Pauliina FlamWhy do I love lesser-known places? The story actually started with friends and loved ones who live abroad. I have been in three distant relationships so far, and every time I visited my loved one for longer periods. My strive for adventure could not keep me in one place, so, naturally, I googled and wondered about any cool places to see around. Also, as you might know, I am an active Couchsurfer, and this led me to have friends around the world. I still visit them frequently, which brings me back to the same cities all over again. When all the attractions are seen and the main streets are walked it is time to open the gaze towards lesser-known, little-viewed, and hidden. This made me discover new places around the same towns, new day trips, and hidden gems around the corner. With time I noticed how it brings me even more pleasure to see less visited places, it gives a feel of discovery and adventure. So, how do I search for hidden gems to find?
“To unpathed waters, undreamed shores” -William Shakespear
Social Media
I follow many travel groups on Instagram and Facebook, and whenever I see a photo of a beautiful place I haven’t heard about – I mark it in my Google Maps. Some of the most amazing places I have seen started as random photos in my social media feed. Some of these places are famous, like Cinque Terre but some of them are lesser known, like Cochem. My story of finding Cochem was very long and finally seeing it was truly rewarding. To my surprise, my German friends never heard about this town and had no idea it existed in their country. Boy, it was worth visiting! Going through pretty photos on Instagram can actually result in a beautiful adventure years later. Who said social media is a waste of time?
Day trips
I found places like Zakopane by googling day trips from Krakow. Zakopane is not a hidden gem for locals – it is a very popular place full of people in hiking or skiing season, but for tourists, it is pretty much unknown. And so it was for me until I discovered the mountain village I am still visiting regularly. Googling possible day trips from Zagreb I found such gems as Samobor and Rijeka. Googling and asking my local friends about day trips from Budapest I discovered picturesque towns and villages, not even mentioning scenic hikes on the Danube river bend. I found an absolutely lovely town of Guimaraes this way, googling day trips from Porto. Now, whenever I am spending a few days in a city (especially if I have been there before) I always check possible day trips and see if they have something great to offer. So far, it always does.
Google Maps
“We’re all pilgrims on the same journey – but some pilgrims have better road maps.” -Nelson DeMille
I have already mentioned using Google Maps to mark interesting places and find my way to them, but I also use it to discover new places just by checking the map. Since I love hiking I check the green mountain areas on a map near the place I am staying. Those are usually national parks or natural reserves. Sometimes I also type “hiking routes”, “scenic places”, or “viewpoints” into Google Maps around the city. It also works with specific places I always enjoy on my trips, like street art and castles. For example, I found an epic Slovakian castle in Spiske Podharie this way. The same happened with a gorgeous Lago di Nemi to escape the hot summer weather in Rome, and a beautiful hiking gateway in Pieniny on the outskirts of Poland. The map is there beholding so many places nobody marked as attractions that are still worth visiting. Maybe you will be the first tourist to discover them.
Cheap flights
It is not a secret that I mostly travel on a low budget. Of course, I use budget airlines a lot, like Ryanair, Wizzair, Air Baltic, Norwegian, Lufthansa, SAS, etc. Sometimes I just check the cheapest flights (you can type “anywhere” or “everywhere” in some search engines, like Skyscanner and Ryanair website) and consider if it is something I should go to. This way I found my way to Bergamo, which ended up being a lovely small town worth a visit. The same went with Poznan, a majestic old town in Poland. I accidentally ended up in Salzburg (which I had not heard about before) because it was my cheapest option to return back home after a long trip. Low-cost flight companies change their destinations frequently, so if I can fly to Poznan for 15 euros, next year this option might be gone, but then there will be something else instead, and boy I know it will be something new and exciting.
There are bloggers (nice to meet you!) and some sites that specifically focus on hidden gems. I am currently writing a set of stories about random hidden gems I accidentally ended up in around Europe. I found many lesser-known places through blogs myself and want to keep up with tradition. As to the sites, Atlas Obscura focuses on weird secret spots around the world, and Secret Zagreb is a site specializing in hidden gems around the Croatian capital. Just type “hidden gems”, “lesser known places” and “secret spots” along with the country or city you are checking. This usually brings a lot of information, especially on secret spots around big known cities. I found many places to see in Zagreb this way (the most beautiful cemetery I have seen and a mountain hike straight from the city center), a secret hike in the Slovenian mountains to Jelen Kamen, and many more wonderful places.
Studies and work
Who said studies are about reading books? I took a course that my university organized in Wurzburg when many students did not even know such an opportunity existed. Honestly, I don’t think I would know that Wurzburg exists and that it is worth visiting if not for that course. My friend applied to work in Northern Sweden since her job had this opportunity. My other friend completely fell in love with Latin America after her practice placement in Ecuador. And, finally, my mom went to the Georgian mountains through a travel community on Facebook, where people organized a tour for themselves. My next course provided by the university happened in Stavanger, Norway. I have never been to Norway before and I was so excited about this one. Stavanger is not that known from a tourist perspective and I was thrilled to learn about it. My final practice happened in Spain, in sunny Andalucia. It was a beautiful gateway to so many towns and villages, and my first over 3000 m. mountain hike! So yeah, it doesn’t depend on you if there is anything on the offer, but it does depend on you finding out about it and not missing the opportunity. Is there an opportunity to travel for your work or studies? Are there any courses or tours available from your city at the moment? It could be in a lesser-known place until you are there.
Translate, communicate
The places that are truly lesser known are mostly discovered and shared among locals through blogs and social platforms. I found information on hikes in the Visegrad mountains through a local blog, and a book in a mountain hut told me about a symbolic cemetery in the High Tatras. But guess what, they were all in local languages. Luckily the internet is here to help and Google Translate saved the day, giving me directions from the words of a local to navigate in the middle of nowhere. Don’t get off-put by information in another language, it is out there for you, and so are vocabularies and electronic translators.
Also, one should be aware that in nontouristic villages, people might not speak your language. Again, if there is internet – you’re gonna be fine, just don’t hesitate to use it when needed. I remember using Google Translate in a village in Pieniny to ask if I could leave my backpack in a guesthouse while I was hiking. If there is no internet – you can write, draw, show maps, gesture with your hands, and rely on languages you know in the hope there are similarities. I did this with all my passion trying to get my way through a village in Portugal to the beautiful hiking trail in Lagos. It was many years back in time. Then, I did not have internet everywhere I went. I managed, and so can you. In the end, hidden gems among locals are a unique and authentic experience, they are totally worth the effort. How and where do you find hidden gems?
