While planning my first-ever European vacation last year to a handful of countries such as Italy, Spain, and Hungary, I focused my research on finding all the “must see” tourist attractions. However, as I reflect on those trips, none of these marque attractions topped my list of memories. As awe-inspiring as the postcard places were, the surroundings almost resembled an amusement park with tourist trap restaurants with multi-lingual menus lining the streets and street entrepreneurs selling their various knock-offs to people like me. There’s a reason why you couldn’t find locals anywhere nearby.

Turns out some of the best times I had were spent wandering through the traditional Gràcia Barrio in Barcelona, the grungy-yet-artsy Grünerløkka District in Oslo, and the foodie-focused Trastevere neighborhood in Rome. While all of the three mentioned areas are located within a mile of the major destinations (and therefore still possess a tourist presence), these spots provided a glimpse of how locals lived (and more importantly, ate).

After these last two trips, I realized that the next time I go to Europe, I want to visit places where I can truly observe the culture, one that hasn’t been as affected too much by tourist influence.

Tourism in European Countries (Ordered by Total Tourist Arrivals in 2015)