Overtourism has become the single biggest issue facing the travel industry in recent times, with more and more destinations coming forward to implement stricter regulations on tourists as they make destinations inhospitable for locals and offputting for other visitors.
Protests across Europe are also rampant as locals have had enough of overcrowded cities and beaches.
In fact, interest in less-crowded holiday destinations has shot up in recent years with a 30% year on year, year-to-date increase in articles being published on “Hidden gem” holiday spots compared to 2023. In November 2024, over 36,000 articles were published on hidden gems, compared to just 15,000 in November 2023 - a 140% year on year increase.
And there is a steady increase in the number of people searching for these types of holidays every year too. 12,000 searches were made for ‘hidden gem’ holidays in August 2019, compared to 20,000 in August 2024:
(Data taken from Google Trends, 26th November 2024)
This begs the question: where are Europe’s best hidden gems? Where is safe for us to go on holiday without having to worry about large crowds, long queues, tourist fees, and skyrocketing prices?
Our travel experts have conducted research into the best lesser-known spots in Europe that enjoy considerably smaller crowds, but still benefit from glorious sunshine throughout the winter, and similar or even lower prices than the typical European holiday destinations.
These are the best winter holiday destinations for avoiding crowds and overtourism.
Quick links:
Best alternative winter city break destinations overall
Best alternatives to Europe’s most overcrowded cities
Best alternatives to Europe’s most overcrowded beach towns and islands
Best alternative winter city break destinations overall
Comparing their average temperatures and the number of days of precipitation each city sees throughout winter, with their cost of food and alcohol, we have created an overall top 10 of the best lesser-known cities in Europe to escape to this winter.
Warmer cities with less precipitation and lower costs ranked higher. We only looked at cities with populations of over 100,000 that see less than 3 million tourists per year.
Although hardly the warmest destination overall, Skopje in North Macedonia ranked highest among all the lesser-visited cities we looked at.
The city ranks at the top because of its low prices - a beer here costs just £1.63 on average, and because of its low amount of rain relative to other European cities in winter. It boasts beautiful architecture and surrounding countryside that lay largely unexplored by most western tourists, making it perfect for city dwellers and outdoor adventurers alike.
The cheapest meal overall could be found in Banja Luka, Bosnia and Herzegovina at just £1.30 per person. The cheapest pint in any European city was in Balti, Moldova at just 65p.
The hottest city to visit in winter is Valetta, Malta which averages 15 degrees celsius and sees temperatures as high as 18 degrees in December.Best alternatives to Europe’s most overcrowded cities
Best alternatives to Europe’s most overcrowded cities
In addition to looking at the best cities for a winter holiday overall, we also found suitable replacements to many of Europe’s most overcrowded cities and towns, most of which have recently started to protest against overtourism.
We suggested replacements based on their average temperature in winter and their cost of food and alcohol.
Best alternatives to Europe’s most overcrowded beach towns and islands
Should people still travel to overcrowded areas?
Michele Massa, CEO and travel expert here at Ibiza Summer Villas has advised on if tourists should still think about travelling to overcrowded locations for their winter holiday amid anti-tourism protests.
"Overtourism is definitely a hot topic in Spain right now. In Ibiza, some locals around us are being priced out of the area to make way for hotels and tourist hotspots and protests have started happening. Although we haven't seen any noticeable decrease in demand from British tourists wanting to stay in our Ibiza villas as a result of this, we aren't surprised that some Brits are being deterred from going to overtourism hotspots given the media attention it is receiving right now."
Even so, Michele believes that tourists shouldn't have anything to fear so long as they are going on holiday with respectful intentions: "At the end of the day, overtourism is primarily an issue because of the lack of funding to local communities from our own government. Tourists coming here to visit aren't the real issue - they're bringing in a lot of money."
Michele also comments on the antitourism protests happening around Europe currently: "I think whether or not you should fear the protests really depends on your reason for going on holiday and how you spend your time there. Holidaygoers and families who are there for relaxation, immersing themselves in local culture and having fun should have nothing to worry about. If you're planning on bothering locals with antisocial behaviour, taunting protestors, and making no effort to support local businesses by only buying from large chains, then you might think twice about visiting."
Check out Ibiza’s lesser known hidden gems with Ibiza Summer Villas
Many holidaymakers heading to Ibiza will go straight for crowded hotspots like Ibiza Old Town and San Antonio, but why not venture further afield to Roca Llisa, Santa Eulalia, or San Rafael for a more relaxed holiday that will show you another side to the island?
Book with Ibiza Summer Villas for the ultimate winter holiday.
Methodology
We looked at cities with populations of over 100,000 people and less than 3 million tourists per year. We also did some broader research around lesser known beaches, islands and resorts that are less visited by tourists but still enjoy high temperatures in winter.
We used https://weather-and-climate.com/ to compile temperature and precipitation data.
We used Numbeo to compile cost of living data for meals and alcohol: numbeo.com/cost-of-living
We compared culture, prices, temperatures and aesthetic appeal to suggest similar cities and islands.
We used MuckRack’s trends feature to analyse the number of articles published between January 2023 and November 2024 on “hidden gems”
