Hidden Europe — hidden gems — page 12

Marine murals, painted boats and no tourists: Tam Thanh is the quiet alternative to Hoi An, just 40 kilometres down the coast.

Colonial architecture, pepper plantations, sunsets on the Praek Tuek Chhu river and Buddhist caves: Kampot is Cambodia without Siem Reap's crowds.

Shan hill villages, terraced rice paddies and wooden monasteries in Myanmar's most authentic corner: Hsipaw is the trek that replaces Inle Lake.

Hammocks, bicycles, waterfalls and Irrawaddy dolphins: Si Phan Don is the Mekong's river archipelago in Laos where time dissolves into the water.

Rice paddies among karst peaks, hidden pagodas and rivers crossed by rowboat: Ninh Binh is the Vietnam that Ha Long Bay wished it had stayed.

Hot springs, red-earth canyon, misty rice paddies and a 1970s atmosphere: Pai is the Thailand that chose not to become a beach resort.

Baroque churches, Tzotzil indigenous markets, highland coffee and mountain mist: San Cristóbal is the Mexico you won't find in Caribbean resorts.

Tapia pisada walls, artisan workshops, a pre-Columbian trail and silence: Barichara is Colombia's most beautiful borgo and its least crowded.

Whitewashed facades, indigenous markets, dinosaur footprints and quiet convents: Sucre is the capital Bolivia forgot to promote.