But there are also so many underrated places that are severely underlooked.
So, I asked theBuzzFeed Communityto tell me about a destination they loved even more than expected.
Here are some of their responses.
I also shared one of my own favorite places and a handful of responses from some travel-loving Redditors.
“Moab, Utah.
We stayed a week.
Every day there were spectacular day roadtrips to take.
The scenery in Canyonlands and Arches National Parks was beyond anything we’d ever seen.
We saw petroglyphs and dinosaur tracks and fossils.
And the fall colors in the nearby mountains were enchanting.
confirm to hit Monument Valley and Canyon de Chelly while youre in the area!”
“Sintra, Portugal.
I like to stay away from the larger cities when I travel.
Instead, I tend to rent a car and see the smaller towns.
Sintra, a beautiful town 20 minutes outside of Lisbon, is one of those places.
I planned just one day there but couldve spent a couple more.
There’s a colorful castle, an ancient fort, and gorgeous views all around.
Our hotel was a magical villa/hotel-walled garden in the center of town.
I would spend an afternoon swimming and lazing surrounded by flowers.”
“I highly recommend the Seto Inland Sea between Hiroshima, Beppu, and Kure.
There are lots of small and bigger islands.
Many parts of it feel extremely untouched.”
4.“Budapest.
I have traveled there six times now.
Many people visit Prague over Budapest, which is a mistake, IMO.
Like Prague, the city spans both sides of a river, one old and one new.
But Budapest is much bigger and more interesting.
It has its own currency, and it is very cheap.
The weather is lovely in the summer, and the food is great.
Whats not to love?”
“Sarajevo, the capital of Bosnia and Herzegovina.
The city felt like a fairytale just beautiful.
And it’s steeped in history, most of which is shocking and stunningly recent.”
“Hydra, Greece.
My wife and I just took a long Greek honeymoon.
One island we really liked that isn’t as well known as Santorini and Mykonos was Hydra.
In fact, it was probably our favorite island.
There isn’t much to do or see there, but it was very laid back and chill.
“Siem Reap, Cambodia.
I wasnt expecting much, but it quickly became the highlight of my trip to Asia.
I really enjoyed Angkor Wat, exploring the archaeological temple from so long ago.”
8.“Romania!
I spent two weeks driving around.
It’s like Amsterdam but way more relaxed.
I preferred the coffee shops in The Hague to those everywhere else in the Netherlands.
Its a really beautiful city with a lovely main square.
And the Mauritshuis museum there houses Vermeer’s famous ‘The Girl with the Pearl Earring.'”
The whole state is underrated, but specifically Albuquerque, Taos, and the New Mexican desert.
The scenery is utterly breathtaking, the culture and history are unique, and the food is delicious.
“Pienza, Italy.
Everywhere you look, it seems like it came straight out of a postcard.
It was one of the most beautiful towns I’ve ever seen.”
“Taipei, Taiwan.
But much to my (pleasant) surprise, Taipei and Taiwan became my favorite place in Asia.
The food is nothing short of heavenly, and it’s surprisingly affordable.
The famous night markets are truly worth the hype…”
13.
“Vietnam overall, but especially Hoi An.
I went in with very high expectations, but Hoi An still blew them away.
“Salvador, Brazil.
“The Kenai Peninsula, Alaska.
If you like Colorado, you will love the Kenai Peninsula.”
“Aveiro, a little town in Portugal.
On my way to Porto, I decided to stop in Coimbra and somehow ended up in Aveiro.
l spent two days just wandering around and taking it all in.”
“Rovinj, Croatia.
I spent three nights in Rovinj and Croatia’s Istrian peninsula as part of a three-week European roadtrip.
In retrospect, I wish we spent at least a week there.
I haven’t come across many more romantic prefs.
“I was floored by the food and the views in Grenoble, France.
“Tallinn, Estonia.
Tallinn is a sweet city with an amazing and historic old town village.
The food blew my mind, and the bread, in particular, was the best Ive ever had.
The whole city is easily walkable, and the locals are charming and welcoming.
you’re free to even take a two-hour boat ride to Helsinki.
I loved it so much Im going back again this year.”
“Saint-Jean-de-Luz, France.
It’s on the west coast of France in Basque Country.
Imagine the perfect beach town, but without the overwhelming crowds of Nice or Marseille.
Plus, youre a quick drive from San Sebastian, Spain, another incredible destination.
The food, architecture, and culture were amazing.
Basque French culture is so different from the rest of France, and the food is to die for.
Id recommend this over Paris or other popular tourist sites in France.”
“Zermatt, Switzerland.
I visited on my first trip to Europe.
Everything about Europe blew me away, especially Zermatt.
It’s a small mountain town right at the base of the Matterhorn, and the views are breathtaking.
Zermatt itself was a super cute albeit expensive town.
10/10 would recommend.”
22.“Slovenia.
My wife was born there, and we go back every other year to see her family and friends.
It’s such a beautiful country.
The secret is starting to get out now, especially Instagrammable places like Lake Bled and Predjama Grad.
Granted, it’s still nowhere near as crowded as similar countries like Croatia.”
“Gdansk, Poland.
The Old Town looked straight out of a movie set.
It has great architecture and history and is not as touristy as many other European cities.
I also met some of the nicest people in Gdansk.”
“Ecuador is a place that really blew me away.
It was a last-minute decision, but the Galapagos was absolutely mind-blowing.
It was the adventure of a lifetime.
But mainland Ecuador is what really surprised me.
“Heidelberg, Germany.
We visited much bigger cities on the same trip, and I didnt know much about Heidelberg before visiting.
But it turned out to be a beautiful city with spectacular architecture and excellent food.
I spent two weeks in Europe, but some of the best things I ate were in Heidelberg.
The hills, colorful buildings, and river were just gorgeous, plus there were stunning ancient castles around.
The city itself had winding, cobblestone streets that were just so charming.
“Perugia, Italy.
This city is about two hours from Florence by train.
It’s a fully walled city with a medieval city center.
All of the food I ate there was so delicious.
I was only supposed to stay overnight but ended up staying two extra days.”
“Santiago, Chile.
I think this city is one of the most livable cities in Latin America.”
“Essaouira, Morocco.
Its an absolutely beautiful coastal town with lots of great views, plus it’s very clean and walkable.
We stopped there while traveling from Marrakech to Rabat and really enjoyed it!”
“Bournemouth, UK.
I went in September and got beautiful, sunny weather the whole day.
It’s so peaceful that there are even goats hanging out on the seaside cliffs.
The town is quite walkable with lots of cute shops.
We collected seashells on the beach and ended our day with a glass of champagne seaside.
It was total perfection and is well worthy of a day trip.”
“Dijon, France.
31.“Laos.
Traveling down the Mekong River was incredible.
The landscapes were beautiful, the people were so kind, and the towns were magical.”
“Kerala, India.
The landscape is so pretty and so lush.
The locals were all so friendly and treated everyone like family.
Everywhere we visited felt like the perfect mix of traditional and modern.
I loved the food there, including lots of curry.
The beach areas offer a lot more culinary variety, like lots of fresh seafood.”
“Savannah, Georgia.
I won a free stay at a hotel there, so I went into the trip with no expectations.
I ended up loving it, though.
Savannah is such a cute city with so much history and character.
There are excellent museums, restaurants, and tours.”
“Edinburgh absolutely blew my mind.
My best friend and I were taking a trip across the UK in 2019.
The scenery made us feel like we had entered a real-life Harry Potter universe.
I would absolutely visit the city again!”
“Ottawa is very underrated in Canada.
Its a beautiful city with lots of greenery.
It’s an interesting mix of English and French culture and language.
You may forget where you are when you enter a restaurant and are greeted with ‘bonjour.’
Everyone I know that has been there has come back impressed by how beautiful it is.”
