Unit 3 · Travel & Experience · Lesson 14
Hidden Gems
Learn how to recommend places and experiences naturally. Practise modals of advice and 'worth -ing' so you can share tips that sound like a friend talking, not a brochure reading itself out loud.
Warm-up · §1
5 minGet talking
What's one place you'd send a friend to that isn't in the guidebooks? Why?
What's the worst travel tip you've ever followed? What did you learn?
Pick a city you know well. Pitch one street, one café and one time of day. Go.
Grammar focus · §2
8–10 minModals of advice + 'worth -ing' — recommend like a local
Quick rule
Match the modal to your confidence. 'Got to' = I insist. 'Might want to' = take it or leave it. 'Worth -ing' = quietly recommended.
Pattern builder
Strong advice
You've got to / You really should + verb
e.g. You've got to walk the old town at sunset.
Soft advice
You might want to / I'd probably + verb
e.g. You might want to book in advance.
Worth + -ing
It's (well) worth + -ing
e.g. It's well worth getting up early for the view.
Skip the obvious
I'd probably skip + noun, + alternative
e.g. I'd probably skip the main square and walk one street back.
Conditional advice
If you've got time / if you can, …
e.g. If you've got time, take the coastal path.
Compare
| Tourist brochure | Guidebook English | B2 — a friend talking |
|---|---|---|
| A must-visit attraction. | You should visit the museum. | Honestly, the museum's well worth an hour — go on a Sunday, it's free. |
| Local cuisine awaits. | You should try the local food. | You've got to try the little bakery on the corner — best in the city. |
| Discover the hidden charm. | There are nice places. | I'd probably skip the main square and walk one street back instead. |
Examples
- →
You've got to try the bakery on the corner — it's the best in the city.
- →
You might want to head there early; it gets packed by 10.
- →
It's well worth taking the long way home along the river.
- →
I'd probably skip the main square and walk one street back instead.
- →
If you've got time, the museum's free on the first Sunday of the month.
Common mistakes
It is worth to visit.
✓ It's worth visiting.
'Worth' is followed by -ing, not 'to' + infinitive.
You must to go.
✓ You've got to go. / You really should go.
'Must' has no 'to'; 'have got to' is more natural in spoken recommendations.
I recommend you to try.
✓ I'd recommend trying / I'd recommend that you try.
'Recommend' takes -ing or a 'that' clause, not 'to' + person + infinitive.
Natural English
Real recommendations almost always include a TIME or DAY tip ('go on a Sunday', 'get there before 10'). The detail is what makes it sound like real local knowledge.
Deep dive (full explanation)
B2 recommendations move beyond 'you should go' into a layered toolkit: strong advice (you really should / you've got to), softer advice (you might want to / I'd probably), 'worth' constructions (it's worth -ing / well worth a visit), and conditional advice (if you have time, …). The trick is to MATCH the strength of the modal to how sure you are. 'You've got to try it' = I will defend this. 'You might want to try it' = it's an option, no pressure. Mixing both in one recommendation makes you sound like a friend, not a leaflet.
Question 1.Most natural strong recommendation:
Question 2.Correct 'worth' structure:
Question 3.Most natural soft advice:
Question 4.Best 'skip the obvious' phrase:
Question 5.Most natural conditional advice:
Build the sentence → spot the natural chunks → say it aloud → reply like a real conversation.
1.Rebuild the sentence — then say it aloud.
2.Rebuild the sentence — then say it aloud.
3.Rebuild the sentence — then say it aloud.
Quick check 1.Most natural strong recommendation:
Quick check 2.Correct 'worth' structure:
Vocabulary · §3
5–7 minWords & phrases to own
a hidden gem
a wonderful place few tourists know about.
off the beaten track
away from the usual tourist routes.
touristy
too full of tourists; feels artificial.
to be packed
to be very full of people.
a local haunt
a place locals go regularly.
to grab a bite
to eat something quickly and informally.
a stone's throw from
very close to.
to soak up the atmosphere
to slowly enjoy the feeling of a place.
underrated
better than its reputation suggests.
overrated
less good than people say.
Activate it now
Use this language on places you actually know — generic recommendations sound generic.
- Make it yours#1
Name one underrated place and one overrated place in your country. Why?
underratedoverrated - Complete#2
Finish: 'A real hidden gem in my city is ___. You've got to ___.'
a hidden gem - Your view#3
Agree or disagree: 'A place stops being a hidden gem the moment it appears on Instagram.'
off the beaten tracktouristy - Discuss#4
What makes a café feel like a local haunt rather than a tourist trap?
a local haunttouristy - Rank#5
Rank by importance when recommending a place: food, view, atmosphere, price, story.
to soak up the atmosphere - Quick write#6
Write a 1-sentence recommendation using 'a stone's throw from' and 'well worth'.
a stone's throw from
Tap an item on the left, then tap its match on the right.
Pronunciation · §4
3–4 minSentence stress on the WORDS that carry the recommendation
Recommendations live or die on stress. Native speakers stress the strong modal and the key noun: 'You've GOT to try the BAKE-ry on the corner.' Flatten it and it sounds bored — and bored advice doesn't sell. Lift the modal, lift the noun, drop everything else.
- You've GOT to TRY the BAKE-ry on the corner ↗
- It's WELL WORTH GET-ting up EAR-ly for the VIEW ↘
- You MIGHT want to BOOK in ad-VANCE ↘
- I'd PROB-ably SKIP the MAIN square ↘
Reading · §5
8–10 minThe Café That Wasn't on Any List
Listen to the passage
Tap play to listen. Replay as many times as you need.
Every city has the same problem: the places everyone tells you to visit are the places where everyone is. The famous café in the old town is a museum of selfie sticks. The 'authentic' restaurant on the corner has three menus, all translated, none cooked by anyone who grew up there. The trick to a good recommendation isn't telling someone what to see. It's telling them WHEN to go, and WHAT to skip on the way. When friends visit my city, I send them to a small café two streets behind the cathedral. It's not in any guidebook. The chairs don't match. The coffee is, honestly, only average. But it's run by an older couple who've been opening at 7:30 every morning for thirty years, and by 9:15 it's full of locals reading the paper and arguing about football. That's the gem — not the coffee, but the room. I tell my friends three things: go before 9, sit at the bar not the table, and order whatever the man behind the counter is eating. That's it. No history lecture, no architectural notes. Just: when, where, what. The best recommendations are short, specific and a little bit bossy. 'You've got to go on a Sunday morning.' 'Skip the main square — walk one street back.' 'It's well worth getting up early.' They sound like a friend, because that's what a friend does: tells you the version that worked for them, and trusts you to take it from there.
Question 1.What's the writer's main point about recommendations?
Question 2.Why does the writer recommend the small café?
Question 3.What three pieces of advice does the writer give friends?
Question 4.What does the writer say good recommendations sound like?
Q1.The writer thinks the famous café is the best in the city.
Q2.The small café is in every guidebook.
Q3.The writer recommends going before 9 in the morning.
Q4.Good recommendations should be long and detailed.
Listening · §6
8–10 minA local giving a visiting friend recommendations for a weekend in town (about 1:45)
Listening audio
Tap play to listen. Replay as many times as you need.
Show transcript
Mira:OK so I've got two days in Porto — what's worth doing?
Tiago:Right. First thing: you've got to walk along the river at sunset. Just trust me.
Mira:OK. And food?
Tiago:I'd probably skip the main square restaurants — they're touristy and overpriced. Walk two streets back, there's a tiny place called Adega São Nicolau. Order the octopus rice. It's well worth the wait.
Mira:Booking?
Tiago:You might want to book for dinner — they get packed by eight. Lunch is fine to walk in.
Mira:What about the famous wine cellars?
Tiago:Honestly? A bit overrated and very touristy. If you've got time, take the boat across the river instead — the view is better and it's a stone's throw from a much quieter wine bar. Underrated little place.
Mira:Anything I should avoid?
Tiago:I'd probably skip the bookshop everyone Instagrams. Beautiful, but you'll queue an hour to see it for five minutes.
Mira:Got it. River walk, octopus rice, boat across, skip the bookshop.
Tiago:You're basically a local already.
Question 1.What does Tiago say you've 'got to' do?
Question 2.What does Tiago think of the main square restaurants?
Question 3.What does he say about the famous wine cellars?
Question 4.What does he say about the Instagram bookshop?
Exam skills · §7
5 minStrategy focus — Specific, layered recommendations in Speaking
Task
In a Speaking task, vague answers ('it's nice, you should go') score poorly. Layered recommendations — a strong tip + a soft tip + a time detail — show range of modals AND real content.
Strategy
Frame every recommendation as: STRONG tip (you've got to / you really should) + SOFT tip (you might want to) + TIME detail (before 9 / on a Sunday). That single shape gives you three modals and one concrete detail in 15 seconds.
Example
You've got to walk the old town at sunset — honestly, the best view in the city. You might want to head there before seven, though; it gets packed by eight. And it's well worth grabbing a coffee at the little café on the corner first.
Practice · §8
8–10 minFill in the blank
Question 1.You've ___ to try the bakery on the corner.
Question 2.It's well ___ getting up early for the view.
Question 3.You might ___ to book in advance.
Question 4.I'd probably ___ the main square.
Question 5.It's a stone's ___ from the cathedral.
Question 6.It's a bit ___ for me — too many tourists.
Q1.Strong tip: 'You've ___ to try the octopus rice.'
Q2.Soft tip: 'You ___ want to book ahead.'
Q3.Worth structure: 'It's well ___ taking the long way home.'
Writing · §9
5 minPut it in writing
Your task
Write a 120–150 word message to a friend visiting your city. Recommend ONE hidden gem. Use AT LEAST: one 'you've got to', one 'you might want to', one 'it's worth -ing', a time / day detail and one thing to skip.
Your answer
Show model answer
Hey Sam — quick tips for the weekend. You've got to walk along the river at sunset. Honestly, the best free thing in the city. It's a stone's throw from your hotel, so just head out around seven. For dinner, I'd probably skip the main square — it's touristy and overpriced. Walk two streets back, there's a tiny place called Adega São Nicolau. You might want to book; it gets packed by eight. Order the octopus rice. Well worth the wait. If you've got time on Sunday morning, the market by the bridge is a real local haunt — go before nine, sit at the bar, order whatever the man behind the counter is eating. Skip the famous bookshop. Beautiful, but a one-hour queue for five minutes inside. Have fun!
Speaking · §10
10–15 minMake it a real conversation
ROLEPLAY — The Visiting Friend. Your partner (or the teacher) is visiting your town for one day. They ask you for tips. Give THREE recommendations using one strong modal, one soft modal and one 'worth -ing' structure. Add at least one time / day detail and one thing to skip. Swap roles.
Useful phrases
- • You've got to…
- • You really should…
- • You might want to…
- • I'd probably skip…
- • It's well worth + -ing
- • If you've got time, …
- • It's a stone's throw from…
- • Honestly, it's a bit overrated.
- VisitorI've got one day in your city. What's a must?
- You_______________
- VisitorFood tips?
- You_______________
- VisitorShould I book?
- You_______________
Optional · Teacher-led
Teacher Activities
Optional teacher-led activities for live classes. ~25 min total
Homework · §11
Take-homeTake it home
Write a 120-word message recommending a hidden gem in your area to a B2-level friend.
Record a 60-second voice note recommending one place. Listen back: did you use at least three different modals?
Write a true sentence using each: hidden gem, off the beaten track, touristy, packed, local haunt, underrated, overrated.
Find a 'travel vlog' clip on YouTube. Write down two 'you've got to' phrases and one 'I'd probably skip' phrase you hear.
Recap · §12
2–3 minWhat you've learned
- You can recommend strongly with 'you've got to' / 'you really should'.
- You can recommend softly with 'you might want to' / 'I'd probably'.
- You can use 'it's (well) worth + -ing' correctly.
- You can layer time / day details into a recommendation.
- You can tell someone what to skip, not just what to do.