Family adventure getaways, around the world.
Hike, paddle, climb — somewhere the kids will tell people about.
Vogogna
This photogenic village in the Val d'Ossola, Piedmont, sits at the water's edge with mountain terrain rising behind it, partly within the Val Grande National…
Wallace
Photogenic pocket-sized city in Idaho's Silver Valley mining district, Wallace sits alongside the South Fork of the Coeur d'Alene River and carries a notable…
Abondance
Abondance, a tiny Alpine village in Haute-Savoie just south of Lake Geneva, lends its name to both a regional cheese and the breed of cattle whose milk produ…
Pacentro
This particularly photogenic medieval village in Abruzzo's Maiella National Park, Pacentro sits a short distance from Sulmona and holds a concentration of hi…
Revelstoke
This compact city in southeastern British Columbia where the Columbia River meets the Illecillewaet, Revelstoke sits at the foot of the Selkirk Mountains wit…
Aberdyfi
A photogenic Welsh village on the Dyfi estuary, Aberdyfi sits within Snowdonia National Park and draws golfers, sailors, and watersports enthusiasts to its w…
Modane
Compact town in the Maurienne Valley of Savoie, Modane sits within the Vanoise National Park close to the Italian border, with mountain scenery on all sides…
Kastelruth
Photogenic village in the South Tyrolean Dolomites, Kastelruth sits at around 1,000 metres elevation near the Seiser Alm alpine meadow and is a recognised me…
Oamaru
Victorian buildings cut from fine white local limestone give Oamaru a distinctive streetscape, and the town also sits beside penguin colonies on the South Is…
Cauterets
This spa town and ski resort in the French Pyrenees, Cauterets sits along the Gave de Pau river within the Pyrénées National Park, surrounded by mountain sce…
Belluno
A walkable town in the Veneto where the Ardo stream meets the Piave river, Belluno sits at the gateway to the Eastern Dolomites — a UNESCO-listed landscape s…
Zahara de la Sierra
A white-walled Andalusian village in the Sierra de Grazalema natural park, Zahara de la Sierra sits above the Embalse de Zahara reservoir with panoramic view…
Niort
Walkable town in western France's Deux-Sèvres department, Niort sits on the Sèvre Niortaise river and serves as the eastern gateway to the Marais Poitevin re…
Vieste
Particularly photogenic coastal town on the Gargano peninsula in Puglia, Vieste sits within the Gargano National Park and has earned repeated Blue Flag recog…
Porthmadog
This pocket-sized coastal town in Gwynedd, Wales, Porthmadog grew in the 19th century as a slate port on the Glaslyn estuary, and its surviving wharves now s…
Litochoro
The main gateway to climbing Mount Olympus, Litochoro sits at the base of Greece's highest mountain on the western shore of the Thermaic Gulf, with nearly al…
Saint-Lary-Soulan
This dual-season mountain resort village in the Hautes-Pyrénées, Saint-Lary-Soulan draws skiers in winter to its slopes at Pla d'Adet and Espiaube, and hiker…
Blanes
A beach town on the Costa Brava marking the southern gateway to that stretch of Catalan coastline, Blanes sits where mountains meet the Mediterranean, with c…
Tywyn
Home to the Talyllyn Railway and the Cadfan Stone — an early medieval cross bearing the oldest known written Welsh — this small seaside town sits on the Card…
Argegno
This tiny Lake Como village on the western shore sits where the River Telo meets the lake, and the waters just offshore mark the deepest point of any lake in…
Sanok
Historic town on the San River in southeastern Poland, Sanok holds a refurbished castle, an open-air Museum of Folk Architecture, and a walkable Old Town wit…
Henningsvær
Little fishing village on several islands off the Lofoten archipelago in northern Norway, Henningsvær is known for its traditional fishing architecture and a…
Santa Lucia del Mela
This densely built hilltop town in Sicily's Messina province, its stone houses climbing toward a medieval fortress above tree-covered slopes, with surroundin…
Capileira
High in the Sierra Nevada, Capileira is the uppermost village in the Poqueira Gorge and the highest point public traffic can reach on the road toward Mulhacé…
Děčín
Sitting at the confluence of the Elbe and Ploučnice rivers in North Bohemia, Děčín is a photogenic Czech town with a walkable centre, a castle, and a zoo, ri…
Amatrice
This village in Lazio's Gran Sasso e Monti della Laga National Park, Amatrice carries a heritage-dense streetscape and an unusual concentration of churches f…
Merritt
Officially designated Canada's Country Music Capital, Merritt is a small city in British Columbia's Nicola Valley where the Nicola and Coldwater rivers meet.
Aussois
A pocket-sized ski and mountain village on the edge of the Vanoise National Park — France's first — in the Savoie department of the Alps, Aussois draws winte…
Nafpaktos
Known in the West as Lepanto, this modest Greek town on the north shore of the Gulf of Corinth was the site of the 1571 Battle of Lepanto, the decisive Holy…
Norcia
Norcia, a small Umbrian town on the edge of the Monti Sibillini mountains, is widely known across Italy for its cured meats and sausages — so much so that th…
Sète
This Mediterranean port town in southern France's Hérault department, Sète is built across canals between the sea and the Étang de Thau lagoon, climbing up t…
Busteni
A popular year-round mountain resort in Romania's Prahova Valley, Bușteni sits at the foot of the Bucegi Mountains and serves as the main gateway into that r…
Bardonecchia
This small mountain town in Piedmont's upper Susa Valley, Bardonecchia is a winter sports base with two ski areas — Colomion-Les Arnauds-Melezet and Jafferau…
Borkum
Germany's largest East Frisian Island by area, Borkum sits in the Wadden Sea off Lower Saxony and has built its economy almost entirely around tourism since…
Landeck
Small Tyrolean city at the confluence of mountain rivers in Austria's Upper Inn Valley, Landeck sits at the gateway to one of the country's most tourism-inte…
Santa Maria Maggiore
This modest mountain village in Valle Vigezzo, Piedmont, Santa Maria Maggiore sits on the narrow-gauge Vigezzina railway that runs through the Italian Alps b…
Baiersbronn
Baiersbronn, a town in Germany's Black Forest, holds an outsized reputation for haute cuisine — accumulating eight Michelin stars across its restaurants, a c…
Coxen Hole
Coxen Hole is the main town and administrative capital of Roatán, Honduras's largest Bay Island, set on an ancient coral reef rising well above sea level in…
Scanno
A modest Abruzzo village with a strong photographic reputation, Scanno sits beside a lake in the mountains of the L'Aquila province, partly within the bounda…
Ellmau
This year-round resort village in the Wilder Kaiser mountains of Tyrol, Ellmau sits within the Ski Welt skiing area and offers hiking, mountain biking, and c…
Ornans
Birthplace of the painter Gustave Courbet, this little town in the Doubs department sits along the Loue river in the Jura massif, its house facades rising di…
Fivizzano
A little Tuscan comune in Massa-Carrara with an unusually dense cluster of churches and cafés for its size, Fivizzano sits within territory shared between tw…
Matalascañas
A coastal resort village on Spain's longest beach, Matalascañas sits at the edge of Doñana National Park in Huelva province, with fine golden sand, mobile du…
Saint-Etienne-de-Baigorry
This little Basque village in the Pyrénées-Atlantiques sitting on the Nive des Aldudes river, Saint-Étienne-de-Baïgorry is the main gateway to the Aldudes va…
Arcidosso
This small Tuscan village on the slopes of Monte Amiata, Arcidosso draws visitors year-round with access to skiing in winter and mountain trails in summer, a…
Loebau
A compact town in eastern Saxony's Upper Lusatia region, Löbau sits at the foot of the Löbauer Berg, a volcanic hill that offers scenic viewpoints over the s…
Gavarnie
This small Pyrenean hamlet in the Hautes-Pyrénées is the gateway to the Cirque de Gavarnie, a massive glacial cirque and UNESCO World Heritage Site that also…
Civita
Founded in the 15th century by Albanian refugees fleeing the Ottoman invasion, Civita is a hill village in Calabria's Pollino National Park whose Albanian-or…
Cromwell
Small Central Otago town on the shore of Lake Dunstan, Cromwell sits at the heart of New Zealand's Central Otago wine region and is surrounded by orchards kn…
Florac
This modest riverside village in the Lozère department of southern France, Florac sits at the heart of the Cévennes National Park — whose headquarters are ba…
Pescocostanzo
This photogenic village in Abruzzo's Maiella National Park, Pescocostanzo has an unusual concentration of historic churches and a pocket-sized but real café…
Mittenwald
Violin-making has defined Mittenwald for centuries, and this small Bavarian Alpine town near the Austrian border carries that tradition alongside dramatic mo…
Mazamet
Tiny town in southern France's Tarn department at the foot of the Montagne Noire massif, Mazamet sits within the Haut-Languedoc regional nature park, roughly…
Pescasseroli
Mountain village in Abruzzo and the main base for the Abruzzo, Lazio and Molise National Park, Pescasseroli draws visitors year-round as both a summer and wi…
Coyhaique
The main city of Chilean Patagonia's Aysén Region, Coyhaique sits at the confluence of the Simpson and Coyhaique rivers, ringed by dramatic mountain scenery…
Arinsal
This tiny Andorran ski village high in the Pyrenees, Arinsal draws winter visitors with slopes suited to beginners and intermediates, and is particularly pop…
Gerace
This compact Calabrian hill village sits atop a vertical rock formation in the Aspromonte National Park, with views stretching to the coast and the town of L…
Dillenburg
Officially known as Oranienstadt Dillenburg, this Hessian town in central Germany sits on the Dill river in hilly terrain and carries a strong association wi…
Holmfirth
Best known as the filming location for the BBC sitcom Last of the Summer Wine, which ran from 1973 to 2010, Holmfirth is a stone-built West Yorkshire town in…
Artvin
A compact town in northeastern Turkey's mountains, Artvin sits on a hill above the Çoruh River with a centre concentrated enough for easy walking between caf…
Maîche
Compact Jura upland town of red-tile rooftops and a prominent church, Maîche sits within a regional nature park near the Swiss border, offering forested hill…
Hanmer Springs
Hot-springs village in the Canterbury region of New Zealand's South Island, Hanmer Springs sits at the base of Conical Hill with mountain terrain on all side…
Bovec
This little mountain village in northwestern Slovenia, Bovec sits on the Soča river at the base of a bowl of peaks including Rombon, Polovnik, and the Kanin…
Valle de Bravo
A lakeside town in the State of Mexico, Valle de Bravo sits on the shore of Lake Avándaro — a reservoir created in 1947 — with a walkable colonial centre ful…
Pelhrimov
Pelhřimov, in the Vysočina Region of Czechia, is known as the city of records and curiosities, hosting an annual International Festival of Records and Curios…
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…
Peschici
This small coastal town on the Gargano promontory in Puglia, Peschici sits within the Gargano National Park and has built a reputation as a seaside resort si…
Sumperk
A walkable town in northern Moravia on the Desná river, at the southwestern edge of the Jeseníky mountains, Šumperk serves as a regional gateway to the surro…
Miedzyzdroje
A Baltic seaside resort on Wolin Island in northwestern Poland, Międzyzdroje sits between wide sandy beaches backed by high cliffs and the forests of Wolińsk…
San Romano in Garfagnana
Pocket-sized Tuscan village in the Garfagnana, San Romano sits within the Tuscan-Emilian Apennine National Park and offers a surprising number of churches an…
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…
Morteau
Morteau, a small town in the Doubs department of eastern France's Jura massif, is known nationally for its smoked sausage, the saucisse de Morteau, and has a…
Gravina in Puglia
Gravina in Puglia is a southern Italian town in the Bari metropolitan area whose name comes from the deep limestone canyons — gravine — that cut through its…
Healesville
A pocket-sized town on the Watts River in Victoria's Yarra Valley wine region, about an hour's drive from Melbourne, Healesville has a café and restaurant sc…
Machynlleth
Machynlleth, a compact market town in the Dyfi Valley in Powys, Wales, claims the title of "ancient capital of Wales" as the seat of Owain Glyndŵr's Welsh Pa…
Garessio
This pocket-sized Piedmontese village in the Ligurian Alps known for its mineral water, Aqua San Bernardo, which drew spa visitors at the turn of the twentie…
Gap
France's highest prefecture sits in a mountain valley in the southern Alps, with a walkable centre that supports a dense food-and-drink scene and access to s…
Florina
A walkable town in the wooded highlands of Western Macedonia, Florina sits alongside the Sakoulevas River, whose banks are lined with listed buildings and ca…
Isola del Gran Sasso d'Italia
A little village in Abruzzo's Gran Sasso e Monti della Laga National Park, at the foot of the Gran Sasso — the highest peak in the Apennine chain — with a ha…
Tsaghkadzor
Armenia's main ski resort sits on the eastern slopes of Mount Teghenis, a short drive northeast of Yerevan, and draws visitors year-round with forested mount…
Munising
Sitting on the southern shore of Lake Superior in Michigan's Upper Peninsula, Munising is the western gateway to Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore, with scen…
Bédarieux
This tiny town in southern France's Hérault department where the Orb river runs through the centre, Bédarieux sits within the Haut-Languedoc Regional Nature…
Borgarnes
A modest Icelandic town on a peninsula at the edge of Borgarfjörður, Borgarnes serves as a gateway to Snaefellsnes National Park and a stopping point on the…
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.
Halberstadt
Since 2001, the church of Sankt Burchardi in Halberstadt has been the site of a performance of John Cage's ORGAN²/ASLSP — a piece designed to last 639 years,…
Thiviers
A compact stone-built town in the Dordogne, with a tall church tower rising above terracotta rooftops, serving as a gateway to the Périgord-Limousin regional…
Tsumago
Restored to its Edo-period appearance as the forty-second post town on the Nakasendō highway between Tokyo and Kyoto, Tsumago is a modest hamlet in Nagano Pr…
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,…
Erice
Sitting on the summit of Monte Erice above Trapani in western Sicily, this medieval hilltop village retains its ancient Elymian-Punic fortifications, cobbled…
Karpacz
A ski resort and hiking base in Poland's Karkonosze Mountains, Karpacz sits below the range's highest peak and serves as the most established resort town on…
Saint-Girons
This compact town on the Salat river in southwestern France's Ariège department, Saint-Girons sits within the Pyrenées ariégeoises regional nature park and s…
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…
Schiermonnikoog
The smallest municipality in the Netherlands by population, Schiermonnikoog is a car-free island village in the Wadden Sea, part of the West Frisian Islands…
Ohakune
Modest ski and tramping base on the southern edge of Tongariro National Park in New Zealand's North Island, Ohakune sits close to Mount Ruapehu's active volc…
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…
Cochamó
This compact town in Chile's Los Lagos Region where the Reloncaví estuary meets the Andes foothills, Cochamó is the gateway to a valley known for granite dom…
San Martín de los Andes
A lakeside town in Argentina's Patagonian Andes, San Martín de los Andes sits on the eastern shore of Lago Lácar with a walkable centre full of cafés and res…
Sortavala
Lakeside town on the northern shore of Lake Ladoga in Russia's Republic of Karelia, Sortavala sits close to the Finnish border and serves as a base for trips…
La Esperanza
La Esperanza, the capital of Honduras's Intibucá department, is known for having the coolest climate in the country and serves as the heart of the Ruta Lenca…
Visso
This small village in the Marche region of central Italy serves as the seat of Monti Sibillini National Park, placing it at the edge of mountain terrain with…
Saint-Valery-sur-Somme
This pocket-sized seaport and resort on the south bank of the Somme estuary, Saint-Valery-sur-Somme has medieval ramparts, a Gothic church, and a long waters…
Pontypridd
Sitting at the confluence of the Taff and Rhondda rivers in South Wales, Pontypridd is a walkable town with a café-filled centre, historic churches, and moun…
Villarrica
A lakeside town in Chile's Araucanía Region, Villarrica sits on the western shore of the lake that shares its name, with a walkable waterfront avenue offerin…
Torrey
Small Utah hamlet just outside Capitol Reef National Park, Torrey is unusually rich for its size with a genuine cluster of cafés and restaurants — making it…
Chepstow
Chepstow's clifftop castle, often cited as the oldest surviving stone castle in Britain, rises directly above the tidal River Wye in this small Welsh border…
Puerto Natales
The main gateway to Torres del Paine National Park, Puerto Natales sits on Última Esperanza Sound in Chilean Patagonia, with mountain views across the water…
Hot Springs
Hot Springs, Arkansas, built its identity around natural thermal springs that drew visitors for centuries before the federal government protected the area in…
Ruvo di Puglia
Ruvo di Puglia, a town on the Murge plateau in Apulia's Bari metropolitan area, holds the Jatta National Archaeological Museum, whose Hellenistic collection…
Futaleufu
A compact frontier town in Chilean Patagonia built around the Futaleufú River, widely regarded as one of the world's premier whitewater rafting rivers.
Gatlinburg
Gateway to Great Smoky Mountains National Park, this modest Tennessee resort town sits at the park's edge along U.S.
Meiringen
Meiringen, a small town in the Bernese Oberland, claims two distinct pieces of fame: the nearby Reichenbach Falls, where Arthur Conan Doyle staged the fictio…
Castiglione della Pescaia
A Tuscan seaside town in the Grossetan Maremma, Castiglione della Pescaia grew around a 12th-century medieval fortress and a large fishery — the latter givin…
Oil City
Oil City, in Venango County, Pennsylvania, sits at the bend of the Allegheny River where Oil Creek meets it — a setting that shaped one of the most consequen…
La Possession
This coastal town on Réunion's northwestern shore, La Possession sits between the island's capital Saint-Denis and Le Port, with the ocean on one side and th…
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.
Frostburg
A pocket-sized Appalachian college town in western Maryland, Frostburg sits along the historic National Road (US 40) and serves as the western terminus of th…
Kasaoka
A coastal city in Okayama Prefecture, Japan, Kasaoka is best known as a gateway to the Kasaoka Islands archipelago in the Seto Inland Sea — a group of more t…
Minerve
Minerve, a tiny hamlet in the Hérault that gives its name to the Minervois wine region, draws well over 300,000 visitors a year to its dramatic gorges, natur…
Omak
A small city on the Okanogan River in north-central Washington, Omak serves as the gateway to the Okanogan–Wenatchee National Forest and sits within reach of…
Sovata
Spa town in Transylvania's Mureș County, Sovata sits on the upper course of the Târnava Mică river and draws visitors to its thermal resort facilities.
Lovech
This town in north-central Bulgaria on the river Osam, Lovech has a compact centre with cafés and restaurants, a collection of preserved 19th-century buildin…
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.
Leamington
A town on the southern shore of Lake Erie in Ontario, Leamington is home to Point Pelee National Park, the southernmost point of mainland Canada, and has lon…
Saint-Chamond
A former industrial town in the Loire department of central France, Saint-Chamond built its 19th-century prosperity on lace-making and steelworks, and is ass…
Bayfield
Sitting on the shore of Lake Superior in Wisconsin, this tiny city serves as the gateway to the Apostle Islands and draws visitors with waterfront access, sc…
Spiekeroog
A car-free East Frisian Island in the North Sea off Lower Saxony, Spiekeroog sits within the Wadden Sea UNESCO World Heritage Site and the Lower Saxon Wadden…
Blaenau Ffestiniog
Slate-mining heritage defines this small Welsh town in Gwynedd, where the Ffestiniog Railway — a historic narrow-gauge line — and the Llechwedd Slate Caverns…
Orebic
Compact port town on the Pelješac peninsula in Dalmatia, Orebić sits directly across a narrow strait from the island of Korčula, with frequent ferry crossing…
Bagnères-de-Luchon
This Pyrenean spa town in Haute-Garonne, Bagnères-de-Luchon — commonly called Luchon — combines thermal baths with a ski area at Luchon-Superbagnères, reacha…
Papingo
Two small villages — Megalo Papingo and Mikro Papingo — sit at the base of Mount Radovoli in the Vikos–Aoös National Park, in the Zagori region of Epirus.
Rurrenabaque
This gateway town on the Beni River in Bolivia's Amazon Basin, Rurrenabaque — known locally as "Rurre" — sits close to Madidi National Park and the Pampas de…
Cuetzalan
Founded by Franciscan friars in 1547, Cuetzalan is a colonial highland town in the hills of northern Puebla state, with steep cobblestone streets lined by wh…
Belogradchik
Compact Bulgarian town in the foothills of the Balkan Mountains, Belogradchik is known for the dramatic rock formations that surround it and the historic for…
Si Satchanalai
Si Satchanalai, in the northern part of Thailand's Sukhothai province, is home to a historical park and a national park, with the wider region recognised as…
Marfa
This modest high-desert city in far west Texas that has become a major center for minimalist art, with the Chinati Foundation and Building 98 among its main…
Santa Rosa de Copán
This highland town in western Honduras whose cobblestone centre — declared a national monument in 1991 — preserves Republican and Neoclassical architecture r…
Daimiel
Wine-country town in the La Mancha region of Ciudad Real, Daimiel has a compact centre with a concentration of cafés and restaurants and sits close to the Ta…
Majdal Shams
Majdal Shams is the highest-elevation town in Israel, sitting in the southern foothills of Mount Hermon near the Syrian and Lebanese borders.
Ghandruk
A pocket-sized Gurung village in Nepal's Annapurna region, Ghandruk sits at high elevation with direct views of Annapurna South, Machapuchare (Fishtail Mount…
Sigulda
A resort town on the Gauja river valley, Sigulda sits just over an hour from Riga by train and packs a striking amount into a little area: three castles, for…
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…
Chaitén
A small Chilean town on the Gulf of Corcovado that serves as a gateway to the Carretera Austral and a hub for ferry services to Chiloé and Puerto Montt, Chai…
Samaipata
A small Bolivian town in the Andean foothills with a notably dense café and restaurant scene for its size, Samaipata sits at a comfortable mid-altitude eleva…
Spišská Nová Ves
A walkable town on the Hornád River in Slovakia's Spiš region, with a food-and-drink scene concentrated in its centre and easy access to Slovak Paradise Nati…
Khe Sanh
Khe Sanh is best known as the site of one of the Vietnam War's most intense engagements: the 1968 Battle of Khe Sanh, which the Vietnamese have compared to Đ…
Arcen
This pocket-sized village on the river Maas in Dutch Limburg, Arcen draws visitors to its historic castle and the nationally known gardens on its grounds, as…
Nonsan
South Korea's largest strawberry-producing city, Nonsan in South Chungcheong Province also draws visitors for the Goryeo-era Gwanchoksa temple, which houses…
Kampot
Kampot, a riverside town in southern Cambodia, is known across the country for its pepper — grown on nearby farms and exported worldwide — as well as for its…
Norrtaelje
This walkable waterfront town in northern Stockholm County, Norrtälje sits at the inner end of its own bay and serves as the gateway to the northern Stockhol…
Esquel
Patagonian town in northwest Chubut Province, Esquel is the home station of La Trochita, the historic narrow-gauge railway known in English as the Old Patago…
Punta del Diablo
Little Atlantic-coast village in Uruguay's Rocha department, Punta del Diablo draws a summer crowd far larger than its year-round population of fishermen and…
Hofn
A modest fishing town in southeastern Iceland, Höfn sits beside Hornafjörður fjord with close views of Vatnajökull, Europe's largest glacier by volume.
Sysmä
On the eastern shore of Lake Päijänne, roughly midway between Jyväskylä and Lahti, Sysmä is a little Finnish lakeside town that draws a large summer populati…
Olmué
Home to La Campana National Park, a UNESCO World Biosphere Reserve, and the Festival del Huaso de Olmué — a televised folk-music competition drawing national…
Wonthaggi
A former coal-mining town on Victoria's Bass Coast, Wonthaggi has a café and restaurant scene that punches above its weight for a modest town.
Augustów
This lakeside resort town in north-eastern Poland's Podlaskie Voivodeship, Augustów sits on the Netta River and the Augustów Canal and has held official heal…
Debar
This western North Macedonia town on the shore of Lake Debar — an artificial lake formed where the Black Drin and Radika rivers meet — and a southern gateway…
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…
Chamarel
A small village in the mountains of Mauritius's Rivière Noire District, Chamarel draws visitors to the Seven Coloured Earths, the Chamarel Falls, and the Bla…
Itea
Small waterfront town in Phocis, southeastern Greece, Itea sits on the Gulf of Corinth with a café and restaurant scene that is well stocked for its size.
Kataragama
Multi-faith pilgrimage town in Sri Lanka's southeastern jungle, Kataragama draws Buddhists, Hindus, and indigenous Vedda people to the Kataragama temple — a…
Saarijärvi
A little town in Central Finland's lake district, Saarijärvi sits among 241 lakes — including Pyhäjärvi, Summanen, and Lake Saarijärvi itself — with forests…
Saidia
One of Morocco's longest stretches of Mediterranean beach runs through Saidia, a small coastal town in the country's northeast, where golden sand and a mild…
Pointe-à-Pitre
Guadeloupe's economic capital, Pointe-à-Pitre sits on the water with a walkable centre full of cafés and restaurants.
Tiszafuered
The main hub of the Lake Tisza region in central Hungary, Tiszafüred sits directly on the water and serves as a base for recreational activities including wa…
Sodankylä
Sodankylä, a small town in Finnish Lapland, has hosted the Midnight Sun Film Festival since 1986, drawing international attention to this remote northern mun…
Badulla
This highland town in Sri Lanka's central hills serves as the capital of Uva Province and sits along the Badulla Oya river, ringed by the Namunukula mountain…
Barcs
A compact Hungarian border town on the Drava River in Somogy County, Barcs sits at the edge of the Duna-Dráva National Park, which shelters a range of rare p…
Ikaalinen
This pocket-sized Finnish town in the Pirkanmaa region, Ikaalinen is known for its lakeside spa on Lake Kyrösjärvi, the long-running Sata-Häme Soi folk music…
Ratnapura
Ratnapura — whose name translates as "City of Gems" — has been the centre of Sri Lanka's precious stone trade for centuries, with rubies, sapphires, and othe…
San Ignacio de Velasco
This town in eastern Bolivia's Santa Cruz department that has developed into a regional tourism hub, with a compact centre holding cafés and restaurants with…
Kep
Kep, on Cambodia's southern coast, is known for its collection of abandoned French colonial villas — left empty when the Khmer Rouge period drove out the cou…
Hikkaduwa
Beach town on Sri Lanka's southwest coast, Hikkaduwa stretches along the Indian Ocean across several distinct areas, from a busy tourist hub to quieter resid…
Pachmarhi
Madhya Pradesh's only hill station, Pachmarhi sits high in the Satpura Range and has drawn visitors since 1857, when the British established it as a sanatori…
Salgotarjan
This county-seat town in the forested hills of north-eastern Hungary, Salgótarján sits within the Novohrad-Nógrád UNESCO Global Geopark and offers access to…
Shinshiro
A low-rise Japanese town in Aichi Prefecture's forested upland country, where a modern civic centre with distinctive wooden barrel features anchors a spread-…
Apaneca
Tiny mountain town in El Salvador's Ahuachapán department, Apaneca sits in highland terrain near two volcanoes and draws outdoor activity with forests, hikin…
Gapyeong County
This county in Gyeonggi Province known across South Korea for its pine nuts and Nami Island, Gapyeong draws weekend visitors from Seoul into mountainous terr…
Palanga
Lithuania's busiest summer resort sits on the Baltic Sea coast, backed by sand dunes and fronted by a wide sandy beach stretching for many kilometres.
Slunj
Modest Croatian town where the Korana and Slunjčica rivers meet in mountain terrain, Slunj sits on the main route between Karlovac and Plitvice Lakes Nationa…
Puerto Baquerizo Moreno
The capital of Ecuador's Galápagos Province, Puerto Baquerizo Moreno sits on the southwestern coast of San Cristóbal, the archipelago's easternmost island, w…