What is Europe anymore?
Is it the dark side you see on TikTok and YouTube with scammers running rampant, or is it the storybook dreamscape we’ve all envisioned of one day visiting?
Well, we hate to break it to you, but yes, the Eiffel Tower tends to be riddled with scammers, but also there are dozens, if not hundreds, of gems that live up to the hype of your childhood daydreams.
Whether you watched The Parent Trap and made it a bucket-list item to explore London by bright red double-decker or you were like me and couldn’t wait to get your Nat Geo mag in the mail, the Europe we’ve grown to love still exists — but sometimes you have to go looking for it…
With some help from TimeOut, here are Europe’s top 5 secret destinations for 2026:
5) Derry: Is It Irish? Is It British? Who Cares? Just Visit!
Unless you’re a Geography grad, this side of the United Kingdom can be a real head-scratcher.
Northern Ireland is one of the 4 nations of the UK — Irish by name and British by trade.
Headed by Belfast, one of the coolest up-and-coming cities across Europe, lesser-known Derry is a short train ride away, offering an astounding shoreline and history.
If you watch TV with a VPN like I do, you may have cracked the code to foreign gems like Fortitude and Derry Girls, the latter of which has spearheaded a new kind of tourism in town — set-jetting.
As spring has officially sprung, nearby beaches are becoming more of a draw, such as Downhill Strand and Benone Strand, but also a vibrant riverfront lined with locally beloved watering holes like Walled City Brewery, drawing its name since Derry is the only Irish walled city that’s still intact.
4) Bitola: Is Ohrid Old News Now?
Okay, we’ll take the blame for this one…
As many times as we’ve run Ohrid-based features here at Travel Off Path, it seems the news has finally reached far corners of the globe. This lakeside paradise should be way more popular if only people knew it existed.
To that I say, my job is complete.
But TimeOut is now touting another Macedonian marvel that even AI might take 10 tries to pinpoint, and that town is Bitola.
Hidden in plain sight from tourists of both Ohrid and North Macedonia’s capital Skopje, tourists will find an authentic townscape beaming with quirky architecture and backdropped by a dramatic mountainscape.
It’s wallet-friendly, brimming with history at every turn, and drop-dead gorgeous on the outskirts of town, especially Pelister National Park.
3) Ghent: Don’t Waffle, Head To Belgium’s Prized Postcard
We’ve been hearing mixed reviews about Brussels, Belgium’s largest city and most popular gateway into the country.
That said, Belgium is home to some truly stunning postcard towns if the big city life just isn’t for you.
Ghent is Exhibit A.
Set at the confluence of the Lys and Scheldt rivers, some locals have dubbed their beloved town the ‘Venice of the North’, and not as yet another Venice dupe because there’s a singular canal splitting Old Town.
No, Ghent truly oozes romance and storybook charm, just like Venice, though one could argue its layout is more aligned with that of Holland.
Anyway you slice it, Ghent fails to disappoint with its gorgeous aesthetics, walkable canals, and festival-heavy calendar year-round.
Plus, it feels much safer.
2) Ulcinj: Montenegro’s Next Hotspot
One could argue Montenegro is Europe’s trendiest vacation spot, but where are travelers going?
Bar? Budva? Kotor?
Well, it’s not Ulcinj…
Yet.
As more Americans have discovered the Balkans are well worth the long-haul flight, Montenegro has followed Albania’s rise to prominence.
Ironically, Ulcinj is more known for Albanian culture than its own, but that’s not the real draw here.
That would be its spectacular shoreline and unmatched Old Town, one that you’ll want to wander the same maze of cobbled walkways over and over to no end.
Grab a cappuccino at a cozy cafe, take in sweeping views of the blue Adriatic, and bask under the sun in a quaint cove in your own little slice of paradise.
1) Plovdiv: Bulgaria’s Most Welcoming City To Tourists
Full disclosure: I messed up my Bulgaria trip.
I fell for the hype of its capital, Sofia, during the early days of the remote work takeover, when social media was raving about Sofia as a cheap haven with glorious cathedrals and cafe culture.
Suffice to say, I didn’t like Sofia. It was my least-favorite European city until last winter when I visited Copenhagen.
That said, if I could do it all over, I wouldn’t have stayed on the bus at my stop in Plovdiv — I would’ve built my trip around it.
Why?
It’s truly one of Europe’s best-kept secrets despite being the oldest continuously inhabited city on the continent.
Yep, you read that right — and it shows its age well with immaculately preserved Roman Ruins like their main attraction, the Roman Theater of Philippopolis.
Bottom line, this city is full of surprises and won’t break the bank exploring its unspoiled wonders.
