20 Stunning Alternative Cities You've Never Thought to Visit (But Really Should)

Paris, Rome, Barcelona and New York deserve their fame, but they also come with queues, crowds and high prices. Just a train ride or a short flight away, there are cities with as much history, food and atmosphere, and a fraction of the visitors.

These 20 alternative cities are spread across Europe, the Americas, Asia and Australasia. Each one is a great city break in its own right, and many are easy to combine with a better-known neighbour.

Europe

1. Plovdiv, Bulgaria

Bulgaria's second city is one of the oldest continuously inhabited cities in Europe. Its hilly old town is a maze of cobbled lanes and colourful 19th-century merchants' houses, and the Roman theatre, built into the hillside, still hosts concerts and opera in summer with views towards the Rhodope Mountains.

Below the old town, the Kapana district of small streets is full of galleries, craft beer bars and cafés. Plovdiv was a European Capital of Culture in 2019, and it has kept the creative energy that came with it.

2. Leipzig, Germany

Often called the new Berlin, Leipzig has a flourishing arts scene and a long musical history. Johann Sebastian Bach worked at the St Thomas Church for 27 years and is buried there; Mendelssohn, Schumann and Wagner are also linked to the city.

Hear the Gewandhaus Orchestra or the St Thomas Boys Choir, then visit the Spinnerei, a vast former cotton mill turned into artists' studios and galleries. Leipzig is about an hour from Berlin by train.

3. Wrocław, Poland

With its riverside setting, a dozen islands and more than a hundred bridges, Wrocław is one of the most attractive cities in Central Europe. The Market Square, one of the largest in Europe, is ringed with colourful gabled houses around the Gothic town hall.

As you walk, look down: hundreds of small bronze dwarf statues are hidden around the city, and hunting for them is a favourite pastime for children and adults alike.

4. Évora, Portugal

The whole historic centre of Évora, inside its medieval walls, is a UNESCO World Heritage Site. The Roman Temple of Évora stands at its highest point, next to the cathedral, and the Chapel of Bones, lined with human skulls and bones, is one of the strangest sights in Portugal.

The city is the capital of the Alentejo, a region of cork oaks, vineyards and hearty rural cooking. It is an easy day trip or overnight stay from Lisbon.

5. Segovia, Spain

Segovia looks like a fairy tale. The Roman aqueduct, built without mortar almost two thousand years ago, strides across the lower town, and the Alcázar, a turreted castle on a rocky outcrop, is often said to have inspired Disney's castles.

Climb the Alcázar's tower for the view, explore the Gothic cathedral, and try the local speciality, roast suckling pig. High-speed trains reach Segovia from Madrid in under half an hour.

6. Matera, Italy

Matera, in the southern region of Basilicata, is one of the oldest inhabited places in the world. Its Sassi are entire neighbourhoods of cave dwellings carved into a ravine, abandoned in the 1950s and now restored as hotels, restaurants and homes.

The Sassi have been a UNESCO World Heritage Site since 1993, and Matera was European Capital of Culture in 2019. Stay overnight in a cave hotel and watch the town light up at dusk.

7. Montpellier, France

Enjoy the south of France without the Riviera crowds. Montpellier is a lively university city with a medieval centre of narrow streets, the grand Place de la Comédie, and the Musée Fabre, one of France's leading art museums.

Its Jardin des Plantes, founded in 1593, is the oldest botanical garden in France. The Mediterranean beaches are a short tram and bus ride away.

8. Zadar, Croatia

Zadar, on the Dalmatian coast, has fewer visitors than Split or Dubrovnik but plenty to see: a Roman forum, medieval churches and an old town on a peninsula.

On the waterfront the Sea Organ plays music as the waves push air through pipes under the marble steps, and next to it the Greeting to the Sun, a circle of solar panels, lights up after sunset. Alfred Hitchcock is said to have called Zadar's sunset the most beautiful in the world.

9. Gothenburg, Sweden

Sweden's second city, on the west coast, has canals, a relaxed café culture and a strong food scene based on seafood. The Feskekôrka, a fish market in a building that looks like a church, is the place to try local shrimp and fish.

The Gothenburg archipelago, with car-free islands and rocky swimming spots, is reachable by public ferry, and Liseberg is one of Scandinavia's biggest amusement parks.

10. Dundee, Scotland

Dundee's waterfront has been transformed around V&A Dundee, the design museum that opened in 2018 in a dramatic building by Kengo Kuma. Next to it you can board RRS Discovery, the ship that carried Captain Scott's first Antarctic expedition.

Dundee was named the UK's first UNESCO City of Design. Head to Broughty Ferry, a former fishing village with a castle, beach and pubs, for a walk by the Firth of Tay.

11. Sheffield, England

Sheffield is often overlooked in favour of Manchester or Leeds, but it has a friendly, independent spirit. The Winter Garden is one of the largest urban glasshouses in Europe, and the Kelham Island quarter, once full of steelworks, is now home to breweries, a museum and good restaurants.

The city is also the gateway to the Peak District National Park, which starts on its western edge.

12. Valletta, Malta

Malta's capital is small enough to cross on foot in half an hour but packed with history. Its honey-coloured streets are lined with palaces and churches, and St John's Co-Cathedral holds Caravaggio's The Beheading of Saint John the Baptist.

From the Upper Barrakka Gardens you look straight across the Grand Harbour to the fortified Three Cities. See our 10 reasons to visit Malta for more.

The Americas

13. Edmonton, Canada

Alberta's capital calls itself the festival city. Its August Fringe Festival is the oldest and largest fringe theatre festival in North America, and the year is full of music, film and folk festivals.

The North Saskatchewan River Valley runs through the city as one of the largest stretches of urban parkland in North America, and the Royal Alberta Museum is one of the best museums in western Canada.

14. San Antonio, Texas

San Antonio is best known for the Alamo, but the Alamo is only one of five Spanish missions that together form a UNESCO World Heritage Site. The others can be visited by bike along the San Antonio River.

The River Walk, a network of paths and restaurants one level below the streets, is the heart of the city, and the Pearl, a former brewery, is now a food hall and market district.

15. Albuquerque, New Mexico

New Mexico's largest city sits between the Rio Grande and the Sandia Mountains. The Sandia Peak Tramway climbs to more than 10,000 feet for views across the desert, and the Old Town, founded in 1706, is built around an adobe church and plaza.

Every October the Albuquerque International Balloon Fiesta fills the sky with hundreds of hot-air balloons, one of the most photographed events in the world.

16. Valparaíso, Chile

Valparaíso is Chile's colourful port city, built on steep hills above the Pacific. Its historic quarter is a UNESCO World Heritage Site, and old funicular elevators still carry people up the slopes between houses painted in every colour.

The poet Pablo Neruda loved the city, and his house La Sebastiana is now a museum. The street art is some of the best in South America. Santiago is about an hour and a half away by bus.

Asia and Australasia

17. Hobart, Australia

Tasmania's capital lies between the Derwent River and kunanyi/Mount Wellington, whose summit has views over the whole region. The Salamanca Place waterfront, lined with sandstone warehouses, hosts a big market every Saturday.

MONA, the Museum of Old and New Art, is reached by ferry and is one of the most original museums in the world. Tasmanian oysters, wine and whisky complete the picture.

18. Naha, Japan

The capital of Okinawa has a subtropical, laid-back feel that is very different from mainland Japan. Okinawa is known as the birthplace of karate, and the Makishi Public Market is the place to try Okinawan food.

Shuri Castle, the palace of the former Ryukyu Kingdom, was badly damaged by fire in 2019. The main hall is being rebuilt with traditional methods, with completion planned for autumn 2026, and the rebuilding work itself has become an attraction. Beaches and ferries to the outer islands are close by.

19. Huế, Vietnam

Many travellers rush past Huế on the way to Hội An, but Vietnam's former imperial capital deserves at least two days. The walled Imperial City, the royal tombs along the Perfume River and the Thiên Mụ Pagoda are its highlights.

Huế also has its own cuisine, including bún bò Huế, a spicy beef noodle soup. Hội An is a few hours south; see our guide to Hoi An.

20. Nelson, New Zealand

At the top of New Zealand's South Island, Nelson is one of the sunniest places in the country. It has a relaxed small-city feel, craft breweries, markets and galleries, and Tahunanui Beach on its doorstep.

It is also the gateway to three national parks, including Abel Tasman, with its golden beaches and coastal track, one of New Zealand's Great Walks.

How to plan an alternative city break

• Pair a second city with a famous neighbour: Leipzig with Berlin, Segovia with Madrid, Évora with Lisbon, Valparaíso with Santiago.
• Travel in shoulder season: spring and autumn bring better prices and fewer crowds in most of these cities.
• Look for regional flights and trains: many of these cities have direct budget flights or fast rail links that make a weekend trip easy.