Bustling market & commercial towns, around the world.

Telfs

This Tyrolean market town just west of Innsbruck sits close to the mountains with a walkable centre of cafés, restaurants, and historic churches.

Consuegra

Consuegra's hilltop row of windmills, set against the plains of La Mancha, is among the most recognisable sights in Castile, rising alongside a medieval cast…

Neumarkt in der Oberpfalz

This Bavarian town in the Upper Palatinate with a walkable old town whose skyline is defined by the towers of its historic churches, Neumarkt in der Oberpfal…

Slovenske Konjice

Small wine-country town in northeastern Slovenia's Dravinja Valley, Slovenske Konjice sits between the forested slopes of Konjiška gora to the south and the…

Segorbe

Segorbe's September bull-running week (Semana de Toros) draws large crowds to this small Valencian town in the mountains of Castellón province.

Unna

A broad market square lined with half-timbered buildings, ornate gabled facades, and open-air café seating gives this North Rhine-Westphalian town a walkable…

Iida

A city in southern Nagano Prefecture designated by the Japanese government as an environmental model city for cutting greenhouse gas emissions, Iida serves a…

Steinkjer

Sitting where the Steinkjerelva river meets the Trondheimsfjorden in Trøndelag, Steinkjer is a little Norwegian county seat with a compact centre of cafés an…

Buttenheim

Buttenheim, a little market town in Upper Franconia between Bamberg and Nuremberg, is the birthplace of Levi Strauss, who emigrated to the United States in 1…

Milas

Ancient Caria's first capital and later seat of the medieval Menteşe beylik, Milas is a historically dense town in southwest Turkey with more than two dozen…

East Retford

Market town in Nottinghamshire sitting on the River Idle and the Chesterfield Canal, Retford (also known as East Retford) has a walkable centre dense with li…

Detmold

Detmold, in the Teutoburg Forest region of North Rhine-Westphalia, is home to the Hermannsdenkmal — the tallest statue in Germany — and to Germany's largest…

Lanciano

Lanciano, a town in Abruzzo's province of Chieti, is known as the site of the first recorded Catholic Eucharistic Miracle, drawing pilgrims to its historic c…

Sieradz

Town on the Warta river in central Poland with a compact centre of cafés and restaurants, Sieradz carries a long medieval history: it served three times as t…

Quedlinburg

Quedlinburg's medieval old town, added to the UNESCO World Heritage List in 1994, holds more than 2,100 timber-framed houses spanning eight centuries, making…

Marion

Founded in 1844 and named for Revolutionary War general Francis Marion — the "Swamp Fox" of guerrilla warfare — this pocket-sized North Carolina county seat…

Thames

Sitting at the foot of the Coromandel ranges on the Firth of Thames, this tiny New Zealand town offers mountain terrain, waterfront access, and a café and re…

Taounate

Town in Morocco's Rif Mountains with a walkable centre well supplied with cafés and restaurants, Taounate serves as the provincial capital of its surrounding…

Nevşehir

The provincial capital of Cappadocia in central Türkiye, Nevşehir sits at the gateway to the region's UNESCO-listed landscape of fairy chimneys, rock-hewn ch…

Tonbridge

This walkable Kent market town on the River Medway, Tonbridge has a centre thick with listed historic buildings and churches, a real café and restaurant scen…

Borculo

This little town in the Achterhoek region of Gelderland, eastern Netherlands, with the Berkel River running through its centre and a compact core of cafés an…

Lambach

Lambach Abbey, a Benedictine monastery founded in 1056, anchors this small Upper Austrian market town where the Ager and Traun rivers meet.

Alton

Heritage-dense market town in East Hampshire near the source of the River Wey, Alton has a compact centre with cafés and listed buildings within easy walking…

Bartoszyce

This town on the Łyna River in northern Poland, Bartoszyce has a compact centre with a concentration of historic churches, cafés, and restaurants.

Medford

A walkable city in southern Oregon's Jackson County with a centre full of cafés and restaurants, Medford sits along Bear Creek and within reach of nearby mou…

Zvolen

This walkable central Slovak town at the confluence of the Hron and Slatina rivers, Zvolen has a café-filled historic centre anchored by an ancient castle.

Foca

A compact town on the Drina River in southeastern Bosnia and Herzegovina, Foča sits at the edge of mountain terrain near the oldest national park in the coun…

Yeghegnadzor

A little mountain town in southern Armenia's Vayots Dzor Province, Yeghegnadzor sits on the Srkghonk River at elevation and serves as a base for hiking and c…

Solola

A highland market town in Guatemala sitting above Lake Atitlán, where a large share of the Kaqchikel Maya population continues to wear traditional Mayan clot…

Pittsfield

The county seat of Berkshire County in western Massachusetts, Pittsfield sits on the water with mountains close by and a compact centre dense with cafés, res…

Godalming

A heritage-dense market town in south-west Surrey where the Rivers Wey and Ock meet, Godalming has a compact centre thick with listed buildings — several dat…

Slavonski Brod

This riverside city in eastern Croatia on the Sava — which doubles as the border with Bosnia and Herzegovina — Slavonski Brod has a walkable centre with a so…

Weston

The Trans-Allegheny Lunatic Asylum and the Museum of American Glass in West Virginia give this pocket-sized county seat in Lewis County, West Virginia, two d…

Hildburghausen

Hildburghausen, a small town in the southern, Franconian-influenced part of Thuringia, served as the residence capital of the Duchy of Saxe-Hildburghausen fr…

Norheimsund

Steinsdalsfossen, one of Norway's most-visited natural attractions, sits just outside this modest Hardangerfjord town in Vestland, where the waterfall leads…

Ely

Founded as a stagecoach station on the Pony Express and Central Overland Route, Ely is a little county seat in the mountains of White Pine County, Nevada, th…

Oberalm

A compact market town in the Hallein district of Salzburg state, Oberalm sits on the water with scenic surrounds, a concentration of listed historic building…

Oloron-Sainte-Marie

This modest town in the Pyrénées-Atlantiques with a notably dense café and restaurant scene, several historic churches, and a position right on the water wit…

Marion

A tiny Alabama county seat with an ornate white-columned City Hall, a notable concentration of historic churches, and two colleges giving this compact town a…

Stratford

Named after Stratford-upon-Avon and home to the Stratford Festival — a major theatre event running Shakespearean plays and other genres from May to October —…

Nowe Miasto Lubawskie

A compact Polish market town on the River Drwęca, where a pale baroque church with a green onion-domed tower anchors a broad central square ringed by low col…

The Dalles

A compact inland port town on the Columbia River in Oregon, The Dalles sits within the Columbia River Gorge National Scenic Area, with cafés and restaurants…

Tudela

Tudela sits on the Ebro river in southern Navarre, a walkable town with a centre dense with historic churches, listed buildings, and cafés, set in the wine-g…

Oristano

This walkable Sardinian town on the Campidano plain with a food-and-drink scene concentrated in its centre, several historic churches, and vineyards in the s…

Dili

Dili, the capital of Timor-Leste on the north coast of the island of Timor, has a walkable centre with a real café and restaurant scene and a concentration o…

Balanga

Balanga, the provincial capital of Bataan in the Philippines, has a compact centre with a concentration of historic churches and a growing café and restauran…

Mytilene

A port town on the southeast coast of Lesbos with a walkable centre dense with cafés, restaurants, and historic churches, Mytilene has served as the island's…

Washington Court House

The county seat of Fayette County in Ohio, Washington Court House was first settled by Virginia veterans of the American Revolution who received the land as…

Welshpool

Welshpool, a modest market town in Powys, Wales, is home to what is claimed to be the largest sheep market in Europe, held every Monday.

Neunkirchen am Brand

This compact Bavarian market town where half-timbered facades and a sandstone civic building frame a cobbled square with outdoor café seating, set in the upl…

Neunkirchen

A walkable central square anchored by a Baroque plague column, ornate sgraffito-decorated facades, and a town-hall tower gives this Lower Austrian district c…

Marvão

Sitting high on a quartzite crag of the Serra de São Mamede, Marvão is a walled hilltop village in Portugal's Alto Alentejo whose name traces back to Ibn Mar…

Rheine

Compact market square anchored by a tall medieval stone church tower with a green copper spire sets the tone for this Westphalian city on the River Ems, wher…

Castlemaine

A pocket-sized town in Victoria's Goldfields region with a café and restaurant scene that punches well above its size, Castlemaine grew from a gold rush boom…

Giugliano in Campania

A large city in the Metropolitan City of Naples with a walkable centre full of cafés, restaurants, and historic churches, and vineyards in the surrounding area.

Gifhorn

Walkable town in Lower Saxony's Lüneburg Heath, Gifhorn sits on the water with a centre that offers a range of cafés, restaurants, and historic churches.

Dewsbury

A heritage-dense market town in West Yorkshire, Dewsbury sits on the River Calder and the Calder and Hebble Navigation, with a walkable centre thick with lis…

Ozieri

Ozieri, in Sardinia's Logudoro region, is the centre of the earliest known archaeological culture on the island — the Ozieri culture — giving it a deep prehi…

Gospić

Gospić, the administrative seat of Lika-Senj County in Croatia's Lika region, took shape as a town during the Military Frontier period in the early 18th cent…

Nitra

One of Slovakia's oldest cities, Nitra sits at the foot of Zobor Mountain along the Nitra River in the southwest of the country, with a centre dense with his…

Brecon

This small market town in mid Wales sitting within the Brecon Beacons National Park, where the rivers Honddu and Usk meet in the town centre.

Nadi

Low-rise Pacific town set along a river with a compact commercial centre, backed by broad green valleys and a dramatic mountain range, serving as a practical…

Bronte

Pistachio cultivation defines Bronte, a Sicilian town on the western slopes of Mount Etna whose green pistachios are among the most prized in Italy.

Balingen

A walkable town in southern Baden-Württemberg with a centre full of cafés and restaurants, Balingen sits on the water near the Swabian Jura uplands, with sce…

Lemvig

A small Danish market town on the Limfjord, Lemvig sits between the water and a lake, with hills rising to either side — terrain shaped by the last ice age.

Nijlen

A Belgian town in Antwerp province, Nijlen centres on a broad cobbled market square dominated by a tall-spired stone Gothic church, with brick townhouses and…

Montesano

This grand Beaux-Arts courthouse with a clock-topped dome anchors this tiny Washington county seat, where wooded hills, waterside setting, and a compact down…

Stamford

This walkable Lincolnshire market town with five medieval parish churches, a centre dense with listed stone and timber-framed buildings from the 17th and 18t…

Reutte

This compact Tyrolean town on the Lech River serves as the administrative centre of Austria's Ausserfern region, with a heritage-dense streetscape, an unusua…

Brand-Erbisdorf

Compact Saxon upland town with a handsome market square — featuring a stone fountain, a turreted Jugendstil building, and a Rathaus — sitting close to Freibe…

Wodzisław Śląski

Walkable Silesian town in southern Poland with a café-filled centre and mountain country close by, Wodzisław Śląski sits on the River Lesznica near the Czech…

Statesboro

Statesboro, the county seat of Bulloch County in southeastern Georgia, is the city that inspired Blind Willie McTell's "Statesboro Blues" in the 1920s — late…

Aschersleben

Claimed to be the oldest documented town in Saxony-Anhalt, Aschersleben sits at the northeastern edge of the Harz mountains in the valley of the Eine river,…

Dzierzoniow

This 13th-century Lower Silesian town at the foot of the Owl Mountains in southwestern Poland, Dzierżoniów has a walkable Old Town centred on a market square…

Stockton-on-Tees

A market town on the northern bank of the River Tees in County Durham, Stockton-on-Tees has a walkable centre dense with listed buildings, historic churches,…

Yasuj

A mountain city in Iran's Zagros range, Yasuj serves as the provincial capital of Kohgiluyeh and Boyer-Ahmad in southwestern Iran, a short drive from Shiraz.

Olkusz

Silver has shaped Olkusz for centuries: this medieval town in southern Poland once housed a royal mint and still sits amid active silver-mining country.

Dartford

A heritage-dense market town in Kent where the River Darent runs through the centre, Dartford sits on the old London-to-Dover road and has a walkable core wi…

Vacha

A compact Thuringian town on the river Werra, Vacha draws visitors with its ornate half-timbered town hall fronting a market square fountain, upland surround…

Pisz

Masurian town in northern Poland set at the point where Lake Roś meets the Pisa River, Pisz sits at the heart of the Great Masurian Lakes region and is surro…

Elizabethton

Elizabethton, the county seat of Carter County in Tennessee's mountain terrain, carries an outsized place in early American history: it was the site of the W…

Pwllheli

Plaid Cymru, the Welsh nationalist party, was founded in Pwllheli, a tiny market town on the southern coast of the Llŷn Peninsula in north-west Wales.

Poggio Mirteto

Little Tiber Valley town in Lazio's Rieti province, Poggio Mirteto sits on a knoll northeast of Rome amid wine country, with scenic views across the surround…

Tecalitlan

This lively central plaza anchors this small Jalisco town, where a white colonial-era church towers above trimmed trees, colorful street vendors, and a fount…

Joure

A compact Frisian town in the Netherlands with a waterside setting and a café-filled centre, Joure serves as the administrative seat of the De Fryske Marren…

Lipari

The largest of the seven Aeolian Islands in the Tyrrhenian Sea off northern Sicily, Lipari is the main gateway to the archipelago and the administrative cent…

Steinfurt

A compact waterside town in North Rhine-Westphalia with cafés and restaurants concentrated in its centre, Steinfurt has served as a district capital since th…

Shushtar

Shushtar's ancient hydraulic network — a system of waterways, tunnels, and mills centred on the Band-e Kaisar, Iran's first dam bridge — is registered as a U…

Guardiagrele

Poet Gabriele d'Annunzio called Guardiagrele "Abruzzo's terrace" for the sweeping views of the Maiella mountain it commands from its hilltop position in the…

Borna

A small Saxon town south of Leipzig with a walkable centre and cafés along the waterfront, Borna serves as the administrative seat of the Leipzig district an…

Saint-Sever

Known since at least the late Middle Ages as "Cap de Gascogne" — the head of Gascony — Saint-Sever is a small historic town in the Landes department of south…

Centuripe

A hilltop town in eastern Sicily's Enna province, Centuripe sits high above the Simeto and Dittaino valleys with broad views toward the surrounding mountains.

Fareham

Walkable market town at the north-west tip of Portsmouth Harbour in south-east Hampshire, Fareham sits between Portsmouth and Southampton with a centre full…

Goris

Cultural hub for the Syunik region of southern Armenia, Goris sits in a river valley amid mountain terrain with a compact centre well supplied with cafés, re…

Enguera

This pocket-sized agricultural town in southwestern Valencia province, Enguera sits close to the Sierra de Enguera and is surrounded by olive groves and vine…

Whitchurch

Claimed to be the oldest continuously inhabited town in Shropshire, Whitchurch is a heritage-dense market town in the north of the county, close to the Welsh…

Cowansville

A compact Quebec town built around Lac Davignon, Cowansville sits in the Eastern Townships region of south-central Quebec, with a central core of cafés and r…

Miyory

A pocket-sized town in northern Belarus on the shore of Lake Miory, serving as the administrative centre of Miory District and connected by rail and road to…

Volkach

Modest wine town on the river Main in Bavaria's Franconian wine-growing region, Volkach has a café and restaurant scene that punches above its size.

Terrace

Regional hub in British Columbia's Skeena valley where the Kitsumkalum River meets the Skeena, Terrace sits close to mountains with cafés and restaurants con…

İspir

This working town on the Çoruh River in eastern Turkey's upland country, where a ruined hilltop fortress with a surviving minaret tower rises dramatically ab…

Hualañé

A little agricultural town in Chile's Maule region, Hualañé sits in the Mataquito River valley with the coast nearby and mountains within reach.

Cobourg

A lakeside town on the north shore of Lake Ontario in southern Ontario, Cobourg has a walkable centre with cafés and restaurants and sits roughly midway betw…

Erzincan

Erzincan is a city in eastern Turkey rebuilt on a grid plan after a devastating 1939 earthquake, giving it a notably modern layout unusual for a settlement w…

Hyannis

The commercial hub of Cape Cod and widely called its "Capital," Hyannis is a pocket-sized Massachusetts village with a walkable downtown on Main Street, a wo…

Jerez de Garcia Salinas

A Pueblo Mágico town in the Mexican state of Zacatecas, Jerez de García Salinas takes its full name from a 19th-century reformer and sits close to the state…

Gallneukirchen

A compact Austrian market town in Upper Austria's Mühlviertel hills, with a broad cobbled square anchored by a baroque church tower, colorful shopfronts, and…

Salmon

A pocket-sized Idaho county seat on the banks of the Salmon River, a tributary of the Snake, with a central core of cafés and restaurants and an unusual numb…

Paczkow

Called "Polish Carcassonne," Paczków is a compact town in southern Poland whose medieval fortifications have survived almost entirely intact — a rarity in Eu…

Neiafu

Neiafu sits beside the Port of Refuge, a deep-water harbour on the south coast of Vavaʻu island in northern Tonga, and serves as the administrative centre of…

Helensville

This small town on the tidal Kaipara River in New Zealand's Auckland Region, Helensville sits near the southern end of the expansive Kaipara Harbour, a short…

Taitung

This city on Taiwan's southeast Pacific coast with a dense café and restaurant scene and mountain terrain close at hand, Taitung serves as the county seat an…

Solsona

This tiny Catalan town in the province of Lleida serves as the seat of the Diocese of Solsona and holds an unusual concentration of historic churches for its…

Kisarazu

This port city on the southwestern coast of Chiba Prefecture, Kisarazu has functioned as a harbour town since ancient times and retains a designated priority…

Vilkaviškis

A small town in southwestern Lithuania where the Šeimena and Vilkauja rivers meet, Vilkaviškis has a modest central core with cafés and restaurants alongside…

Farnham

Small city in Quebec's Brome-Missisquoi region, Farnham sits on the water with a central core of cafés and restaurants, and the mountains of the Eastern Town…

Ang Thong

A tiny provincial capital on both banks of the Chao Phraya River in central Thailand, Ang Thong is known for its reclining Buddha statues, traditional drum-m…

Elsterwerda

Tiny town in southwestern Brandenburg on the Black Elster river, Elsterwerda sits on the southern edge of the Niederlausitzer Heidelandschaft nature park.

Pazin

Pazin, the administrative seat of Istria County in west Croatia, sits above a karst sinkhole into which the Pazinčica river disappears — a geological feature…

Grindsted

This pocket-sized town in southern Jutland sits alongside the Grindsted river and Grindsted lake, with heathland and sandy terrain stretching out around it.

Hà Tiên

A coastal city in Vietnam's Mekong Delta, Hà Tiên sits on the water at the Cambodian border with mountains close by and a walkable centre of cafés and restau…

Parkersburg

Sitting at the confluence of the Ohio and Little Kanawha rivers in West Virginia, Parkersburg is a town-sized city with a compact centre, a concentration of…

Wetzikon

A town in the Zurich Highlands (Zürcher Oberland) of canton Zürich, Wetzikon sits on the shore of the Pfäffikersee with the Töss mountain landscape close by.

Kroscienko nad Dunajcem

Modest town on the Dunajec River in southern Poland's Pieniny mountains, Krościenko nad Dunajcem serves as the seat of Pieniny National Park and a base for e…

Norwich

This compact city in Chenango County, New York, is best known as the headquarters of Chobani, the strained yogurt company.

Wincanton

This compact Somerset market town where Georgian and older listed buildings line a lively high street, with independent shops and inns giving it a well-worn,…

Eskilstuna

Walkable Swedish city on the River Eskilstunaån, with a centre full of cafés and restaurants and water close at hand.

Ardeşen

This Black Sea coast town in Turkey's Rize Province sits directly on the water, with mountains rising close behind.

Kendal

Known as the "Auld Grey Town" for its grey limestone buildings, Kendal is a market town in Cumbria just outside the Lake District, sitting on the River Kent.

Winchester

A walkable downtown of well-preserved 19th-century brick commercial facades lines Main Street in this Clark County seat, sitting between Lexington and the ro…

Montella

Small mountain town in Campania's Avellino province, Montella sits within the Monti Picentini regional park and is known for its IGP-certified chestnuts and…

Balancan

A compact town on the Usumacinta river in the Mexican state of Tabasco, Balancán de Domínguez holds an unusual concentration of churches for its size and sit…

Beluran

Low-rise river town on Sabah's eastern coast, Beluran lines a broad, slow-moving waterway flanked by dense tropical forest, offering a genuine glimpse into e…

Tiffin

This compact Ohio city on the Sandusky River, Tiffin is the county seat of Seneca County and home to two universities — Heidelberg University and Tiffin Univ…

Adrano

At the foot of Mount Etna, where the Simeto and Salso rivers meet, Adrano is a Sicilian town with a compact centre dense with historic churches, cafés, and r…

Miechow

The collegiate basilica of the Holy Sepulchre dominates the skyline of this small town in Lesser Poland, its tower topped by a globe-shaped spire symbolising…

Tamworth

Walkable Staffordshire market town north-east of Birmingham, Tamworth sits at the confluence of the River Tame and carries a dense concentration of listed hi…

Liestal

This tiny Swiss cantonal capital near Basel pairs a cobbled-street Old Town with a café and restaurant scene that punches above its size, several historic ch…

Lubaczow

This small town in southeastern Poland near the Ukrainian border, Lubaczów serves as the regional hub for Lubaczów County in the Subcarpathian Voivodeship.

San Miguel

Founded in 1530 as San Miguel de La Frontera, this city in eastern El Salvador has served as the dominant commercial hub of the country's eastern region for…

Puerto Barrios

Guatemala's main Caribbean port, Puerto Barrios sits on the Bahía de Amatique in the Gulf of Honduras and serves as the departmental seat of Izabal.

Khairpur

Founded in 1783 by Mir Sohrab Khan Talpur as the seat of the former princely state of Khairpur, this Sindh city is now Pakistan's best-known centre for date-…

Ziebice

Ziębice, in Lower Silesia in south-western Poland, holds a preserved medieval Old Town centred on a Market Square and the Romanesque-Gothic Saint George Basi…

Quezaltepeque

A small agricultural town in the mountain terrain of Guatemala's Chiquimula department, Quezaltepeque takes its name from a Nahuatl word meaning "hill of bir…

Fairmont

This West Virginia county seat sits along the water with a concentration of historic churches and some listed heritage architecture in the surrounding area.

Sulechow

This western Polish town with a well-preserved Renaissance-style town hall — its white facade, decorative parapet, and copper-topped tower dominating a cobbl…

Beeskow

This pocket-sized town on the River Spree in Brandenburg, eastern Germany, Beeskow has a café and restaurant scene that punches above its size.

Smolyan

This highland town in Bulgaria's central Rhodope Mountains, Smolyan sits along the narrow valley of the Cherna and Byala rivers and holds the distinction of…

Rivière-du-Loup

A town on the south shore of the Saint Lawrence River in Quebec's Bas-Saint-Laurent region, Rivière-du-Loup offers whale watching tours on the river, a compa…

Thomasville

Thomasville, the county seat of Thomas County in southern Georgia, calls itself the "City of Roses" and holds an annual Rose Festival.

Glamoc

A small mountain town in southwestern Bosnia and Herzegovina, Glamoč sits on a high plain at the foot of the Staretina and Velika Golija mountains, with a mo…

Simcoe

The county seat of Norfolk County in southwestern Ontario, Simcoe is a pocket-sized town near Lake Erie with a central core of cafés and restaurants and an u…

Ocotlán

Lakeside city in the southeast of Jalisco, Mexico, Ocotlán sits on the water's edge with mountains nearby and serves as the regional seat of the Ciénega area.

Crewkerne

A heritage-dense market town in south Somerset, Crewkerne has a compact central core with cafés and restaurants and a concentration of listed historic buildi…

Gharyan

The largest town on the Nafusa Mountains in northwestern Libya, Gharyan sits high on a ridge a short drive south of Tripoli, reached by a winding mountain ro…

Nahavand

Nahavand, a city in Iran's Hamadan province, is best known as the site of the Battle of Nahavand, the decisive 7th-century engagement during the Muslim conqu…

Skövde

Walkable town in central southern Sweden with a café-filled centre, Skövde sits between the country's two largest lakes, Vänern and Vättern, on the eastern s…

Błonie

This compact Polish market town west of Warsaw, its broad central square features a tiered fountain, mature trees, and a cream-and-red-roofed town hall with…

Molina de Aragon

Once the seat of a Moorish taifa state before Alfonso I of Aragon reconquered it in 1129, Molina de Aragón is a small town in Guadalajara province with a not…

High Wycombe

A large market town in Buckinghamshire's Chiltern Hills, High Wycombe sits along the River Wye with a walkable centre dense with listed historic buildings, c…

Lewisburg

This compact West Virginia county seat with a walkable main street of independent shops, a bookstore, and a theatre sign hinting at a lively modest-town arts…

Conversano

This town in Apulia with a notably dense concentration of historic churches in its centre, Conversano sits on the first ridges of the Murgia plateau southeas…

Pilar

Pilar, a city northwest of Buenos Aires, is where the Treaty of Pilar was signed in 1820, a foundational document in Argentina's constitutional history that…

Warren

Compact Midwestern county seat along the Mahoning River, Warren rewards a stroll down its main street with a row of well-preserved late-19th-century brick co…

Vagharshapat

Vagharshapat — widely known by its former name Etchmiadzin — is home to the Mother See of Holy Etchmiadzin, the spiritual and administrative centre of the Ar…

Go Cong

This Mekong Delta city where a grand two-storey colonial building with arched green shutters and ornate facades slowly surrenders to tropical vegetation, off…

Caracal

This trading town in Romania's Oltenia region, Caracal sits on the agricultural plains between the Jiu and Olt rivers and has served as a commercial hub for…

Buxton

England's highest market town, Buxton sits at around 1,000 feet above sea level on the edge of the Peak District National Park in Derbyshire.

Härnösand

Walkable coastal town on the Bothnian Sea in northern Sweden, Härnösand sits at the edge of the High Coast UNESCO World Heritage landscape, which begins just…

Tororo

A busy commercial town in Uganda's Eastern Region, dominated by a dramatic rocky hill rising directly above its colourful streets, with a mountain backdrop a…

Rechnitz

Modest Austrian market town in Burgenland's wine country, Rechnitz spreads across gentle slopes beneath a forested hill, its skyline marked by two church tow…

Heilbad Heiligenstadt

A spa town in the mountains of Thuringia, Heilbad Heiligenstadt has a walkable centre with a concentration of historic churches, cafés, and restaurants, and…

Escanaba

Pocket-sized port city on Little Bay de Noc in Michigan's Upper Peninsula, Escanaba has a walkable central core with cafés, restaurants, and an unusual conce…

Nakło nad Notecią

This town in north-central Poland on the river Noteć, Nakło nad Notecią was granted royal town status in 1299 and sits in the ethnocultural region of Krajna.

Oostkamp

A West Flemish town in Belgium's province of West Flanders, Oostkamp centres on a handsome stepped-gable town hall facing a cobbled market square, with UNESC…

Raeford

A classic American tiny-town main street unfolds here, lined with red-brick storefronts, ornate arched facades, and American flags catching the early light i…

Pembroke

A tiny city on the Ottawa River in Eastern Ontario, where the Muskrat River meets the Ottawa, Pembroke has a café and restaurant scene and a concentration of…

Szamotuły

Compact town in western Poland with cafés and restaurants concentrated around its central square, Szamotuły sits on the Sama River in the Greater Poland lake…

Limburg an der Lahn

Limburg an der Lahn is a medieval town on the Lahn river in Hesse, Germany, known for its well-preserved old quarter of timber-framed houses and the late-Rom…

Bourganeuf

This small town in the Creuse department of Nouvelle-Aquitaine, Bourganeuf owes its medieval origins to the Knights Hospitaller, who made it the seat of thei…

Vimmerby

This broad market square lined with yellow timber buildings and a pale-pink grand hotel anchors this compact Swedish town in Småland, where outdoor café seat…

Gołdap

A spa town in northeastern Poland's Masuria region, Gołdap sits between the Szeskie Hills, Gołdap Lake, and the Puszcza Romincka forest, with a little centra…

Salida

A pocket-sized Colorado mountain town on the Arkansas River with a café and restaurant scene that outpaces the town's size, Salida is the county seat of Chaf…

Risør

Risør, on Norway's Skagerrak coast, draws visitors with its waterfront setting, surrounding lakes and hills, and a lively summer calendar that includes an an…

Lethbridge

A city in southern Alberta with a walkable centre full of cafés and restaurants, Lethbridge serves as the commercial hub of the region and sits on the Oldman…

Yessentuki

Spa city at the foot of the Caucasus Mountains in Stavropol Krai, Yessentuki is renowned for its mineral springs and therapeutic baths within the Caucasian M…

Corovode

A small Albanian town in Berat County where the Osum River runs through the centre, forming canyons and caves upstream that draw kayakers and other water-spo…

San Felipe

San Felipe, the capital of Venezuela's Yaracuy state, is known as the "Ecological Capital of Venezuela," set in a mountain valley and close to Yurubí Nationa…

Mariestad

Walkable waterside town in Västra Götaland, Mariestad sits on Lake Vänern with a centre well supplied with cafés and restaurants.

Taungoo

Taungoo is a city in Myanmar's Bago Region with a walkable centre dense with cafés, restaurants, and historic churches.

Greenville

The county seat of Pitt County, North Carolina, Greenville sits on the Tar River and serves as the region's hub for health, education, and entertainment.

Solin

Solin, a town on the Adriatic coast just northeast of Split, sits on the site of ancient Salona — the Roman provincial capital of Dalmatia and birthplace of…

Lindsay

A pocket-sized Ontario city on the Scugog River, Lindsay sits along the Trent-Severn Waterway — the canal system linking central Ontario to Lake Ontario and…

Comayagua

Founded in 1537 as Villa de Santa María de la Nueva Valladolid de Comayagua, this former capital of Honduras served as the country's seat of government until…

Aars

This little town in North Jutland known for its town centre, its collection of monuments and artworks by Per Kirkeby, and elaborate Christmas decorations tha…

Hetauda

Hetauda sits at the eastern edge of the Chitwan Valley where the Chure hills meet the lowlands of central Nepal, making it a natural base for exploring the s…

Susanville

Susanville, the county seat of Lassen County in northeastern California, sits along the Susan River at high elevation in the Sierra Nevada foothills, with mo…

Songkhla

Songkhla sits where Songkhla Lake opens into the Gulf of Thailand, giving this southern Thai provincial capital beaches on multiple sides — including Samila…

Aranzazu

A lively central plaza anchors this small Colombian Andean town, where a white church with a vivid blue dome faces a cast-iron fountain and tree-shaded squar…

Lenoir

This Caldwell County seat in the foothills of North Carolina's Blue Ridge Mountains has a centre with a notable concentration of historic churches.

Altrincham

This Greater Manchester market town whose food-and-drink scene centres on a market house granted its charter in 1290, Altrincham draws visitors for its café…

Meiningen

A former ducal capital on the River Werra in southern Thuringia, Meiningen served as the seat of the Duchy of Saxe-Meiningen from 1680 to 1918 and retains a…

Alamosa

This small Colorado city on the Rio Grande, Alamosa serves as the commercial hub of the San Luis Valley and the seat of Alamosa County.

Rawa Mazowiecka

A former medieval ducal seat of the Piast dynasty and a royal city of Poland, Rawa Mazowiecka sits on the Rawka river in central Poland's Łódź Voivodeship.

Yonezawa

Yonezawa beef, carp, and locally grown apples have made this castle city in Yamagata Prefecture, Japan, a destination for food-focused visitors.

Menominee

This modest city on the north bank of the Menominee River where it meets Green Bay, with waterfront access, a central core of cafés and restaurants, and an u…

Wieruszow

A small town in south-central Poland, Wieruszów sits along the Prosna river in the historical Wieluń Land.

Riffa

Riffa, in Bahrain's Southern Governorate, is a city split into two distinct halves by the Haninia Valley — East Riffa, where the historic Riffa Fort stands a…

Urbana

The county seat of Champaign County, Illinois, Urbana shares the main campus of the University of Illinois with its twin city of Champaign, giving this mid-s…

Sremski Karlovci

Modest Danube-side town in Vojvodina, Serbia, Sremski Karlovci served historically as the seat of the Eastern Orthodox Church in the Habsburg Monarchy and wa…

Bodø

This walkable Arctic town on a peninsula between two fjords in Nordland county, Bodø sits just north of the Arctic Circle and serves as the county's administ…

Bay City

A pocket-sized Texas Gulf Coast city and county seat, Bay City sits right at the water and features a walkable downtown with a notable concentration of histo…

Poza Rica

A modern industrial city in northern Veracruz, Poza Rica sits within easy reach of several Gulf coast beaches — Tecolutla, Tuxpan, and Cazones among them — a…

Allariz

A small Galician town on the banks of the River Arnoia, Allariz has a historic centre declared a protected heritage ensemble in 1971, with an unusually high…

Eureka

Eureka's walkable waterfront and Victorian streetscapes make it one of the most photographed cities on California's North Coast, with the entire city designa…

Howden

Howden Minster, one of the largest churches in the East Riding of Yorkshire, anchors this compact market town south-east of York, where a heritage-dense cent…

Queenstown

This busy Eastern Cape town built around a striking sandstone town hall with a green-domed clock tower, serving as a commercial hub for the surrounding farmi…

Sonora

Founded during the California Gold Rush by Mexican miners from the state of Sonora — which gave the town its name — this small Tuolumne County seat sits clos…

Merzig

A walkable town on the river Saar in Saarland, Merzig has a centre with a real café and restaurant scene and vineyards in the surrounding hills.

Atalanti

This tiny Greek town in Phthiotis sits at the water's edge with mountains rising behind it, serving as the seat of the municipality of Lokroi.

Sơn La

A patchwork of vivid rice and vegetable fields spreads across the valley floor of this northwest Vietnamese provincial capital, with forested karst peaks ris…

Tena

Riverside Amazonian town in Ecuador's Napo Province, Tena sits at the edge of the rainforest with a walkable centre full of cafés and restaurants and mountai…

Pfarrkirchen

This little Bavarian town on the River Rott with a café and restaurant scene and a concentration of historic churches that outpaces its size, Pfarrkirchen se…

Kretinga

One of the oldest towns in western Lithuania's Samogitia region, Kretinga sits a short distance east of the Baltic Sea resort of Palanga and north of the por…

Snaith

This tiny market town in the East Riding of Yorkshire, close to the River Aire, with a heritage-dense centre holding a concentration of listed buildings with…

Taraklı district

The Yunus Pasha Mosque, built in 1517 by Mimar Sinan and heated from below by steam from an adjacent bathhouse, anchors this small Ottoman-era town in Sakary…

Mistelbach

Small town in the wine country of northeastern Lower Austria, Mistelbach sits on the River Zaya a short drive from Vienna and serves as the district capital…

Port Perry

A pocket-sized Ontario town on the shore of Lake Scugog — one of the province's largest man-made lakes — Port Perry sits northeast of Toronto and offers a ca…

Tôlanaro

This town on Madagascar's far southeastern coast — also known as Fort-Dauphin — sits within reach of both mountains and the Indian Ocean, with a UNESCO World…

Mae Hong Son

This little provincial capital in the Shan Hills of north-west Thailand, Mae Hong Son sits along the banks of the River Pai near the border with Myanmar, wit…

Cao Bang

This walkable riverside town in northern Vietnam, Cao Bang sits on the Bằng Giang river with a centre full of cafés and restaurants.

Armutlu

A pocket-sized town on the eastern shore of the Sea of Marmara, at the northern edge of Gemlik Bay, Armutlu sits where mountain terrain meets the water, with…

Myeik

Coastal city in Myanmar's far south with a walkable centre full of cafés, restaurants, and historic churches, Myeik sits on the Andaman Sea and is shielded t…

Chiantla

This highland town in Guatemala's Huehuetenango department sits well above sea level in mountain terrain and holds more historic churches than its size would…

Pine Bluff

This county seat in the Arkansas Delta set along the Arkansas River, Pine Bluff sits at the edge of the Arkansas Timberlands amid flat farmland threaded with…

Gardez

The capital of Afghanistan's Paktia Province, Gardez sits in a broad alpine valley surrounded by the Sulaiman Mountains, its name derived from the Middle Per…

Braslaw

This tiny Belarusian town in Vitebsk Region sits on the northern shore of Lake Dryviaty, making it a base for exploring the lakes district of northern Belarus.

Orkanger

At the head of the Orkdal Fjord, an arm of the Trondheimsfjord, Orkanger is a small Norwegian town in Trøndelag with mountain terrain rising around it and wa…

Northam

This modest Devon market town north of Bideford sits close to the water and draws visitors with a concentration of listed historic buildings, a real café and…

Farmington

The county seat of Franklin County in western Maine, Farmington is a pocket-sized university town in mountain terrain with a walkable centre holding cafés, r…

Pamiers

Sitting on the right bank of the Ariège river at the foot of the first Pyrenean foothills, Pamiers is the largest town in the Ariège department, with a compa…

Strehaia

This tiny town on the Motru River in Romania's Mehedinți County, Strehaia has a documented history stretching back to the 15th century, when it served briefl…

Orangeburg

Little South Carolina city on the north fork of the Edisto River, Orangeburg is home to two historically Black institutions of higher education — Claflin Uni…

Mörön

Mörön is the provincial capital of Khövsgöl aimag in northern Mongolia, sitting alongside the Delger River with mountains visible from town and a UNESCO Worl…

Loughrea

This modest market town in County Galway sitting directly on Lough Rea, the grey-speckled lake from which it takes its name, with a café and restaurant scene…

Nador

Walkable Mediterranean city on Morocco's northeastern coast, Nador sits along the water with a centre full of cafés and restaurants.

Drachten

Town in the Dutch province of Friesland with a walkable centre offering cafés, restaurants, and waterside access, Drachten serves as the regional hub for sho…

Burlington

Burlington, Iowa is home to Snake Alley, widely claimed to be the crookedest street in the world, and serves as the county seat of Des Moines County.

Vadsø

The administrative centre of Finnmark county, Vadsø sits on the southern shore of the Varanger Peninsula along the Varanger Fjord, with part of the town occu…

Jounieh

This coastal Lebanese city north of Beirut with a walkable centre full of cafés and restaurants, Jounieh sits where the Mediterranean meets the mountains of…

Brookings

Home to South Dakota State University, Brookings is a college town in eastern South Dakota with a walkable centre full of cafés and restaurants.

Eccles

Eccles, a market town in the City of Salford in Greater Manchester, is the birthplace of the Eccles cake and grew around its 13th-century Parish Church of St…

Ancaster

Founded in 1792, Ancaster is a community within the city of Hamilton, Ontario, that briefly ranked as Upper Canada's largest industrial and commercial centre…

Clinton

This little North Carolina county seat carries a disproportionate number of historic churches for its size, along with a café and restaurant scene that punch…

Dhankuta

This hill town in eastern Nepal's Koshi Province, Dhankuta serves as the district headquarters and a commercial hub for several surrounding districts, with a…

Bridport

Rope-making shaped Bridport for centuries, and this compact Dorset market town retains a dense concentration of listed historic buildings alongside a café an…

Florida

Departmental capital in Uruguay's interior, Florida centres on a grand twin-towered stone cathedral facing a tree-lined plaza, with rolling upland country ne…

Cholpon-Ata

Cholpon-Ata is a resort town on the northern shore of Lake Issyk-Kul in Kyrgyzstan, backed by the Kungey Ala-Too mountain range.

Sebastopol

Southern suburb of Ballarat in Victoria's goldfields region, Sebastopol offers a glimpse of everyday Australian country-town life, anchored by a well-preserv…

Hohoe

A lively Ghanaian district capital in the Volta Region, where low-rise buildings with rust-red rooftops spread across a broad valley floor backed by forested…

Fayzabad

Fayzabad, the provincial capital of Badakhshan in northeastern Afghanistan, sits alongside the Kokcha River in mountain terrain and serves as the main commer…

Ukiah

A walkable wine-country town in California's Mendocino County, Ukiah sits in a deep valley along the U.S.

Mont-Joli

A pocket-sized town on the south shore of the Saint Lawrence River in Quebec's Bas-Saint-Laurent region, Mont-Joli sits at the gateway to the Gaspé Peninsula.

Miranda do Douro

This tiny city on the Portuguese-Spanish border where the Douro River divides the two countries, Miranda do Douro sits amid wine country and scenic river gor…

Ephrata

Tiny Washington state county seat anchored by a handsome neoclassical brick courthouse, with a modest dining scene, several historic churches, and surroundin…

Hōfu-shi

Mid-size Japanese city on the Seto Inland Sea, where dense grey-tile rooftops spread toward a low commercial centre backed by green wooded hills, with coasta…

Ampara

A large white stupa with a circular colonnaded base and golden Buddha figures anchors this Eastern Province town, which serves as a district capital set amon…

Ljungby

A town in southern Sweden's Småland region, Ljungby sits along the river Lagan with a walkable centre of cafés and restaurants.

Fergus Falls

Fergus Falls is a Minnesota county seat with a walkable historic downtown, a striking Victorian-era institutional building with twin towers, a classic brick…

Braintree

This solid Essex market town built around a historic red-brick civic core, with a handsome domed town hall anchoring the centre and a walkable heritage stree…

Temuco

A regional hub for southern Chile's Araucanía, Temuco sits within easy reach of Andean valleys, lakes, and coastal areas, making it a practical base for expl…

Presque Isle

The commercial hub of Maine's Aroostook County, Presque Isle is a little city with a walkable central core of cafés and restaurants, a notable concentration…

Papar

A district capital in Sabah, Malaysia, a short drive south of Kota Kinabalu, Papar sits on the banks of the Papar River close to the sea, with the Crocker Ra…

Azilal

This provincial capital in Morocco's Atlas Mountains, Azilal serves as the gateway to the M'Goun Conservation Area and sits between the Middle and High Atlas…

Cayenne

This coastal capital of French Guiana sits where the Cayenne River meets the Atlantic, with a walkable centre that packs in a dense food-and-drink scene and…

Skara

One of Sweden's oldest cities, Skara is a little town in Västergötland with a long ecclesiastical and educational history — it serves as the seat of the Skar…

Richmond

A compact city in Madison County, Kentucky, with cafés and restaurants concentrated in its centre, Richmond is home to Eastern Kentucky University and hosts…

Zevenaar

A Dutch Gelderland town with a broad brick market square — anchored by an abstract stone sculpture and lined with mixed-era shopfronts — offering a walkable…

Bozüyük

This busy Bilecik Province town in Turkey's Marmara region, where a domed Ottoman-style mosque and minaret anchor a lively street market scene, with upland c…

Porvoo

Porvoo Old Town, with its well-preserved 18th- and 19th-century buildings lining the Porvoonjoki River, is one of Finland's six medieval towns and a recogniz…

Kiryat Gat

This modern Israeli town in the southern coastal plain, with red-tile residential neighborhoods spreading across flat terrain, serving as a regional hub with…

Tokaj

Tokaj gives its name to the Tokaj-Hegyalja wine region and its celebrated white wines, produced across the vineyards that surround this small town in norther…

Carúpano

A Caribbean coastal city in Venezuela's Sucre state, Carúpano serves as the gateway to the Paria Peninsula and holds one of Latin America's oldest ports.

Vaxjo

A walkable Swedish city on the water in the heart of Småland, Växjö has a centre well stocked with cafés and restaurants.

Iuka

This tiny Mississippi county seat sits just north of Woodall Mountain, the highest point in the state, with a modest central core of cafés and restaurants se…

Chuhuyiv

This Ukrainian town in Kharkiv Oblast sits on the Siverskyi Donets river, with scenic surroundings along the water.

Puerto Francisco de Orellana

Commonly called "El Coca," this Ecuadorian Amazon town sits at the confluence of the Napo, Coca, and Payamino rivers in the northern Amazon region, making it…

Toliara

This port city on Madagascar's southwestern coast along the Mozambique Channel, Toliara is the largest city in the country's south and a regional hub with a…

Ptolemaida

Ptolemaida, a town in Western Macedonia's Kozani regional unit, is known as Greece's energy capital — its lignite mines and coal-fired power stations have dr…

Gualeguay

Founded on 20 March 1783 by the military surveyor Tomás de Rocamora — who also founded Gualeguaychú and Concepción del Uruguay and gave the province of Entre…

Mananjary

A coastal town in eastern Madagascar where the Mananjary River meets the Indian Ocean, Mananjary sits at the edge of the Canal des Pangalanes, which divides…

Lachute

This modest Quebec town on the Rivière du Nord in the Laurentians, Lachute has a café and restaurant scene that is unusually rich for its size, with mountain…

Surat Thani

Southern Thai city on the Gulf of Thailand coast near the mouth of the Tapi River, Surat Thani is the main departure point for Ko Samui, Ko Tao, and Ko Pha N…

Kamyshin

A mid-sized Russian city on the Volga Reservoir, Kamyshin rewards visitors with an ornate yellow-and-red 19th-century civic building fronting a broad paved s…

Paxton

This tiny Illinois county seat has an unusual concentration of historic churches for its size, alongside cafés and restaurants in a compact central core.

Baglun

A regional hub in western Nepal's Gandaki Province, Baglung sits along the Kali Gandaki river and is known for the sacred shaligram stones found on its banks.

South Molton

A little market town on the southern edge of Exmoor, South Molton sits on the River Mole and trades in sheep and cattle, with a heritage-dense centre and a m…

Horodok

This tiny Ukrainian city just west of Lviv, Horodok sits on the river Vereshytsia, which broadens into a large pond at the town's edge.

Krumovgrad

This small town in Bulgaria's Eastern Rhodopes, Krumovgrad sits on the banks of the river Krumovitsa in the mountainous south of Kardzhali Province.

Bijeljina

A compact northeastern Bosnian city with a walkable centre, a concentration of historic churches, and a café and restaurant scene clustered around its core.

Bonthe

This modest fishing town on the eastern shore of Sherbro Island sits on the Sherbro River estuary in southern Sierra Leone, within easy reach of the water th…

Bischofswerda

This compact Saxon market town in eastern Germany's Upper Lusatia, with a handsome cobbled square fronted by a clock-towered town hall, colourful historic fa…

Miyakonojō

A sprawling Japanese city spread across a broad plain backed by distant mountains, Miyakonojō offers an authentic regional urban experience in southern Miyaz…

Brandon

Known as The Wheat City, Brandon is Manitoba's second-largest city, sitting on the banks of the Assiniboine River in western Canada.

Hlohovec

This southwestern Slovak town on the Váh river sits in wine-growing country, with vineyards in the surrounding area and a compact centre of cafés and restaur…

Hinthada

A city on the western bank of the Irrawaddy River in Myanmar's Ayeyarwady Region, Hinthada has a centre with a notable concentration of historic churches.

Koforidua

This city in Ghana's Eastern Region blends colonial and modern architecture across a commercial centre known for its historic churches.

'Amran

Tall multi-storey mud-brick tower houses with arched windows and decorative white lime detailing line the streets of this ancient highland city, offering a r…

Servia

A tiny town in West Macedonia, Greece, Servia sits beside the Aliakmon River with the Kamvounia mountains rising above it, and carries an unusually dense Byz…

Kareedouw

A little Eastern Cape town at the eastern gateway to the Langkloof valley, where the R62 provincial road meets mountain terrain close to water.

Gorgan

Gorgan, the provincial capital of Golestan in northern Iran, sits close to the southeastern shore of the Caspian Sea, with a walkable centre well supplied wi…

Fjerritslev

This tiny town in North Jutland, Denmark, with short distances to both the Skagerrak coast and the Limfjord.

Avarua

Avarua is the capital of the Cook Islands, set on the northern coast of Rarotonga — the country's largest and most visited island — with mountains rising beh…

Shahr-e Kord

The highest provincial capital in Iran, Shahr-e Kord sits in the Zagros mountains at an elevation that has earned it the informal title "Roof of Iran." The c…

Užice

Set in a limestone gorge along the Đetinja river in western Serbia, Užice spreads red-roofed houses up steep hillsides and sits close to the Zlatibor mountai…

Crowle

This market town on the Isle of Axholme in North Lincolnshire, Crowle sits alongside the Stainforth and Keadby Canal and holds a parish church containing the…

Sinop

This mid-sized Brazilian city in northern Mato Grosso, Sinop spreads across flat Amazonian frontier country with wide boulevard intersections, green roundabo…

Paszto

A small Hungarian town in Nógrád County set along the Zagyva river, with vineyards in the surrounding area and the Mátra and Cserhát mountain ranges close by.

Azazga

A mid-sized Algerian town in the green hills of Tizi Ouzou, where terracotta-roofed houses spread across a lush valley backed by rocky forested ridges, offer…

Walsall

A compact Black Country market town in the West Midlands, Walsall offers a walkable brick-built centre dense with Victorian commercial architecture, historic…

Gastoúni

This little town in the Peloponnese with a 12th-century Byzantine church of the Dormition in its Katholiki quarter — renovated in 1702 and one of the area's…

Jibou

Jibou, a tiny Transylvanian town in Sălaj County, sits on the Someș River and draws visitors to three main attractions: the historic Wesselényi Castle, a bot…

Tipperary

This compact Irish market town with a lively main street of colourful shopfronts, B&Bs, and pubs strung with tricolour bunting, sitting close to upland count…

Koszalin

City in northwestern Poland's West Pomerania region with a walkable centre full of cafés and a Gothic cathedral that serves as the seat of the Roman Catholic…

Uryupinsk

Uryupinsk, a town in Volgograd Oblast on the Khopyor River, is known in Russian press and literature as the "Capital of the Russian Provinces" and has a folk…

Krujë

Krujë is an Albanian mountain town defined by its medieval castle and its role as the stronghold of Skanderbeg, who defended it against three Ottoman sieges…

Muang Phonsavan

The main draw of Phonsavan, the provincial capital of Xieng Khouang in central Laos, is its proximity to the Plain of Jars, a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

Viborg

One of Denmark's oldest cities, Viborg sits at the heart of central Jutland between two lakes, Søndersø and Nørresø, with a walkable centre well supplied wit…

Miskolc

A walkable city in northeastern Hungary with a café-filled centre, mountain terrain on its doorstep in the Bükk range, and scenic viewpoints within easy reac…

Talcahuano

This working Chilean port city where a large fishing fleet crowds the waterfront below hillside neighborhoods, offering an authentic industrial-maritime atmo…

Sadabad

Town in Uttar Pradesh's agricultural heartland, Sadabad draws visitors with its weathered Mughal-style gateway — ornate scalloped arches, decorative niches,…

Kingman

Kingman, Arizona's Mohave County seat, pairs a neoclassical courthouse and heritage-dense downtown streets with easy access to the rugged upland country that…

Buriram

A brick-paved public square with ornate lamp posts and a calm reflecting pool anchors the compact centre of this northeast Thai provincial capital, where caf…

Voinjama

This low-rise West African town spread across green, forested upland country, Voinjama offers a glimpse into Liberia's interior, with red-tile and corrugated…

Searcy

This college town in White County, Arkansas, with a heritage-dense centre and a compact cluster of cafés, restaurants, and historic churches, Searcy is home…

Kriva Palanka

A mountain town in the far northeast of North Macedonia, Kriva Palanka sits near the Deve Bair border crossing — the main crossing between North Macedonia an…

Amizmiz

This Berber market town at the foot of the High Atlas mountains, a short drive south of Marrakesh, Amizmiz draws its identity from a Tuesday souk that serves…

Pando

A Uruguayan town in Montevideo's metropolitan orbit, Pando centers on a tree-lined plaza with a bronze monument and a white-domed colonial-style church, offe…

Grants Pass

This walkable Oregon city on the Rogue River, Grants Pass has a centre with a real café and restaurant scene and sits close to mountain terrain with scenic v…

Gandia

This Mediterranean beach town on Spain's Costa de Valencia, Gandia splits into two distinct zones: a historic city centre dense with churches, cafés, and mon…

Sátoraljaújhely

Part of the Tokaj-Hegyalja Historic Wine Region Cultural Landscape — a UNESCO World Heritage Site since 2002 — Sátoraljaújhely sits in mountain terrain on th…

Švenčionys

This compact eastern Lithuanian town set among green fields and forested hills, with a striking white-and-red Catholic church dominating the low-rise townsca…

Sancti Spíritus

Founded in 1514, Sancti Spíritus is one of Cuba's oldest Spanish settlements, with a walkable centre of colonial-era buildings, cafés, and restaurants in the…

Simrishamn

Pocket-sized coastal town on Sweden's Österlen coast in Skåne, Simrishamn has a café and restaurant scene that punches above its size, vineyards in the surro…

Udong

Cambodia's former royal capital for nearly 250 years, Udong served as the seat of Khmer kings from 1618 until 1866, and the hilltop of Phnom Oudong still hol…

Swarzedz

A town in the Poznań metropolitan area of west-central Poland, Swarzędz sits on a lake and has built a contemporary identity around furniture-making, with a…

Lahan

This busy lowland city in Nepal's Madhesh region, Lahan sits along a major east-west highway and offers an authentic slice of Terai urban life, with lively s…

Kopavogur

Iceland's second-largest municipality sits immediately south of Reykjavík, with a walkable commercial centre, cafés, and waterfront access along the inlet wh…

Regina

Saskatchewan's provincial capital, Regina sits at the centre of a café and restaurant scene that punches well above its size, with a heritage-dense downtown…

Stourbridge

Glass-making put Stourbridge on the map during the Industrial Revolution, and this West Midlands market town on the River Stour retains a heritage-dense cent…

Dimitrovgrad

Sitting on the shore of the Cheremshan Bay of the Kuibyshev Reservoir, where the Bolshoy Cheremshan River meets the water, Dimitrovgrad is a city in Ulyanovs…

Semnan

Semnan, the provincial capital of Iran's Semnan province, sits between the Alborz mountain range to the north and the Kavir desert to the south, on the histo…

Boké

Town on the banks of the Rio Nunez in Guinea, Boké offers a glimpse into West African colonial history through well-preserved two-storey ochre buildings with…

Kozan

Formerly known as Sis, Kozan was the capital of the Armenian Kingdom of Cilicia, and the fortress built on a long rocky ridge at the centre of the modern cit…

Freirina

Compact Atacama valley town where a white-steepled colonial church and palm-lined plaza stand against dry hillsides, offering a glimpse into one of Chile's o…

Mahabad

This city in West Azerbaijan province regarded as the symbolic capital of Iranian Kurdistan, Mahabad sits among mountains in the historic Mukrian region and…

Terre Haute

City on the Wabash River in western Indiana, Terre Haute has a compact centre with a concentration of cafés and restaurants.

Kalush

A town in the foothills of the Carpathian Mountains in western Ukraine's Ivano-Frankivsk Oblast, Kalush has a walkable centre with cafés, restaurants, and a…

Sa'dah

Sa'dah, a highland town in northwestern Yemen, sits in the Serat mountains and carries one of the longest continuous histories of any city in the country — i…

Bir Jdid

This town on Morocco's Atlantic coast, Bir Jdid sits between Casablanca and El Jadida on the main coastal road, with the ocean a short distance inland.

Dahra

This Senegalese town in the northwest where sandy-stone mosque minarets rise above low earthen walls and arid hillsides, offering a glimpse into the Sahel's…

Brentwood

Heritage-dense Essex town on the London commuter belt, Brentwood has a walkable High Street — a former Roman road — lined with cafés, restaurants, and listed…

Lambayeque

Founded in 1553 as San Pedro de Lambayeque, this coastal town in northern Peru is home to two of the country's most significant museums: the Royal Tombs Muse…

Bukan

Bukan, the largest city in the south of West Azerbaijan province in northwestern Iran, developed as an administrative centre during the Qajar era, when the S…

Tarhuna

This working Libyan port town viewed across a wide blue bay, with low-rise buildings spreading along the waterfront and arid upland terrain rising behind, of…

Buea

Sitting at the foot of Mount Cameroon, an active volcano, Buea is the capital of Cameroon's Southwest Region and a city with a visible colonial past — it ser…

Ilirska Bistrica

This small town in southwestern Slovenia's Inner Carniola region, Ilirska Bistrica sits in the valley of the Reka river at the foot of the Snežnik massif, wi…

Urgut Shahri

A town at the foot of the Chaqilikalon mountains in southeastern Samarkand region, Urgut Shahri sits a short drive from Samarkand itself and is ringed by UNE…

Malloa

This small agricultural town in Chile's O'Higgins Region, Malloa sits among cultivated valley fields with a distinctive flag-topped hill rising above its low…

Haslev

This little railway town on the island of Zealand, southwest of Copenhagen, Haslev is the municipal seat of Faxe Kommune and home to a modest central shoppin…

Tab

Compact Hungarian market town in Somogy's rolling green countryside, with church spires rising above red-tile rooftops and Lake Balaton's resort coast within…

Quellon

This working port town at the southern tip of Chiloé Island, Quellón sits where the Panamerican Highway ends at the Pacific — a terminus marked by a plaque a…

Exaltación de la Cruz Partido

This quiet Buenos Aires Province town anchored by a stately two-story neoclassical civic building on a wide, tree-lined street, offering an authentic slice o…

Jaszbereny

Jászberény, often called the capital of the Jászság region, is a Hungarian market town whose history is bound up with the Jász people, who settled here aroun…

Uthai Thani

A riverside town in Thailand's upper central region, Uthai Thani sits on the bank of the Sakae Krang River, a few kilometres upstream from where it meets the…

Khorugh

This remote Pamir town serves as the administrative centre of Tajikistan's Gorno-Badakhshan Autonomous Region, sitting high in the mountains where the Gund R…

Maracanaú

A mid-sized city in Ceará's metropolitan Fortaleza region, Maracanaú shows a low-rise urban streetscape of wide avenues, colonial-style churches, tall palms,…

Balkh

Once called "a noble city and a great seat of learning" by Marco Polo, Balkh is one of the ancient world's most layered cities — known to the Persians as Zar…

Boulemane

Morocco's highest city sits in the Middle Atlas Mountains, surrounded by rivers, oak forests, and rugged terrain.

Koro

A busy market town in Mali's Bandiagara region, Koro draws visitors with its vivid open-air market scene set against striking Sudano-Sahelian mud-brick archi…

Keswick

This pocket-sized Lake District market town on the shores of Derwentwater, Keswick has been a holiday destination for more than 150 years and packs a strong…

Raub

This Pahang town sits in a valley between the Titiwangsa Range to the west and Gunung Benom to the east, making it a base for exploring mountain terrain in t…

Monte Caseros

This town in the south-east of Argentina's Corrientes province where three countries meet: Monte Caseros sits across the water from Bella Unión in Uruguay an…

Drama

This walkable town in northeastern Greece with a dense café and restaurant scene, Drama sits at the foot of Mount Falakro amid abundant natural springs that…

Jolo

A busy waterfront city and provincial capital in the Sulu archipelago, where traditional outrigger boats crowd the bay before a striking white mosque with a…

Taliparamba

Busy Kerala town in Kannur district where a lively commercial main street, a prominent mosque, and dense coconut-palm greenery stretching to low hills give i…

Izumisano

A Japanese city on Osaka Bay where a large Ferris wheel and high-rise towers define a busy commercial waterfront, with upland country nearby and UNESCO World…

Albuera

This coastal municipality on Leyte island, Albuera sits where the sea meets the edge of upland country, offering a waterfront setting and a glimpse into ever…

Saltpond

A Ghanaian coastal-region town where a twin-towered colonial-era cathedral rises above a dense canopy of palms and orange-roofed buildings, with fishing, tra…

Chipping Ongar

The "Chipping" in this small Essex market town's name derives from the Old English word for market, a lineage it shares with Chipping Campden, Chipping Norto…

Amfissa

Sitting between Mount Giona and Mount Parnassus at the edge of the Crissaean olive plain, Amfissa is the administrative seat of Phocis and a small Greek town…

Acarigua

Founded as San Miguel de Acarigua in 1620, this Venezuelan city in the northern Llanos region is considered the country's breadbasket, with the surrounding p…

Al Mayadin

A town on the Euphrates in eastern Syria's Deir ez-Zor Governorate, Al Mayadin sits on the site of the ancient settlement formerly known as al-Rahba, with th…

Akersberga

This waterside town in Stockholm County with a walkable centre full of cafés and restaurants, Åkersberga serves as the seat of Österåker Municipality in the…

Kazarman

A little town in Kyrgyzstan's Jalal-Abad region, Kazarman sits along the Naryn River in highland terrain and serves as the administrative centre of Toguz-Tor…

Lopburi

Lopburi is a historic Thai town northeast of Bangkok, known for its concentration of ancient monuments and ruins spread across a compact centre.

Køge

A seaport town on Køge Bay, a short S-train ride southwest of Copenhagen, with a walkable old centre dense with half-timbered houses.

Sunamganj

A riverside town in northeastern Bangladesh where wooden boats cross broad, calm waters backed by lush greenery and distant hills, offering an authentic glim…

Thurles

Thurles, in County Tipperary, is where the Gaelic Athletic Association was founded, and it serves as the seat of the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Cashel and…

Romny

Romny sits on a high plateau where the Sula and Romen rivers meet on three sides, giving this northern Ukrainian city an unusually water-defined setting.

Lesko

This small town on the San River in the Bieszczady mountains of south-eastern Poland, Lesko has a compact central core with cafés and restaurants and sits wi…

Puli

A mountain city in central Taiwan's Nantou County with an exceptionally dense café and restaurant scene and a notable concentration of historic churches in i…

Ladysmith

Ladysmith, now officially uMnambithi since 2024, sits on the Klip River in the mountain terrain of KwaZulu-Natal and carries one of South Africa's more drama…

Ranau

This town in Sabah on the Malaysian part of Borneo, Ranau sits close to mountains and within reach of water, with road connections to Kota Kinabalu and the e…

Huehuetenango

This highland city in western Guatemala and the last major settlement before the Mexican border at La Mesilla, Huehuetenango has a colonial past shaped by Me…

Jangheung

A county in South Jeolla Province with a walkable centre and a dense food-and-drink scene, Jangheung sits along the Tamjin River, which flows south through t…

Santa Rosa

Walkable town in Ecuador's El Oro province with a centre full of cafés and restaurants, Santa Rosa sits on the right bank of the river that shares its name,…

Vangaindrano

A compact town in Madagascar's southeastern Atsimo-Atsinanana region, where red-brick colonial-era buildings and corrugated-iron rooftops spread across a gen…

Oakengates

Compact English market town in Shropshire's upland country, Oakengates offers a lively high street of independent shops and eateries, Union Jack bunting over…

Manfredonia

Founded in the 13th century by Manfred of Sicily, son of Emperor Frederick II, this Apulian coastal town sits on the gulf that bears its name, at the souther…

Cecerleg

This highland town in central Mongolia serves as the capital of Arkhangai Province, set in the forested Khangai mountain range along the Tamir River.

Thisted

This modest harbour town on the Limfjord in northwestern Jutland, Thisted has a café and restaurant scene that punches above its size.

Niquero

Cuba's southernmost municipality, Niquero sits on the Gulf of Guacanayabo in Granma Province, with the Caribbean Sea shaping daily life in a town long define…

Stung Treng

This riverside town in northeastern Cambodia that serves as the provincial capital and a transit point on the route between Laos and the rest of the country.

Pinsk

Sometimes called the capital of Polesia, Pinsk is a Belarusian city at the confluence of the Pina and Pripyat rivers, in the historically marshy lowland regi…

Gabú

Gabú sits on the banks of the Campossa River in eastern Guinea-Bissau, serving as the regional capital and the country's second-largest city after Bissau.

Bodmin

A Cornish market town on the edge of Bodmin Moor, where substantial medieval and Victorian stone buildings — like the imposing civic hall visible here — line…

Bay St. Louis

A tiny Gulf Coast city in Mississippi with a walkable central core of cafés and restaurants, a heritage-dense streetscape of listed buildings, and direct acc…

Penja

A lively roadside market town in Cameroon's South-West Region, Penja buzzes with open-air fruit vendors, palm trees, and the energy of a busy trading hub set…

Summerside

Summerside sits on the Northumberland Strait in western Prince Edward Island, a heritage-dense modest city with a real café and restaurant scene and many his…

Guéret

This compact prefectural town in France's Creuse department, in the Nouvelle-Aquitaine region, offers a café and restaurant scene that punches above its size.

Franceville

Gabon's third-largest city, Franceville sits at the confluence of the Ogooué River and the Mpassa River in the country's southeast, a short drive from water…

Castanheira do Ribatejo

A little town on the Tagus in Portugal's wine-growing Ribatejo region, Castanheira do Ribatejo sits within the municipality of Vila Franca de Xira and has a…

Dera Bugti

Dera Bugti, a town in Pakistan's Balochistan province, is the historic seat of the Bugti tribe and became a separate district in 1983.

Batticaloa

A coastal city on Sri Lanka's Eastern Province, Batticaloa sits on an island within a lagoon and is known for its historic churches, lagoon scenery, and acce…

Kota Belud

Kota Belud, a pocket-sized town in Sabah's West Coast Division, is best known for its weekly open-air market — the tamu — held every Sunday, with a much larg…

Eunápolis

This sprawling inland city in southern Bahia, Eunápolis serves as a practical base for exploring the wider region's celebrated coastline and UNESCO-listed he…

Baishan

Prefecture-level city in southeastern Jilin Province, Baishan sits in the heart of the Changbai Mountain region, with the Yalu River forming its southern bor…

Rumonge

This lakeside town in southern Burundi, Rumonge sits directly on Lake Tanganyika near the point where Burundi, the Democratic Republic of Congo, and Tanzania…

Chillán

Founded by the Spanish in 1580, Chillán is a city in southern Chile's Ñuble Region with a walkable centre dense with cafés, restaurants, and churches, plus a…

Patzun

This Guatemalan highland town in Chimaltenango where a colonnaded yellow municipal building and a fountain plaza anchor daily life, surrounded by green hills…

Tog Wajaale

Tog Wajaale is a border town between Somaliland and Ethiopia that functions as the principal land crossing for goods moving in and out of Somaliland, includi…

Pruzhany

A town in Belarus's Brest Region where the Mukha River and the Vets Canal meet and the Mukhavets River rises, Pruzhany sits at a genuine confluence of waterw…

Klerksdorp

The oldest town in the western Transvaal, Klerksdorp served as the first capital of the Transvaal Republic and hosted the region's first stock exchange, grow…

Taza

Strategically placed in the corridor between the Rif and Middle Atlas mountains, Taza is one of Morocco's oldest cities and historically the key to controlli…

Leirvik

This tiny Norwegian town on the southern coast of Stord island sits along the Hardangerfjorden with mountain terrain as a backdrop, and carries a café and re…

Kakata

This lively West African town where a busy main road lined with low-rise buildings, roadside traders, and dense tropical greenery gives visitors a vivid stre…

Tine Biougra

This Moroccan town serves as the provincial capital of Chtouka Aït Baha in the Souss-Massa region, set within mountain views and a short drive from the coast…

Zubin Potok

A pocket-sized town in Kosovo's Mitrovica District set directly on the water, with mountains close by and UNESCO World Heritage sites in the wider region.

Mercedes

Mercedes, a town in Buenos Aires Province west of the capital, hosts three national food festivals — the Fiesta Nacional del Salame Quintero, the Fiesta Naci…

Dimitrovgrad

Founded in 1947 as a planned socialist model city, Dimitrovgrad is one of Bulgaria's few purpose-built communist-era towns, laid out along the Maritsa River…

Florida

Cuban town in Camagüey Province where early-twentieth-century neoclassical buildings like the colonnaded Hotel Unión line quiet streets, offering an authenti…

Comrat

A yellow-domed Orthodox cathedral anchors the manicured central park of Comrat, the compact capital of Moldova's autonomous Gagauzia region, offering a rare…

Chivilcoy

Recognized since 2016 as the provincial capital of theatre, Chivilcoy is a town in northern Buenos Aires Province credited with planting the founding seed of…

Chaiyaphum

A provincial capital in Thailand's northeast, Chaiyaphum centres on a broad civic square with a royal statue and traditional-roofed government buildings, off…

Taroudant

This walkable market city in southwestern Morocco's Sous region, Taroudant sits inland from Agadir on the road toward Ouarzazate, with a centre full of cafés…

Dharmanagar

Tripura's second-largest urban centre, Dharmanagar sits in the northernmost part of the state near the Bangladesh border, with the Juri River running through…

Dej

A Transylvanian town in Cluj County where the Someșul Mic and Someșul Mare rivers meet, Dej sits amid vineyards and within sight of mountains, with UNESCO Wo…

Buthidaung Town

A riverside town in Myanmar's Rakhine State where cycle rickshaws, roadside tea stalls under canvas awnings, and tree-lined streets give daily life a distinc…

Rezina

This little Moldovan town on the right bank of the Dniester River, Rezina is the administrative centre of its district and sits along the Orhei–Rîbnița route.

Ibanda

This busy hillside city in Uganda's Western Region, where colorful low-rise buildings climb densely forested slopes, a mosque minaret marks the lively commer…

Hòa Bình

A city in northern Vietnam near the Đà River, Hòa Bình is the provincial capital of Hòa Bình Province and sits close to the mountains southwest of Hanoi.

Chilecito

A tree-lined town in Argentina's La Rioja province, set in a valley between dramatic mountain ranges, with a large hilltop Christ statue visible above the ro…

Uacu Cungo

A small town on the Amboim plateau in Angola's Cuanza Sul Province, Uacu Cungo serves as the seat of Cela Municipality and holds a significant role in the co…

Develi

Workaday Turkish town in Kayseri province, with a busy central roundabout, street-level shops flying Turkish flags, and the dramatic snow-capped peak of Erci…

Juticalpa

This highland town in Honduras's Olancho Department sits in a broad river valley and serves as the commercial hub for the surrounding ranching and agricultur…

Bentong

Malaysian market town in western Pahang where shophouse-lined streets give way to forested hills on the horizon, making it a practical and atmospheric base f…

Baidoa

Sprawling low-rise city in Somalia's Bay region, its busy open-air market and colorful pastel buildings spread across flat semi-arid terrain, serving as the…

Kataragama

Multi-faith pilgrimage town in Sri Lanka's southeastern jungle, Kataragama draws Buddhists, Hindus, and indigenous Vedda people to the Kataragama temple — a…

Tirur

Tirur, a trading town on the Malabar coast of Kerala, is known as the birthplace of Thunchath Ezhuthachan, the poet regarded as the father of the Malayalam l…

Kouroussa

This town in Guinea's Haute-Guinée region, close to water and upland country, where a broad market square shaded by a massive ancient tree anchors local life…

Migori

This busy Kenyan market town set among green, tree-covered hills, where a lively main street draws crowds of traders and visitors, and the wider region offer…

Langogne

A small town in the Lozère department of southern France, Langogne sits in the valley of the Allier river at a historic crossroads between the Auvergne, the…

Ostashkov

A walkable town on a peninsula jutting into Lake Seliger in Tver Oblast, Russia, with a centre that offers cafés and restaurants within easy reach of the water.

Nong Bua Lamphu

This Thai provincial town in the northeast, where boldly decorated Buddhist shrines — like this vivid red, white, and gold temple pavilion — anchor daily lif…

Kamakwie

A little district capital in Sierra Leone's North West Province, Kamakwie offers a lively red-dirt market street framed by dense tropical forest, with a reli…

Kula

A compact Bulgarian border town where substantial Roman ruins — including a striking twin-towered gateway still standing against open sky — offer an atmosphe…

Santa Rosa

Founded in 1892 on the shore of Don Tomás Lagoon in the Argentine Pampas, Santa Rosa is the provincial capital of La Pampa and one of the smallest provincial…

Shchūchīnsk

This northern-central Kazakhstan town sits on Lake Shchuchye, with mountains visible from the surrounding area, and serves as a base for the Burabay resort r…

La Serena

Founded in 1544, La Serena is Chile's second oldest city, a Pacific-coast destination in the country's north known for its Spanish neocolonial architecture —…

Iitti

A pocket-sized Finnish municipality in Päijät-Häme where the Kymi River runs through lake-dotted terrain, Iitti is home to the Kymi Ring motor sport centre a…

Kırklareli

The provincial capital of Kırklareli sits in Eastern Thrace, close to the Bulgarian border in the European part of Turkey, with a walkable centre well suppli…

Ikalamavony