or more to offer than the highly publicized ones. Last September-October I did a self guided 3 week Trieste to Turin tour. Visited Padova and Ravenna because my traveling companion had never seen the Scrovegni Chapel or the mosaics, Bolzano because I wanted to drive the Great Road of the Dolomites and see Ützi, Verona to drop off a rental car, visit a favorite restaurant and catch a train.

Most of our other visits were far from the madding crowds. Vicenza, Treviso, Bologna, Parma, Barbaresco, Barolo, Alba, Nieve, Courmayeur, Castellinaldo, Tre Stelle, Saluzzo, Guarene. To my friend and I, this was unspoiled Italy and the joy of almost no tourists was overwhelming.

If you like the white hill towns of Andalucia, you'll love the Moorish medieval village of Albarracín, it was named the pettiest village of Spain last year, still fairly undiscovered by foreign tourists when I went there in Dec 2018.

Albarracín is hard to get to without your own wheels and it is relatively far from other tourist destinations, so I wouldn't worry too much. Unless coastal resorts start offering day tours there...

I do wonder if it will have an effect. I’m happy that so many of you enjoy visiting small towns and villages, it simply isn’t my thing. Also, look at all the first time itineraries posted in these forums, most of them don’t include small towns (except for the Costwalds if they have been watching Rick.)

jules m,

Although not entirely related to the topic of this thread, I'll provide a few thoughts on your question as it may benefit others.

"When to visit Hallstatt" is a difficult question to answer, as there's no way to determine when there might be large coach tours in the area. It's going to be a "roll of the dice" for the most part. When (if?) I'm ever able to return, I'd probably be looking at late April / early May or mid-to-late September / early October. The weather should still be reasonably good and if staying for two nights, it's likely that at least part of the time will have minimal crowds.

My travel mode these days is to spend longer at each destination so that I can do a bit of exploring and also have a relaxing time taking pictures. At my age, I'm not too keen on rushing about.

You may also enjoy this - https://alpinemyway2014.weebly.com/hallstatt-austria.html . As mentioned in this Blog, Hallstatt is a great place to chill (at least if there are no crowds) although don't get too complacent about the lack of traffic. I witnessed a young guy get smacked by a car one night as he ran out of the alley between Gasthof Simony and Seehotel Grüner Baum without looking. Fortunately he wasn't seriously hurt.

It seems like the same villages and small towns that are on most every list. Which seems to indicate the the people doing these lists don't bother doing any research, but probably copy other lists. Not that I'm surprised…

There are many cute towns and villages in Europe, and fortunately most of them are not overrun by tourists. Because once that happen, they tend to lose their charm when bakeries and bookshops are replaced by stores selling cheap souvernirs.

Just like Chris F, I have my favourites. But I should probably keep them to myself as well… :)

Flam was chock-full of cruise ship tourists (I was one of them).

That's the drawback of going on a cruise. Every place you visit will be chock-full of cruise ship tourists.

hey hey
saw a special on tv, can't remember which one. it was about hallstatt and geithoorn and how bad the crowds were.
a town/province in china has built a miniature version/clone of hallstatt, built in secret with no knowledge to austria until blueprints were forgotten in hotel room. a friend went a few years ago and it was so crowded, hard to walk around and take pictures. they spent the night which was great after the tours left. with so many chinese interesting in touring europe, this place is "flocking" in droves like a cattle call, along with others from all over the world.
geithoorn netherlands is seeing the same with over abundance of tourists that you can't even cruise down the canals peacefully with either a guide or people renting electric boats to guide themselves thru the canals. some have no clue how to guide the boats, get turned around to blocks others. it's tourist "OVERLOAD"!! new travelers are in a hurry to see as much as possible "bucket list", get there take picture i was here and leave.
@ ken haha "at my age", you're still a young chicken. these days don't even know what "off season" is anymore, we've usually traveled september/october and it's still so crowded and busy, read lots more people want to travel during christmas holidays, thinking no one else will travel and some are so shocked how busy, not "cheap", high season it is.
after seeing this special of these two cities and what it's like nowdays, i will stay away and travel to small villages/towns not so much mentioned in rick steves books and enjoy. it's my 3 cents observation.
aloha

princess,

LOL, I'm older than I look ;-)

Hey Pupu! You wine loving little princess. If want a great Italian vacay, head to the Piedmont. Great wines, outstanding restaurants, gorgeous rolling hills and a distinct absence of tourists. 🥴🍝🥂🍷🍷🍷🍷🍷

hey hey phillip
thanks for the info about italy
putting a "grin" or "LOL" on your face; pupu means appetizers in hawaiian!! and i will be having a lot of those, on my way to paris and annecy next month for 18 days, drinking lots of french wine, french champagne, escargot and eclairs! a good friend, family from basque region (well known today and first ladies) treating me for airfare and apartments doing the french cancan, high kicks, cartwheels and my petticoat on down that airline aisle to business class!!. some of our day trips are outside to non-tourist areas and staying in the 14th. i'll give a few "cheers" to you ;)
aloha

We were in Hallstatt in late March, a year plus ago, and did not run into crowds; it was quite quiet. Some of the restaurants hadn't opened for the season yet, and some of the closed businesses still had Christmas wreaths up. However, we found it pleasant and enjoyed the Salt Mines Tour.

I have only been to 3, but loved all the pictures. Would love to go to some of the towns with colorful houses.
Have been to Hallstatt and just love it. You can take the funicular up to the UNESCO world heritage site which overlooks Hallstatt and the Hallstattersee.

Although it is very touristy I still LOVE Rothenburg, as has everyone I have ever taken there. It is just charming to me and I always stay within the old city walls. Love the Castle Garden.
I personally kind of like Interlaken, but I don't quite understand it as being on the 25 most beautiful small towns in Europe. I find it perfect for one night before I go to Gimmelwald, which I LOVE! The picture off Interlaken is beautiful but if you look the other direction you will see lots of stores and large hotels.