TEN of the best places to go this summer have been revealed – if you want to avoid the big crowds.
A new study conducted by Skyscanner has looked at summer search dater to find places with lower search interest, to find the lesser known areas to visit.
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The best barely-visited holiday destinations to go to this summer have been revealed by Skyscanner Credit: Alamy
Finland’s former capital city Turku came out on top Credit: Alamy
Thunder Bay in Canada is also a lesser visited spot, known for its huge rock formations Credit: Alamy
In the Smarter Summer report, Turku came out on top when it came to being an under-the-radar destination.
The Finnish city is the oldest in the country, and even used to be the capital.
Known as the gateway to the 40,000-island Finnish archipelago (said to be the world’s largest archipelago, the other main attraction is the 13th century Turku Castle.
Flights are as little as £80 return, although Brits will have to change in airports like Gdansk or Helsinki.
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After Turku was Thunder Bay in Canada, home to a huge rock formation on lake Superior called the Sleeping Giant.
Average flights here are £305 return, with a change in Toronto.
Also listed was the pretty seaside city of Crotone in Italy, once a Greek colony that was the home of Pythagoras.
Ryanair fly to Crotone but there are no direct flights – Brits will have to change in Milan or Bologna.
This does keep flights cheap thought – Skyscanner found they had the cheapest average price of around £62 retun.
Three islands in Greece made the top list, including Kalymnos which is known for both its rock climbing and diving.
Ferries run from Kos, Rhodes and Athens.
There is also Ioannina, a small inhabited island in the middle of a lake with a historic Byzantine fortresses
Being so secluded, one of the easiest ways to get there is a three-hour bus from Thessaloniki.
And finally there is Astypalaia, a butterfly-shaped island home to a Venetian castle as well as the eight red-roofed Chora windmills.
The island has direct flights from Athens, with its own small airport.
Pico in Portugal, along with Kiruna (Sweden), Clermont Ferrand (France) and Cordoba (Argentina) also made the list as well.
Crotone in Italy has indirect UK flights with Ryanair Credit: Alamy
Ioannina was one of three Greek islands to make the list Credit: Alamy
Pico – in the Azores in Portugal – was also ranked as a lesser-visited destination for 2026 Credit: Alamy
Laura Lindsay, Skyscanner Travel Expert, said: “This year’s Smarter Summer Report is designed to help people make more confident choices on when and where to travel, using Skyscanner’s proprietary data to highlight smarter timings, better-value options and alternative destinations.
“In a more changeable travel environment, checking live prices and staying flexible on where and when you travel can go a long way when it comes to finding better value.”
“More importantly, travellers should stay informed and check the latest travel advice before booking.”
The study also found the cheapest day week to travel on average was, surprisingly, July 7 – just before the school holidays.
And the cheapest day of the week was just as surprising, with Saturday being the most affordable.
They also named some of the cheapest destination to fly to on average this year, which include:
Dortmund, Germany (£72)
Cork, Ireland (£83)
Luxembourg (£86)
Castellon de la Plana, Spain (£89)
Baden-Baden, Germany (£89)
Eindhoven, Netherlands (£94)
Turin in Italy was £102 on average, followed by Cologne (£114), Jersey (£123), and Trapani (£125).
Skyscanner’s Top Under-The-Radar Destinations this summer
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Turku, Finland – book here
Thunder Bay, Canada – book here
Crotone, Italy – book here
Kalymnos, Greece – book here
Ioannina, Greece – book here
Pico, Portugal – book here
Clermont-Ferrand, France – book here
Kiruna, Sweden – book here
Astypalaia, Greece – book here
Cordoba, Argentina – book here
Here are our top bucket list holidays you should go on this year.
And these are some 2026 travel hacks to save you money this year.
Cordoba in Argentina came in no.10 in the list Credit: Alamy
