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Europe is full of hidden gems, but there are three cities on the rise that break all tourist records.
2025 seems to be the year in which travelers are looking for more destinations outside the beaten track, now that more and more large cities have drawn a line in the sand in an attempt to put an end to overtourism, whether it is rising housing costs, Excessive crowds or worries about sustainability.
Because a large part of the world suffers from flapping cold fronts, there is no better time to plan your next vacation.
While many travelers are looking for the winter sun, some of us also enjoy us to defy the cold for epic winter wonderlands, especially in timeless Europe.
This trio of record -breaking European cities is a mix of winter wonders and sunny escapes, but they are all incredible to visit for new discoveries outside the icons of London, Paris and Athens.
These 3 undervalued European cities break all tourist records: (in random order)
Bucharest, Romania
When it comes to the strong European leaders, you probably don’t think of Bucharest, but that should be the case.
As one of the safest cities in Europe, that should be tempting enough for a visit, given the crazy world in which we live.
Better yet: Americans can fly non-stop with a less well-known airline Hallosky Located in Moldova, which is ironic when you consider that Romania shows many remains of his Soviet past, where a boring block suddenly turns a corner into a lively, timeless square.
It is clear that Americans are not the only tourists who take the lead record -breaking figuresSo why all that hype?
Bucharest is not only one of the safest cities in Europe, but also one of the most unique, and even bears the nickname ‘Paris of the East’.
Although that may be a bit far -fetched, just as Cincinnati was once called the ‘Paris of the West’, there are certainly limited parts of the city center that are reminiscent of the French icon.
In short, Bucharest is the dream of every history lover to be surprised about, well, wonders.
After a day full of fascinating explorations through paved streets and intriguing museums, there may be no better European city to paint the city red.
Bucharest is also super affordable. You can easily score a 4-star hotel Europe Royale Bucharest Hotel Below $ 70.
Larnaca, Cyprus
On the other side of the Spectrum, which is more a sunny holiday paradise with fantastic resorts and crystal clear water, Cyprus sees record numbers of tourists flowing to their unspoilt island.
While many will end up in Paphos, a small seaside resort full of historic sights and eateries of world class, is on the other side of the island of Larnaca, less discussed as a first -class destination, but still based records.
A new one report claims that Larnaca airport exceeds the maximum capacity and exceeds the limit of 7.5 million arrivals.
So why is Larnaca suddenly so furious about such a small blip in the Mediterranean Sea?
Well, the news spreads quickly, and there is more than at first sight.
Larnaca offers a great balance between paradisiacal beach days, fascinating history and lively streets to explore – many of which are equipped with restaurants that serve cheap dishes directly from the sea and cold local beer to wash it away.
Some of the top locations that tourists in Larnaca have to know are the Larnaca salt lake for flamingo observations, Finikoudens beachand Agios Lazarios, a beautiful Byzantine church (Number 1 on TripAdvisor)
What you need to know before you leave: Cyprus is the last country that joined the Schengen area. Click here to read what this means for you.
Sarajevo, Bosnia and Herzegovina
Perhaps the biggest surprise of these three rising cities is none other than Sarajevo, a city where it would be an understatement to call it a comeback.
We all know the dark, evil past of Germany, but did you know that Bosnia (now officially Bosnia & Herzegovina since 1997) was once the victim of extreme human rights violations, in which Bosnian-Serb forces killed innocent citizens to ‘purify’ their nation. In essence under the carpet swept by the regular news?
Despite these atrocities of the Bosnian war of the nineties, the capital Sarajevo is now flourishing and it is one of Europe’s most affordable city trips for tourists with countless four -star hotels such as Hotel Aziza Less than $ 50 per night.
Of course it is intriguing to find out more about the past’s past. Some of the top attractions are Odes at the aforementioned war.
Take a look at this 3 museums:
- Tunnel Museum of Sarajevo
- Warkind museum
- Exhibition Museum of Srebrenica
Now, for some happy thoughts …
You can’t ignore the war -torn past of Sarajevo, but there are plenty of fun things to do in addition to a dip in the unscathed times of the city of just a few decades ago.
Check out BascaršijaA timeless neighborhood with paved streets, cozy cafés and breathtaking architecture.
Sarajevo is largely a Muslim population, so a visit to a dizzying mosque such as Gazi Husrev-Beg is a must for great photos and a glimpse into the daily life of the locals.
For the best view of the city, Sarajevo is a great place to enjoy the outdoor life during a spring walk Mount Trebevic for a beautiful view of the cityscape or Vrelo BosneWith numerous sources and waterfalls.
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This article originally appeared on Traveloffpath.com
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