Welcome back to Underrated Cities, bringing you unexpected (and occasionally controversial) ideas for your next destination.
This week might just be our most underrated collection yet. An almost completely unknown South American capital, a delightful but rarely-touristed German city, and an African metropolis with a high crime rate.
But look beyond the headlines (or lack of them) and you'll find plenty to get excited about.
Have a soft spot for a city? Feel it's criminally underrated and should be featured in a deeply excellent email series? Hit reply and let us know your top tip.
In the meantime, find your next underrated destination below... |
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How do we know Asunción is underrated?
Is it that the top Google result says (rightly or wrongly) "not known for any natural or cultural landmarks... no seaside, no mountains... no specifically known culture like its bigger neighbours"?
No, it's more that when we turned up at the Paraguayan Embassy in Buenos Aires, the *visa officer employed by the Paraguayan Government* asked, in obvious disbelief: "why would you go to Paraguay?!"
And look. It's not Paris or whatever.
But if you meet a bartender in Argentina who invites you to visit him in Asunción, take the offer. You'll get saved from a shakedown at border control by a quick phone call, and it only gets better from there.
Our tip: take a simple, slow stroll down Calle Palma and follow your nose to a dark nook in a local coffee house. |
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We're not saying nobody's ever been to Cologne. But when's the last time someone said to you "this summer I'm going to fulfil my lifelong dream to visit Cologne"?
For that reason alone, the city is underrated. Because it's awesome.
Our tip: Brazil ain't the only place with Carnival, and Colognians know how to party. The last person we saw, before retiring for the night, was a giant carrot eating an only-slightly-less-giant kebab.
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Ok, we should say at the outset that you do need to be careful when visiting South Africa in general – and that rule includes Pretoria. However, since the crime rate includes white collar crime like corruption, and Pretoria is the home of government... well, yes.
Throat-clearing out of the way, Pretoria offers a lot more than you might expect. It's pleasant enough to explore the city's leafy, jacaranda-lined streets, and what has to be one of the world's best zoos. But you'll also want to make time to visit the nearby resort town of Hartbeespoort, as well as Sun City and Pilanesberg National Park.
Our tip: visit Pretoria Boeremark, the lively local farmer's market, on Saturday morning. Try to be there by sunrise! |
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Got a city you think is underrated? Hit reply!
Let's get planning,
J, D, & the Minaal team |
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