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I don’t know if it’s just me, but aren’t all these overhyped, over-Instagrammed, rinse-and-repeat European capitals flogged to death?
Whether it’s the ‘beautiful, aesthetic’ Haussmannian streets of Paris, the ‘open-air museum’ that is Paris, or the ‘Victorian elegance’ of London, it’s a film we’ve seen (quite literally) a million times before.
Everyone likes to joke about how small these European countries are, but come on, Europe is big continent?
They have to be more than just bold capital letters on Google Maps, right?
I say we zoom in a bit on the non-bold names and see what they have to offer. Here are five underrated European cities that aren’t capitals, but are worthy of your attention just as much:
Brasov, Romania
Instead of Bucharest
Bucharest may be Romania’s capital and largest hub, but unless you have a thing for socialist-era brutalist buildings, old trams rattling down potholed roads, and I don’t know, beer-filled stripper parties, then maybe don’t miss it.
Instead, head to Brașov, a beautiful city in the heart of Transylvania that has much more to offer culturally than beggar-dominated Bucharest.
The actual Europe you saw in the films revolves around a beautiful medieval square, off which countless winding, cobbled streets lead to secret courtyards, ancient inns and hidden cafes.
The maze of the old city towers high Biserica Neagraor Black Church, a towering late Gothic monument which has been the spiritual center of Brașov’s ethnic Saxon Lutheran community since the Middle Ages.
For the Bram Stoker fans among us: Brașov is a stone’s throw away – more like half an hour’s drive – from Bran Castle, where the myth is shrouded, alleged ancestral home of Dracula.
Yes, as in the big bad vampire with a penchant for corrupting the souls of young Christian virgins, or at least the much less mystical, just as bloodthirsty, real Wallachian monarch version of him.
Leiden, Netherlands
Instead of Amsterdam
Is it just me or is Amsterdam completely overhyped? Some people are fascinated by how many stairwells in every muted color imaginable people can come up with, and maybe they love hanging out in a liberal enclave shrouded in a billowing weed haze, but it’s a hard pass for me.
At this point you might as well skip Amsterdam and try your luck in one of the nearby cities instead.
Think fewer ninety minutes of canal queues and bachelor parties, more absurdly beautiful university buildings, quaint mansions with gabled gables and much more authentic culture than a tourist-crowded, perhaps seedy red-light district.
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From the old castle, that impressive round fortress on a hilltop overlooking the winding waterways of Leiden, up to the many courtyards (hidden courtyards) and antique bookstores around the medieval Pieterswijk district, it’s a true Dutch gem that feels truly lived in, rather than dressed up for show.
Bruges, Belgium
Instead of Brussels
Let’s face it, apart from housing EU institutions and having a lovely main square surrounded by guild houses, Brussels doesn’t have much to justify an overnight stay. It may be the Belgian capital, but it hardly feels representative of Belgium when it has become an international bureaucratic bubble.
The country’s true charm lies in its smaller medieval towns, the Dutch-style waterways cutting through brick beauties, topped by the iconic stepped roofs – and that’s actually a description according to the Bruges booklet.
Or what the locals call the ‘Venice of the North’:
The most beautiful spot in the land of Tintin almost seems plucked from a storybook: cobbled streets, northern Mannerist facades, winding canals that beg for romantic flat-bottomed boat trips in summer.
Even Audrey Hepburn (born in Belgium, FYI) came to lounge here occasionally in her youth, and given how absurdly picturesque the market is and that 80-foot belfry piercing the sky, it’s no shock that a Hollywood icon would swoon. Chances are you will too.
Bergen, Norway
Instead of Oslo
You can’t possibly have been to Norway if Oslo is all you’ve seen. Don’t get me wrong: I enjoy Oslo’s modern-historic mix and fjord setting, but the flat landscape pales next to the epic cliffs and vast wilderness of Western Norway.
That’s why when people ask me where to start their trip to Norway, I say Bergen: Norway’s number 2 citythat perfectly finds the sweet spot between vibrant city life and raw nature.
In contrast to Oslo’s ruined medieval core, Bergen features the UNESCO-protected harbor of Bryggen, lined with old merchant buildings built entirely of wood and painted in earth tones.
As you walk from the busy city center to the heart of Bryggen, it really feels like you’re stepping back in time.
As far as nature goes, Bergen tops it with views of Mount Fløyen via the Fløibanen funicular (perch position at sunset), plus easy access to fjords, none more epic than the Sognefjord.
This is the longest and deepest in Norway, and you can be sure to feel like a Viking as you sail along its impressive length on a dragon-headed longship.
Nafplio, Greece
Instead of Athens
The easiest way I can describe Athens is Greece at full strength. Insane traffic, throbbing bazaars, graffiti-covered walls and urban sprawl so dense it smothers the Old World charm of those beautiful ancient monuments.
Located on the azure waters of the Argolic Gulf, Nafplio is Greece at its pace. In fact, it was even the country’s capital at one point, before ancient and gritty Athens took the crown for itself.
While you would find it difficult to relax in the current capital, Nafplio is all about historic elegance and easy relaxation:
The old town is the star of the show here, home to those sleek marble streets flanked by pastel-colored neoclassical houses, bougainvillea-draped balconies and pocket squares for that lingering post-lunch Cafe Freddo.
Paladimi Fortress, a Venetian citadel that guards everything, has a sweeping panorama over the city’s terracotta roofs. Just offshore, still fending off attackers that will never come, Bourtzi is one island castle floating on the Aegean Sea like a fairy tale prop.
Athens may have the Parthenon, but Nafplio offers an authentic, slow-paced Greek life that you just can’t find on the bustling streets of Omonia.
