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Venice, Barcelona and the Maldives may dominate Instagram feeds, but a trip to these much-loved spots often comes with two predictable consequences: sky-high prices and dreadful crowds.
So these holiday swaps – or ‘destination dupes’ – may come in handy. We’ve highlighted some of the best alternatives to a selection of our favourite tourist honeypots that really do offer value for money away from the hordes – plus beautiful scenery and culture.
No tourist board PRs were involved in compiling this list… just years of experience from the Daily Mail travel team.
Valencia not Barcelona
Spain’s third city has beaches, brilliant food and striking architecture but far smaller crowds than Barcelona, ensuring a less frenetic experience.
You still get a handsome old town and excellent markets but Valencia also offers a modern showpiece in the City Of Arts And Sciences, whose space age buildings are wonderful – and far less stressful than barging down Barcelona’s Las Ramblas. This is also the home of paella. For a delicious lunch/dinner head for Casa Carmela by the coast (casa-carmela.com).
Where to stay: Vincci Mercat is a sleek four-star boutique hotel next to the vast Central Market. Rooms have floor-to-ceiling windows and there’s a rooftop plunge pool with great views. Doubles from £135 (vinccimercat.com).
Seoul not Tokyo
A thrilling Asian mega-city where ancient palaces meet neon-lit shopping districts, Seoul offers the same exhilarating collision of hyper-modern city life and deep tradition as in Tokyo.
Royal palaces, temple precincts and hanok neighbourhoods (with houses from the Joseon Dynasty) nestle amid shiny skyscrapers. Meanwhile, street food markets such as Gwangjang deliver a sensory overload of sizzling pancakes, noodles and dumplings.
Like Tokyo, Seoul is vast, energising and extremely safe – but much easier to navigate.
Where to stay: Conrad Seoul is in a 37-storey glass and steel luxury tower in Yeouido’s financial district, with many rooms offering Han River views. There’s access to the IFC Mall below, plus a top-floor whisky bar. Doubles from £225 (conradseoul.co.kr).
Zanzibar not Maldives
The explorer Sir Richard Burton described Zanzibar, an archipelago in the Indian Ocean, as having a ‘cocoa-fringed shore of purest white’ surrounded by ‘sea blue as a slab of lapis lazuli’.
Today, the natural scenery remains the same, as does much of Stone Town, the capital. Here you can explore a labyrinth of carved doors, spice markets and crumbling coral-stone buildings. Elsewhere, the island’s long trading history is still evident in spice plantations and Arabic influences. Prices are much lower too.
Where to stay: Zanzibar Coffee House is a characterful boutique B&B in Stone Town within a restored merchant townhouse. The eight, antique-filled rooms cluster around carved doors and coral-stone walls. Breakfast is served on the rooftop terrace. Doubles start from £118 (utengule.com/zanzibar-coffee-house).
The Azores not Hawaii
Offering volcanoes, crater lakes, lava fields and geothermal springs, the Portuguese archipelago of the Azores delivers many of the excitements of Hawaii – closer to home and without the tourist throngs.
Expect lush green hillsides dropping into the Atlantic and nine inhabited islands. First-time visitors will enjoy Sao Miguel with its steaming fumaroles and trails lined with hydrangeas. It may lack Hawaii’s tropical heat but you have raw landscapes and abundant marine life. Plus, the hotels are much cheaper.
Where to stay: Terra Nostra Garden Hotel dates from 1935 and is in art deco style, located within the gardens of the same name in Furnas on Sao Miguel. There’s a vast iron-rich geothermal pool and an al fresco restaurant. Doubles from £153 (bensaudehotels.com).
Sri Lanka not Bali
With its beaches, lush hills, sacred temples and spa hotels, Sri Lanka works as a great Bali swap.
Along the southern coast you’ll find gorgeous coves, inlets and boutique retreats, while inland you can explore tea plantations and ancient cities.
Visit Colombo, the capital, to go for a sunset stroll along Galle Face Green, enjoying ocean views and perhaps a stiff G&T at the Victorian-era Galle Face Hotel.
In the northern city of Jaffna, explore the buttressed fort before visiting the atmospheric Nallur Kandaswamy Kovil, an opulent Hindu temple.
Where to stay: Look no further than Shangri-La Hambantota on the southern coast for a luxury spa hotel to match just about anything Bali has to offer. Doubles from £143 B&B (shangri-la.com).
Scottish Highlands not the Alps
Expect big mountain scenery, vast lochs, epic road trips, whisky distilleries and the odd ski resort in the Highlands – which make a great alternative to the Alps.
The Highlands also enjoys cosy inns and superb game meat – if not so many cable cars and fondue dishes. The scenery is every bit as stirring as the Alps. If anything, it’s even more wild and rugged.
Where to stay: Book into Perle Oban Hotel & Spa on Oban’s harbour front with stylish rooms, a small spa and whisky bar – although the real draw is the view over the harbour to the mountains beyond. Doubles from £155 (perlehotels.com).
Paros not Mykonos
Paros delivers ample Cycladic beauty, without the VIP beach club circus that Mykonos can resemble in high season.
This Greek island is much quieter, enjoying peaceful whitewashed villages with cube-shaped abodes, blue-domed churches, bright bougainvillea and luminous Aegean waters.
Fishing harbours and traditional tavernas are more prevalent than beach bars and boutique hotels. It’s ideal for day trips by ferry to smaller isles including Schinoussa and Iraklia.
Where to stay: Golden Beach Hotel sits serenely on Paros’s long shoreline of the same name, revered among windsurfers. Rooms are simple but offer lovely views and there’s a downstairs taverna serving good breakfasts. Doubles from £97 (goldenbeach.gr).
Kotor not Dubrovnik
Just like Dubrovnik in Croatia, Kotor in neighbouring Montenegro has medieval walls and a tangle of red-roofed lanes – minus swarms of passengers from cruise ships.
Kotor’s fortified old town is a gentle melange of Venetian architecture and labyrinthine alleys in a dramatic setting within the Bay of Kotor surrounded by limestone mountains. Take a boat trip to Our Lady Of The Rocks Island, which features fascinating submarine tunnels built during the days of Yugoslavia.
Where to stay: SIRO Boka Place is within Porto Montenegro’s new Boka Place district near Kotor Bay. Enjoy the saunas and hydro-massage rooms as well as sleek minimalist bedrooms. Doubles from £118 (sirohotels.com).
Forest of Bowland not the Lake District
The Forest of Bowland, spread across Lancashire and Yorkshire, is England’s great overlooked landscape of moors, valleys and star-filled skies. It delivers the restorative pleasures people seek in the Lake District; walking, rolling hills and old stone villages but with far fewer visitors.
It’s known for its time-warp villages such as Slaidburn. The area’s dark skies also make it excellent for stargazing, while traditional pubs and farm shops reinforce the rural charm.
Where to stay: The Spinning Block Hotel in Clitheroe, Bowland’s main town, is an industrial-heritage hotel inside the Holmes Mill complex, once a Victorian textile mill. There’s a food hall, brewery and beer hall downstairs. Rooms are modern with wooden beams, from £185 (holmesmill.co.uk).
Vilnius not Prague
Baroque splendour and cobbled streets abound in the Lithuanian capital but with a fresher, less touristy feel than overcrowded Prague in the Czech Republic.
Wander around medieval lanes amid church spires and old merchants’ houses with pastel facades.
Expect baroque architecture, atmospheric courtyards, galleries and lively cafes/bars that aren’t choked with stag do crowds and coach parties. This Baltic capital is every bit as charming as Prague.
Where to stay: Hotel Pacai is in a baroque mansion dating from the 17th century which once belonged to the Grand Duchy of Lithuania. Some rooms have exquisite ceiling frescoes and all feature crisp white linen and marble bathrooms. Breakfasts are sensational. Doubles from £154 (hotelpacai.com).
Djerba not Sharm El-Sheikh
Possessing far more character than typical Red Sea resorts, the Tunisian island of Djerba has long been overlooked, mainly due to a shortage of direct flights.
Yet it enjoys immaculate beaches, whitewashed villages, ancient mosques and lively souks. Add in the desert landscapes nearby and you’ve got a North African getaway which encourages you to explore, rather than just pamper yourself in hotels.
Where to stay: Radisson Blu Palace Resort & Thalasso is on Djerba’s northern coast near Houmt Souk, the main town. The architecture is Moorish-style, with plenty of palm-lined pools, a thalassotherapy spa and private beach. Doubles from £118 (radisson-hotels.com).
Lecce not Florence
Lecce packs a baroque and classical architectural punch in the Italian region of Apulia (the ‘heel’ of Italy’s ‘boot’).
Its historic centre glows with ornate churches carved from honey-coloured local stone, while the Roman ruins, which include an amphitheatre, sit amid cobbled piazzas.
Lecce’s manageable size makes wandering from cafe to church to wine bar an absolute joy. The Adriatic coast is just half an hour away, making a culture-and-beach weekend alternative to Florence effortless.
Where to stay: Palazzo Tafuri is a restored 17th-century palazzo with vaulted ceilings, pale stone walls and a rooftop pool. Some of the 17 elegant rooms feature frescoes. Doubles from £229 (palazzotafuri.com).
Senegal not the Caribbean
There’s sun, sand and vibrant culture on Senegal’s Atlantic coast, which rivals a beach break on any of the resort-focused Caribbean islands. Package holidays from the UK to Senegal began a couple of years ago, opening up the West African country. Petite Cote provides sandy beaches and relaxed resorts, while the capital Dakar pulses with music, art and lively markets.
Offshore, you can take a day trip to Goree Island, a poignant historic site with a tragic past as a slave trading centre.
Where to stay: RIU Baobab is a beachfront all-inclusive resort on Pointe Sarene. The rooms are enormous and there are myriad pools plus a water park and spa. Doubles from £120 (riu.com).
Trieste not Venice
A grand Adriatic port city with coffee houses, castles and literary history, Trieste proves you don’t need all of those canals to capture Venice’s elegance. Once the Habsburg Empire’s main port, the city boasts sweeping sea views, neoclassical architecture and one of Italy’s most beautiful waterfront squares.
The cafes are legendary – authors James Joyce and Jan Morris adored writing here – while Miramare Castle gleams above the coast. And there are hardly any crowds.
Where to stay: Riviera Maximilian Hotel is just outside the city centre with gorgeous views over the Istrian coast and a cliffside spa. Doubles from £152 (rivieramax.eu).