Overlook Italy and its stylish Amalfi Coast, France with the sparkly Eiffel Tower, and Croatia’s overtouristed, Westeros-ified Dalmatia: as seen within the newest report revealed by the UN Tourism Barometer, Europe-bound vacationers now have completely different priorities.
In a continent battling each excessive ranges of overtourism and record-breaking warmth, it is hardly stunning that vacationers are actually turning to lesser-known locations which have but to succeed in breaking level (and the place they will not danger heatstroke by merely being outdoors).
Latvia
A tiny Northeastern European nation lining the Baltic Sea, Latvia has grown 16% year-on-year in response to the UN Tourism Barometer, with vacationers drawn to its medieval heritage, off-path attraction, and most significantly, cooler temps.
Latvia does get pleasure from nice climate in summer time, with extra sunshine hours than in colder seasons, and a median each day highs of 74° on the coast, however it’s by no means precisely scorching-hot, nor will the notorious European aversion to AC models pose an issue right here.
By the way in which, if you happen to’re questioning the place to go in Latvia, Riga is an efficient place to start out: the nation’s charming capital, it incorporates a perfectly-preserved medieval middle, quite a few Outdated City pubs serving hearty meals for beneath $12 and beer for $3.50, and a big ensemble of Artwork Nouveau buildings.
A brief 28-minute drive from Riga, Jūrmala is a vibrant coastal city with an extended golden-sand seaside, backed by vacation villas and Soviet-era sanatoriums. For those who’re chasing after fairytale cities that would belong in a storybook, Cēsis has cobbled streets, citadel partitions, and a sea of red-brick gabled roofs.
Malta
A tiny island-nation within the Mediterranean, Malta has at all times been an extremely standard sunny getaway for vacationing Brits and Germans, however for no matter cause, People have at all times regarded proper previous it… up till now.
As seen within the newest UN Tourism Barometer, Malta has grown 19% year-on-year as a vacation spot, and it is no marvel Delta has simply introduced will probably be servicing the island nonstop from New York (JFK).
In case you are not aware of Malta, it’s situated south of the Italian island of Sicily, and it is best recognized for its postcard-ready sandy seashores, a uncommon sight within the Mediterranean the place coastlines are sometimes rugged, a plethora of medieval walled cities, and a vibrant cultural panorama.
It’s on the crossroads of civilizations, being as closely influenced by Sicilian tradition as it’s by North African and British cultures, who really managed Malta from 1800 to 1964—in case you ever marvel why there are London-style phone containers within the streets of Valletta.
Moreover, Delta’s new flight plans subsequent 12 months are positive to attraction to low season vacationers who’re dreaming of a Mediterranean escape past July: even within the fall, Malta boasts summer-like temperate highs of 82°F.
Lithuania
As we mentioned beforehand, Japanese Europe is the place it is at. A neighboring nation of Latvia, Lithuania is probably the most quickly rising vacation spot throughout the pond, with a 21% rise in arrivals.
For those who love offbeat metropolis breaks away from the same old European crowds, with the cobbled streets, ornate Baroque church buildings, and the hilltop fortress to go along with it, Vilnius simply ticks all of these containers, after which some.
It’s the capital of Lithuania, in addition to its most vital hub, with a UNESCO-protected Outdated City that appears prefer it’s been copied and pasted from a storybook for kids, a scenic river stroll, on the confluence of the Neris and Vilnia rivers, and its fair proportion of hippy, Bohemian districts.
If you wish to see one thing actually distinctive, you need to cease by Užupis, a neighborhood that considers itself a self-proclaimed ‘nation’, with its personal mock structure—apparently, everybody there has the ‘proper to be blissful’, and everybody has the ‘proper to like and handle the cat’.
Exploring Lithuania past Vilnius? Ensure you add Trakai Fort to your checklist, a fairytale medieval stronghold on an islet in a lake, a brief half-hour prepare trip away from the capital.
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Lithuania was Europe’s fastest-growing vacation spot in early 2025, with worldwide arrivals up 21%. Malta grew by 19%, Latvia by 16%, Finland by 15%, and Spain by 6%.
