How to Discover the Local Gems of a City

Everyone knows that the best way to experience a city is to "live like the locals," but how do you actually find out where these local hangouts are?

The Hidden Lane Glasgow, Scotland

Ask any avid traveler about their favorite moments from a trip. Was it their all-inclusive resort, or maybe their sight-seeing bus tour? Probably not. Chances are they’ll tell you about that tourist-free neighborhood with local shops that they visited, or eating at a restaurant that’s a favorite among the locals. The first thing that travelers will tell you if you really want to experience an area is to “go off the beaten path” and live like the locals. The question is, how do you actually find these “local gems?"

Look at cities’ websites.

Most cities will have a tourism or attractions tab on their website. This will allow you to learn about historical districts, monuments, and events like farmers markets, art shows, and concerts that are important to the city. You can really experience the city and its people by going to these events. While you’re there, you can also search for a souvenir (that I bet will mean more to you than that Eiffel Tower key chain.)

Read travel books.

Authors of travel books have a lot of experience traveling in certain areas. Since they’ve been to the area multiple times, they have connections with locals from the area and have had the time to do their own search for the “hidden gems” of the city. Travel authors hate tourist traps as much as the next guy, so you’ll be sure to not run into any if you take a page out of their book.

Check out blogs written by locals.

I’ve come across a ton of blogs about crafting the perfect weekend trip around a certain area. When I was looking for things to do in Glasgow, Scotland, I searched “Glasgow blogs” and found a lot of articles written by citizens of Glasgow detailing what they like to do over the weekend. Chances are that if locals enjoy an area, it won’t be a tourist trap. No local wants to be surrounded by wide-eyed tourists all day.

Look at reviews written by locals.

Many reviewers will add where they are from to their reviews so it’s really easy to tell apart the tourists versus the locals. If you’re in a country with a different native language than your own, look for the reviews in the native language and translate it. Since locals are most likely going to write a review in their own language, you’ll be able to better differentiate locals from tourists. If a local leaves a good review or mentions how they love to frequent the place, it’s not likely to be a tourist hub since they don’t want to be bombarded with tourists at their favorite hangout spot.

Ask the locals.

I feel that the best way to learn about the must-sees of a city is to ask the locals themselves. Once you are at your destination, don’t be afraid to ask people for their favorite places. If you are staying in a hotel, you can always ask the concierge, or if you are renting a place, go ahead and ask the owner where their favorite restaurants or neighborhoods are. If you come across a friendly waiter, grocer, or business owner, more often than not they would love to tell you which restaurants and attractions you must see.