8 Overrated European Cities (and Where to Go Instead)

locomotion can be a lot like dating . Sometimes there are pretty gratifying surprises , when you have interpersonal chemistry with someone ( or some place ) that ’s all , completely unexpected . But then there are times when you finish up somewhere entirely , unexpectedly atrocious and you conceive , " I wasted my time , money , and even bring a full - body wax forthis ? "

Unfortunately , the latter happen all too often in Europe , see as it ’s a continent oppressed with tourist ambuscade . Here are a few destinations we ’re calling out as being not always deserving the ballyhoo , and suggestions of where to check out rather :

Paris, France

Ahh , the Gallic chapiter – the world ’s third - biggest holidaymaker destination , and home to the Eiffel Tower , the Louvre , and Notre Dame . While Paris really does merit a daub on your bucket list , you should also experience that the City of Love also has a highly unromantic side that includespollution , snooty waiters , and aserious rat problem . Oh , and all thoseannoying holidaymaker . But that go without sound out . Where to go instead : LyonAfter you ’ve been to Paris a couple times ( OK , once ) it ’s clip to sidestep out and go to Lyon . France ’s third - biggest city has the same metropolitan vibe ( with way fewer tourists ) , more scenery , and even an arguably better ( and certainly more affordable ) gastronomy scene .

Zurich, Switzerland

Zurich attracts mickle of visitant with dazzling statistics like high quality of biography and having some of thehappiest citizens in the world– and it is a perfectly pleasant metropolis that would be a wonderful place to settle down and live in . But a near topographic point to live is not always a good place to confabulate . What I ’m trying to say is Zurich is boring . Zurich is dull . Where to go instead : LucerneLucerne has a lot more to keep you officious , from explore the medieval architecture at Old Town , to the Picasso assemblage at the Rosengart Collection , to concert at the noted KKL . There ’s also a lot to do by style of day tripping , like nearby Lake Lucerne and other sensational natural attractions like Mount Pilatus , Mount Rigi , and the Rütli meadows .

Salzburg, Austria

Many tourists go to Salzburg with " Do - Re - Mi " and Julie Andrews as a pretense , but the verity is that Salzburg ’s actually alive with the sound of elderly tourer and souvenir shop selling Mozart chocolate boxes and electric refrigerator magnets . If you ’re passing through in search of magic quondam buildings and museums , the Salzburg township does deliver – you just may not want to stay for farseeing than a day or two . Where to go instead : Zell am SeeFor those looking for a less touristySound of Musicexperience , there ’s Zell am See , which is just a 90 - min drive away . During summer , it ’s known for its rolling pitcher’s mound , exuberant meadows , and a lake so clear it ’s said you may drink from it . During winter , it ’s a ski - and - watering hole townsfolk with some of Austria ’s most diverse slopes .

Amsterdam, Netherlands

Amsterdam ’s awful – because what ’s not to sleep with about larder pancakes , canal walkway , and absolutely rolled joints – but sometimes even a good buzz is no match for Amsterdam ’s torrential rainstorm , lineupseverywhere , and the worst kinds of inebriated tourer in the red luminosity territorial dominion . Where to go instead : GroningenOften foretell " Little Amsterdam , " Groningen ’s also build around canals , full of interesting museums , and even has gage shop and a ruddy light territory . Being a university townspeople , there ’s obviously a good nightlife scene , and one that ’s chintzy than its larger counterpart , with more opportunity for get to lie with topical anaesthetic .

Frankfurt, Germany

Everybody have it away Frankfurt , because 1 ) if you ’ve ever been to Germany , chances are you probably impact down here , and 2 ) it ’s one of Europe ’s crowing financial centers . But upon leave the airport , you ’ll sympathise what German Nobel Prize winner Günter Grass meant when he called the metropolis a " lump of concrete . “Where to go rather : HamburgSkip Frankfurt ’s modal - looking skyscrapers and courting , and head up to Hamburg . Often leave out by tourists in favor of Berlin and Munich , this northern city also has much to declare oneself , from boat jaunt on the Elbe river to excellent boutique shopping , and local delicacies that include creamy lobster soup and lots of fresh fish .

Pisa, Italy

Being photographed push / osculate / dip - kicking the Leaning Tower of Pisa is not a rite of passing as a European tourist . In fact , you ’re better off head off Pisa wholly for its irritating packman and overpriced everything . Pisa ’s entire tourism tantrum is ramp up around just one bounteous attractive feature . Which , by the way , is actuallystarting to straighten out . Where to go instead : LuccaLucca is a walled city in Tuscany , just like Pisa , where you ’ll find fewer tourer and an authentic magical spell that ’s less crummy and more romantic . There are interchangeable feature like gymnastic horse - draw stroller , historic Villa , and toothsome rustic dining – just a lot few holidaymaker .

Bruges, Belgium

If you sawIn City of Bridges , you were n’t alone in putting the pretty niggling upper-case letter of West Flanders on ye olde bucketful list ( Colin Farrell does make it look awfully unspoiled ) . But while Bruges ' cobblestone street and architecture are indeed adorable , the metropolis is teeming with the tour - bus crowds and the unblushing tourer traps that arise wherever they go – which is neither dignified nor magical , unlike the rest of the city . Where to go alternatively : GhentWhere Bruges gets spookily quiet after all the go autobus get out every day , Ghent strikes a more natural balance between sleepy provincial town and buzzing , innovative city . mediaeval architecture is mixed in between voguish boutique and way-out beer bars for a local fibre that ’s pretty firmly not to have it off .

Dublin, Ireland

Dublin ’s an amazing city ( after all , what ’s proficient than friendly folk and copious beer ? ) but it often does n’t get a fairish tremble by tourists who get done with the Guinness museum and complain about it not being the " tangible Ireland " – rolling hill , Celtic medicine , or whatever it is that they ’re await . Where to go rather : By all means , go to Dublin – just check that to get out and do some twenty-four hours trip . rent ’s face it , there ’s just no other Irish city that quite compares to Dublin in term of hustle and bustle . And the capital is actually quite cheeseparing to plenty of the countryside and little - town finish that so many masses need to experience while in Ireland . Howth , a scenic sportfishing village on Dublin Bay , is just nine air mile off for example , and there ’s also Glendalough – a lakeshore town tunnel in the Wicklow Mountains – just over 30 miles outside of townsfolk .

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