Off the beaten track means away from well-known routes, far from where tourists usually go. People say it about a quiet, little-known place that few tourists reach, and usually with approval: there you see real life, not souvenir shops. The idiom is neutral and fits both conversation and an IELTS essay about tourism. In American English, off the beaten path is more common.
When would you say off the beaten track?
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go/travel + off the beaten track; a village/café + off the beaten track; off the beaten path (US)
- We rented a car to explore the villages off the beaten track.
- The best restaurant we found in Lisbon was a tiny place off the beaten track.
- If you want to avoid the crowds, go a little off the beaten track.
What changed
First versionWe stayed in a small village out of the beaten track.
RevisionWe stayed in a small village off the beaten track.
Out of may seem logical if you think “outside” or “away from”. But the idiom only uses off: this preposition means “to the side of, away from something”, as in off the main road. Out of was replaced with off.
Off the beaten track usually sounds like praise: the place is quiet and authentic. In the middle of nowhere means “very far from anything” and is more often a complaint: The hotel was in the middle of nowhere, and there wasn't even a shop nearby.
Your turn
We avoided the crowded beaches and found a quiet little bay ___.
Show the answer
off the beaten track — The idiom is fixed, and its only preposition is off: off the beaten track. Out of the beaten track is a common mistake that a native speaker wouldn't make. The meaning fits too: a quiet bay away from the crowded beaches.
Write about a quiet, little-known place you have visited or would like to visit. Say where it is and why it is better than popular places.
In Georgia we drove to a mountain village off the beaten track, where the food was cheaper and the people were friendlier than in Tbilisi.
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