The Maltese island of Comino is the latest European beauty to buckle under mass tourism, with reports describing its once-idyllic Blue Lagoon shoreline as a litter-strewn mess overrun by Instagram crowds. But Europe isn't closed - there are still plenty of quiet alternatives if you swap the headline destinations for their calmer cousins.

In Italy, skip Venice for Treviso, an easygoing canal city with medieval walls, frescoed churches and the same cicchetti small-plate culture. A room at Palazzo Bortolan overlooking the Sile River starts from about $219. Prefer a coastal escape? The Aeolian Islands, a ferry ride from Sicily, offer the hiking-and-hamlets appeal of the Cinque Terre without the queues - climb fumarole-topped Stromboli, wander Salina's vineyards, or stay at Hotel Punta Scario from $463 a night.

For the Greek islands, trade Mykonos - two million visitors a year and summer prices to match - for Tinos, a bigger but quieter island nearby known for excellent local food, good beaches and mountain hiking. A self-catering stay at Xinara House costs from $2,641 for three nights for ten people.

Croatia's answer to Dubrovnik's ever-growing August crowds is Ston on the Peljesac peninsula. Locals call it a mini-Dubrovnik, minus the cruise ships: one side is a protected oyster-farming marine park, the other salt pans, and it's ringed by the Wall of Ston, the second-longest medieval wall in the world after China's Great Wall. A week-long multi-activity trip based there runs from about $2,469 per person.

In Spain, water-pistol protests in Barcelona haven't stopped 15.5 million overnight stays, but Girona, 40 minutes away by train, remains refreshingly walkable - think riverfront strolls, praised restaurants, and the surprisingly fun Museu del Cinema. Doubles at boutique stay Palau Fugit start from $354.

Elsewhere: Mallorca's anti-tourism campaigners said "stay home", so consider Santa Maria in the Azores instead, with empty beaches and a charming 15th-century capital, Vila do Porto (rooms at Charming Blue from $280). Swap Lisbon's tram queues for Faro, whose walled Old Town and Ria Formosa beaches stay blissfully calm (Lemon Tree Stay from $209). Exchange Comino's mess for Lampedusa, an hour away by hydrofoil, where the famous Spiaggia dei Conigli beach uses a booking system to protect its sand and its nesting loggerhead turtles (Cupola Bianca from $238). Trade Nice - where the mayor wants to halve Airbnb rentals in busy neighbourhoods - for Toulon, an hour and a half down the coast with Haussmann boulevards, a lively harbour and the Plages du Mourillon city beaches (L'Eautel from $270). And instead of Ibiza's packed coastline, take the half-hour ferry from Lanzarote to La Graciosa in the Canaries, an island with no paved roads, just sand trails, two small villages and simple apartments (Evita Beach from $338, two-night minimum).

For travellers frustrated by crowds, deposits and side-eye from locals in Europe's biggest names, these ten swaps deliver much of the same appeal - canals, beaches, city walls, island life - at a slower pace. Many are also cheaper, and your tourist dollars are more welcome.