Destinations Still Flying Under the Radar
Places that should be famous and somehow aren't
Faroe Islands
The Faroes are 18 islands in the North Atlantic, two hours by air from Edinburgh and accessible by ferry from Hirtshals. Sheer cliffs, turf-roofed houses, a tunnel network that connects most of the islands, and almost no commercial development outside Tórshavn. Five nights covers the highlights.
Madeira
Madeira has reinvented itself in the last decade. The levada walks, the laurel forests, the volcanic peaks, the Funchal markets, the Câmara de Lobos fishing harbour. It also has a microclimate that means you can go from sea level swimming to mountain hiking in 90 minutes.
Azores
The Azores are a long flight that ends almost immediately: Lisbon to São Miguel is two and a half hours. Volcanic crater lakes, hot spring pools, whale watching, and a green hill landscape unlike anywhere else in Europe. Add Pico for the wine vineyards on volcanic stone.
Northumberland
Northern England's coast above Newcastle is one of the emptiest stretches of European coast you can reach by train. Bamburgh, Lindisfarne, Alnwick, and 50 km of pale sand beaches between them. Pair with the Roman Wall inland.
Maramureș
Maramureș, in northern Romania, has a cluster of UNESCO wooden churches and a living rural culture that hasn't been packaged for outside visitors. Horse carts on the roads, Sunday markets that haven't changed in 50 years, and a very particular sense of being somewhere on the edge of the modern.
Suggested itinerary
- Faroes: Five nights, hire a car, hike Sornfelli and Drangarnir.
- Azores: Seven nights on São Miguel, with one day on the lakes and one in Furnas.
Local highlights
- Faroe Islands' Saksun and Gásadalur
- Madeira's Fanal laurel forest
- Azores' Sete Cidades twin lakes
- Northumberland's empty beaches
- Romania's Maramureș wooden churches
Nearby destinations
Other places worth combining with this trip: Streymoy, Pico (Azores), Lindisfarne, Sighet.
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