10 Underrated Destinations That Deliver More for Less

Every destination on this list is well known to the people who live near it and underpriced relative to a more famous alternative. None is undiscovered; several are busy in their own peak season. What they share is a combination of character, value and manageable crowds that the headline destinations have mostly lost. Prices are for a good mid-range double room in the main season.

1. Kotor, Montenegro

A walled medieval town at the end of a deep bay that looks like a fjord, with Venetian architecture, a fortress climb above the roofs and the Adriatic a short drive away. It is the alternative to Dubrovnik, two hours up the coast, at roughly half the hotel price. Cruise ships call in summer, so mornings and evenings are the time for the old town. Hotels: $70 to $150. Getting there: fly to Tivat (15 minutes) or Dubrovnik (2 hours by road).

2. Luang Prabang, Laos

A UNESCO-listed town on a peninsula between the Mekong and Nam Khan rivers, with gilded temples, French colonial houses, a morning alms procession and a night market. The pace is slow and the food is excellent. It is the alternative to Chiang Mai with a fraction of the development. Hotels: $40 to $120; boutique guesthouses in old villas are the thing to book. Getting there: direct flights from Bangkok, Hanoi and Chiang Mai; the high-speed train from Vientiane takes under two hours.

3. Puglia, Italy

Italy's southeastern heel: whitewashed hill towns, the conical trulli houses around Alberobello, baroque Lecce, long sandy beaches and olive groves that run to the horizon. Food is as good as anywhere in Italy and prices are well below Tuscany or the Amalfi Coast. A car is essential. Hotels: $90 to $180; converted farmhouses (masserie) from $150. Getting there: fly to Bari or Brindisi.

4. Oman

The quiet neighbor of the Gulf: a capital of low white buildings and a long corniche, wadis with turquoise pools, the dunes of the Wahiba Sands, mountain villages and a coastline with turtles and dolphins. It is the alternative to Dubai for travelers who want landscape rather than towers. Driving is easy and the roads are excellent. Hotels: $90 to $200 in Muscat, with luxury resorts from $300. Getting there: fly to Muscat; many visitors combine it with a Dubai stopover.

5. Tbilisi, Georgia

A capital with a crumbling, beautiful old town, sulfur bathhouses, a wine culture eight thousand years old and a restaurant scene that punches far above its prices. Day trips reach the Caucasus mountains and the Kakheti wine region. It is the alternative to Prague or Budapest at a third of the cost. Hotels: $50 to $120, with design hotels from $100. Getting there: direct flights from most European hubs and the Gulf.

6. Oaxaca, Mexico

Mexico's culinary and craft capital: mole, mezcal, markets, colonial streets, the Monte Albán ruins on a hill above the city and villages known for weaving, pottery and wood carving. It is the alternative to the beach resorts for travelers who want culture and food. Hotels: $60 to $150, with beautiful converted houses from $120. Getting there: fly via Mexico City; the mountain road to the Pacific coast now takes a few hours.

7. Sri Lanka

An island the size of Ireland with ancient cities, tea plantations reached by one of the world's great train rides, leopard safaris, surf beaches and a spice-driven cuisine. After several difficult years, tourism is back and the infrastructure is improving. It is the alternative to the Maldives or Kerala for travelers who want variety. Hotels: $40 to $120 for very good guesthouses and small hotels; colonial-era and design hotels from $150. Getting there: fly to Colombo.

8. The Faroe Islands

Eighteen islands of sheer cliffs, grass-roofed villages, waterfalls into the sea and roads that disappear into tunnels under the fjords. It is not cheap, and the weather changes by the hour, but the landscape is like nothing else in Europe and the islands are far less visited than Iceland. Hotels: $150 to $250; guesthouses and rentals are the better value. Getting there: fly from Copenhagen, Edinburgh or Reykjavik.

9. Chefchaouen, Morocco

A small town in the Rif Mountains whose medina is painted in shades of blue. It is calmer and cooler than Marrakech, with good hiking in the hills above and a pace that invites staying a few days. It is popular with photographers, so the main lanes are busy by midday; mornings are quiet. Riads and guesthouses: $40 to $100. Getting there: bus from Tangier or Fez, about 3 to 4 hours.

10. Hoi An, Vietnam

A trading port preserved from the 17th century, with lantern-lit streets along a river, tailors who will make clothes to measure in a day, excellent regional food and a beach a short cycle away. It is busy in the evenings and best early. It is the alternative to Luang Prabang for travelers who also want a beach. Hotels: $35 to $100; riverside boutique hotels from $80. Getting there: fly to Da Nang, 45 minutes away.

Booking notes for less-traveled places

Hotel supply is smaller, so the best small hotels sell out earlier than you might expect, especially in Puglia in July and August, the Faroes in summer and Luang Prabang from November to February. Booking.com has the deepest inventory of family-run guesthouses in most of these places; Agoda is strong in Laos, Vietnam and Sri Lanka. Prices across sites tend to be close; the bigger difference is availability, so check more than one.