Little-known destinations, forgotten villages and whole regions to discover before everyone else does. The antidote to overtourism, one guide at a time.
St. Stephen in Balat (Istanbul): a church of cast iron founded in Vienna, a Bulgarian symbol on the Golden Horn. Free entry.
Jun 28, 2026
In Karaköy, a minute from the ferries, a wholly underground mosque in the dungeons of a Byzantine fortress. Squat pillars and three tombs.
Jun 28, 2026
On the Golden Horn, in Hasköy, an 18th-century Ottoman kiosk-palace with Venetian mirrors and a museum of Turkish musical instruments.
Jun 28, 2026
In Fener, Istanbul, the only Byzantine church that always remained Greek Orthodox: hidden behind a wall, you enter by ringing the bell.
Jun 28, 2026
Ardettos, a pine hill in Mets (Athens): a few steps from the Panathenaic Stadium, views of the Acropolis and the Olympieion with no crowds.
Jun 28, 2026
In Athens, where Plato founded the Academy in 387 BC, a free archaeological park survives in a residential neighbourhood, almost devoid of tourists.
Jun 28, 2026
An 11th-century Byzantine monastery in the pine woods of Mount Hymettus, 7 km from Athens: a dome on Roman columns, frescoes from 1682, and a sacred spring.
Jun 28, 2026
The oldest house in Athens is an Ottoman konaki in Plaka: a wine press, a courtyard with a well, and free admission at 96 Adrianou street.
Jun 28, 2026
On the seaward side of Montjuïc, in Barcelona, 800 species of cactus on terraces overlooking the port. Free admission, almost always empty.
Jun 28, 2026