Photo by: Wikicommons

We’ve all been on those cheap weekend city breaks to the biggest tourist locations in Europe, to take pictures of attractions that have been photographed millions of times before us and eat in restaurants who have had the same popular menu for decades. After all, it’s human nature to follow the crowd, and if you’re willing to fork out hundreds of pounds to go abroad, why not take the safe option and go to a well-respected destination? But that’s the problem. It’s always the ‘safe’ option. A low sense of adventure is required to travel to these places, so sometimes you might find yourself wanting to breach the barriers and travel out of your comfort zone. Here are some great places to start with.

1) Let’s start off in Italy. Forty miles from Milan, in the foothills of the Italian Alps, lies the ancient city of Bergamo. Though it was discovered centuries ago, it has only very recently become a tourist attraction, with more and more people visiting to experience some of the best views to be seen in Italy, while tasting the unique Northern-Italian food served in the independent restaurants. Surrounded by ancient castle walls and bell towers, the old town of Bergamo is the perfect place to go if you’re looking for a good serving of culture.

2) In the depths of Texas, 30 miles from Dallas, is the timeless cowboy city of Fort Worth. This is the ideal city to travel to if you’re looking for the authentic Southern American experience, with Stetsons topping the heads of many and and bulls being led through the streets by men on horses. The outskirts of the main city seem to have gone unchanged for decades, so there is no wonder why it is also called ‘The City of Cowboys and Culture’.

3) Thirdly, we have Köln (Cologne), Germany’s oldest city. It was completely flattened by bombs in the Second World War, except for its most recognised monument, the Kölner Dom (Cologne Cathedral), an astounding bit of ancient architecture. What may attract you more, however, is that Köln is Germany’s city of chocolate. You can visit its chocolate museum and take free samples of the freshly brewed sweet stuff, owned by Lindt.

4) Coming back to Italy for number four, we have the stunning south-western town of Sorrento. Placed on a very steep hill on the Amalfi Coast, this town is the most picturesque area of Italy. At almost any point you can see the enormous Mount Vesuvius across the bay, the famous volcano that destroyed the ancient city of Pompeii nearly two thousand years ago. Fruit and vegetables grow at records rates here as a result of the ash that still remains in the soil from that day.

5) Finally we have Marrakech, the most famous city in Morocco and a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Travelling to the older section is like going back in time, to an age where everything bought has to be haggled for, before it is handed over by the very loud street merchants, who come from every corner of the African continent. It’s one of the only places you can sit down in a square, staring at a cobra with another snake round your neck within half an hour of touching down at the airport. Marrakech is truly a magical place to visit.