Top 6 underrated European summer holiday locations

Nothing spoils a summer holiday faster than overcrowded beaches and too many people. So, why not take the heat out of a high-season holiday in Europe by picking the right low-profile destination?

If you're tackling the Greek Islands in August, forget the seething islands of Mykonos and Santorini; consider Milos instead.

Europe in summer isn’t quite the dazzling holiday drawcard it once was. With global tourist numbers doubling since 2000, and European escapes at the top of everyone’s post-lockdown list (tourism there recovered faster than anywhere else last year), plotting a continental getaway can feel more like planning for battle than a relaxing break.

Chaotic airports, crazy-expensive hotels, restaurants-beaches-museums all full – I’m not sure I’m organised enough to enjoy Europe in high summer any more.

I have one friend who, last year, plotted his grand tour on a spreadsheet, listing every form of transport – right down to seat numbers – every accommodation, his packing list and even many of his meals. Impressive, sure, but where’s the fun and spontaneity?

Visiting Albania last year reminded me not everywhere is a madhouse in August. Look beyond the obvious and there’s plenty of room for everyone.

There’s an entire corner of Europe waiting to be explored in the Balkans. Serbia hasn't gone mainstream yet.

In the country’s far north I stayed in a picturesque pocket of the Accursed Mountains with just one other couple and a bunch of Dutch bikers for company. At times it felt like my friend K and I had the entire mountain range – which borders Montenegro and Kosovo and is set to become Europe’s newest hiking hotspot – to ourselves. In August!

Likewise in the south, we arrived early at the World Heritage site of Butrint and wandered ruins of Greek, Roman, Byzantine and Venetian settlements, cicadas trilling from the trees, Ionian Sea twinkling in the distance, and barely another tourist in sight. (They arrived midmorning – by the busload.)

The Albanian experience got me thinking about where else in Europe is a go-zone in summer. Here’s a selection of my high-season, low-profile Euro alternatives.

Arles is a gateway to Provence and to the untamed and unpeopled Mediterranean beaches.

Italy

Avoid chic magnets such as Positano, Lake Como, Venice etc and it’s not so hard to find peace on the Italian peninsula. Even in well-trammelled Tuscany there are relatively untouched corners such as the Lunigiana, where I hiked an ancient pilgrimage trail (the Via Francigena) through cool beech forests via sleepy hamlets and ancient cities such as Pontremoli. I barely passed another visitor until I reached the Ligurian Coast at Lerici, the so-called “sixth town” of the Cinque Terre, but with a fraction of its holidaying hordes.

France

The Mediterranean coast is strictly the realm of the rich and famous in high season, but there are many charming towns and cities in the hinterland that hold festivals and cultural events to lure visitors away from the sea. Arles is a great example: its world-renowned photography festival Les Rencontres d’Arles kicks off in July and ignites a non-stop cultural party among the city’s Roman ruins that last until September. Arles is also a gateway to Provence and to untamed and unpeopled Mediterranean beaches.

Instead of Mykonos and Santorini; consider Milos in the summer.

Greece

Tackling the most-popular Greek Islands in August is a trial that would have defeated even Odysseus. But with 6000 islands beckoning in the Aegean, you need only chart a course for the unknown to find somewhere more private. Forget the seething islands of Mykonos and Santorini; consider instead Milos, also in the Cyclades group but far less popular, and diverse enough to satisfy a week or two of exploring. Kythira, Ikaria (famous for its long-lived residents) and Leros are others worth considering.

Spain

Only the brave would tackle Barcelona or Madrid in midsummer but, even at the height of the holidays, some of Spain’s 17 autonomous provinces are sparsely visited. Cantabria on the north coast is a cracking choice for its milder weather, seafood and cider, and dozens of beaches hugging the Bay of Biscay. Highlights include the former royal seaside retreat of Comillas with its Modernist villas including Gaudí’s El Capricho, and the Picos de Europa, a limestone mountain range of alpine meadows and lakes, refuges and taverns that offers a completely different taste of Spain in summer.

Now that Lisbon is so firmly on the summer-break circuit, I’d recommend the Alentejo instead.

Portugal

I’m as big a fan of Lisbon as everyone else who discovered Portugal’s dynamic capital in the past decade. But it’s now so firmly on the summer-break circuit that swarming crowds spoil the fun. So, for heat-tolerant Australians, I’d recommend the Alentejo instead. The country’s southern agricultural heart, with golden wheat fields, eucalypt-lined roads and wild coastline, reminds me so much of Australia. The seafood and wines are exceptional, plus there are Roman ruins (Evora’s aqueduct is spectacular), walled towns and whitewashed farmhouse inns. Yes, it can be baking hot, but that makes it feel even more Australian to me.

The Balkan states

The Albania trip convinced me there’s an entire corner of Europe waiting to be explored in the Balkans. Croatia, Slovenia and Montenegro are very much in vogue already but North Macedonia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Kosovo and Serbia haven’t gone mainstream yet. North Macedonia is top of my list after a friend visited and came home with stunning shots of Lake Ohrid, and timeless villages still unmolested by mass tourism.

Originally published as Top 6 underrated European summer holiday locations