“Can’t Recommend It Enough”: 22 Travelers Share Unpopular Travel Destinations That Are Worth It

Are you feeling overworked lately, Pandas? Have you been Googling vacation destinations by any chance? Maybe you’re looking to take a road less traveled? Perhaps you’re craving something unusual, or you want to visit a place that’s not as popular but has gorgeous scenery, friendly locals, and can offer unforgettable experiences?

Then you’re in luck because some folks recently shared their favorite less-popular travel destinations. A netizen asked, “Which not-so-popular country is a must-visit?“, and over 500 people came up with suggestions. So, scroll down and start preparing your travel itinerary! And if you have a suggestion yourself but don’t see it in the list, let us know in the comments!

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“Can’t Recommend It Enough”: 22 Travelers Share Unpopular Travel Destinations That Are Worth It Slovenia is absolutely gorgeous -- at least in parts. It gets some tourists but far fewer than similiarly beautiful destinations.

AdmitThatYouPrune , Jérémy Glineur/pexels Report

Final score:

69points

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Jack Burton 6 months ago (edited)

Awesome destination, i live in the south east of France so it's only 7 hours driving and it worth it so much. It looks like a mix of switzerland, austria, italy and hungary. It's so damn clean and people are really nice. It's a small country and Ljubljana is one of the most enjoyable capital city in Europe, not much cars, lot of places to chill, great and cheap food.

24points

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“Can’t Recommend It Enough”: 22 Travelers Share Unpopular Travel Destinations That Are Worth It Romania - great architecture.

Legal_Climate4961 , Sonia Ghidiceanu/pexels Report

Final score:

67points

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rullyman 6 months ago

Beautiful rural landscapes too

9points

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“Can’t Recommend It Enough”: 22 Travelers Share Unpopular Travel Destinations That Are Worth It Malta.

Delicious food, it's a sort of mix of Arabic and Italian influences.

Lots of historical places like ancient ruins. The capital Valletta is beautiful, there's also two smaller islands Gozo and Comino, that you can visit.

Theres also extensive public transport, so it's easy to get around if you don't drive.

I can't recommend it enough if you're the sort of person that's into exploring history, food and culture.

TheKnightsTippler , Polina Kovaleva/pexels Report

Final score:

50points

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Auntriarch 6 months ago

And prehistory

14points

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“Can’t Recommend It Enough”: 22 Travelers Share Unpopular Travel Destinations That Are Worth It It's not "not popular," but Austria definitely isn't a country that is on Americans' minds when they travel. We usually hear about and visit Switzerland when we want that mountainous scenery, but Austria has very similar natural beauty with better cities, better history, better culture, and better architecture, all for half the cost.

NArcadia11 , Emilia/pexels Report

Final score:

48points

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rullyman 6 months ago

In 2014 I did a trip to Austria. 4 days in Vienna, overdosing on art and culture. The architecture is gorgeous, like living in a wedding cake. Then a beautiful train ride to go visit a friend in Graz. The scenery was so gorgeous that I got a pain in my neck from looking out the window

18points

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“Can’t Recommend It Enough”: 22 Travelers Share Unpopular Travel Destinations That Are Worth It Montenegro. Most people go to Croatia. But Montenegro is cheaper and has very similar scenery.

hasbuji Report

Final score:

45points

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Bols 6 months ago (edited)

Yes, amazing views, food and prices, fantastic people. Kotor was absolutely stunning!

7points

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“Can’t Recommend It Enough”: 22 Travelers Share Unpopular Travel Destinations That Are Worth It I’m in Mauritius right now and not sure if many people know of it (definitely not Americans!). Small island in the Indian Ocean, not far from Madagascar. Super clean and safe, easy to get around in a short amount of time, felt like everyone spoke English or definitely French. Very unique culture blending Indian, African, French and British influence which means amazing food! Seychelles is close too if you want to hit both.

Cyhatcher , Fatih Turan/pexels Report

Final score:

45points

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I_imagine_even_worse_w***s 6 months ago

Ya this is quite popular with irish and English especially for honeymoons.

13points

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“Can’t Recommend It Enough”: 22 Travelers Share Unpopular Travel Destinations That Are Worth It Czech Republic. It's gorgeous nature-wise and Prague is quite the party city.

TriscuitCracker , Rachel Claire /pexels Report

Final score:

43points

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Pamela24 6 months ago

Thank you! :) I highly recommend not visiting only Prague if you ever come. It's awesome, don't get me wrong but there's so much more to see and most people tend to stick only to it. Highly recommend YouTube channel Honest Guide if you want some tips.

16points

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“Can’t Recommend It Enough”: 22 Travelers Share Unpopular Travel Destinations That Are Worth It Bolivia. Amazing landscape, spotlessly clean, friendly people, and lots of fun if you want to "party". That was 10 years ago, I hope it's still as lovely because it holds a special place in my heart.

cantrelaxneverrelax , Rodolfo Clix/pexels Report

Final score:

40points

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Gwyn 6 months ago (edited)

Exactly where do I go in Bolivia to get cuddles from that very cute lamb in the photo?!?

9points

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“Can’t Recommend It Enough”: 22 Travelers Share Unpopular Travel Destinations That Are Worth It Paraguay is really cool. The history and culture of the capital city Asunción is really cool. Lots of wars with their neighboring countries over the years - at one point in their history like 90% of Paraguayan men were killed in wars.

The social scene and food are also ridiculous! Freshly grilled meats right from the asado with friends is the stuff of legends. One of my favorite parts of Paraguay was staying put obscenely late at a club with friends and then eating lomitos, this amazing sandwich in a bag you buy in a parking lot at 4 in the morning with about 50 other hungry drunk people.

Plus it is CHEAP there. An Uber across town costs literally like 2 dollars. A nice lunch for 2 will cost maybe 15 bucks. I got an hour long massage at a nice spa for 25 bucks. If you’re on a budget, Paraguay is the place to go. .

544075701 , Tom D'Arby/pexels Report

Final score:

37points

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La Lucy 6 months ago

It's one of the few SA countries I have not been to, along with Bolivia. I am in the US and flights to both, for me, are 30 to 40 hours. Even when I have been in Chile or Argentina there is no direct way. Hopefully someday!

3points

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#10

“Can’t Recommend It Enough”: 22 Travelers Share Unpopular Travel Destinations That Are Worth It My wife and I went to Cartegena, Colombia last year and we have another visit planned for this year. Pretty easy and fast to get to from the US, cheap and delicious street food, friendly people, nice weather year round. Colombia in general is not the same as it was in the 90s.

Wakan_Tanka , Enrique Hoyos/pexels Report

Final score:

37points

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Angela Castro 6 months ago

I agree completely about Colombia. We took our daughter to visit her dad's homeland when she graduated from college. To make life easy we hired a cab driver for our entire stay. That made life so much simpler! We were able to visit all the gorgeous places we wanted to from his childhood and from my years living there, and it couldn't have been safer.

7points

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#11

“Can’t Recommend It Enough”: 22 Travelers Share Unpopular Travel Destinations That Are Worth It Kazakhstan. Stunning nature and landscapes, a unique cuisine (although not that rich in variety as in south-eastern Asia), friendly people who are really generous to guests. Also, fascinating archaeological sites.

Meorazhar , Malik Cil/pexels Report

Final score:

35points

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Auntriarch 6 months ago

My sister in law went last year (rather shamefully I had to look it up) and couldn't speak highly enough of it

5points

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#12

“Can’t Recommend It Enough”: 22 Travelers Share Unpopular Travel Destinations That Are Worth It Bosnia! It's absolutely beautiful and such and interesting place history wise.

I'll also say Tanzania. Absolutely beautiful. Zanzibar has some of the most beautiful beaches I've ever seen.

canadian_maplesyrup , Antonio Tose /pexels Report

Final score:

34points

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Ace 6 months ago

Zanzibar was one of our worst holiday experiences. Appalling roads, grabby locals always trying to rip you off, awful levels of poverty... Yes, some of the beaches are nice but it's one of those places where you can end up just staying within the confines of your compound hotel. We had a car and did lots of stuff, but got so fed up with it that we moved to a different hotel for the last few days and did just that.

3points

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#13

“Can’t Recommend It Enough”: 22 Travelers Share Unpopular Travel Destinations That Are Worth It I've been to Mongolia. There's really only one big city, Ulan Bator. The city isn't really much to look at, there are some good temples to see, as well as some good restaurants, but one or two days there is enough. But that countryside! It's so beautiful. My dad and I went out to a camp where they set you up with a ger (a Mongolian yurt), and you just hang out in the beauty of nature. We went rock climbing and horseback riding. It gets really cold at night in the spring, but there's a wood stove in the middle of the ger, and it stays very warm inside.

da_choppa , sungmu heo/pexels Report

Final score:

34points

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Jeff White 6 months ago

I could agree with this. I went to Mongolia but was only in the Ulaanbaatar area. When people ask me how it was, I reply "I went to Mongolia so now you don't have to." But I really regret not being able to see more of the Gobi dessert and other interesting areas of the region. I did get a cool fur hat that when I wear it in Northern Michigan I get a LOT of questions regarding where I bought it. No one seems to like the answer.

5points

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#14

“Can’t Recommend It Enough”: 22 Travelers Share Unpopular Travel Destinations That Are Worth It Albania. Try it before the massive exodus due to instagram influencers.

Sharp_Writing_4740 , Sabina Kallari /pexels Report

Final score:

33points

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PFD 6 months ago

I was there last year. The Albanian Riviera area is ghastly now (well, tastes differ, you might like it if your checklist for beaches is things like loud music, beach bars and lots of touts). The mountains are stunning though. And the bridge in that picture marks the start of a super-fun and very wet hike!

6points

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#15

“Can’t Recommend It Enough”: 22 Travelers Share Unpopular Travel Destinations That Are Worth It Laos. I totally fell in love with every last thing about this country. The people are fantastic, the food is killer, and the landscape is just gorgeous. It was really eye-opening learning how badly the US f**ked them during the Vietnam War, and how they still deal with unexploded ordinance on a daily basis. I was born at the end of the Vietnam War so had nothing to do with it, but man, I feel a collective guilt for what was done.

Westonworld , Jérémi Joslin/flickr Report

Final score:

33points

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Maggie S 6 months ago

I was there earlier this year, and couldn't agree more. Getting there takes a bit of time (depending on where you're flying from, of course), but I can't wait to go back. The people are warm and helpful, the scenery is gorgeous, the air is clean, and the prices are right. Since the construction of the new bullet train from Vientiane to southern China, tourism in the north is growing, so go now before we spoil it. :)

4points

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#16

“Can’t Recommend It Enough”: 22 Travelers Share Unpopular Travel Destinations That Are Worth It I haven't been but I feel like the Caucasus countries must be pretty underrated: Georgia, Armenia and Azerbaijan.

From pictures they look stunning and I hear that Georgia has good food as well.

Ok_Calligrapher5776 , Kelly/pexels Report

Final score:

31points

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Gato do mato 6 months ago

I agree! I was in Tbilisi (Georgia) for one week, the city is beautiful, people are very nice and the food is amazing.

5points

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#17

“Can’t Recommend It Enough”: 22 Travelers Share Unpopular Travel Destinations That Are Worth It Jordan, Petra is easily the coolest thing I’ve ever seen. Pictures do not do it justice AT ALL. You could fit elephants through the door of the Treasury it’s wild.

Johwya , Vincent Pelletier/pexels Report

Final score:

30points

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Pamela24 6 months ago

Okay, sure, but Petra is certainly a well-known tourist destination, right?

35points

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#18

“Can’t Recommend It Enough”: 22 Travelers Share Unpopular Travel Destinations That Are Worth It I absolutely love Guatemala. If you can speak even a little bit of Spanish, I would 100% recommend it. Fly in, immediately leave Guatemala City, and set up your base in Antigua. Antigua and the surrounding areas can be a whole vacation alone, but there are also a bunch of cool places that you could do with an overnight trip from Antigua.

anon , Diego Girón/pexels Report

Final score:

24points

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James Arvidson 6 months ago

Love Guatemala. Had to go for work a few times. Now I have quite a few friends there. Antigua is beautiful.

4points

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#19

“Can’t Recommend It Enough”: 22 Travelers Share Unpopular Travel Destinations That Are Worth It Curacao. I had an amazing vacation there in 2019 and it was much cheaper than the more well known and visited Caribbean islands.

humancanvas79 , RITRATTO VISUAL/pexels Report

Final score:

24points

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Gwyn 6 months ago

I went to Curacao on a cruise and we spent a day in town, it was lovely. Walkable, cute architecture, nice little museum, interesting history, Dutch influences.

3points

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#20

“Can’t Recommend It Enough”: 22 Travelers Share Unpopular Travel Destinations That Are Worth It Uganda is stunningly beautiful - some of the most lush landscapes you will ever see, incredible wildlife and amazing people. Sadly, it has a terrifying government.

iCowboy , Carol Davis/pexels Report

Final score:

21points

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rullyman 6 months ago

Sadly not safe for gay travellers. :(

17points

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#21

“Can’t Recommend It Enough”: 22 Travelers Share Unpopular Travel Destinations That Are Worth It I don't hear much about Sri Lanka tourism but damn is it beautiful and has it all! Beaches, forests, mountains, ancient temples, wildlife safaris, elephants and leopards and monkeys oh my. It is very safe despite the unrest in Colombo and Negombo, but we didn't go there to see the city. They also really need the tourism $$ because their economy is tanked.

Another cool thing I liked is you can pretty much see everything in a near perfect loop of the country via private driver and train.

I've heard some tourists don't like the food but I love eating curry. The beach areas offer a lot more in that respect with loads of fresh seafood (the boats of seafood in Mirissa!). But I dunno, though I consider myself a foodie I travel to see and do stuff, food is usually just a bonus. I do wish we could have stayed in someone's home with some homemade curry, though we did stay in a hotel that was family run and it tasted good.

We had a blast!

blahblahrasputan , Chathura Anuradha Subasinghe/pexels Report

Final score:

19points

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Jrog 6 months ago (edited)

Bad advice. The country went through economic crisis, famine and revolts just a few months ago. It is still quite unstable, with upcoming political elections that routinely lead to demonstrations often turning violent. ISIS pulled off a major terrorist attack against touristic targets just a few years ago, and multiple international agencies reported that the island is refuge to several expat and local terrorist groups such as the Tamil Tigers; considering Sri Lankan safety agencies are chronically underfunded and generally ineffective, I think the preference of curry over seafood should not be the primary concerns for tourists.

19points

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#22

“Can’t Recommend It Enough”: 22 Travelers Share Unpopular Travel Destinations That Are Worth It Zimbabwe. Victoria Falls & Kariba Dam are a sight, Hwange national park, the Great Wall of Zimbabwe in Masvingo, & Matopos/Matobo National park in/near Bulawayo. And it's safe too. Got a bad rep because of the government, but otherwise the people are welcoming.

canyoudigholes , Boris Ulzibat/pexels Report

Final score:

15points

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Which not-so-popular country is a must-visit?

At least three places on this list are listed on the travel advisories agencies of major western countries as "high risk / avoid". I understand redditors being disconnected with reality, but BP editors should really put some care in what they copy and paste.

Donkeywheel 6 months ago

Which one?

1point

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Mark 6 months ago

Hungary is a really cool place to visit, and the culture varies a lot from the Slavic countries all around us due to our Mongolian roots. Rural steppes are cool to see, and places you in proximity to Slavic countries. Visit the Páneurópai Piknik Emlékhely, (Pan-European picnic memorial) and the city of Sopron to learn some interesting things about the Cold War and one of the first places the Iron Curtain officially fell

troufaki13 6 months ago

Every country is worth visiting. And even popular countries have not so popular destinations worth exploring.

nana theater 6 months ago

Overtourism causes soooo much trouble worldwide. If there are countries that you think are beautiful but are not hyped - f***ing leave them alone!!!

Becky Samuel 6 months ago

This goes double for islands with endemic wildlife.

Annie Steele 6 months ago

No where.. stay home and let the locals enjoy their country without loud, noisy, horrid tourists.

0points

Insomniac 6 months ago

Newfoundland and Labrador. Friendliest people in the world.

Scott Rackley 6 months ago

I can recommend Chile. Nice people and awesome food. The Andes are gorgeous.

OneHappyPuppy 6 months ago

Greece, but hear me out. Everyone flocks to the beaches in summer, but Greece also has beautiful mountains and cities in the highlands that are gorgeous in wintertime

Jack Burton 6 months ago

I'd say every country worth the trip "at some point", why would you want to visit country with high risk for your safety. Things change, some country are now really worth it in 2024 but were at war not so long ago (think about Bosnia, Rwanda...). Imagine saying to people in the 1960's that vietnam was a great holyday destination, safe and chill.

“Can’t Recommend It Enough”: 22 Travelers Share Unpopular Travel Destinations That Are Worth It

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