May 11, 2015by Regina Chow2 CommentsTravel, Uncategorized

6 Beautiful & Underrated Places In Europe

Cities such as London, Rome, Venice and Paris immediately come to mind when we plan our holidays in Europe, but if you prefer to take the road less travelled, here are 6 other breathtakingly beautiful places that you could visit based on my personal experience.

1. HUESCA, SPAIN
The province of Huesca located in northeast Spain is home to beautiful mountains, verdant valleys and pristine rivers. All natural and virtually untainted by commercialism, this is a dream come true for adventure seekers and nature lovers. You can easily drive there from Barcelona Airport.

Check out the
Sierra de Guara region if you enjoy activities such as rockclimbing,
canyoning, caving, hiking or wildlife watching.
During our last visit, we stayed at Rodellar, a quaint village situated above the Muscan gorge in the Sierra de Guara National Park. Rodellar is also one of the most famous places for rockclimbing in Europe. 
You can read more about JW’s rockclimbing experience in Rodellar below:

 

For a change of scenery, you can also head to a medieval city called Alquezar (30km from Rodellar by car). You can read more about our visit to Alquezar below:

2. BARCELONA, SPAIN
 I hesitated about placing Barcelona on this list as it is after all the most popular tourist destination in Spain, but when I speak to people around me about their travel plans in Europe, this city hardly ever seems to be on their radar. 

If you love beautiful yet distinctive architecture, Barcelona is the city to go. The fantastical buildings designed by Antoni Gaudi are exactly what fairy-tales are made of and you will never see architectural marvels of this nature anywhere else in Europe, or in the world for that matter. 

Here are some of his signature works that you have to visit:
Park Guell
Casa Mila
Sagrada Familia

For more photos and information on the places to visit, read my previous posts below:
If you are a history buff or if bullfighting is your cup of tea, you could also visit the Monumental Arena and Museo Taurino (bullfighting museum). Bullfighting may be banned in Barcelona (since 2012), but this slice of history serves a reminder of the arena’s past glory and provides great photo opportunities.
For more information, read my post below:

 3.  CESKY KRUMLOV, CZECH REPUBLIC

Everyone
talks about Prague and how gorgeous it is as a city, but did you know
that there is an equally picturesque (if not more) by the name of Cesky
Krumlov in the South Bohemian Region of Czech Republic?

 Both Prague’s Castle District and Cesky Krumlov are UNESCO World Heritage sites. Everything seems to come to a standstill at Cesky Krumlov as you are instantly transported back in time. The little town looks just a medieval town complete with locals dressed in medieval costumes. A day-trip to Cesky Krumlov is usually recommended but personally, I would recommend staying a day or two just to soak in the beauty and to take time to explore its breathtaking surroundings. 

For more information on places to visit in Cesky Krumlov, do read my posts below:

Curious Sights in Cesky Krumlov

I Left My Heart in Cesky Krumlov

4. EAGLE’S NEST, BERCHTESGADEN (GERMANY)

Eagle’s
Nest, otherwise known as Kehlsteinhaus, was built by the Nazis on the
Kelstein mountain above Berchtesgaden (located at the German Bavarian
Alps) in celebration of Hitler’s 50th birthday. It was meant to be a
holiday home and Hitler even had his own private route leading up from
the city to the mountains.
While Hitler hardly visited Eagle’s Nest, it is now a tourist hotspot primarily due to its mesmerizing scenery, which only gets better as you move up the mountain. Perched atop a mountain, Eagle’s Nest is surrounded by a confluence of white fluffy clouds that lay atop the city. You can easily book a day trip there via Munich (Germany) or Salzburg (Austria).

For more photos and information, you can read my post below:

Eagle’s Nest

5. INNSBRUCK, AUSTRIA

Innsbruck is known for being a winter sports center and the city has hosted the Winter Olympics on several occasions. If you enjoy skiing or snowboarding, this is the place to be in winter, but even if these activities are not the least enticing to you, the panoramic scenery is bound to set your heart aflutter. Here’s a short video clip that I took when I was there some years ago:



 For more photos and information on places to visit, do read my posts below:

Innsbruck Mountains

Innsbruck Alpen Zoo

 6. SALZBURG, AUSTRIA




 Salzburg’s Old Town (Altstadt) is a UNESCO World Heritage Site that is renowned for its baroque architecture, set against the backdrop of alpine surroundings.

Classical music lovers would also know that Salzburg was the birthplace of Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart. I can still recall how I excited I was just before I stepped into Mozart’s home, also known as Mozart’s Geburthaus.

For more photos and information, you can read my post below:

Salzburg’s Old Town & Mozart’s Geburthaus

 If you are a fan of popular movie musical The Sound of Music, you can also book a day trip to visit all the filming spots. It was also here where I discovered the very scenic Mondsee Lake, a beautifully serene lake overlooking lush rolling hills.

For more photos and information, read my post below:

The Sound of Music Tour 
  
It has been a while since I last visited Europe and it is high time that I revisited this continent to explore other cities that I have yet to tick off my bucket list. 

Meanwhile, I hope that my personal experiences detailed in this post would provide you with some useful tips and inspiration if you are planning a trip there. 

Have a great week ahead!