Who wants to be an “overtourist”? Not you.
Fortunately, for every just-too-popular Amsterdam, Barcelona and Venice there are a hundred other attractive European cities that are desperate to share their charms – not least because they understand that inbound tourism is the closest that any location can get to free money.
Choosing a less-celebrated destination is a shrewd move: you can expect lower prices, thinner crowds and a warmer welcome.
On the journeys I have made in the past two years, these are the star “off-the-radar” cities.
While the UK decided it wanted nothing to do with European Capitals of Culture, in my experience, the EU honour of a year in the spotlight brings permanent improvements to a city.
Aarhus is the second city of Denmark, and has the requisite cobbled lanes with pretty cottages, where spring flowers will soon be blooming. Yet it also has an outstanding art museum in the remarkable cubes-and-circles shape of ARoS. The collection includes some works from the 18th century, but also goes for big, challenging installations of the kind that make lasting memories.
This being Denmark, gastronomy is superb, with outdoor seating beside the Aarhus River that winds through the city. Even the airport is a treat. If Ikea did aviation, this is how the experience might feel.
The Mediterranean shore curves around a full 90 degrees between the celebrated French cities of Montpellier and Perpignan. Béziers is not yet on the same status. That will surely change soon as travellers realise the abundance of appeal in this hilltop city. The main attraction is the magnificent cathedral, which unusually includes a tower that you can climb without paying a fee. Adjacent is the new and marvellous Hotel de la Prison, the local jail reimagined as a boutique hotel, where I stayed for a ridiculously inexpensive €100 (£82) a night (as its reputation has grown, so have the rates).
Commanding your attention from the hotel: the nine locks of Fonseranes, a short walk from town. The Canal du Midi is hauled high above sea level by these engineering marvels. Adjacent, you can see the relics of a failed 20th-century attempt to accelerate the progress of ships to higher altitude using a “water slope”.
Nearby attractions to fill out a short break include Gruissan – a fishing village with an amazing pink salt lagoon – and the equally underrated city of Narbonne.
Unlike, sadly, many British travellers, I relish discovering German cities. I will embark on just such a journey this week. I can already conjure visions of Heilbronn and Magdeburg: lanes leading to a sturdy central square dominated by a cathedral and flanked by taverns serving hearty dishes and good, strong beer. But I will also pay a return visit to Erfurt, capital of the state of Thuringia, and a singularly fine city.
The rumble of the endearingly antiquated tram network; the brutal beauty of St Mary’s Cathedral; the elegant two-track Gera river, and the handsome bridges that cross it. And a development since last I visited: the newly Unesco-listed Jewish-Medieval Heritage of Erfurt, comprising the Old Synagogue, the Mikveh and the Stone House.
However dark the politics of Europe may become, the continent’s deep culture prevails.
Please practice the pronunciation of the Polish city’s name ahead of your visit: “Woodge” should do it. Now you are all set. Lodz was once at the heart of industrial Europe. It still possesses a stupendously long main street, flanked with impressive buildings. One of these is the superbly refurbished Grand Hotel, the best place I stayed in 2024. As Poland is the land of luxury for less, a chic double is on offer for around £130, including a sumptuous buffet breakfast in the former ballroom.
The many attractions include Manufaktura, a former factory reinvented as a leisure destination with some outstanding restaurants. Even the Starbucks is spectacular. The tourist office provides maps for rewarding self-guided walks around the city.
Beyond the centre, the Jewish cemetery is poignant and beautiful. Next time, I will be sure to make space for the Herbst Palace Museum, a glittering mansion.
Some places demand attention for a single prize. In mainland Italy’s southernmost city, the big draw comprises a couple of men. The Riace Bronzes are known prosaically as A and B, but they are simply the most powerful figures from the past I have ever seen. The two life-size sculptures of naked males were created by the Greeks 2,500 years ago and found in the sea bed by a passing fisherman in 1972. Today they inhabit a climate-controlled chamber in the National Archaeological Museum in Reggio di Calabria, the nearest big city to the location where they were discovered. You must spend three minutes in a dehumidifying airlock before joining their company.
RC, as it is customarily contracted, possesses another long main street that runs parallel to the shore. Just inland, you can get some impressive views from the hillside – including, on a clear day, of a snow-draped Mount Etna across on the island of Sicily. No need, though, to take one of the many ferries shuttling across the Strait of Messina; the mainland has much appeal. Just 20 minutes north, the town of Scilla is scattered across a massive thumb of rock soaring above the Mediterranean, while an hour further along the coast Tropea is a distillation of the best of Italy’s waterside towns.
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