What are your favorite underrated European cities?

Can’t agree with Murano or Colmar. Murano was over run with tourists when we went there. We didn’t care for Colmar in comparison to the charming wine villages wherever we’re staying. We loved Strasbourg.
We enjoyed Copenhagen along with Oslo and Stockholm, in fact we loved all of Scandinavia.
My favorite underrated European city is
Leiden in The Netherlands. Beautiful, canals, flowers everywhere with the energy of a university town.

Torino is a destination for many Italians but not many tourists from elsewhere. We are returning this year for several nights as we've only stayed 1 and 3 nights in the past. There are several fine museums, incredible palazzi left by the Savoys, and as it is in Piemonte, fine cuisine. It is also nice to be able to daytrip to Alba, only an hour away by train.

Genoa is worth a couple of nights for great food and a remarkable aquarium. Nice stop between Italy and the French Riviera. People in our hotel were surprised to find Americans staying there. Knowing Italian was helpful, so a good place to hone those skills.

Milan is a great city; I just hesitate to recommend it when people have a short time for a trip. It is not worth a stay, IMO, if it is your first trip to Italy and you only have two weeks. It is fine for a one-night stay to see the Last Supper. Beyond that, for those who have time, is a fine city for wandering and living local. Good museums, interesting architecture. The more I go there the more I appreciate it, but we are usually there only 2-3 nights. I was fortunate to have work in the city and twice I spent an entire week.

I liked Colmar, too, but if I went back to Alsace I would stay in Ribeauville.

Bucharest, Sofia and Belgrade (all nation's capitals - and all underrated - in my opinion).

Another vote for Torino!

I’m not certain where and how a place gets rated, but wonderful cities that I didn’t sense were on the must-see tourism schedule, and thus feel are underrated are Glasgow, Scotland; Veliko Tarnovo, Bulgaria (former capital); Quimper, France - or really, any place in Brittany.

Portree (Isle of Skye), Padua, Bolzano, Levanto, Bamberg, Bruges.

Zagreb - old world charm, nice small museums, good food, upper and lower town, funicular, small climbable tower, abundant Churches, laid back atmosphere, affordable hotels, trams. I’m sure there are many more, we just haven’t been to them yet.

I'd agree with Zagreb, Belgrade, and Sofia.

There are several choices mentioned that I agree with. I thoroughly enjoyed Colmar and part of that was because it was thick with tourists from Germany when we were there, giving it a spirited feel. I enjoyed all that Glasgow had to offer from the museums to the gardens that were easily accessible with the Hop-On-Hop bus (I am not usually a fan of HOH). Public transportation made day trips relatively easy. Three of my other favorites, Athens, Lille and Portsmouth don’t always generate the enthusiasm I have for them.

Torshavn......it hadn't been discovered when I was there. But that's changing.

Straight out of a fairytale- Ljubljana, Slovenia, the City of Dragons. Beautiful bridges. Pedestrian friendly, mixture of Art Nouveau, Renaissance & Baroque buildings. The River is the main area of the city’s social scene of cafe’s with wonderful cuisine & wines. It boasts a beautiful hilltop castle. My favorite city.

Galway, Ireland; Bristol, England; Bratislava, Slovakia; many towns/cities in Brittany. I also agree about Colmar - I chose to stay in Colmar and visit Strasbourg on a day trip and I think I made the right decision, at least for me.

In France....Amiens, Strasbourg, Colmar, Fontainebleau, Lille, Dijon, Saumur

In Germany......Meißen, Weimar, Regensburg, Lüneburg, Potsdam, Minden, Naumburg an der Saale, Leipzig.

Two come to mind, maybe because I wasn't expecting them to charm me on two separate trips:

Bern, Switzerland - my Swiss friend took me there on a Christmas afternoon. Nothing was open, it was pretty cold, but kinda sunny (above freezing), nothing was open, but I was charmed. It helped to have a Swiss who knew the city well to point things out to me. I'll always love that city and it was my favourite in Switzerland, until the next year when I went to . . .

Lugano, Switzerland - Swiss efficiency + Italian culture, in a draw dropping gorgeous setting. I like a cosmopolitan city, and I like amazing scenery, and this is perfection for me.

Honorable mention has to go to Lucca, Italy. My husband is from there, and I've been 5 times. Most recently in 2019 (our 2020 trip was COVID cancelled), but I hadn't been in a decade and after traveling around Italy, it just felt so good to be there. Cycling around the wall is a must do.

York, England
Tenby, Wales
Winchester, England
Inverness, Scotland
Augsburg, Germany
Sienna, Italy
Trier, Germany
Bayeux, France

York, Salisbury, and Durham, England. You will disagree that it's underrated, but I did not go there until my 14th trip to Europe and had not been interested in going previously to -Vienna. One of my favorite cities ever.

Must agree with Genoa - was a pleasant surprise.

Two others we were surprised & delighted with: Matera, Italy (only a day there and would love more time to explore the area) and Delft, Netherlands (DH still talks of their "New" church from @1100).

Wiesbaden.

Trieste -- unusual city, grand architecture, beautiful natural setting, wonderful small museums.

Milan, Italy and Moscow, Russia.

Tallin - Estonia
Newcastle Upon Tyne - England
Glasgow - Scotland
Bucharest - Romania
Budapest - Hungary
Palma - Mallorca
Malaga - Spain
Warsaw - Poland

Another vote for Leiden. We spent 4 or 5 days there a few years ago and loved it.

In Italy, Padova and Milan. We spent 4 days in each of these, bracketing our Village Italy tour several years ago. We never ran out of things to do in either place, and loved every minute.

We're looking forward to someday returning to each of these.

It all depends on the relative meaning of "underrated." By whom? The North American tourists/visitors, if that is one of your gliding motive or by the local visitors/tourists, or other international tourists/visitors? I go by the local tourist/visitor interests.

In Weimar I saw a guided tour group of German tourists, likewise in Kassel-Wilhelmshöhe at the Schloss; in Dresden in the area of the famous sites, a tour of Russian visitors, in Obernai near Colmar a group of German visitors/tourists. In Eutin/Holstein it was a guided tour of German visitors.

Underrated by whom?

Guidebooks may not mention a place or if they do the reference is brief.

Other travelers don’t think there is anything to see there. What do they usually like? Usually, Established tourist attractions.

If tourists from the country or nearby countries go there, you can experience what they enjoy and why. For example, Breisach, Germany on the Rhine. Mostly German and French tourists. Very few spoke English. Beautiful little town with friendly people and good food.

The Forum is a great place to find the interesting places with fewer or no tourists and to get to know the people.

Thanks to all who have shared. A wide variety of places.

There are many underrated cities, I can mention many Swedish cities that are underrated, but I'll constrain myself and just mention Visby.

Two others are Oslo and Tallinn.

That's one place I am not aware of...Breisach am Rhein ... sounds like an interesting place to visit.

Good. Thanks for the tip.

Another favorite “underrated European city.” We visited the town of Maratea in the Basilicata region. One of our favorite places on our culinary tour of the region. Stunning views of the Tyrrhenian Sea, great cuisine and our wonderful stay at Locanda delle Donna Monache. https://www.italyheaven.co.uk/basilicata/maratea.html

Breisach am Rhein - Germany took it from France in 1697.

In the early 1700's, France built a fortified town for defense. Neuf-Brisach, which is a unique walled city and 7.7 km from Breisach am Rhein.
Buses from Colmar, France can take you to both places.

How about underrated regions??

According to Mojo Travels, the most underrated region in Europe is Aragón, in north-eastern Spain, who would have thought in the most popular tourist country! I must agree, the capital of Aragon, Zaragoza, is a truly hidden gem, which millions of tourists whiz by on the AVE train to Madrid without thinking of stopping.

Zaragoza has more than 2,000 years of history including Roman ruins of the city walls, forum, and amphitheater, as well as the Aljafería; the most northerly Islamic/Moorish palace. It's also the home of the famous pilgrimage site of Nuestra Señora del Pilar Basilica, housing the Virgin Mary of Pilar. I think that Zaragoza is one of those undiscovered gems that Rick Steves might call a "back door". It reminds me a lot of Barcelona of the 80s/90s, before international mass tourism really took off.

You can see Top 10 Underrated Regions in Europe here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VOQahCXvQKE&ab_channel=MojoTravels

The other regions that made their cut:
10 - The Ardennes
9 - Bohinj
8 - Lauterbrunnen Valley
7 - The High Tatras
6 - Svaneti
5 - Dobrogea
4 - Mullerthal
3 - Plitvice Lakes District
2 - Umbria
1 - Aragón

In 1697 there is no Germany per se.

The German area consisted of the fragmented Holy Roman Empire with the Austrian Habsburgs calling the shots and embroiled in a dynastic rivalry with the Bourbons of France. Louis XIV of France must have traded Breisach for some other piece of real estate.

We’ve had some unexpected pleasures in Windsor and Eton (basically one town). Boat rentals, carriage rides at the castle (like Harry & Meghan), small museums, an Eton Mess, etc. And it’s our favorite first night when we land at Heathrow.

When did Copenhagen and Oslo get listed as underrated? I don't understand the definition of underrated.
To me some of the cities listed seem maybe "under traveled" like Zagreb, Padua and Budapest not sure they are underrated.

Oslo usually gets rave reviews.

Copenhagen - of all the Scandinavian capitals
More travelers don’t find it exciting or having much to see. Worth one or two days at most.
I spent 4 days and have a long list for my next trip. The people are interesting and friendly.
Public transportation is very accessible.

This discussion is very interesting because "underrated" is so relative...
Copenhagen seems to be quite popular as a destination in France, at least around me! Definitely wouldn't make the list.
Conversely, I don't know anyone else who goes to Switzerland: "too expensive, boring, and we've got mountains too so why bother?". So, somewhere like Luzern, while immensely popular worldwide, would be "underrated" here.

When did Copenhagen and Oslo get listed as underrated?

Many visit Norway for the spectacular nature and only spend a night or so in Oslo, but there is so much more to see in the city.

In Germany the towns and cities on the eastern shore of Lake Constance/Bodensee (except Lindau). Also the beautiful half timbered cities in Saxon-Anhalt such as Quedlinburg and Wernigerode. I was going to mention the beautiful cities in Thuringia and Saxony but Rick has a section on them in his 2020 Germany book. They still don’t have many non German speaking tourists. We’ve been in some of these regions for a month at a time and not heard anyone speaking English.

I thought Bratislava for a day trip from Vienna was great fun. Many tours begin and end in Vienna, so why not enjoy another country and culture in a quick and easy way? Bus, train and boat schedules to Bratislava are convenient and inexpensive. Plus, Bratislava does not have VAT and picking up stuff is cheaper there. For southern France, St. Paul de Vence was super cool. I had alot of fun in Nice. Wonderful market, the Chagall museum, nearby Monaco, Cannes. Nice was great.

Zagreb is my fav.

There is no place named "Belgrade". There is Beograd, which is a favorite as well.

Bucharest is great. Budapest as well.

Timosoara in Romania is a wonderful A-H capital.

Quimper is also great.

Small regional capitals are winners in our travels.

The North Sea (Netherlands, northern Germany, Denmark) for regions. People go for the cities some, but there are some great towns and scenery.

Some of my favourites in this region are
Hindeloopen, Netherlands. You want quaint, this is it.
St. Peter-Ording, Germany. I can guarantee you have never seen a beach like this.
Danish west coast. Beaches and vacation homes for Danish and German visitors to enjoy the North Sea--wind surfing, kites, awesome dunes, WWII pillboxes, fish, camping
Heligoland, Germany. Red cliffs, seals, birdwatching, amazing WWII (and pirate) history, its own language, wind, and more wind.
Glückstadt, Germany. Visit their Matjes festival in particular, walk along the dikes and among sheep.

There is no place named "Belgrade". There is Beograd, which is a
favorite as well.

And is usually called Belgrade in English. Just like English speakers call München Munich, København Copenhagen, Roma Rome, Athína Athens and so on.

Badger, you read my mind. I was going to respond the same. Who do you know who calls Florence Firenze, or Vienna Wien, or Prague Praha, etc etc etc.

Who do you know who calls Florence Firenze, or Vienna Wien, or Prague Praha, etc etc etc.

There are plenty on these forums who do. I don't know why, I think they like to imagine they're displaying their prowess at knowing the local spelling of a place, perhaps they feel it elevates them from being a mere tourist. Amusingly though there is rarely any consistency and you will usually see them referring to other cities in the English spelling.

Two European cities I've always felt were underrated are Wurzburg, Germany and Bologna, Italy. I've never understood why Bologna isn't more famous as a tourist destination, it is an amazingly historic city full of stuff to see and do and it has probably the best food in Italy. They don't call it "Bologna la Grassa" (Bologna the Fat) for nothing...

Umea and Eksjo, Sweden (Forgive me for my incorrect lettering, I will correct when I am on a real keyboard.)
Stockholm, Sweden
Liverpool, UK
Nancy, France

Bologna is on my list when we get back to Italy. And we missed Wurzburg when we drove the Romantic Road. We were visiting friends in Weinheim and stayed two extra nights so Wurzburg had to be cut.

Umeå and Eksjö, Sweden (Forgive me for my incorrect lettering, I will
correct when I am on a real keyboard.)

You are forgiven!

Nobody has mentioned Gdańsk, Poland. We visited in the summer. The weather was lovely. It stayed light late. The waterfront was full of outdoor dining. Great museums. Charming town. Much to see.

We also loved Vilnius, Lithuania. Riga and Tallinn get more attention, but we really enjoyed Vilnius. Great base for day trips, nice Old Town.

Place names in other languages can be confusing. When we were at Desenzano del Garda in Italia, we saw trains which ran from Milan to Munich. On the trains coming from Munich, the destination was given as Mailand, and on the trains from Milan the destination was shown as Monaco.

I started working on a post about some underrated Swedish cities, but it ended up as a separate post: https://community.ricksteves.com/travel-forum/sweden/and-the-most-beutiful-town-in-sweden-is

Another vote for Bologna, for the seige towers and outstanding cuisine.
In northern Spain, Bilbao has a spectacular position on a deep river valley approaching the ocean, and can offer the Guggenheim museum as well as a fine regional beaux-artes gallery.

I am really enjoying this thread. Wish I'd travelled enough to underrated cities to be able to add to it!

I agree with Barbara on her above post. I'm still trying to get to the highly rated cities!

Lyon France, is under rated. Some of that is their own fault. So much potential there for tourism that is unused, such as the Fish Caverns, or the Theatre of the Three Gaul's: Un-used, yet very historic.

Perugia
Chamonix
St. Malo, France
Cadaques, Spain
Utrecht, Netherlands
Ghent, Belgium
Dinant, Belgium
Liege, Belgium

Three under the radar places I really like in an area that's overcrowded with tourists are Kitzingen (southeast of Wurzburg), Ansbach (west of Nuremberg), and Amberg (east of Nuremberg).

Kitzingen is an attractive small town smack in the middle of the Franconian wine country; a German Napa if you will. Ansbach has been an important city for Bavaria for hundreds of years but rarely gets visited by American tourists other than those who were stationed there with the military. Amberg is, IMHO, as pretty as Regensburg but it's not on the autobahn. All of these are fairly easy to reach, but they're not on the main tourist routes.

Might be able to add two more cities to the list after we visit in September - Zadar and Šibenik in Croatia. Haven’t been to either, yet.

Four of my most favorite cities in Europe are Tallinn, Estonia; Ljubljana, Slovenia; Edinburgh, Scotland and Dinan, France.

Favorites for us are Segovia, Spain, Padua, IT, Zagreb, Croatia, Trier, Germany and Arles, France. We stayed 2-3 nights to enjoy the sites, people and maybe a special surprise to us event. Lots of good memories in these smaller towns. And Orvieto, Italy. We saw a mini Palio there and the classic flag twirling.

Another vote for Ljubljana, Slovenia. With a castle, a river with lovely promenades filled with cute shops and restaurants, outdoor markets, compact walkable old town with pedestrian-only areas, interesting and delicious food scene and magnificent scenery all around (Lake Bled, Postojna Caves). It really has everything, yet remains relatively off the tourist path. Which also means it’s relatively affordable. Another plus!

York
Berlin
Salzburg
Köln
Strasbourg
Ravenna

Stresa , Lake Maggiore Italy....most go to Lake Como but this is also a Gem
Verona, Italy....Great Food, Shopping, and a Arena older than the Colosseum in Rome
Zaragoza, Spain....small and quaint but easy to navigate with amazing Churches and Plazas
Cubelles, Spain...sleepy little beach town with easy train access to Barcelona, Sitges, and Vilanova i la Geltru
Zaandam, Netherlands....many inexpensive Hotels and a quick 12 minute train ride to Amsterdam.
Glastonbury, England...Lots of Medieval charm, great Bed and Breakfasts, Mystic and Magical
Catania, Sicily...Bustling City with great restaurants, shopping, tourist sights, and a Seaport.
Chiesa di San Nicolò, Savoca, Messina, Italy....For any Fans of the Godfather Movies...have a drink at Bar Vitelli

Antwerp, Belgium: Great museums, cutting-edge design and boutiques, fabulous Art Nouveau architecture

Delft, Netherlands: Historic city center with canals, Delftware Factory and Vermeer Center, day trip to The Hauge

Dijon, France: Eclectic yet quaint city center, fab food and mustard, weird Gothic cathedral, ducal place as art museum

Vannes, France: Upscale homebase for day trip to islands in the Gulf of Morbihan, close to Carnac ruins, Breton seafood

Bilbao, Spain: Guggenheim Museum, walkable city center, Basque food and culture

Milan, Italy: Mod city with outrageous pink cathedral, Leonardo sights, fashion mecca, Italian food with Austrian twist

Napflio, Greece: Sunny seaport with Venetian legacy, close to archaeological sites of Epidavros and Mycenae

Interesting thread! And interesting how this is a matter of perspective, as balso from Paris said. I would never have thought of Colmar or Copenhagen as "underrated".

A big shoutout to HowlinMad for so many towns in Northern Germany! :-) When we had visitors from the United States 40 or so years ago, we usually had the impression that the maps in their guide books ended at the Weißwurstäquator. North of that, there was nothing. Not just underrated but simply nonexistent.

This has changed a bit since the reunification: Berlin has been added to the map, and a number of towns in East Germany. Perfectly rightly so. But Northern Germany is still off the map.

P.S. @HowlinMad: Don't tell them about our beaches!! ;-)

"But Northern Germany is still off the map." How true. !!

The towns I've visited , stayed at, did day trips or excursions in North Germany (I include town/.cities in eastern Germany too) in the last 10-15 years always in the summer, eg, Minden, Hameln, Soest, Lüneburg, Paderborn, Leipzig, Münster/Westf., Lutherstadt Wittenberg, Neustrelitz, Meißen, Neuruppin,, Cuxhaven, Eutin/Holstein, Weimar, Schleswig, Kiel, Neuhardenberg, Magdeburg, Flensburg, Frankfurt an der Oder , etc are literally empty of Anglophones.

If you do see tourists, other than Germans, then it would be the super rare sightings of a few Americans or, more often, Russians, if you go by the odds.

A big shoutout to HowlinMad for so many towns in Northern Germany! :-)
When we had visitors from the United States 40 or so years ago, we
usually had the impression that the maps in their guide books ended at
the Weißwurstäquator. North of that, there was nothing. Not just
underrated but simply nonexistent.

Agree! If you look at the questions asked about Germany here on the forum, they almost all focus on the southern part with Berlin being an exception. But there is so much see if you are willing to travel north of Frankfurt.

Yes, the only Americans who find their way up here are usually people in search of their ancestors. (Not that I am necessarily sad about the lack of tourist crowds. I don't mind that our towns are not as overrun by tourists as, say, Rothenburg o.d.T.).

they almost all focus on the southern part

One could narrow that down even further: on Bavaria. Nothing wrong with Bavaria, but it's not synonymous with Germany.

with Berlin being an exception.

... and, in all fairness, the Rhine Valley also does get mentioned.

O.k., something else altogether, not about Germany, but about any of these "underrated" places: This thread made me wonder about one thing: What was the weather like when you visited these places? Does that figure in your "rating"?

I'd venture the theory that the "rating" of almost any town immediately goes up on a beautiful day, with the sun shining and pleasant temperatures. For instance, we happened to have pouring rain when we visited Oslo, and I can't say I was all that impressed with the city. I am quite sure I am doing Oslo injustice, and my "rating" would have been totally different had it been a beautiful day.

Cáceres - Step back in time in the historic center. I find Extremadura, Spain to be full of many beautiful towns and sites and is often not on the American tourist radar. If you get to Cáceres also try to visit Guadalupe and Trujillo. (But these are smaller towns, not big cities. )

Trento and Ferrara - Italy
Saint Malo and Dinan - France

I prefer smaller towns/villages.
Mazara del Vallo - Sicily
Úbeda and Baeza -Spain
Dinant - Belgium
Bury St. Edmunds and surrounding Suffolk villages such as Lavenham - UK

Does that figure in your "rating"?

I try to be objective and not take the weather into account, but I will probably always be influenced by it subconsciously. Last time I was in Berlin e.g. was during a heat wave with temperatures well above 30°C. That was not Berlin showing its best side. Although Tiergarten was lovely.

And weather can be very subjective. Being Scandinavian, my definition of pleasant temperatures are probably very different to someone from Malta.

"...not on the American tourist radar." Never a factor, totally immaterial in my desire to see towns and cities in France, Poland, Austria, and, especially, in Germany.

Numerous fascinating and interesting places regarding cities and small towns, both culturally and historically, to visit and explore in North and Eastern Germany.....all depends on the level of one's interest and determination.

all depends on the level of one's interest

So true. If we add special interest destinations, we will come up with many more totally underrated places. I'll throw in such a special interest feature for Northern Germany: It's one of the richest regions for pipe organs and organ music worldwide.

We spent some time visiting some English friends who live outside Durham. It was a lovely town and the cathedral was a pleasure to visit. I don't think many tourists make it there.

I probably shouldn't have mentioned St. Peter-Ording if I am not supposed to tell about the beaches. So I shouldn't mention Sylt or Juist or Amrum or Fehmarn either?

Up here I might add Jork this time of year (go apple picking!) especially, but it's nice any time. Wilster, Bad Segeberg, Glücksburg, and Büsum as well. Not cities, but very cute day trips from Hamburg, which is of course underrated itself ;)

Very true ...Hamburg is indeed underrated.

If one were to ask me for recommendations on a first time trip to Germany without specific interests in mind and had , at least , one month or so, most of my suggestions to this beginner traveler in Germany for this month long trip would be places in North Germany, both cities and small towns, including Hamburg, obviously. Of course, Berlin would most definitely be included as well.

I haven't seen Valencia mentioned. Pretty much off the radar of most American tourists but a lovely Spanish city that I yearn to go back to. Has a very laid back atmosphere and nowhere near as overrun as the major Spanish tourist cities.

I second the votes for Durham. Been a couple times and love it; one of the most scenic cathedrals in all of Europe.

I also second the votes for Ghent. I would go back there in a heartbeat over Bruges, though there is no denying the scenic beauty of Bruges.

Brussels is one of those major cities that attracts tourists but I think is still underrated. I suspect that most visitors spend a day and stay around the Grand Place. But it has lovely neighborhoods and architecture and is worth a few nights.

Pat, I wholeheartedly agree with you about Cáceres and the Extremadura region of Spain. I was there in 2006 (during Semana Santa) and still dream of it to this day. One of these days I will get back to Spain and will visit there again.

And I "third" the vote for Ghent - I stayed there for 3 days and enjoyed it so much more than Bruges.

Turin, Krakow and Montecatini (Terme and Alto)

Zagreb, Croatia
Malaga, Spain - several people told us not to visit Malaga. We loved it! So glad I didn't listen to them.
Perast, Montenegro
Telc, Czech Republic
Brantome, France