4 Medieval European Cities Without The Crowds To Visit This Spring

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There’s nothing quite like sitting down for some coffee in a piazza bordered by ocher-colored buildings dating back centuries, strolling narrow alleys to the chime of church bells, or getting lost in the secret passageways of a castle.

Spring is fast approaching, and soon enough, Europe will be relatively warm to explore again.

As temperatures increase, however, so do the crowds, and though it’s nowhere as hellish as summer, the continent tends to see a significant increase in the number of visitors in the upcoming season, to the point it takes some of that Old World magic away.

Thankfully, not all European destinations are crumbling under the weight of overtourism, and if we’re talking unspoiled and authentic, there’s no beating these 4 medieval gems that look particularly beautiful in the spring:

Gdansk, Poland

Located on the Polish coast, straddling the Baltic Sea, Gdansk is a colorful port city best known for its Northern Mannerist facades, decorated in ornate motifs, monumental red-brick cathedral, one of the largest from the Middle Ages, and rich history.

The Old Town exudes charm, with a number of landmarks scattered around its cafe-lined streets, with the Fahrenheit Thermometer (in case you weren’t aware, the inventor of the Fahrenheit scale hails from Gdansk), and Europe’s best-preserved medieval crane, to name a couple.

As the weather is likely to have improved by then, spring is the perfect time to take a boat tour down the Motława, a river cutting through the heart of Gdansk, all the way to Westerplatte, where World War II officially kicked off, from only $27.42 per person.

Rouen, France

Only an hour north of Paris and within easy access due to the multitude of trains per day, you’d expect a stunning Rouen to be as busy as the capital, but you’d be surprised at how overlooked it actually is, in spite of the fact it has a largely-intact medieval core:

Picture half-timbered buildings, coming in every imaginable color, pedestrian lanes so narrow they make you wonder how this was even a bustling trade center back in the day and a soaring Gothic cathedral that puts Milan’s world-famous Duomo to shame.

You don’t even have to fly all the way to Prague to marvel at an astronomical clock: Rouen has one of its own, and dare we say, it’s arguably prettier.

And just so you know, the local Place du Vieux-Marché is where Joan of Arc was burned at the stake––e̶e̶r̶i̶e̶ fascinating much?

Brno, Czech Republic

On the topic of Prague still, how about instead of tagging along with everyone else and adding to the strain of what’s already a hyper-crowded destination, you check out a much more offbeat, equally beguiling Brno instead?

The second largest city in the Czech Republic, it has a stately historic center packed full of medieval and Renaissance monuments, from the 13th-century Špilberk Castle, sitting proudly atop its strategic mountaintop, to the twin-spired Cathedral of St. Peter and Paul.

Lying under the city, the St. James Ossuary is Brno’s answer to the Parisian Catacombs, housing the carefully arranged remains of over 50,000 people in a maze-like setting, and if you think you’ve had enough of astronomical clocks for one trip, think again: Brněnský orloj is a must-see.

Vilnius, Lithuania

The capital of the small Baltic nation of Lithuania, Vilnius is a laid-back mid-size city that looks almost as if it’s been cropped out of a storybook for children: between the red fort up the hill, the cobblestoned streets and the plethora of Baroque churches, it just ticks all the boxes.

By the way, you may think the Vatican is Europe’s only country within a capital city, but that’s because you’ve never heard of Užupis, a district that declared its independence from the rest of Vilnius in 1997––they did it as a joke, and it has no practical effect, though it feels like its own country:

Užupis has a thriving hippy scene, far more liberal than other parts of largely-conservative Vilnius, its plethora of youth-frequented pubs is unmatched, and they even have a 38-article constitution, with whimsical items such as ‘a person has the right to be lazy or do nothing’, and ‘a dog has the right to be a dog’.

All of that, zero crowds, and cheap beer for $3? Sign us up.

Vinicius Costa

Vini, our senior lead writer at Travel Off Path, has over 60+ countries under his belt (and currently weaving tales from Paris!), and a knack for turning off-the-beaten-path experiences into informative stories that will have you packing your bags.

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Opinions expressed here are the author’s alone, not those of any bank, credit card issuer, hotel, airline, or other entity. This content has not been reviewed, approved or otherwise endorsed by any of the entities included within the post.

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