Travelling in Europe: 10 Interesting and Unusual Destinations in Europe (Plus Guide to the Dos and Don'ts of European Travel)

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Written by: Hannah Wise

Last Updated: 05 Sep 2016

Travelling In Europe

It’s easy to feel overwhelmed by tourists when travelling in Europe. It is often difficult to catch a glimpse of famous monuments through the crowds, and even the vast expanse of the Alps can start to feel crowded during peak season. For those prepared to stray off the beaten track, however, travelling in Europe can still lead you into unexplored, unspoilt corners. The key to travelling in Europe is to play the seasons. Paris in the springtime is famous for its charms, but the long, light days and fresh weather in Donegal, Ireland make it an equally good choice. During the peak summer season, head east to the wonderful national parks of Poland and Belarus. With breathtaking scenery and few people, the hiking is particularly good. Hiking and Trekking: Everything You Need To Know Travelling Europe by train is a particularly good way to get around; frequent services link up capital cities and take you up into the mountains and down onto the beaches. Interrail passes have long been popular with backpackers, and the network is expanding. Travellers now have access to some of the more remote corners of Europe by train. Travelling by Train: 10 of the Best Train Journeys in the World Wherever you go and however you get there, Europe is a rewarding, easy place to travel (although we haven’t quite cracked Belarussian pronunciation). From Andorra to Moldova, here is Mpora’s guide to some of the unexpected gems.

Zakopane, Poland

Zakopane is a favourite hiking destination with the Poles but less well known to the rest of the world. It’s well worth a stop off if you’re travelling in Europe. Nestled at the foot of the Tatra Mountains, it provides tough skiing and snowboarding in the winter and gorgeous walking in the summer. You can travel down the Strazyska Valley on a sleigh, visit emerald green mountain lakes or explore the waterfall-veiled caves. The tiny wooden churches are worth a visit too for their Hansel and Gretel-esque charm.

Cantabria, Spain

Most tourists bypass northern Spain when travelling in Europe and head south for sun and sangria. In fact the uncertain weather of the north makes for lush countryside and long, unspoilt beaches, largely shunned by tourists. The Cantabria region provides a blend of peaks, coast and wine, and is full of natural and architectural delights. The honey-coloured medieval village of Santillana del Mar and the 300 m long Altamira Cave, complete with Palaeolithic engravings, are highlights. The seafood is also legendary.

Freiburg im Breisgau, Germany

Freiburg im Breisgau has the distinction of being Germany’s sunniest city, but has yet to become a mainstream tourist destination for those travelling in Europe. Perched on the edge of the Black Forest, a cable car up Schauinsland Mountain takes you to, according to locals, the best view in Europe. The city itself, with its unusual Gothic cathedral, has much to recommend it as well, and its jolly Christmas markets are an excellent alternative to Germany’s better known cities.

Mozia, Sicily

Travelling in Europe leads many people to Sicily, but fewer to Mozia. Mozia is a tiny and very ancient island, lying in the Stagnone Lagoon to the west, and is often overlooked by visitors. It was originally an important Phoenician settlement dating from the 8^th century BC, and is full of interesting ruins to explore. Most striking is the strange pale expanses of the surrounding salt flats. The majority of the windmills once used to pump water still have their sails, and they complete a picturesque, toy-like landscape.

Belovezhskaya Pushcha, Belarus

One of Belarus’s four national parks, this fragment of primeval forest is all that remains of the woodland that once covered lowland Europe from Russia to the Baltic states, Denmark and Ukraine. With an astonishing variety of rare flora and fauna, the park gives a sense of what travelling in Europe would have been like thousands of years ago. The forest is home to large populations of European bison, wolves and lynx, but as yet very few tourists. You’re on your own with pronunciation.

Arranmore, Co. Donegal, Ireland

The Irish saying about Co. Donegal – ‘Go to Donegal for miles of feck all’ – makes for an interesting tourist destination. The bog, heather and rough coastlines is Europe at its wildest and most beautiful. On the Atlantic island of Arranmore, where you can rent cottages, the promontory fort dates from around 800 BC and most people still speak Irish. It’s the perfect spot for a scenic, peaceful holiday away from the beaten track.

Ithaca, Greece

A must for anyone travelling in Europe, the Greek islands are breathtakingly beautiful but also horribly crowded. Ithaca is that rare breed: a Greek island not yet overrun by tourists, with all the sun and sea and none of the crowds. Despite being one of the least visited islands, it has the most compelling mythical history: Ithaca was the home of Odysseus, who sailed to a 10 year war with Troy and spent another 10 years sailing back again, much to his wife’s irritation.

Transdniestr, Moldova

Moldova is seldom visited, and this separatist Russian-speaking region is as off the beaten track as you can get when travelling in Europe. A fraught truce between local officials and national government has been in place since 1992, when Transdniestr maintains it won its independence. Tourists, of which there are very few, enter a fascinating time-warp as they explore the region; you can barely move for busts of Lenin and other Soviet iconography. It makes an interesting day trip, and the rest of the country has plenty of attractions as well: its wine-tourism industry is growing fast.

Ordino, Andorra

Andorra offers a cheaper and more unusual alternative to nearby France and Spain. Although much of the country is being threatened by heavy development, Ordino remains a charming town right in the heart of the Pyrenees. Most buildings are traditional in style and built from local stone. It is an excellent base for both summer and winter sports, with fantastic views to be had from the surrounding peaks.

Transylvania, Romania

Although the fear seems to keep most tourists away, travelling in Europe is incomplete without a visit to Dracula’s beautiful birthplace. Transylvania is a patchwork of spectacular mountain-top castles and fairytale landscapes, and many locals still wear fantastically colourful traditional dress. The Carpathian Mountains offer a fantastic range of outdoor activities: the hiking, biking, climbing and caving are all top notch.