Ten alternative European cities without the crowds

Valladolid, Spain

Valladolid does a marvellous line in Castilian handsomeness, with Plaza Mayor being one of the finest city squares in Spain. It also brims with restaurants specialising in suckling meats.

The Museo Nacional de Escultura hosts majestic sculptures and carvings purloined from churches and monasteries across the country. Meanwhile the Casa Museo de Colon and Casa de Cervantes celebrate former residents – explorer Christopher Columbus and Don Quixote author Miguel de Cervantes. See Civitatis Valladolid.

Praiano, Italy

Italy’s Amalfi Coast is hardly an undiscovered refuge, but Praiano maintains a much less flustered vibe than Positano and Amalfi either side of it. Praiano is still a fishing town at heart, with a series of narrow steps, pastel-coloured houses and photogenic narrow lanes. Save some memory card space for the evening, though – cliff-hugging Praiano offers some of the best sunsets in Italy. West-facing Gavitella Beach is the prime spot.

Antwerp, Belgium

Antwerp still has a lot of the quirkily dainty Flemish architecture that visitor-saturated Bruges is famous for, but this port city has more grit, more style and nowhere near as many tour groups.

Highlights include port cruises, the cathedral-esque Centraal Station and the Red Star Line Museum, which tells the tale of millions of Europeans migrating to North America.

For many, though, Antwerp is all about shopping – whether distinctive high fashion in the Sint Andries neighbourhood or diamonds in the Diamond District. See Visit Antwerpen.

Utrecht, the Netherlands

With a medieval centre ringed by canals, plenty of parks and bars bolstered by a large student population, Utrecht is a consistently pleasant place to hang out in.

The 112-metre tall Domtoren provides 465 steps of thigh-sapping challenge and World Heritage-listed Rietveld Schroderhuis is an architectural marvel of sliding doors and folding walls. But the real reason to visit Utrecht is to be awed by the embrace of the bike – you’re seemingly surrounded by thousands of cyclists at any moment. See Discover Utrecht.

Linz, Austria

Linz is all the better for fulfilling almost none of the cowbells and classical music Austrian stereotypes – but it does mean this quietly cool Danube city gets handily overlooked.

Weird sculptures line the riverside Donaupark, modern art museum Lentos hosts daring exhibitions, but the superstar is the Ars Electronica Centre. It’s all about how technology affects life and human behaviour, getting more than a little Black Mirror at times. The presentation and ideas are superb, and elevate Linz from likeable to memorable. See Linz Tourismus.

Bonn, Germany

The former West German capital straddles northern German hard-headedness and southern German romanticism. It’s on the Rhine, it has a wealth of elaborate, decorative buildings and has several solid attractions. These include Beethoven’s birthplace, now a celebration of the composer’s life, and the Arithmeum – a surprisingly fascinating museum about the development of calculators and counting machines.

Those with a sweet tooth should note that Bonn is the home of Haribo. The two-floor city centre flagship shop is a wonderland of limited-edition gimmick sweeties. See Bonn-Information.

Naxos, Greece

Routinely overshadowed by neighbouring islands Santorini and Mykonos, Naxos is the largest of the Cyclades islands and doesn’t feel nearly as much like a giant game of Sardines.

Prettily whitewashed, Venetian castle-topped Naxos Town has a life to it that doesn’t feel entirely tourist-centric, accommodation prices are much more reasonable. Leave the town, and there are plenty of beaches to pick from, with the four-kilometre-long Plaka Beach arguably the highlight.

Compiegne, France

Just 45 minutes from Paris, Compiegne is a well-to-do, horse-obsessed town on the cusp of a sweeping forest. In that forest, you’ll find the Glade of the Armistice, where World War I officially ended. Later, in 1940, Hitler had France surrender in the same place, in the same railway carriage. A replica carriage on the site tells the story, but Compiegne’s big draw is the Château de Compiegne, which rivals Versailles and comes with an enormously grandiose park made for purposeful strolling. See Hauts-de-France Tourisme.

Disclosure: David Whitley has been a guest of the Bristol, Flanders, Czech, Dutch, Austrian, German and French tourist boards.