You’re planning your next vacation and have spent hours trying to decide where to go. Whether you plan on staying within the country or traveling abroad, there is something you should know. You do not need to completely fill your travel itinerary with high priced stops in major metropolitan cities in order to have a great time.
The benefits are twofold. First, you’ll see parts of the country you might not have experienced while experiencing real local culture that hasn’t been saturated or altered by a need to cater to foreign tourists. Second, these less traveled cities are less likely to jack up the prices for accommodations and food the second they see you coming.
While these cities may not be some of the most famous or most talked about, they surely give their competition a run for the money. Try to include one of these amazing destinations in your next vacation itinerary!
Galway, Ireland
What city comes to mind when you think of Ireland? If you answered Dublin, you’re not alone, but about 150 miles west of Dublin lies the town of Galway. Galway is another favorite amongst art lovers and is the proud host of the annual summer Galway Arts Festival.
There are a handful of short, pre-planned walking paths for those who wish to take in the sights by foot while fishermen, cyclists, horseback riders, golfers and water lovers partake in any of a number of activities; no one will be without something to do during your stay. Galway is known as one of Ireland’s most popular entertainment destinations. In the evening you’ll find a myriad of restaurants, pubs, and nightclubs – each bustling with excitement and some of the best music you’ll hear in Ireland!
Toulouse, France
Find inexpensive Toulouse hotels
Most tourists think of Paris as they plan their trek through France. However, situated in Southern France you’ll find Toulouse to be a cultural epicenter. The city is full of famous monuments at sites such as The Capitole, Notre-Dame du Taur, and The Carmelite Chapel. Art lovers will enjoy trips to one of over a dozen museums, including The Augustins, The Georges Labit museum, and the Old Toulouse museum. Your stay might include a walking tour or a causal stroll or bike ride through one of the city’s parks, gardens, or along the waterways. The city isn’t lacking when it comes to restaurants, dinner dances, theatres, and night clubs either! In Toulouse, you’ll be sure to enjoy French culture without the hustle and bustle of the major tourism you’d experience in Paris!
Hamburg, Germany
Most Americans visiting Germany head straight to Munich, but those who know better will stop off in Hamburg instead. Hamburg is home to some of the most amazing sights in Germany, including the Alster Lake, the Port of Hamburg & Fish Market, and Hamburg’s own city centre and historical district. Want to explore the risqué? Hamburg is home to one of the largest red-light districts in Europe, where you’ll find streetwalkers, shows, and adult shops as well as a thriving musical theatre district. Feel free to explore the city on your own or with the help of a tour group. Experience the city on a barge tour, on a boat, on foot, or even from a hot air balloon!
Malaga, Spain
Reserve a discount Malaga hotel
Have you ever heard of Malaga? Neither had I until I had a chance to experience the beauty of this seaside city in Spain for myself. Sadly, anyone visiting the coast of Spain is likely to fly right into Malaga and then leave for the next destination. Malaga itself is a port city located snugly along the Mediterranean. Some of Malaga’s most magnificent sites include the cathedral, the Roman theatre, and the popular Picasso Museum. Tired of touring the sites? Relax on the beach for a few hours before heading out to enjoy a night in one of the city’s authentic restaurants. Malaga is still a working fishing port, so you’ll be exposed to both modern day Spain and traditional fishing trade at the same time.
Montevideo, Uruguay
Forget Buenos Aires! Montevideo is the city of Uruguay and is an incredible destination for visitors wishing to take in a little bit of true South American culture. The city is incredibly popular amongst young artists and designers and is well loved by museum hoppers and those who enjoy amazing architecture. The party happens on Saturday afternoon during the Mercado del Puerto where the grill stands are set up and food, music, dancing, and a fizzy wine will encourage visitors and locals to socialize while relaxing at the same time!
St. Petersburg, Florida
I bet you thought no trip to Florida would be complete without a stop in Orlando, but sunny St. Petersburg has a lot to offer as well. The town of St. Petersburg is located on the west coast of Florida and is the home of the famous Caladesi Beach, voted the number 1 beach to visit in 2008. The white sands are perfect for beach lovers while fishermen will enjoy east access to the Gulf of Mexico.
The city is split into cultural communities where you can learn and explore different heritages, or you might opt to check out St. Petersburg’s nightlife by stopping in at one of the many bars or clubs. The museums, galleries, and parks throughout the city will keep you busy when you’re not on the beaches! Still want to visit some of Florida’s most popular attractions? You’re within a 30-90 minute drive of most of the state’s most visited parks and attractions.
Regardless of which destination you choose, you’ll be pleasantly surprised at how affordable and entertaining some of the world’s lesser-known cities can actually be!
Enjoyed reading this post? continue reading The Best Cities Less Traveled Part 2.
Photo Credits: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6
If you liked this post subscribe to our feed to get regular updates.
June 27th, 2008 at 4:28 pm
Beautiful pictures.. love spain.
June 27th, 2008 at 6:23 pm
What?! No Italian city?!
June 30th, 2008 at 10:05 pm
How about:
Siena, Tuscany, Italy
Ronda, Spain
Bonifacio, Corsica, France
July 1st, 2008 at 5:03 am
nice travel blog, i like it.
July 1st, 2008 at 10:43 am
You must tell about Istanbul, Turkey.
July 1st, 2008 at 12:30 pm
…OK, not gonna lie — St. Pete, Florida? Are you insane?
It seems completely out of place — you have 4 gorgeous European cities, and then throw in St. Pete?
What about Italy, Greece, or Turkey? Maybe Morocco? Surely those countries have better cities than any city in Florida. Really. Even if you had to go with the states, isn’t there a better choice?
July 1st, 2008 at 12:32 pm
–also, I realize that Uruguay is not European - but it’s still a city that you’d want to visit.
July 2nd, 2008 at 1:57 am
we’ll be in galway next week…looking forward to the visit!
July 2nd, 2008 at 6:25 am
well, i think it is great that some American cities are mentioned. first off, there are many a gorgeous place to see in the USA. think of the badlands, grand canyon, yosemite, any northern wood or great mountain range, amazing beaches on the east and west coast, deserts, quaint lakes, swampland…there are so many great US places that many travel blogs completely ignore for more trendy, expensive european/Mediterranean cities. its crazy. Secondly, st. pete in particular is a great place. there is an amazing beach, great hotels, suberb zagat rated dining, the salvodor dali museum, nearby cigar capital in ybor city, interesting cultural neighborhoods, shopping and the family mecca of theme parks. look at what st. pete and dubai offer: same thing! business, leisure and family travelers are all looking for those things, some people are just too into the hype of the amazing trendy, euro vacay. its overrated. its easy to have culture…and we all save money for other splurges too. dont discount what north america offers.
July 3rd, 2008 at 2:31 pm
I think all of the cities on the list are great, even St. Petersburg! Good choice for people who want to relax and experience different cultures while staying in the United States.
July 4th, 2008 at 8:21 pm
[...] makes the list of the “best cities less traveled,” which means that it could very well be overrun with [...]
July 4th, 2008 at 8:28 pm
[...] The Best Cities Less TraveledMontevideo is the city of Uruguay and is an incredible destination for visitors wishing to take in a little bit of true South American culture. The city is incredibly popular amongst young artists and designers and is well loved by … [...]
July 5th, 2008 at 4:15 pm
The big sur coastline on the highway one in california is one of the most gorgeous places in the world. It is definitely the nicest place in the country
July 14th, 2008 at 9:12 pm
Hamburg is an awesome place to visit
I’m pleasantly surprised to see Montevideo in this list…good pick!
July 15th, 2008 at 1:30 pm
Well I’m a resident of St. Petersburg, Fla, and I can tell you a lot of europeans, australians, canadians, etc. sure seem to love it. You can see their pasty white bodies, wedged into too-short black swimsuits strolling up and down our beaches all year long.
July 15th, 2008 at 5:10 pm
nice list - would definitely love to go to at least one of the above mentioned cities
July 16th, 2008 at 3:46 am
I lived in malaga for 9 months and fell in love with the town. Stay at picassos corner on the plaza, it’s one of the top three in the world according to hostelworld.
July 16th, 2008 at 10:07 am
Galway is beautiful, especially at this time of year (summer). I visit every year summer and winter. It has everything you could possibly want from a city, good restuarants, pubs, shopping and very friendly people. Be sure to visit the Quays bar if you do visit and of course the lovely Cathedral.
July 16th, 2008 at 12:13 pm
[...] you plan on staying within the country or traveling abroad, there is something you should know. You do not need to completely fill your travel itinerary with high priced stops in major metropolitan cities in order to have a great time. [...]
July 16th, 2008 at 8:13 pm
Great Post!
July 17th, 2008 at 10:16 am
I think Norway should get a place on the list too. During summer, up in the furthest north in Norway, it is sun all day and night long. You see the sun going down and up again at the same moment, it is incredible to see.
Also St. Petersburg in Russia is worth seeing.
July 18th, 2008 at 2:46 am
galway is most preferred by emotional retards and people in suspended states of social suspended animation ie those who never really grew past those post pubescent years of socio-economic state-fueled dependence on taxpayers money in the name of decomposed stagnant creativity
July 18th, 2008 at 11:06 am
Galway’s no.1! best town in Ireland, lived there for a year and fell completely in love with the place. such a buzz around the city, what an amazing place, i’d urge anyone to visit….
July 22nd, 2008 at 7:01 pm
What about Porto, in Portugal? Just google it - I dare you not to fall in love!
July 23rd, 2008 at 3:12 am
I’d add Kansas City to the list as well.
July 24th, 2008 at 11:19 am
What about Manzanillo, Mexico? It is gorgeous there.
July 24th, 2008 at 11:50 pm
Ahh, good ol’ St. Pete. I used to live there, now I live in Western NC. I do miss it, but cultural neighborhoods? Seriously? The only cultural neighborhood difference is if you cross over Central into the South Side. Which I would not recommend for tourists. The beaches are the best in the US, and always offer some interesting people watching opportunities. If you do go to St. Pete you MUST hit up Feola’s Pizza which is near Tyrone Mall (I can’t remember the street number off the top of my head). They have the best pizza and calzones out of anywhere I’ve tried.
Now for an addition, Western NC. Franklin has gem mines which offer cheap and serious family fun. The best is Rose Creek Mine. You can find rubies, sapphires, garnets, and emeralds just to name a few. There is also some amazing hiking on the Appalachian Trail which runs through Franklin. There’s a few trails that have some awesome waterfalls too. 30 minutes north of Franklin is Dillsboro/Sylva. There’s a railroad that you can ride that seems like it might be a lot of fun. I’ve never actually ridden it but I’ve seen it pass by and everyone looks happy. A little north of that is Cherokee where there is a casino and also Unto These Hills which is some kind of show. I’ve been meaning to go nut never actually have. I have heard great things about it though. All of this is super close to Asheville which has all the nightlife and such you could ever want!!
July 30th, 2008 at 4:00 am
Great list! I haven’t been to any of these towns but the all look great (especially the ones in Europe). You way want to look at Sanaa (capital city of Yemen) - I came across it in my travel research and it looks absolutely gorgeous with some unique quality I can’t quite place - I remember reading about it being dubbed the “NY of the desert” - this description works at least form the pictures I’ve seen. Oh - and to top it off, there are awesome mountains just behind the city!
August 6th, 2008 at 11:29 am
What about Panamá ?
August 14th, 2008 at 12:01 am
[...] you enjoyed the first group of lesser known cities on our agenda, you’re sure to love what we found when we continued our journey. Be sure to [...]