Bucovina, Asturias and the Azores crown Europe's most underrated travel destinations

A Time Out global ranking of the most underrated travel destinations, reposted and amplified by Euronews on 16–17 October 2026, put several European places at the top of its 2027 list as readers continue to look for alternatives to overcrowded hotspots. Bucovina in northern Romania took the overall world number one spot, praised for the same wild mountain scenery, age-old traditions and painted monastery architecture as neighbouring Transylvania but with far fewer visitors. The Asturian cities of Oviedo, Gijón and Avilés came third globally, with a strong pitch to food enthusiasts for their cider houses and seafood. Zambujeira do Mar on Portugal's Alentejo coast took sixth, a cliff-top village with a Blue Flag beach that only fills up during the MEO Sudoeste music festival. The French resort of Carry-le-Rouet, near Marseille, came ninth as a quieter alternative to St Tropez and Cannes, and Portugal's remote Azores archipelago — the "Hawaii of Europe" — came twelfth, certified for sustainable tourism. The ranking lands as European capitals from Barcelona to Amsterdam tighten anti-overtourism rules, pushing travellers toward smaller places.