100 under-the-radar places everyone should

 visit in Europe

Croatia's Blue Cave of Bisevo is a natural spectacle.paul prescott/Shutterstock

Most people know the big-name European cities and landmarks. But travel should be more than crossing items off a bucket list.

Did you know there is a Greek island where you can climb inside of an active volcano? Or a natural cave in Croatia that is so blue it looks fake?

Probably not. That is why we have compiled a comprehensive list of such little-known yet spectacular places worth visiting in Europe, from quiet cities and tiny villages to remote islands and natural wonders.

From quiet cities and tiny villages to remote islands and natural wonders, here are our top 100:

The striking Haifoss Waterfall in Iceland is only accessible to committed hikers and 4x4 vehicles, which keeps the 122-meter-tall cascade under-the-radar.

Moyan Brenn / Flickr

Dip into one of the stunning terraced thermal pools filled with minerals in Pamukkale, Turkey.

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Visit Setenil de las Bodegas, a village in Andalucia, Spain, that was built into cliffs and where residents' houses have large rocks covering them instead of roofs.

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Hang out at Szimpla Kert, one of the "ruin pubs" that sprung out of abandoned buildings in Budapest's District VII which now hosts partygoers, film nights, and art exhibitions.

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Swim in the translucent water of Giola, a natural rock pool in the region of Astris on the Greek island of Thassos.

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An alternative to the tourist-filled region of Cinque Terre, the peaceful village of Tellaro, Italy, is just as beautiful.

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Visit Mostar bridge in southern Bosnia and Herzegovina and do not be surprised to see locals and brave tourists throwing themselves off its 79-foot-tall peak.

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In Slovenia, skip Lake Bled and check out the less-known Lake Bohinj, which offers equally breathtaking surroundings.

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Pick up a bunch of flowers at the incredible Columbia Road flower market in the London Borough of Tower Hamlets — it is open every Sunday.

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Explore forests, lakes, and volcanic caves on the Azores Islands, off the coast of Portugal in the Atlantic Ocean.

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Explore Teufelsberg in West Berlin, an abandoned listening post once used by the NSA to intercept Soviet messages during the Cold War.

Business Insider/Sam Shead

The Bodegas Ysios building in Spain's Rioja Alavesa uses incredible modern design to create the perfect environment for fermenting wine.

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Avoid the crowds at Stonehenge to see Machrie Moor Stone Circle on the Isle of Arran, Scotland.

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Stare at the fantastical Kosmaj Monument — to commemorate the fighters who took on fascism — in Serbia.

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Instead of a beach with golden sand, visit Vik Beach, a dramatic black-sand beach in Iceland that is home to impressive natural rock formations.

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Take a cable car up to the Santa Maria de Montserrat, on the side of the Montserrat mountain a short distance outside of Barcelona, Spain.

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Browse a large collection of art including the work of Pablo Picasso, Yves Klein, and David Hockney at the Louisiana Museum of Modern Art, just north of Copenhagen in Denmark.

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Admire the art found on residents' houses and the local church, which are decorated in ornate patterns, in the village of Pyrgi on the Greek island of Chios.

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Forget Disneyland Paris and visit Tivoli Gardens in Copenhagen — an amusement park in the classic sense which is perfect for wiling away a spare afternoon in the capital.

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Behold the visual spectacle that is Montenegro's Bay of Kotor, which flanks the Mediterranean sea.

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Follow in the footsteps of Salvador Dali and pay a visit to the Park of Monsters in Bozarmo, Italy, a garden teeming with scary sculptures built by the architect Pirro Ligorio in 1552.

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For an alternative beach holiday, visit Lithuania's Curonian Spit, a dune that spans over 60 miles along the Baltic coast.

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Journey to the edge of a cliff in the Faroe Islands to visit the remote village of Gásadalur and enjoy breathtaking views.

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Get away from the hordes of tourists in the vibrant old quarter of Triana in Seville, Spain.

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See how people live in Freetown Christiania, an autonomous neighbourhood in Copenhagen that's regulated by its own special laws.

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Take a dip in Badeschiff swimming pool in Berlin. The converted barge suspended on the river Spree is connected by a wooden footbridge to a bar and sun-loungers.

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See Europe's version of the Grand Canyon in the Czech Republic at Velka Amerika, near the village of Mořina. Once a mining quarry, the site now contains a glorious lake.

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Travel to Germany's southernmost lighthouse, Lindau Lighthouse, which stands at 108-feet-tall with an iconic clock facade.

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Check out the Principality​ of Pontinha, a self-declared country with a population of one, just off the coast of Madeira, Portugal.

Prince Renato II of Pontinha

Take a scenic drive along Romania's winding Transfăgărășan road, which links Transylvania to Wallachia.

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In Germany, venture to the small town of Rothenburg ob der Tauber between Munich and Frankfurt for cobbled streets lined with medieval architecture.

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Beachgoers must traverse a slender path lined with spiky bushes to reach Saleccia beach, a quiet white-sand beach in Corsica, France.

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The Staubbach waterfall in Switzerland sits next to the houses and church of a local town, covering it in a mist of spray.

chensiyuan/Wikipedia

Go surfing in Munich, Germany, where city-based surfers take their boards to the Eisbach, a small man-made river in Englischer Garten park.

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Stroll along Arlington Row, a scenic stretch of cottages that were built in 1380 in the village of Bibury in the Cotswolds, UK.

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Listen to the Sea Organ in Zadar, Croatia — a musical instrument made out of pipe organs built into coastal steps. Its player? The sea.

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Hop on a colourful boat in Aveiro, a vibrant canal city that's bursting with cool architecture on Portugal's west coast.

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Swim under the waterfalls of Croatia's stunning Krka National Park in Dalmatia.

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Visit the Estonian island of Saareema, full of forest land and quaint villages dotted with windmills.

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Take a road trip amid unreal scenery on Iceland's Ring Road.

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Admire the rustic buildings, bridges, and town squares of the old town in Ljubjlana, the capital of Slovenia.

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Visit one of several ancient bridges that are believed to have been built centuries ago by the Venetians in Cyprus.

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Walk through the Mani, a hilly region in Greece's Peloponnese that's known for its crumbling architecture.

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Walk along the sand dunes of Nairn Beach in the Scottish Highlands. You may even spot a dolphin or two while you're there.

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Check out a Hungarian village where residents live in stilt cottages dotted about Lake Bokodi between the towns of Bokod and Oroszlány.

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Get lost in Villa Pisani Labyrinth, a maze with nine layers that is considered the most complicated in the world in the town of Stra, Italy.

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Head to the Russian island of Kizhi on Lake Onega to admire the Church of the Transfiguration, a magnificent pine log sculpture topped with domes.

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Visit Bulgaria's smallest town, Melnik, perched in a remote spot amid the Pirin Mountains, for mountain views over a glass of local wine.

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Sleep in a cave and check out a stunning cathedral in the picturesque town of Matera in the south of Italy.

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Cycle through the Czech Republic's Palava region, known for its vineyards and picture-perfect green fields.

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Climb the highest dune in Europe: the 351-foot-tall Dune du Pilat in the south of France.

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Go to Luxembourg. Established in the 10th century, the tiny nation bordered by France, Belgium, and Germany is often overlooked but it is packed with enchanting castles and nature trails.

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In Paphos, Cyprus, enjoy the view of Aphrodite's Rock ("Petra tou Romiou" in Greek), the mythical birthplace of the goddess of love in the Mediterranean.

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Walk around one of France's most charming villages, Moustiers Sainte-Marie. There's plenty to do in the area; the southeast village is surrounded by the Sainte-Croix lake, lavender fields...

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...and the Gorges du Verdon. The best way to see this magnificent river canyon is to kayak or canoe along it.

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The market square bordered by neat rows of colourful buildings in Poznań, Poland, offers visitors a perfect photo opportunity.

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Weave through the world's longest hedge maze at Wiltshire's Longleat Maze, which measures nearly two miles.

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Explore the mountainous terrain of Sweden's stunning Sarek National Park.

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Foray into Portugal's enchanting Peneda-Gerês National Park for scenery that looks like it is out of this world.

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Visit Mirogoj Cemetery in Zagreb, Croatia, one of Europe's most impressive cemeteries.

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Holiday in the beautiful German town of Meersburg on the shore of Lake Constance, which borders Germany, Austria, and Switzerland.

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Climb up a dormant volcano in Austria to see Riegersburg Castle; inside there are two museums — one on the legacy of women in the area and another on witchcraft.

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Enjoy a quiet moment in the bizarre looking Lutheran "Chapel of Silence" in the busy Finnish capital of Helsinki.

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Hop a raft to drift beside Croatia's Blue Cave of Bisevo, a naturally vivid grotto that is so bright in the sun it looks artificially illuminated.

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Lie on a secluded beach on the beautiful island of St. Agnes in the Isles of Scilly, UK.

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Check out the eerie ruins of an old fortress that surrounded the city of Liepaja on the coast of Latvia.

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Walk around the beautiful port city of Odessa, Ukraine.

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Take in views of the Portuguese countryside in Monsaraz, an ancient village with whitewashed houses, cobbled streets, and a castle.

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Marvel at the view of Lake Ohrid from the Church of St. John the Theologian, pictured below, in Ohrid, Macedonia.

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Bypass tourist-heavy Venice with a visit to nearby Treviso instead, where canals weave past mismatched houses and under quaint bridges.

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See hundreds of European monuments in a day at Mini-Europe, a theme park in Brussels, Belgium, that's home to tiny versions of Big Ben, the Eiffel Tower, and more.

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Rent a canoe in Giethoorn, a town without roads in the Netherlands where people get around by sailing along the canal, or walking or cycling along paths.

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Bathe in the crystal-clear water of the Ionian sea off the Greek island of Paxi.

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Trek to Albania's Sarandë District to peer into the Syri i Kalter ("The Blue Eye"), a gorgeous natural spring that goes deep underground.

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Hop on a boat from Malta to visit its little-known neighbour, Gozo — an island strewn with temples, salt pans, and picturesque beaches.

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Climb up a mountain to the Caves of Kesh in Ireland's Country Sligo for spectacular countryside views.

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Travel to the very north of Denmark to Grenen, a beach in the town of Skagen that connects two seas: the Skagerrak Straight in the North Sea, and the Kattegat which flows between Denmark and Sweden.

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Traipse around Bulgaria's Buzludzha monument, an abandoned communist building perched in the mountains — a now faded relic of the country's Soviet past.

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Walk across the Sheytan Krupriya (or "Devil's Bridge") near Ardino, Bulgaria. Built in the 16th century, the eerie-looking bridge is rumoured to be haunted.

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Brush up on your Armenian with a visit to the Armenian Alphabet Monument, where stone sculptures depicting the language's letters are scattered near the village of Artashavan.

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Take a scenic walk in Lukomir, a remote village in Konjic, Bosnia and Herzegovina, that sits on the lip of a large canyon.

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Go to Liechtenstein, an underrated, small country between Austria and Switzerland, and climb to the top of Vaduz Castle for dramatic Alpine views.

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Climb inside the crater of an active volcano (if you dare) on the island of Nisyros in Greece's Dodecanese. The volcano's last eruption was in 1888.

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Holiday in an unlikely beach destination on the island of Rügen off the coast of Germany.

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Look up at a series of intricate tombs built into the side of a mountain by the Lycians in Fethiye, Turkey.

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Look at ancient stone-made furniture at Skara Brae, the site of a Neolithic settlement on the Bay of Skaill in Scotland's Orkney Islands.

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See one of the world's coolest rock formations at Armenia's Symphony of Stones, a complex natural structure made of basalt rock on the side of Garni Gorge.

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Road trip along Norway's Atlantic Ocean Road and drive over the Storseisundet Bridge, a nausea-inducing crossing that makes drivers feel as though they're driving in the sky.

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See one of the late architect Zaha Hadid's most cutting-edge architectural designs, Heydar Aliyev Centre, in Baku, Azerbaijan.

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Go diving amid the ruins of a sinking abandoned prison in the town of Rummu in Estonia.

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Spend a day hiking amid views of the Pyrenees in Andorra, a small country sandwiched between France and Spain.

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Marvel at the communist monument the Pyramid of Tirana in Albania.

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Spend an afternoon in the old town of Oviedo — the capital of Asturias, a principality in north-west Spain — and admire the mismatched houses that line a typical street.

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In Prague, take a funicular up Petrin Hill to stroll through a verdant rose and lavender garden and climb the steps of the Petrin Tower — a 210-foot-tall steel structure often called Prague's "little" Eiffel Tower — for beautiful city views.

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Try beer made by Trappist monks at Orval Abbey in Florenvill, Belgium.

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Escape the crowds and head to the remote, picturesque island of Colonsay in the Scottish Inner Hebrides.

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Visit San Servolo, a former mental asylum turned museum off the coast of Venice.

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Have afternoon tea amid tropical plants and trees you would find in the rainforest in the centre of London at the Barbican Conservatory.

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Hold your balance on the Trift Bridge, the longest suspension bridge in the Alps.

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Swim beside waterfalls in beautifully clear water at the Fairy Pools in the village of Carbost on Scotland's Isle of Skye.