What are the best "hidden gem" cities in Europe?

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travel_stories

Slovakia is lovely...........and small enough to get around easily. Czech Republic also has some lovely places apart from Prague - Karlovy Vary, Cesky Krumlov. Though they are a little touristy. Slovakia is not. I didn't go to Bratislava but travelled all over the rest of Slovakia starting in the middle at Banska Bystrica. Have a look at http://www.fascinating-travel-destinations.com/slovakia-travel.html

Budapest in Hungary is another beautiful city, or even Austria. Vienna, Innsbruck, Salzburg is a wonderful city.

jonal

Definately Ljubliana,and the gorgeous little coastal towns of Piran and Isola...all in Slovenia,which I and several others have referred to in Y!A several times as Europe's little gem. They fit everything you mention. It's a very safe place for ladies travelling alone,and the standard of manners you'll find is so lovely...I wish all countries were as good. Sweet little shopping streets,lovely little boutiques and shoeshops,lovely cafes,and lovely food.The word 'karstic' as a geological and geographical term comes from Karst,between Ljubliana and Piran. It's a small place,right on the bus route between them. The scenery and caves are amazing,and B&B's and hotels are fairly cheap,as in all of Slovenia. The castle and triple bridge in Ljubliana are gorgeous...the outdoor cafe by the triple bridge is a wonderful place to eat and drink with historical features and unique architecture all around....beautiful place. Don't miss the little plaque on the wall opposite...a beautiful local love story...she's looking at the guy on the big monument close by...linked for ever now....wonderful. That's Slovenia...warm-hearted and beautiful. Easy trip to Trieste...a real gem...phenomenal main plaza,and a deep-water harbour where cruise ships tie up just across the road....incredible place...bus from Korper or Piran,very cheap,only a few Euros,two hours of stunning scenery on the marine drive and the plains round the Bay of Venice.....wonderful! See the bottom two answers on here,and the 'best answer' at the top.Look at ike.besi's comment right at the bottom...and she's in the travel business!...nuff said. http://uk.answers.yahoo.com/question/index;_ylt=Ag0EvJ84fRfw.oD5nrFzrS0hBgx.;_ylv=3?qid=20081130030454AAWVR6Z&show=7 ...Also,lots about Slovenia and Trieste from half way down here,after..'try not to miss a visit to Trieste....'http://uk.answers.yahoo.com/question/index;_ylt=Aq8SB2slYopPiJo3wQW6IyYhBgx.;_ylv=3?qid=20081021090129AAAN40i&show=7 ...Mountainous country,so it's a long trip to Ljubliana from the airport,which is on the only bit of flat land available,but totally beautiful...chalets like the Swiss have dotted about and lovely scenery.The flight in is awesome......magnificent views,breath-taking! The Bregenz suggestion above is nice...I used to go every year,summer and winter....great train from Hanover,reliable as clockwork..they never seem to get the wrong kind of snow in Germany for some reason....British Rail might want to research that...haha.....all of Voralberg is lovely,and largely free of tourists,who flock to the higher and more famous mountains round the Valley of the Inn and the Stubai alpen. Gorgeous all around there,Voralberg and the Bregenzerwald are simply beautiful, but Austria is very expensive.....Budapest has a few mentions and rightly so..it's beautiful and a joy to be in...The Danube Carnival is held there in June...worth a visit!,but anytime is good.... ...http://uk.answers.yahoo.com/question/index;_ylt=AscVOdvzOThNxXlYdx0B0UwhBgx.;_ylv=3?qid=20090311005934AATrdUt&show=7 ...my answer at the bottom and a really good one for for 'best' at the top.....Lake Balaton is lovely...bit commercial in some parts,but it's huge...plenty of natural and free bits remaining. .Nearly all of this is about Budapest too,from a few lines down,after the 'buses' bit...I love the place,though one guy on it thinks differently..top answer here. . http://uk.answers.yahoo.com/question/index;_ylt=AscVOdvzOThNxXlYdx0B0UwhBgx.;_ylv=3?qid=20081223130828AAWOrYS&show=7....good read on here too..Budapest,Bratislava,Vienna,Danube trip..beautiful trip!..festivals are on the lower half...http://uk.answers.yahoo.com/question/index;_ylt=Alli.ql58MxSgCwizg8AC.YhBgx.;_ylv=3?qid=20090406083917AAdHxfL&show=7

conley39

Try Vilnius in Lithuania. It's a great city and there's even a Frank Zappa memorial there. While you're in the area, Tallinn in Estonia is another medieval city that's a great destination.

Hugh Jorgan, at your Service...

Ljubljana, Slovenia
Mostar, Bosnia
Dubrovnik, Croatia
Taormina, Italy (Sicily)
Sorrento, Italy
Brugges, Belgium
Heidelberg, Germany
Granada, Spain
Strasbourg, France
Ptuj, Slovenia
Ceske Krumlov, Czech Republic
Zagreb, Croatia
Kotor, Montenegro
Nafplio, Greece
Antalya, Turkey
Budapest, Hungary (not 'hidden', but gorgeous)

For two weeks, in the East, I'd go Ljubljana-Bled- Zagreb-Split-Dubrovnik- Mostar. Or Prague- Krumlov- Vienna-Bratislava- Budapest.

I've heard good things about the Baltics also- Vilnius, Riga, Tallinn.

Bacharach

Warsaw

Jane S

I spent a couple of days in Bregenz, Austria. I'm pretty sure it's not terribly well traveled.

I loooooove Ronda, Spain. Not as well known or hit as the big cities. And Jerez de la Frontera.

I understand San Gimignano, Italy, is really nice, and Verona, I would say Parma, but given the situation there at this point...I'm not so sure.

And my niece lives near Chisinau...in Moldova...I should think that might be interesting...and the town where Vlad's Castle is in Romania.

Albo

Berat
Gjirokaster
vlora
saranda
All cities are located in Albania.

tartu2222

Frank Zappa's bust isn't in Vilnius anymore. It's in Baltimore, MD. But Vilnius is still nice. Also, I didn't think much of Warsaw, but thought Wroclaw fantastic. Tallinn is great, and Jurmala, outside of Riga has nice beaches. Benedetto del Tronto on the Adriatic coast in Italy is fabulous, as is Trieste. Prague is very nice, but filled with tourists. Best to go in winter. Dresden is amazing. Worth the trip. Enjoy!

whazzupfoke

Hi I am not sure about the best "gem" cities because I have never gone to Europe myself. I just purchased the tickets in september. I am backpacking the eastern part of Europe. I fly into Amsterdam then take the rail to belgium, paris, switzerland, venice, florance, rome, madrid and ending in lisbon. I only have 2 weeks so i will only be spending about 2 days in each location. Have you ever seen rick Steve's Europe. He shows all of the little "gems" of countries and gives travel tips. I have been looking for tickets for about 3 months and I have found them the cheapest at http://www.1800flyeurope.com/airfare.cfm

Buy them on a monday or a tuesday. I almost bought the tickets on a friday but decided to wait until the following week and saved alittle over 100.00 per ticket.

Biedronka

Turkey - it is touristy, but the sights are amazing:
http://www.tourismturkey.org/
Have heard a lot of good things about touring the Black Sea as well.

How about eastern Germany:
eg Thuringia region - less tourists and v. pretty:
http://itcwebdesigns.com/tour_germany/thuringia.htm
We went to Eisennach recently and loved the forest, the Bach Museum and the city itself. A real gem.
For a big city try Dresden:
http://www.dresden.de/index_en.php
http://www.germany-tourism.de/ENG/culture_and_events/unesco_east.htm

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