20 Least Visited Countries In Europe Off The Beaten Track

More than 600 million people visit the continent of Europe every year but most of these tourists end up in some of the most visited countries on the continent, like France, Spain, Turkey, Italy, or Germany. However, let’s not forget that Europe actually consists of 41 different countries, and many of these countries are so overlooked, that most people don’t even know they exist. In this post, we’ll talk about the least visited countries in Europe, try to explain why they don’t receive more tourists than they do, and why are they worth visiting.

Before we begin, please note that countries like Lithuania, Slovenia, Latvia, Norway, and Sweden are not mentioned in this list because they receive slightly more tourists than the other countries on the list but the difference isn’t great. This list features only countries with less than 3.5 million visitors per year.

20. Cyprus -3.5 Million Visitors Annually

 The early 2000s saw Cyprus experiencing stagnant tourism growth, mostly due to lack of marketing but in the 2010s, it seems like this beautiful island is slowly starting to become a mainstream tourist destination. Cyprus is located south of Turkey in the eastern Mediterranean Sea. In addition to charming beaches and beautiful nature, Cyprus is also famous for its medieval castles, ancient villages, historic ruins, and some of the oldest cities in the world.

So, if you’re looking for a packed vacation where you can explore a plethora of beautiful beaches but also see some important historic monuments, Cyprus should definitely be on your list.

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Looking for some nice tours in Cyprus? Here are some interesting suggestions.

19. Estonia- 3.3 Million Visitors Annually

Located in the northeastern corner of Europe, Estonia often gets forgotten by tourists. With its relatively cold weather, Estonia has been struggling to compete when it comes to attracting tourists with the warmer Mediterranean countries but in reality, the country has a lot to offer. Estonia actually has a coastline that stretches 3,800 kilometers. Yes, it’s the Baltic and most of the beaches are rocky and the water is cold but some of these places are truly beautiful. In addition to this, Estonia is also famous for its lush forests, myriad beautiful lakes, its historic capital, and of course, the sauna culture. 

If you’re looking for an alternative summer destination or a great winter getaway filled with a lot of nature exploring and historic sites, Estonia is a great choice.

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Looking for some nice tours in Estonia? Here are some interesting suggestions.

18. Finland- 3.2 Million Visitors Annually

With just over 3 million visitors per year, Finland is the least visited country in Scandinavia. The country boasts beautiful nature and some of the best winter destinations in Europe but not as many flight/train connections as neighboring Sweden and Norway which is probably the main reason why Finland is on the list of least visited countries in Europe and Sweden and Norway are not. Finland is also famous for having 3 quarters of its territory covered in forests, for the world’s largest archipelago, Europe’s largest lake district, one of the trendiest capitals (Helsinki), and the last piece of untamed wilderness in Europe- Lapland.

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Looking for some nice tours in Finland? Here are some interesting suggestions.

17. Malta- 3.2 Million Visitors Annually

Malta is a small island in the Mediterranean Sea located just south of Sicily (by the way, did you know that Malta used to be a part of Sicily?). Malta is home to some of the most beautiful beaches in the Mediterranean, some beautiful hidden coves, and picturesque cliffs but it also has an array of fascinating historic landmarks. The reason why Malta doesn’t get more tourists is probably because of the fearsome competition it receives from other islands in the Mediterranean but we should also keep in mind that Malta is a country with a population of only 500,000 people which makes the number of 3.2 million tourists per year look rather impressive.

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Looking for some nice tour suggestions? Here are some interesting tours in Malta.

16. Albania- 3 Million Visitors Annually

The concept of tourism was basically a fairytale for Albania until 1990; the country had one of the most oppressive communist systems in Europe and was completely closed to visitors and people wanting to leave alike. In that sense, even though there has been some progress since the 1990s, Albania is still a developing country but it’s slowly rising as one of the main destinations in the Balkans. It has some beautiful beaches, a few charming historic towns, and beautiful mountains for winter tourism.

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Looking for some nice tour suggestions? Here are some interesting tours in Albania.

15. Montenegro- 2.6 Million Visitors Annually

Montenegro is often referred to as the gem of the Balkans and this description is rather appropriate. The country is completely surrounded by scenic mountains and picturesque fjords but it has a scenic rugged coastline and some of the most beautiful islands in this part of Europe. Similar to Malta, Montenegro also has a small population of only 600,000 which makes the number of 2.6 million tourists per year look quite impressive.

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Looking for some nice tour suggestions? Here are some interesting tours in Montenegro.

14. Iceland- 2.2 Million Visitors Annually

You might find this surprising but despite being rather famous, Iceland is one of the least visited countries in Europe. The country is famous for its dramatic hot springs, unreal glaciers and geysers, fairytale-like waterfalls, and some of the world’s finest geothermal spas but still, only 2.2 million visitors come to Iceland every year. 

The main reason for this is probably related to Iceland’s remote location. Iceland is around 1300 km away from the northern tip of the UK and 2500 km away from the northern part of France. Many tourists that visit Europe often visit a few countries at the same time but with Iceland’s remoteness, that’s rather difficult.

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Looking for some nice tour suggestions? Here are some interesting tours in Iceland.

13. Armenia- 1.9 Million Visitors Annually

Straddled between Europe and Asia, Armenia is a beautiful, landlocked, mountainous country that hides a lot of surprises for the few people that decide to visit it. Armenia is a country with rich history, it was actually the first country to adopt Christianity as the main religion and as such is home to some of the oldest churches in the world but that’s not all this country is famous for. In Armenia, you’ll also find a lot of archaeological sites (it was a part of both, the Roman, Macedonian, and Persian empires), incredible landscapes, and of course, unique cuisine that can be compared to no other.

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Looking for some nice tour suggestions? Here are some interesting tours in Armenia.

12. Serbia- 1.8 Million Visitors Annually

Serbia spent most of the 1990s fighting wars against other former Yugoslavian countries and faced a handful of international sanctions that really hurt not only the country’s tourism but also its economy. Today, Serbia is still developing as a tourism destination and this can be seen through the leap it has made (a few years ago, Serbia ranked a lot higher on the list of least visited countries in Europe). 

The country is famous for its modern capital Belgrade, Exit Festival Novi Sad, one of the most popular festivals in Europe, as well as a myriad of historic landmarks, rakija and wine, and of course- some of the best barbecue in Europe.

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Looking for some nice tour suggestions? Here are some interesting tours in Serbia.

11. San Marino- 1.5 Million Visitors Annually

Covering an area of only 60 square kilometers, San Marino is one of the smallest countries in the world. San Marino is an enclave located in Central Italy and since Italy is one of the most visited countries in Europe, many tourists decide to spend a day or two in the beautiful country of San Marino. The tiny country is most famous for its mountainous region and medieval castles that sit on top of hills, providing some of the most iconic views in this part of Europe. 

Lastly, even though technically San Marino is one of the least visited countries in Europe, we should compare the number of tourists to the population of the country which is 33,000, making the ratio 45:1- impressive. 

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Looking for some nice tour suggestions? Here are some interesting tours in San Marino.

10. Bosnia and Herzegovina- 1.1 Million Visitors Annually

Torn by a tragic civil war in the 1990s, Bosnia and Herzegovina took a while to establish itself as an up-and-coming tourist destination but its central location was sure an advantage. Today, you can still see remnants of the war across the country but Bosnia is a peaceful and safe country to visit. For centuries, it used to be a battleground between the Austro-Hungarian and Ottoman empires and both cultures left a strong mark on its culture and architecture. In addition to this, Bosnia also has a lot of mountains, breathtaking nature, and a very short but beautiful coastline around the city of Neum.

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Looking for some nice tour suggestions? Here are some interesting tours in Bosnia and Herzegovina.

9. Wales- 1.1 Million Visitors Annually

Wales is the least popular country in Great Britain known when it comes to tourism. This is likely the case due to lack of marketing because Wales sure has a lot to offer. The country is known for its rugged coastline, charming countryside, beautiful mountainous national parks, as well as the distinctive Welsh language and unique Celtic culture. Wales is also home to more than 600 castles, four UNESCO World Heritage Sites, and three national parks which is impressive having in mind the country only covers around 20,000 square kilometers.

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Looking for some nice tour suggestions? Here are some interesting tours in Wales.

8. Macedonia- 1.1 Million Visitors Annually

Macedonia is another small, beautiful country in the Balkan with a lot of interesting places to visit. Some of the country’s main attractions include the beautiful Ohrid Lake (the oldest one in Europe), the Matka Canyon– home to more than 70 endemic species that can’t be found anywhere else, the quirky capital, Skopje, and the three national parks that are home to the majority of the world’s Balkan lynx population. Oh, and 84% of the country’s territory is covered in mountains, making it one of the most mountainous countries in the world.

The main reason why Macedonia isn’t visited by more tourists is probably the lack of infrastructure around tourist sites, as well as a lack of advertisement, and competition from the neighboring countries, most of which, unlike Macedonia, have a coastline. 

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Looking for some nice tour suggestions? Here are some interesting tours in Macedonia.

7. Luxembourg- 1 Million Visitors Annually

Luxembourg is a small, landlocked country that borders Belgium, Germany, and France. Around 1 million people visit Luxembourg every year but most of them travel for business as Luxembourg is a large business hub. Travelers who end up in Luxembourg are few and far between which is a shame, considering that Luxembourg has some beautiful forests and an impressive collection of medieval castles. It’s also consistently one of the top 3 richest countries in the world.

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Looking for some nice tour suggestions? Here are some interesting tours in Luxembourg.

6. Belarus -900,000 Visitors Annually

Commonly referred to as Europe’s last dictatorship, this might give you an idea about why Belarus is one of the least visited countries in Europe. However, don’t let this fool you; Belarus is probably one of the safest countries in Europe. Belarus is also known as one of the world’s largest potato and potash manufacturers, for its sauna culture, Stalinist architecture, castles, and beautiful nature dotted with primeval forests.

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5. Monaco- 400,000 Visitors Annually

Monaco is the world’s second-smallest country, only behind the Vatican. The microstate receives around 400,000 visitors every year, mainly because it caters primarily to wealthy and powerful people. After all, they can only accommodate a certain number of people in such a small country, so why not turn it into a playground for the rich? In addition to this, since Monaco is so close to southern France, most people who visit, only come for a day trip (and hence, don’t count in the number of visitors, according to most statistical methods).

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4. Liechtenstein- 200,000 Visitors Annually

Located between Austria and Switzerland, Liechtenstein is one of only two double-landlocked countries in the world (in case you don’t know, a double-landlocked country is a country that borders only landlocked countries). In addition to this, Liechtenstein is also one of the smallest countries in the world. Hence, it should come as no surprise that most people just look over it or don’t even know it exists which is a shame because Liechtenstein is actually a very beautiful and organized country with a lot of greenery, forests, medieval castles, and alpine chalets. 

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3. Kosovo- 200,000 Visitors Annually

Since 2008, when it chose to separate from Serbia, Kosovo has become the newest country in Europe even though it has only been recognized by 119 other nations. Similar to Macedonia, Kosovo is a landlocked country, and most of its territory (around 80%) is covered by mountains, and even though the country has potential for winter tourism, the tourist infrastructure is practically non-existent. Another reason to visit Kosovo is the historic buildings; there’s a myriad of medieval churches as Kosovo was a bastion of Christianity upon the establishment of the Serbian empire.

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Looking for some nice tour suggestions? Here are some interesting tours in Kosovo.

2. Moldova- 175,000 Visitors Annually

Since the Faroe islands are only an autonomous country, not an independent one, I suppose we can say that Moldova is the least visited country in Europe. Sandwiched between Romania and Ukraine with a region that wants to separate itself from the country, Moldova isn’t very popular among tourists. It also happens to be the poorest and one of the most corrupt countries in Europe. 

However, Moldova has a lot to offer– their wine is amazing and they have the longest wine cellar in the world, it’s home to some of the oldest monasteries in Europe, it has breathtaking landscapes and nature, and has one of the greenest capitals in Europe.

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1. Faroe Islands- 100,000

Last but not least, we round up this list of the least visited countries in Europe with the Faroe Islands, an autonomous country that consists of 18 remote islands within the Kingdom of Denmark. The islands actually have some incredible, raw landscapes and are well-known for their breathtaking nature. However, the reason why there aren’t more tourists around lies in the country’s remote location in the middle of nowhere halfway between the UK and Iceland, and the cold weather throughout most of the year.

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Looking for some nice tour suggestions? Here are some interesting tours in the Faroe Islands.

Did you ever visit any of the least visited countries in Europe? If so, which one is your favorite? If no, which one would you like to visit first? Feel free to share your thoughts in the comments below.

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