Matador blogger: Many Greek islands as magic as Santorini and less crowded

Italian blogger Celinne Da Costa included Santorini among slightly overrated European destinations in a recent article published at prominent U.S. travel website matadornetwork.com.

She describes the popular Greek destination as follows:

“There is no denying that Santorini is breathtakingly beautiful. Even so, I was so disappointed. From Instagram photos, Oia, Santorini seems like a magical, idyllic place. What they don’t tell you is that to get those stunning photos of the caldera, you’ll be battling your way through dozens of tourists, waiting your turn to take a street photo, and dodging selfie sticks around every corner. Oh, and the famous Oia sunset? If you want the slightest chance of seeing that from the best spot, show up two hours early and be prepared to push through hundreds (that is not an exaggeration) of people.

In the island’s defense, I went during peak season and I’ve heard it’s slightly better during the winter – but then the weather is not as great. Overall, I found the island too commercial, extremely expensive compared to the rest of Greece, and not conducive to meeting locals. Plus, there are plenty of Greek islands that share the same beauty and magic as Santorini, minus the crowds.”

Da Costa notes that she recently quit her job in New York City to circumnavigate the globe by couch-surfing through her social network, and her first stop was Europe. Even though she has traveled extensively – 40 countries so far, 17 of which are European – this time in Europe allowed her to compare a lot of places as well as see them from the locals’ eyes. Here are some locations that she found underrated.

1. Romania
2. Montenegro
3. Umbria, Italy
4. Ferrara, Italy
5. Bratislava, Slovakia

She also included a few places that she thinks get more attention than they deserve…

1. Dubrovnik, Croatia
2. Oia, Santorini, Greece
3. Venice, Italy