WE all like to escape the crowds now and again.
As the world opens up again post pandemic, Lonely Planet’s newest guidebook, Offbeat, offers 100 place suggestions around the globe where travellers can really escape the tourist masses.
Highlighting regions and countries where visiting can make a real difference to the local community, as well as places not previously considered and are much easier to access than you might think.
Divided into continents, the new Offbeat guide includes first-time tips, practical travel information to start the planning process, amazing crowd-free experiences, plus unique insights from local voices.
Locations include those that are often overshadowed by their more popular cousins such as Braga in Portugal, the dramatic landscapes of north-east Iceland, beautiful beaches of Tobago or culture of Kyrgyzstan. Find astonishing Roman ruins in Algeria, enjoy the wine culture in the Moselle Valley in Luxembourg or explore Morocco’s gorgeous yet much overlooked “white city” of Tetouan.
THere’s even a couple of UK options for those who fancy a staycation – Shropshire and the Torridon Hills in the north of Scotland.
The top 10 recommended alternative destinations to explore away from the masses closer to home are:
* Instead of Salzburg, try the Austrian Tyrol beauty of Kufstein
* Trade Tallinn, Estonia for Tartu – the European Capital of Culture 2024
* Swap Paris for the gastronomic capital and cosmopolitan vibe of Lyon, France
* Exchange the beach life of Crete for the rugged green island of Andros
* Swap a city break in Lisbon for the old at heart, young in spirit historic city of Braga
* Love walking in the Yorkshire Dales, try the rural rolling downs and medieval towns of the Shropshire Hills
* Explore beyond the traditional Scottish Highlands to the beautiful lochs and Munros of the Torridon Hills in the southern Highlands
* Love the Wild Atlantic Way of Ireland, try the UNESCO Global Geo Park Copper Coast
* Looking for an alternative to the Alps, checkout Poland’s bargain winter peaks and pistes of the Tatra Mountains
*Appreciate the food, art and culture of Madrid, experience the bewitching old town of Caceres, hidden away in the wilds of Extremadura
Further afield sample new adventures in California’s Lost Sierra, Japan’s Shikoku region or the Stewart Island/Rakiura in New Zealand. Chill out on Tobago in the Caribbean, visit the Coburg Peninsula in the Northern Territory or Ericeira’s beaches in Portugal. Embark on extraordinary urban adventures in the canal city of Delft or dive into the food and drink scene of Milwaukee.
Lonely Planet Publications senior director Chris Zeiher said: “As the world embraces travel again, we know people are looking for crowd-free, under-the-radar alternatives to popular tourism mainstays.
“Offbeat presents 100 detailed options for travellers to consider whether it’s lesser-known National Parks in North America, gorgeous yet surprisingly less frequented cities across Europe, or islands off Australia and New Zealand that remain relatively crowd-free. I’ve already added a stack of these suggestions to my travel list.”
Lonely Planet’s Offbeat is priced £24.99.
