Forget Italy and its stylish Amalfi Coast, France with the sparkly Eiffel Tower, and Croatia’s overtouristed, Westeros-ified Dalmatia: as seen in the latest report released by the UN Tourist Barometer, Europe-bound tourists now have various concerns.
In a continent fighting both extreme levels of overtourism and record-breaking heat, it’s hardly surprising that tourists are now turning to lesser-known locations that have yet to reach breaking point (and where they will not risk heatstroke by merely being outdoors).
Latvia A small Northeastern European country lining the Baltic Sea, Latvia has actually grown 16 %year-on-year according to the UN Tourism Barometer, with travelers drawn to its medieval heritage, off-path appeal, and most notably, cooler temperatures. Latvia does take pleasure in enjoyable weather in summertime, with more sunlight hours than in colder seasons, and a typical everyday highs of 74 ° on the coast, however it’s never precisely scorching-hot, nor will the notorious European aversion to a/c units pose a problem here. 
By the method, if you’re wondering where to enter Latvia, Riga is an excellent location to start: the nation’s charming capital, it features a perfectly-preserved middle ages center, various Old Town clubs serving hearty meals for under $12 and beer for $3.50, and a large ensemble of Art Nouveau buildings.
A short 28-minute drive from Riga, Jūrmala is a dynamic seaside town with a long golden-sand beach, backed by holiday rental properties and Soviet-era asylums. If you’re chasing fairytale towns that could belong in a storybook, Cēsis has patched streets, castle walls, and a sea of red-brick gabled roofing systems.
Malta A tiny island-nation in the Mediterranean, Malta has actually always been an extremely popular sunny getaway for vacationing Brits and Germans, however for whatever reason, Americans have constantly looked best past it … up
until now. As seen in the most recent UN Tourist Barometer, Malta has actually grown 19% year-on-year as a location, and it’s no surprise Delta has actually simply announced it will be servicing the island nonstop from New york city (JFK).
In case you aren’t knowledgeable about Malta, it lies south of the Italian island of Sicily, and it’s best understood for its postcard-ready sandy beaches, an uncommon sight in the Mediterranean where shorelines are usually rugged, a variety of medieval walled towns, and a dynamic cultural landscape.
It is at the crossroads of civilizations, being as heavily affected by Sicilian culture as it is by North African and British cultures, who actually controlled Malta from 1800 to 1964– in case you ever wonder why there are London-style telephone boxes in the streets of Valletta.
Additionally, Delta’s new flight strategies next year make certain to interest off-season tourists who are dreaming of a Mediterranean escape beyond July: even in the fall, Malta boasts summer-like temperate highs of 82 ° F.
Lithuania As we stated formerly, Eastern Europe is where it’s at. A neighboring country of Latvia, Lithuania is the most quickly growing
destination across the pond, with a 21 %increase in arrivals. If you enjoy unique city breaks away from the typical European crowds, with the cobbled streets, ornate Baroque churches, and the hilltop fortress to opt for it, Vilnius just ticks all of those boxes, and then some.
It is the capital of Lithuania, in addition to its essential center, with a UNESCO-protected Old Town that looks like it’s been copied and pasted from a storybook for kids, a scenic river walk, at the confluence of the Neris and Vilnia rivers, and its fair share of hippy, Bohemian districts.
< img width="800"height="800"src ="https://www.traveloffpath.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/05/View-from-the-gates-on-the-beautiful-Francis-of-Assisi-gothic-church-in-the-old-town-of-Vilnius-city-Lithuania..jpg.webp"alt="View from evictions on the stunning Francis of Assisi gothic church in the old town of Vilnius city, Lithuania."/ > If you wish to see something really unique, you ought to drop in Užupis, an area that considers itself a self-proclaimed ‘nation’, with its own mock constitution– apparently, everyone there has the ‘right to be delighted’, and everybody has the’best to love and
look after the cat’. Exploring Lithuania beyond Vilnius? Ensure you include Trakai Castle to your list, a fairy tale medieval stronghold on an islet in a lake, a short half-hour train ride away from the capital.
Vinicius Costa Vini, our senior lead writer at Travel Off Path, has more than 60 + countries under his belt (and presently weaving tales from Paris!), and a propensity for turning off-the-beaten-path experiences into helpful stories that will have you packing your bags.
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