I’ve Been To 40 European Countries: These Are The 4 That Surprised Me Most
If you are a trustworthy Travel Off Path reader, and you have been following my very own adventures on right here for the previous half-decade, you in all probability know by now I’ve a tender spot for somewhat offbeat European gem.
I have not finished every little thing, after all, however 40-plus European international locations in, from distant Portuguese islands marooned in the course of the Atlantic all the best way east to Russia—and yep, I’ve even been to Ukraine in instances of struggle—I’ve seen a good bit of the Old Continent.
As a lot as I’ve loved my time in France (ahem, I really dwell in Paris), Italy, Spain, and each different tried-and-true vacation spot you possibly can consider, they not often give me that very same rush anymore.
You know the sensation: brow pressed in opposition to the airplane window, the seatbelt signal flicking on, and that sudden jolt of pleasure as a spot you have by no means fairly discovered, and feels really international, comes into view beneath the duvet of clouds.
It’s the lesser-explored corners of Europe that also try this to me. The ones that do not dominate Instagram feeds, not often make the informal traveler’s bucket record, and one way or the other nonetheless handle to shock you whenever you least count on it.
And I feel it is lastly time I gave you my verdict. Here are 4 European international locations that shocked me essentially the most—some you in all probability weren’t anticipating to see featured right here.
Georgia
We’re beginning off with a banger, albeit a controversial one. Some say that is Europe, others say it is Asia, however I say it’s kind of of each.
Georgia is a tiny nation east of Turkey, south of Russia, hugged by the inky-blue waters of the Black Sea, and with a massively underrated capital to name its personal.
Tbilisi appears like a fever dream the place Europe, the Middle East, and the previous Soviet Union one way or the other ended up sharing the identical block.
From the imposing Narikala Fortress towering above a cluster of medieval balconied homes and townhouses beneath, to the distinctly Persian bathhouses, and the Russian-era Orthodox church buildings and sometimes communist residence blocks that function backdrop, it by no means fairly sticks to at least one lane, but that is exactly what makes it so charming.
Also, to my fellow digital nomads on the market, Coffee LAB Tbilisi might be my favourite coworking hub in all of Europe (Eurasia, no matter).
I suppose it is fortunate for us that Georgia permits most foreigners, together with U.S. passport holders, to stay for an entire year visa-free.
In any case, you possibly can all the time use the Entry Requirement Checker to double-check the journey guidelines that apply to Americans touring anyplace on the planet.
Georgia’s true magic is discovered outdoors its capital metropolis, although, within the dramatic mountains of Svaneti, the rolling vineyards of Kakheti, the place you possibly can keep in a literal large wine amphora with views of snow-capped peaks, and the coastal charm of Batumi.
It’s one more loopy, eclectic, larger-than-life metropolis mendacity someplace between the cutesy allure of a European Old Town with buildings which can be Paris-level fairly, and a vibrant skyscraper-dotted coastal metropolis verging on a mini Dubai.
Greece
…But Not The One You Might Know
Most individuals know Greece for Athens—to be extra particular, Plaka and Acropolis Hill—or the world-famous Instagrammable islands which can be Mykonos and Santorini. If that was the yardstick I used to be judging Greece by, it might be nowhere close to this record.
The factor is,some 15 journeys to Greece later, and 25 Greek islands in, I may need struck gold in numerous spots that hold me coming again for extra, yr after yr after yr. It does have about 227 island-destinations, in spite of everything, so it is just like the reward that retains on giving.
Let’s begin with Rhodes Town: the capital of the namesake Dodecanese island, and nothing like what you may think a Greek island to be.
Out with the whitewashed, cubic homes and blue-church domes, in with the cobbled streets, medieval castles that seem like they might belong in France someplace, and Ottoman minarets.
It’s a type of locations that, irrespective of what number of instances you go to, you possibly can hold peeling off layers and by no means fairly attain the core.
Then there’s the island of Rhodes itself: lush, mountainous, indented with turquoise bays and with its very personal Acropolis… besides this one is correct by the ocean.
Moving on, Mediterranean summers are by no means fairly as idyllic as they really feel in Folegandros, this ‘blink and you may miss it’ intermediate ferry cease on the best way from Santorini to Milos.
It has the most picturesque Chora, with loads of blue domes and bougainvillea-draped chalk-white corners, and the sunsets atop the Panagia monastery, reachable by way of a zig-zagging staircase laid by pilgrims centuries in the past, are essentially the most lovely I’ve seen in all of Greece.
Gosh, don’t get me started on Chios or its completely preserved set of inland medieval villages, Kalymnos and that winding Vathy fjord—it could be my new favorite Greek island for the second?—and all of the hidden treasures the Greek mainland holds.
I may go on for a whole 100 pages, however if you happen to actually wish to get your mind blown, and also you’re a person, be sure you add Mount Athos to your journey wishlist:
A peninsula dotted with historic Byzantine monasteries and monastic communities the place solely males have been allowed to enter for over 1,000 years.
Poland
One of Europe’s largest but most neglected international locations, Poland is a type of locations I really feel most Americans may need vaguely heard of, however by no means fairly bothered wanting deeper into.
Maybe they’ve heard of Warsaw and its towering skyscrapers, Kraków’s medieval sq., the most important one in Europe, and in the event that they’re into World War II, chances are high a day journey to Auschwitz is on their itinerary, however Poland is a lot extra than simply its 3 essential vacationer hubs.
Poland’s true allure lies in its smaller, lesser-known cities, and the gorgeous nature that may even rival Switzerland’s in magnificence, but vacationers are blissfully unaware of it.
Though it not often will get a shoutout, Gdańsk, on the northerly Baltic coast, might be one of the crucial lovely cities I’ve visited, with its colourful constructing façades ornamented in Germanic motifs, red-brick St. Mary’s Church, and nearly intact medieval crane.
Just this yr, I kicked off my season of travels in Toruń, a UNESCO-protected medieval gem within the Kuyavia-Pomerania area of Poland, partially surrounded by Hanseatic-era partitions, and famed because the birthplace of none aside from Nicolaus Copernicus.
That’s the man who proved the Earth orbits across the Sun, not the opposite means ‘spherical.
Looking for a quieter, extra compact model of Kraków with out the vacationer buzz? Poznań has a fair prettier market sq., with a Renaissance fabric corridor, and this hovering, fortress-like cathedral that towers above the cobbled lanes and gable roofs.
Poland’s greatest trump card, although? Lo and behold, the Tatra mountain vary.
This nationwide park sits among the many most dramatic mountain surroundings I’ve seen on the continent, up there with the Swiss Alps, the Scottish Highlands, and the fjord-traversed Norwegian mountains.
It’s dotted with climbing trails, crystal-clear alpine lakes, together with the well-known Morskie Oko, and Rysy, Poland’s highest peak.
Last however not least, I love how Poland feels distinctly safer than most of Western Europe today. Whether it is on an evening out in downtown Warsaw or strolling a poorly lit road in essentially the most random, sleepy Polish village, I do know for a truth I will not get jumped by a thug wielding a knife.
You needn’t take my phrase for it.
Just verify Poland’s near-perfect rating of 94/100 on the Traveler Safety Index, the primary benchmark for gauging security ranges throughout completely different international locations, because it’s primarily based on first-hand stories by vacationers themselves.
Kosovo
Kosovo’s a type of locations that is been dwelling rent-free at the back of my thoughts ever since we put out that now-infamous ‘day trip to one of Europe’s poorest countries‘ story just a few years again. As a lot because it was enjoyable to put in writing, I do admit I form of remorse naming it that means.
Kosovo’s less-than-impressive GDP is the least fascinating factor about it.
I’ll assume it isn’t a rustic you are utterly unaware of, particularly after years of mainstream pop stars like Dua Lipa and Rita Ora proudly waving their Kosovar flag, however simply in case you have by no means felt the impetus to dig deeper, permit me to introduce you to Europe’s youngest nation-state.
Born solely in 2008, at that.
Kosovo gained its independence from Serbia solely 18 years in the past, and it is nonetheless discovering its footing in a quickly altering world, but when there’s one factor that is still nearly unchanged, it is how Pristina was, and nonetheless is, Europe’s most energetic, forward-looking, youth-driven capital.
I imply, the common age is barely across the early 30s, and although town is not precisely, ahem, Vienna-pretty, the thriving café scene, spearheaded by individuals our age, the artistic arts motion, music festivals that went from being the backwater different to your Coachellas and Glastonburys to a few of Europe’s most sought-after summertime occasions.
Just the entire effervescent, start-up-friendly, entrepreneurial really feel of it make Pristina completely fascinating.
Perhaps most surprisingly, I additionally could not imagine how reasonably priced Kosovo is. I’m speaking full sit-down, three-course dinners for $12–$15, and delightful trendy items for short-term rental averaging $40–$60 per evening.
Then there’s Visoki Dečani, a brief 40-minute drive out of city.
A UNESCO-protected Serbian Orthodox monastery with among the most spectacular Byzantine frescoes I’ve seen, and hon, I’ve been up and down, and left and proper across the Balkans.
Prizren is simply the cherry on high:
Lying some 50 miles southwest of Pristina, this storybook Ottoman city is minimize by way of by a fast-flowing, emerald-green river, spanned by historic stone bridges and with historic minarets to high it off. It’s nearly as if Istanbul and Mostar had a child.
The better part about Kosovo?
You get all this superb heritage and surroundings, and only a few crowds.
