04-07-2025
The little-known Portuguese city named Europe's best ‘hidden gem' for a summer holiday
You know those lesser-known destinations that get largely overlooked by the travel industry but offer just as many outstanding restaurants, pretty views and top-tier vibes as their more famous neighbours, just without all the crowds? Yes, we're talking about 'hidden gems'.
It's arguably the most overused phrase in travel writing, but the truth is that Europe is full of drop-dead gorgeous spots that haven't (yet) gone viral on TikTok or been blighted by overtourism.
Handily, HomeToGo has designed a European Hidden Gem Index based on data on search trends and holiday home pricing, as well as the quality of the views, the food, and the weather. After crunching all that data, they produced a roundup of the 10 with the highest overall score.
Topping their list is Tomar, a lovely Portuguese city in the Ribatejo province, which was founded way back in 1160 and has the historical sights and old-fashioned charm to prove it.
Tomar gained a gastronomy score of 8.77, an accommodation cost score of 9.13 (based on the median nightly price per person for a holiday home) and and an under-the-radar score of 9.43, which all contributed to its solid 61.64 total overall.
In second place was Brisighella in Italy, scoring 59.12 overall, and in third it was Nafplio in Greece closely behind with 57.82. Read on for the full top 10!
These are the top 10 'hidden gems' in Europe for 2025
Tomar, Portugal
Brisighella, Italy
Nafplio, Greece
Puy-l'Évêque, France
Bremm, Germany
Beynac-et-Cazenac, France
Valdoviño, Spain
Sibiu, Romania
Labeaume, France
Beaumaris, Wales, UK
Did you see that Europe's best wine destinations in 2025 have been ranked?
