12 underrated destinations for 2027, from Bhutan to Mid-Wales, per Lonely Planet

Picture someone mapping out next year's getaway and landing on the same few famous names that fill every social feed. Honeymooners keep choosing Santorini. Families keep settling on Barcelona. Each decision makes sense alone. Stacked together, though, those identical choices funnel enormous numbers of people into a short list of locales, and the vacation someone imagined can turn into a slog of long lines, sold-out hotels, and elbow-to-elbow sightseeing. Anyone with limited time off and a fixed budget has a stake in how those decisions play out. Where a trip lands shapes every hour spent away from home.

Rooms on the Amalfi Coast book up about a year in advance, a sign of how close the best-known hotspots run to capacity. Overtourism worries many regions around the world. The strain lands on two groups at once. Travelers $TRV compete for scarce lodging, while the places hosting them shoulder all that demand. Planning a year ahead strips the flexibility out of a holiday before it begins. A smarter answer starts with a different question about where a comparable experience might wait, a short distance from the marquee attraction yet free of its pull.

Lonely Planet tackles that crush by steering readers toward the lesser-known neighbors of places they love. Chamidae Ford $F, a writer at the publication, gathered recommendations from fellow staff members, and each entry carries the name and job title of the colleague behind it. The selections reflect staff opinion and editorial judgment. No scores, visitor counts, or price data decide which spots appear or in what order. The publisher concedes that no featured spot counts as undiscovered, adding that nowhere on Earth does. Even so, each one rewards the journey, it argues. A shared template organizes the entries, though not every one fills every field. The template explains why people overlook the place, points to a busier alternative, and identifies who will enjoy it most. Further fields suggest the best season, outline how to get there, flag a highlight worth seeking out, and close with a practical tip from the recommender.

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Bhutan holds a negative carbon footprint, a status few countries share, and destination editor James Pham picks it for mountain lovers who want room to roam. Pham notes that the country makes protecting its landscapes a priority. A place that absorbs more carbon than it emits gives anyone uneasy about the emissions behind their travel a reason to book it.

Nepal draws the bigger share of Himalayan hikers, and Pham proposes Bhutan as the alternative. Outdoor enthusiasts meet far fewer fellow walkers on Bhutan's trails than in neighboring India or nearby Nepal, he says. The Trans Bhutan Trail by itself covers 403 kilometers. Jhomolhari Base Camp and the Snowman Trek give visitors on foot two more named options to plan around. A walker on any of the three can expect quieter paths than the busier circuits next door offer.

Trekkers form one slice of Pham's intended audience. He names culture seekers, nature lovers, photographers, and people drawn to Buddhism and spirituality. A list that broad suggests Bhutan rewards guests who never lace up a boot.

Autumn, from September to November, brings clear skies and sweeping views of the high peaks. Prices drop from June to August, during the monsoon. Travelers $TRV with flexible dates face a trade-off between lower rates and the crisper vistas of fall.

No direct flights link Bhutan with the Western Hemisphere. Pham advises flying into Delhi, the nearest major international air hub. Kathmandu and Kolkata supply further connections. Bangkok works as one of the easier gateways from Southeast Asia. Anyone leaving the Americas should budget for at least one change of planes before the last leg.

Taktshang Goemba, the cliffside monastery known as Tiger's Nest, is the one sight Pham says no one should skip. He promises it is "as impressive as you think." The monastery perches on a cliff face, and its position supplies much of the drama. A post-monsoon trip gives the best odds of seeing that perch against an unclouded range.

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Vendée, France, keeps its sunshine into September, a month that Digital Editor Ann Douglas Lott calls lovely and far less crowded than summer. Coastal swimming drives the summer high season. Holding off until September trades that rush for open sand under skies that stay bright.

Seafood lovers come first among the travelers Lott expects to enjoy Vendée. She also steers outdoorsy visitors and fans of quaint little European towns toward the area. None of those three groups depends on the peak swimming months, so the quieter stretch suits all of them.

Sardines at Le Banc de Sardines open her list of things to try. Residents count the spot as a favorite, so a meal there puts diners where locals eat. Her second pick moves outdoors. She recommends a bike ride along Île d'Yeu, an outing suited to the active audience she has in mind. Between them, the two suggestions serve her first two groups, one at the table and one in the saddle.

A rental car opens up Vendée, Lott advises, easing both the journey in and the exploring once there. Wheels let a visitor string together a sardine lunch, a ride on Île d'Yeu, and a stroll through a small village on a personal schedule.

The Passage du Gois, a causeway at Beauvoir-sur-Mer, frames a sunset scene for anyone who lingers into the evening. Lott's picks add up to a September road trip, one that runs on timing and mobility more than on hours spent in the sea.

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St. Augustine fits centuries of history and local lore into a 144-block Historic District, and Senior Marketing Manager Amy Nichols tells travelers to explore its distinct past. Spanish-inspired architecture frames the streets, and shops line the cobblestones. Nichols likens the effect to strolling a European village without leaving the U.S. Americans who crave Old World lanes can find them on a domestic trip.

Nichols calls the city a Florida destination that earns far less credit than it deserves. Its appeal stacks three draws in one place: aging buildings, local legends, and beaches she describes as beautiful. Jacksonville, the closest major airport, gives arriving travelers an easy jumping-off point.

Ghost hunters share billing with heritage fans and beachgoers among the travelers Nichols expects to enjoy St. Augustine most. The city embraces its haunted reputation and steers guests toward ghost tours, eerie landmarks, and legends best explored after dark. Local storytelling works two shifts, fueling daytime wandering and nighttime scares. The same centuries that fill the Historic District supply the material for the city's spookier side.

The Lightner Museum glows against the night sky during the Light of Nights festival. The illuminated building gives evening strolls a lure beyond the ghost tours. St. Augustine's after-dark offerings run from eerie to festive.

Anastasia State Park holds the beach Nichols singles out, a stretch of white sand facing the Atlantic. Sand along this coast tends toward darker shades. The pale shoreline stands out as a result. A beach day here delivers a color the neighboring coastline lacks.

Each audience Nichols names finds its own anchor in the city. Heritage buffs head for the Historic District, beachgoers claim Anastasia, and ghost hunters fill the evening tours. A group with mixed tastes can share one trip without splitting up. Days can split between cobblestones and sand, with nights left for legends and lights.

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Georgia's Qvevri wine traces its roots back 8,000 years, and Marketing Director Bridget FitzGibbons urges anyone bound for Tbilisi to try it. She describes the technique as one of the oldest forms of winemaking in human history. Winemakers in Georgia crush the grapes and pour the juice, along with the skins, stalks, and pips, into a Qvevri. They then seal the vessel and bury it beneath the earth. The Qvevri itself is an egg-shaped earthenware jar that holds the wine from its making through aging and storage. Families, neighbors, friends, and relatives hand the craft down and join forces for communal harvests and winemaking.

Khachapuri, a cheesy bread, earns the label life-changing in FitzGibbons' entry, and khinkali, juicy dumplings, give the table a second local staple. The two dishes make the kitchen as strong a lure as the vintages resting underground.

Tbilisi rewards travelers on foot as a walkable riverside capital, with mountain treks and vineyard country within reach. Soviet-era remnants add another layer to the city. A cable car carries visitors up to Narikala Fortress, and the Abanotubani sulfur baths offer a soak after a day on the move. FitzGibbons spent eight days between the capital and the countryside, a stretch long enough to take in both.

Italy and France cost more, according to FitzGibbons, who pitches Georgia as a swap for two destinations that some people call "overtouristed." Anyone planning a wine holiday can skip those familiar names, pay less, and sample Qvevri wine at its source.

Summer through late fall opens the best window, leaving time to see the highland towns before winter arrives. Most flights to Tbilisi connect through Istanbul, a layover FitzGibbons welcomes as a chance to stop in Turkiye, another country she loves. A Tbilisi trip can double as a two-country journey for anyone willing to stretch the connection into a stay.

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Budapest steals the spotlight from Lake Balaton, even though Hungarians love to spend their summers on its shores, according to Destination Editor Zara Sekhavati. Generations of Hungarians have chosen holidays along the lakeshore. The contrast points to a place with deep local loyalty and a smaller profile among visitors who stick to the capital.

Sheer size leaves the lake room for several distinct personalities, and Sekhavati matches different stretches of shore to different interests. Siófok pulls in fans of Balaton Sound, an electronic music festival. Tihany owes its reputation to lavender fields. A handful of castles stand along the water, among them Szigliget, which gives history lovers their own reason to make the journey. The southern shore has built its name on family-friendly beaches. Parts of the northern coast have earned the nickname "Hamptons of Hungary" from some admirers.

Sekhavati recommends the lake to festivalgoers, history buffs, families, and anyone seeking a wellness break. Spa-minded guests have an added option nearby at Lake Hévíz, which Sekhavati describes as the largest natural medicinal thermal lake in the world. The range means a single week can mix a night of electronic music, a castle visit, and a soak in thermal water without leaving the region.

June to August marks the ideal window, and Sekhavati frames Balaton as a destination built for the warm months. Rail service links Budapest to the lake, and Balatonfüred sits less than two hours away by train. The short ride makes a day excursion workable for anyone based in the city. Balatonfüred counts among the most popular vacation towns on the lake. A traveler can sample the shoreline from a Budapest base and commit to a longer stay once a favorite stretch emerges.

Peak season and the local getaway crowd overlap on the calendar. A midsummer trip means sharing the sand with Hungarians on their own time off.

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India's Northeast stretches across eight states yet draws far fewer tourists than the crowded Golden Triangle of Delhi, Jaipur, and Agra. Destination Editor Akanksha Singh champions the region as a fuller, truer portrait of India than that well-worn circuit can offer. Seven of those states carry the "Seven Sister" nickname: Arunachal Pradesh, Assam, Manipur, Mizoram, Meghalaya, Nagaland, and Tripura. Sikkim completes the roster.

Eight states set against three cities shows how much of the country the standard itinerary skips. Singh pitches the Northeast at adventurous travelers and at anyone hungry for a taste of everything. The sheer spread of territory explains why both groups fit. Sikkim, the one state outside the Seven Sisters, offers Rumtek Monastery in Gangtok, where monks gather. Variety on that scale suits an explorer who wants several kinds of trip folded into one.

Nature and wildlife headline the Northeast's don't-miss list. Singh singles out Manas National Park, along with the one-horned rhinos of Kaziranga. Rhino spotting and park outings can share an itinerary with monastery visits, a mix that delivers the sampler Singh promises. Encounters of that caliber add an outdoor dimension that a three-city circuit cannot match.

November through February makes the ideal window, Singh says, with weather she pegs as Goldilocks-perfect, neither too hot nor too cold. Planners get one clear season to target across all eight states, a useful constant amid such diverse ground.

Kolkata, also known as Calcutta, hosts the closest airport for international flights, yet Singh advises that most arrivals fare better coming in from New Delhi. Delhi doubles as a corner of the Golden Triangle. A newcomer landing there can sample the busy circuit before heading toward the quieter Northeast. Guwahati, the capital of Assam, serves as the area's chief transport hub. Singh expects most visitors to pass through the city several times while catching connections. Itineraries across the eight states hinge on Guwahati's links, which makes the city a fixture of any route through the region.

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Methven's Ōpuke Thermal Spa heats its pools with solar power, and an adults-only section faces the Southern Alps. The sun supplies every degree, with no help from geothermal sources underground. Destination Editor Jess Lockhart recommends Methven as a calmer alternative to Hanmer Springs, which she finds busy and noisy. Her pick swaps that commotion for views of the peaks from the water.

Mount Hutt sets the rhythm of the year in Methven. Snow turns the town into a base for skiers, and summer hands it to mountain bikers and hikers. The cold-season rush runs from June to October, according to newzealand.com. Lockhart sees no wrong time for a trip and returns at least twice a year. Her habit suggests the town holds its appeal across both halves of the calendar.

Christchurch sits 75 minutes from Methven by car, and Hanmer Springs lies 110 minutes from the city. The shorter haul from Christchurch leaves more of a weekend for the slopes and the pools. Winter brings one caution for anyone driving there. The road up Mount Hutt climbs at a steep grade, and Lockhart urges drivers to take care on it. The heaviest traffic arrives in the same months the road turns most treacherous.

Rakaia Gorge hosts jetboat rides, and the Washpen Falls trail fills about three hours. The surrounding area adds ice skating at Staveley, hot air ballooning, and golf, either in Methven or at Terrace Downs. Cafes and restaurants sit within walking distance of the village motels. Guests can leave the car parked after a full day outdoors and reach dinner on foot. Ōpuke makes a fitting finale after a gorge ride or a waterfall trek.

Methven's tranquility depends on timing. Its winter crowds and Lockhart's warning about the access road suggest the quietest soak waits for the warmer months.

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Puglia matches the Amalfi Coast and Cinque Terre on beaches, food, and history, according to Director of Audience Serina Patel. Italy overflows with celebrated cities and coastlines, and a region up against two of the country's most famous seaside stretches drops off many itineraries. Patel argues travelers should not pass it over. Puglia delivers the same pull of sea, table, and old stone that draws people to Italy's busiest resort towns.

Puglia's location in the far south keeps the weather mild deep into the shoulder season. Patel recommends April through June or September through October, two windows that dodge both the summer peak and the harshest heat. Together those windows add up to five months of comfortable sightseeing outside high summer. Thinner crowds on the sand and cooler afternoons make the shoulder months the smarter bet for anyone who wants the shore at its most pleasant.

Puglia's past survives in the trulli of Alberobello, limestone dwellings whose roofs rise in pyramids, domes, or cones. Builders set the whitewashed dry-stone walls on bare bedrock and used no mortar or cement. Each roof pairs an inner dome of stone with a watertight outer cone of limestone slabs. Some trulli served as short-term field shelters and storehouses, while others housed agricultural laborers and owners of small plots. Rural trulli dot the Itria Valley, which runs from the edge of the Murge plateau to where the Salento peninsula begins and takes in the villages of Locorotondo, Cisternino, and Martina Franca. Dry-stone building goes back several thousand years across the Mediterranean, but the trulli style of construction is specific to the Itria Valley. Alberobello holds the densest and best-preserved cluster of these homes.

A masseria, or working farm, lets food travelers learn where Puglia's ingredients come from and meet the people who live nearby, Patel suggests. An overnight stay links the cooking on the plate to the fields and neighbors behind it. Swimmers can paddle inside the Grotta della Poesia, which English speakers call the Poetry Cave.

Patel pitches Puglia to food fanatics, beach lovers, and history buffs alike. A group with split interests can share one base and still fill its days with farm meals, cave swims, and trulli villages.

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Zimbabwe offers a more affordable safari than Botswana, according to Digital Editor Chamidae Ford $F. Ford grants that Botswana impresses. The argument for its neighbor turns on access. Wildlife sightings and time in the bush arrive without much struggle in Zimbabwe, by Ford's account. A traveler can spend more of the trip watching animals and less of it hunting for them.

First-time safarigoers and adventure seekers make up the audience Ford has in mind. The two groups gain from different parts of the pitch. A newcomer can test whether safari travel suits them at less expense than Botswana demands. An adventure seeker gets a quick route to big game and, as Mana Pools shows, more than one way to pursue it.

Most trips begin with a flight into Victoria Falls, beside the UNESCO-listed stretch of the Zambezi River. From there, most safaris shuttle guests to camp aboard small puddle-jumper planes. Driving can take an exhausting amount of time where roads lack pavement or prove hard to navigate. A first-timer wary of a long haul over unpaved track reaches camp without that ordeal. Even the cheaper choice, then, tends to include time in the air between the airport and camp.

Mana Pools National Park gives Zimbabwe its sharpest point of difference. The park sits on the Zambezi, the same river that flows past the Victoria Falls gateway. The park breaks from the classic picture of a safari on open plains. Visitors can paddle a canoe downriver or head out on foot for a walking safari. Both options trade the vehicle for a paddle or a pair of boots, an approach suited to the adventure seekers in Ford's audience.

Elephants wading in the Runde River beneath the Chilojo Cliffs add a second river landscape to the picture. Anyone who picks Zimbabwe to save money ends up with river and cliff scenery that a standard grassland tour leaves out.

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Quito's old town received UNESCO World Heritage status in 1978, which made Quito the first city to earn the designation. Even so, many travelers treat Quito as a brief layover on the way to the Galapagos. Digital Editor Chamidae Ford $F argues that the city and the rest of Ecuador reward anyone who stays to explore.

Ford pitches Quito as a stand-in for the Galapagos. The islands impress, Ford concedes, but they can strain a budget and demand effort to reach. Quito answers with a towering landscape, Spanish colonial architecture, and food Ford calls delicious. Culture and architecture fans stand to gain the most from the swap. Their natural starting point is the old town, the district behind the city's World Heritage distinction.

Quito's common role as a stopover works in its favor. Visitors bound for the islands can stretch a short stop into a full stay without redrawing their route.

Quito sits close to the equator, and its climate holds steady as a result. Ford says a trip at any time of year works. The June-to-September dry season adds clear Andean skies for anyone with flexible dates. Flights land at Mariscal Sucre International Airport, 30 miles from the city center.

Festivals fill Quito's calendar from February through December. Quiteños celebrate Carnaval in February with parades and water fights that spill across town. Penitents dressed in purple robes lead the Semana Santa processions in the days before Easter. December brings the Founding of Quito Festival, when the city shifts into what Ford calls "party mode." Carnaval and the founding celebration both land outside the dry season. Travelers $TRV who build a visit around one of them give up the clearest skies. Quito's weather varies little across the year, which keeps that sacrifice small. Quito offers enough to justify a journey on its own, with or without the islands.

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Bolivia's Torotoro National Park holds about 2,500 dinosaur footprints, and Digital Editor Sarah Stocking singles out the park as the stop no trip to the country should miss. Canyons carve through the same landscape, and swimming holes wait inside them. A day in Torotoro can open on prehistoric tracks and close with a swim. The pairing turns a fossil site into a full outing that tests stamina as much as curiosity.

Stocking pitches Bolivia as a swap for Brazil, and she stresses the gulf between the two. Her case rests on difference and value at once. Bolivia reveals another face of South America, one where excursions, lodging, and meals all come at affordable prices. Choosing it over Brazil trades a better-known route for a contrasting one that keeps daily spending in check.

Budget travelers, wildlife lovers, and adventure seekers form the audience Stocking has in mind. Cheap beds and food let a modest fund stretch across a longer stay. Torotoro's gorges reward anyone chasing a physical challenge, and the country's jungle hikes suit those hoping to see wildlife up close.

Santa Cruz beats La Paz as an arrival city, according to Stocking. Flights into Santa Cruz cost less, and more of them land there. The Santa Cruz route carries a health benefit as well. First-time visitors who start in Santa Cruz give their bodies time to adjust to altitude, which can prove difficult. A later leg to La Paz lets the climb happen in stages. The lower fare and the gentler start point the same way, making the gateway an easy call.

Bolivia's climate ranges from steamy Amazon $AMZN trails to snow in La Paz, and Stocking advises packing for both extremes. Each bag has to handle humid heat and cold air. An inexpensive itinerary here can move from rainforest to wintry city streets, giving one destination the variety of several.