5 Underrated Cities in Europe You MUST VISIT (Affordable Hidden Gems)

As an european, I don't think that Krakow, Zagreb and, especially, Budapest, are anywhere near of being considered "hidden" or even underrated. All of them are very popular and usually crowded with tourists.

We went to Poland Sept 2022. When I told my wife she said, POLAND?!?! One of the best trips we've ever taken. Gdansk to Torun to Wroclaw to Krakow. All were awesome, the food and people were incredible. Torun was our favorite.

I am from the US. But I have had the wonderful privilege of living in Kraków for the past 10 years. My heart still swells when I walk into Old Town, around the Planty or into the square or plaza at Wawel Castle. I agree with your assessment of my beautiful city!

Budapest as well as Prague^^ Slovenia, Croatia and Poland are definitely on my list

Loved Ljubljana and its charms. It has to be one of the cleanest cities I've seen. Didn't get to try their horse meat, but I have eaten it before and it's tasty. Didn't get to spend much time in Zagreb on my tour, so I couldn't get to see all of the city. Someday....

Loved Ljubljana. The food was an incredible. Everything was so cheap. And almost everyone we encountered spoke some amount of English, and they were eager to speak to us in English (perhaps it was my poor Slovenian that they didn't want to hear anymore). I can't wait to tour Poland next year from Gdansk to Krakow!

I loved Zagreb. In fact I loved the whole of Croatia!

Definitely felt the same was about Poland. Visited Gdańsk last year, and it was so charming, a stunning city on the water. I would also add Malta, Tallin, and Bratislava to your list. Not as touristed by Americans, affordable, and not super crowded.

Three Romanian towns worth a visit are Oradea,Cluj napoca, and Turda. The salt mine outside Turda is absolutely fascinating

I’ve been to Budapest often. I enjoy walking around the city and just experiencing its daily life. The bridges are among my favorite in Europe.

Next time you’re in Poland, visit Gdańsk. It’s a city beside the Baltic sea, with long sandy beaches and a lovely Old Town with lots of beautiful buldings. One of my favourite cities eveeer, it’s a place I keep on falling in love with over and over again. :)

Montenegro! A wonderful gem between Mediterranean and Venetian vibes, up to a unique and huge pristine lake and its old capital Cetinje. Further inland Europe's largest canyon and majestic mountains.

Poland is amazingly underrated. I've been to Warsaw and Krakow before and this year I also had a trip to Zakopane, Wroclaw, Poznan and Torun and it was both relatively cheap and fun.

Try also Sibiu, Brasov and Sigisoara in Romania 🇷🇴. These are well preserved, beautiful and historical cities. The food is also great and Romania is not expensive compared to western European cities.

Your assessment of Zagreb matches mine exactly. What an amazing town. We just happened upon this great city and loved it. Even got invited into the room where they fire the cannon at noon each day! I would also highly recommend Bratislava as a small capitol city that is very walkable and has a stunning castle and old town area.

Budapest is the best, I call this city my home and I love everything about it. Night life or outdoor activities, fantastic! Tomorrow we have big national holiday and traditionally huge fireworks. World athletic championship started today after few days of famous Sziget festival. It's still nice driving around the city as everyone still on holidays. Croatian coast few hours down the beautiful highway. Everything is in close driving distance, wonderful Zagreb or Ljubljana. Thanks for the food tips 😊

I’ve been to all 5 of your cities and generally like them all. There are lots of others however. Belgrade is a very cool city and so is Sarajevo. Albania and the Greek Ionian Islands, etc. One thing I definitely agree with you on is the food in Cyprus. It is phenomenal. Greek food, Turkish food, seafood, Middle Eastern food, Cyprus as it all. Extremely reasonably priced. It’s not just exceptional fish, calamari and octopus, it’s also lamb (don’t miss the national dish kleftiko), cheese, mushrooms, dairy products, sweet wines and spirits.

When visiting Krakow — the Wieliczka Salt Mine is a must trip. Trips from Krakow to Zakopane for a few days would be highly recommended too.

My husband and I are in Krakow, Poland right now! It is beautiful and historic. We also had short stays in Gdansk, Torún and a week in Warsaw. I suggest Warsaw. It’s a “real” city - had lots to do including parks, but the icing on the top is that it’s less touristy therefore less expensive! Loved the food, the milk bars and the sidewalk coffee bars!

spent time in many cities of Poland for work - absolutely stunning. People, food, cities etc. are lovely. I will be traveling to Bulgaria soon - Plovdiv.