7 Underrated European Countries We Rarely Hear of ...

Lately, I've been doing a lot of staring at the world map and I discovered several underrated European countries that we rarely hear of. While France, Italy, Spain and the United Kingdom basked in the never-ending glory of tourism and cultural bliss, these barely reported countries are placed on the periphery. That does not mean they’re not worthy to be explored. Perhaps, their "silence" is the very reason why they should be visited. Here are seven of those underrated European countries.

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Liechtenstein

Liechtenstein is double-landlocked (bordered by Switzerland and Austria), German-speaking and has an estimated population of only about 37,000 (as of 2012). It's amazing that this country is not bordered by Germany, but the people speak German and it's considered the richest among all German-speaking nations. Because the reigning monarch is a prince, its official name is the Principality of Liechtenstein. It is not a kingdom. The name itself sounds unique, making it in my list of underrated European countries.

Slovakia

The latest news I heard about this country was in a hockey championship where Team Slovakia was defeated by Team Canada. Bad news. But the good news is: the town of Bardejov is listed in UNESCO’s World Heritage Sites because it is an exceptionally well preserved evidence of economic and social structure of trading towns during the Middle Ages. It even has a small Jewish quarter around an 18th-century synagogue. Worth a visit!

Bosnia and Herzegovina

I first heard about this country in the Miss World pageant (yes, I watch beauty pageants). I then read more about it when I chanced upon an online report that the 2014 FIFA World Cup in Brazil will be Bosnia and Herzegovina’s first major tournament. From my husband, I learned that the capital city of Sarajevo hosted the 1984 Winter Olympic Games and is referred as the European Jerusalem because of its religious, historical and cultural sites.

Serbia

Serbia Unlike France, this is not a country that tourists flocked to visit popular sites such as the Eiffel Tower or the Louvre Museum. Serbia is a country for those who prefer quiet vacations in mountain resorts. Domestic tourism is vibrant. The capital city of Belgrade is commonly visited by foreign tourists.

Albania

Albania Dubbed as "Europe's Last Secret" (although I don't really buy it), Albania is a country that was blessed with natural attractions (including pristine beaches), archaeological sites (from Roman and Greek times among others), panoramic routes and cultural traditions. Its village areas are growing agri-tourism destinations. The Lonely Planet listed it as a top travel destination.

Belarus

Belarus I have to be honest, I heard about this country in another beauty pageant: Miss Supranational, (where the Philippines won the crown last year). I did some research and learned that tennis player, former World No. 1 Victoria Azarenka was from the country (I was named after a tennis player so this appealed to me). Two castles - Mir Castle and Nesvizh Castle - are also listed in UNESCO's World Heritage Sites owing to their cultural influence in architecture and design.

Luxembourg

When I visited France this year, I badly wanted to go to Luxembourg because of Vianden, its small hilly town that to me, offers calming and picturesque views. I was also curious about the Victor Hugo museum, which has original drawings and letters in the house where he stayed. To and from Paris, there is a high-speed TGV link that connects to Luxembourg that only takes about two to three hours (one way).

Five other European countries I am interested to know more about start with the letter M: Montenegro, Malta, Monaco, Macedonia and Moldova. Europe is just an exciting continent to visit and I dare declare that there are so many secrets that are left to be discovered. What do you think of these countries?

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Where Thoughts and Opinions Converge

Im from Serbia and to be honest that pic doesnt show how beautiful Serbia really is. Ive visited most of the countries in Europe,Ive been to countries in Asia and Ive been to America,maybe Serbia is not as big and there arent as much people here as there are in those countries but it really is beautiful,Im just saying that coming here would not be a waist of money (plus our prices are low you can ask anybody,foreigners actually think our prices are really funny) so even if dont enyoj your stay here which i doubt you wouldnt spend a lot of money.Give Serbia a shot,I promis you will not regret it :)

I am Albanian and Albania is really beautiful so Im not happy that you said that you dont think its really Europe's secret, judge it once you go there and visit and then you will eat your own words. Literally, don't underestimate it!

i love this app to death but it takes so long to scroll down.

You forgot Croatia!

My husband is Maltese :) Malta is beautiful.

What about Bulgaria?! I visited it multiple times and it's a beautiful country but not many people know a lot about it!

and one more thing I agree with Peka,Croatia shoud be on this list,I love going there and I have never been disappointed :) Montenegro is cool too,this year is the first in many to come that the big music festival Exit will be held both in Serbia and Montenegro,I go every year and it's awesome and cheap too..look it up,last year snoop dogg was here and david guetta and many more artists :)

You forgot Romania. Most people know Albania but when I tell people I'm half Romanian they have to stop and think where Romania is.

I m from Albania and not cuz of i live here but this country is worth to visit n i feel sorry for u @Aurela 👎 what a cheap n shallow coment u've written ...

Sarajevo a few years ago when we went to it was very sad. Almost every building had bullet marks on walls and there were so many ruined houses. Also small stone obelisks in parks showing where people buried where they fell from snipers bullets.Glad to get away from it.

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