The Mediterranean is heaving with tourists.
Last year, we warned that Zakynthos – the tiny Greek island also known as Zante – had reached almost 6m overnight tourist stays annually. That dwarfed the population of around only 40,000 residents, and it made it the worst place in the European Union for ‘tourist pressure’ – a measure of how many visitors you're likely to see per resident. It’s since got worse. The most recent figures show that overnight stays in Zakynthos have increased to almost 6.5m.
We also reported that Mallorca had over 51m overnight stays – more than Paris or London. The latest data shows that’s increased too, to a staggering 55m. There are many reasons to avoid holidays in places that are creaking under the weight of numbers like this. Prices inevitably increase, as a matter of supply and demand, while the patience of residents is wearing very thin in some destinations.
From the point of view of the holidaymaker, though, you’ll simply have a better holiday somewhere different – and we’ve found those different places. We analysed the same EU figures to find the least and lesser-visited regions of France, Italy and Spain – places that are much quieter than better-known resorts, while still being beautiful and full of charm. We've also highlighted one lovely Greek island that's genuinely under the radar.
This article first appeared in Which? Travel magazine. We don't accept freebies from travel companies, airlines, or hotels, so you can be sure that our investigations, recommendations, and reviews are completely unbiased.
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Chios is twice as big as Zakynthos but the lack of direct flights means it has just 5% of the overnight stays. You’ll need to change in Athens or get a three-hour ferry from Lesvos. Find medieval fortress villages in the south and cliffs dropping down to inviting, secluded coves in the north.
Emporios Base yourself in this fishing village down in the south of the island and you’ll be a five-minute walk from the spectacular volcanic beaches of Mavra Volia and Foki. Swimming here, in crystal-clear waters above gleaming black pebbles, is like nothing else in Greece. When it’s cooler, take a walk up the hill to the ruined Temple of Athena in the archaeological site of ancient Emporios, with views across the Aegean. If you want something a little livelier (but still hardly Ayia Napa), it’s a 25-minute walk, or five-minute drive, to the sandy Komi beach and its attractive esplanade of cafés and bars. It's also a 10-minute drive inland to the incredible ‘painted’ village of Pyrgi, with its intricate, black-and-white shapes etched into the plaster of almost every building.
Volissos The village of Volissos clambers up the steep slopes of a hill to a Byzantine fortress at the top. Its narrow streets are paved with gleaming pebbles harvested from the many beaches a short drive down the hill. Balconies hanging with bright pink and purple bougainvillea provide shade from the sun. Near the fortress, you’ll find the Pythonas square, where locals sit and sip strong Greek coffee or the local Ariousios wine. Some 2km down the hill is the fishing village of Limnia, where the scent of grilled octopus wafts from tavernas on the water’s edge. You’re also a few minutes’ drive from the sand and stones of Lefkathia beach, with its turquoise waters and backdrop of cliffs and green hills.
The southernmost part of Italy’s wild, mountainous toe has fewer tourists than any other part of the Italian coast. There’s around one overnight tourist stay per resident here, compared with more than 44 in, for example, Rimini. With 137 miles of coast, there’s plenty of space to spread out your towel.
Brancaleone A seaside town with more turtles than tourists (it’s an internationally important nesting site), Brancaleone is on the quieter, south-eastern part of the Calabria coast. Stroll along the seafront in July, especially first thing in the morning or last thing at night, and you’ll catch the scent of thousands of jasmine plants. The beaches of fine golden sand can be near-empty out of season and, unlike in so many parts of Italy, they’re public and free to visit. Head into the hills, and you can cool off in the cave churches of ‘ghost town’ Brancaleone Vetus – an ancient village, now an open-air museum that was abandoned after 20th-century earthquakes.
Bova If you want to completely lose the crowds, the secret is always to drive a few minutes inland. Bova, a hilltop village surrounding a crumbling Norman castle, is 20 minutes from the beach but has views across the Ionian Sea. This is the same stretch of water that Greek explorers crossed thousands of years before and, even today, you’ll hear older villagers speaking a unique Greek dialect. If you fancy a dip in the sea, Bova Marina, at the bottom of a steep road, has long, sandy beaches and a promenade lined with fragrant bergamot orange trees and gelaterie – ice cream shops.
Chianalea di Scilla The west of the province is lapped by the Tyrrhenian Sea, quite literally in the case of this impossibly picturesque fishing village. The stone walls of its houses are right on the water. There’s no beach, just a maze of cobbled alleyways that will lead you from the majestic Ruffo Castle high on a hill, down to the water’s edge. There you’ll still find fishermen mending their nets in the traditional way, and restaurants spreading out over the waves on wooden pontoons. In August it’s unsurprisingly busy, with mainly Italian visitors, but the rest of the year, you’ll have no trouble getting a table.
There are 3,774 overnight stays from tourists in the Murcia region per 1,000 residents. That’s less than a quarter of the number in Alicante to the south. And even the tourists that do come are mostly concentrated on the narrow seaside strip on the La Manga spit – leaving miles of beautiful, quieter coast to explore – as well as some wonderful cities and towns.
Calblanque A 20-minute drive plus a short walk from the concrete strip of the better-known La Manga, you’ll find something completely different. The beaches of Calblanque back onto cliffs and dunes. Hike into the interior of the Calblanque National Park, past the salt marshes, and you might see greater flamingos, avocets and rarer birds such as eagle-owls. Even a handful of peregrine falcons can be seen soaring over the unspoilt mountain range. When you’re ready to return to civilisation, the fishing village of Cabo de Palos, just outside the park, is a great place to have lunch while watching the boats bobbing in the harbour.
Cartagena The only thing missing in Murcia city is the sea – but you’ll find it here in the province’s second great city. Rather than beaches, it's the history of an ancient port that makes the town a must-visit. Founded by the Carthaginians, rebuilt by the Romans and an important naval base to this day, Cartagena has radically improved the way it shows off its history over the past 20 years. The Roman theatre and forum are both now accessible and as impressive as anything you’ll find elsewhere in Spain. The 19th-century Art Nouveau mansions have also been restored, creating an elegant promenade down Calle Mayor.
Murcia city A city in Southern Spain with great food, beautiful architecture, ancient walls and monuments and relatively few tourists feels like an impossible dream. The city of Murcia, though, is less crowded than any on the Costa Brava, Costa del Sol or Costa Blanca. Choose from any number of fabulous tapas bars and terraces in the Plaza de las Flores, stroll around the glittering, neo-classical Real Casino de Murcia and, at the end of the day, walk the Paseo de Malecón, a raised footpath where you can take in the sunset over the huerta – the orchards and farmland all around. It’s also just a 25-minute drive from Murcia airport, with direct flights from the UK.
In the unlikely event you’ve been to the least-visited region of Mediterranean France, it was probably to see the beautiful walled city of Carcassonne, about an hour inland. That’s where the majority of its tourists end up. Elsewhere, it’s a land of rivers flowing through deep gorges, hillsides topped with ruined castles and wild, unspoilt beaches.
La Franqui Just over an hour north of the Spanish border, La Franqui feels like it hasn’t changed much from when Paul Gauguin came here in the 19th century. One end of the beach backs onto a thick pine wood. At the other is a village with some quintessentially French bistros. Climb the steps to the top of the cliff and you can see as far north as the pretty cathedral town of Narbonne. If even La Franqui is too touristy for you, the wild, empty Plage de la Vieille Nouvelle is a 25-minute drive away, partly down a long, dirt track. Here – especially out of season – there's little to disturb your peace other than the breeze blowing from the grasses that knot together the golden sand dunes.
Château de Puilaurens In medieval times, Aude was a stronghold of the Cathars sect – outsiders from the Catholic church who built five mighty castles on mountains throughout the province. Château de Puilaurens, France’s southernmost fortress, is less visited than the ones closer to Carcassonne, but it’s beautifully preserved, with views over the forests to the nearby mountains. The walk up through ancient oak woods, before climbing a zigzagging ramp to the castle itself, would have exposed you to arrow fire from ‘murder holes’ in the walls a few centuries ago. Now it’s a steep but rewarding climb, even if you haven’t done it as part of the 250km Cathar Trail that takes in all five chateaux. Guided tours can be arranged through the website (chateau-puilaurens.com) and are recommended to get the full story of the bloody end of the Cathars.
