Food scenes & café towns, around the world.

Grund

A river-level quarter of Luxembourg City where a stone bridge crosses calm water below a dramatically lit old town rising on rocky cliffs, with cafés, church…

Foix

The castle of the Counts of Foix, classified as a historic monument since 1840, rises on a rock above this modest medieval town at the foot of the Pyrenees i…

Bra

Birthplace of Carlo Petrini, founder of the Slow Food movement, Bra is a gastronomically focused town in Piedmont's Roero area whose main claim to fame exten…

Morcote

This photogenic village on the shore of Lake Lugano in Switzerland's Ticino canton, Morcote pairs its waterfront arcades and Renaissance church with a monume…

Mayrhofen

This well-known ski resort in Austria's Zillertal, Mayrhofen sits in the Ziller river valley in Tyrol and serves as the main base for alpine skiing across th…

Gaeta

A seaside town on a promontory between Rome and Naples, Gaeta combines sandy beaches on its western coast with a layered military history — its walls date to…

Kamnik

Modest Slovenian town at the foot of the Kamnik Alps, Kamnik has three castles, many historic churches, and a café and restaurant scene that punches above it…

Banyuls-sur-Mer

Banyuls-sur-Mer gives its name to the surrounding wine region and sits on a bay at the southern end of France's Mediterranean coast, making it the country's…

Tollegno

A compact Piedmontese village of terracotta rooftops and a prominent stone bell tower, Tollegno sits in a forested valley near Biella, offering a lively café…

Imst

Heritage-dense modest town on the River Inn in western Tyrol, Imst sits close to the mountains with scenic viewpoints in the surrounding area and a café and…

Moustiers-Sainte-Marie

Village in the Alpes-de-Haute-Provence with an unusual density of cafés and restaurants for its size, Moustiers-Sainte-Marie sits against a rocky escarpment…

Pitigliano

Known as "the little Jerusalem" for its historic Jewish community and working synagogue, Pitigliano is a small Tuscan hill town in the province of Grosseto s…

Pomorie

This compact seaside town on a narrow rocky peninsula in Burgas Bay, Pomorie sits right on the Black Sea and is known for its deposits of healing mud and anc…

Figeac

Tiny town on the Célé river in France's Lot department, Figeac draws summer visitors in numbers that have earned it the "Grand Site d'Occitanie" label, along…

Varenna

Sitting directly on the eastern shore of Lake Como in Lombardy, Varenna is a modest lakeside village with a heritage-dense centre of medieval churches, histo…

Pasaia

A working port town on the Bay of Pasaia in Spain's Basque Country, spread across four distinct districts around a natural harbour where the Oyarzun river me…

Porto de Mos

Porto de Mós, a small town in Portugal's Leiria region, sits at the edge of the Serras de Aire e Candeeiros Natural Park, with scenic surroundings, vineyards…

Sondrio

Walkable wine-country town at the heart of the Valtellina valley in Lombardy, Sondrio serves as the provincial capital and was named Alpine Town of the Year…

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…

Veere

This little historic town on the former island of Walcheren in Zeeland sits along the Kanaal door Walcheren and the Veerse Meer, with a waterfront setting, a…

Massa Marittima

Small Tuscan hill town in the Metalliferous Hills of Grosseto, Massa Marittima sits at the centre of a mining region historically rich in iron, mercury, copp…

Bright

This pocket-sized mountain town in northeastern Victoria with an unusually dense café and restaurant scene for its size, Bright sits at the southeastern end…

Gérardmer

Sitting directly on its own lake in the Vosges mountains of northeastern France, Gérardmer is a compact town with a café and restaurant scene that would suit…

Sansepolcro

Birthplace of the Renaissance painter Piero della Francesca and the mathematician Luca Pacioli, Sansepolcro is a compact Tuscan town on the upper Tiber, near…

Sangerhausen

Town in Saxony-Anhalt at the southeastern edge of the Harz mountains, Sangerhausen served for several centuries as a centre of non-ferrous metal mining — cop…

Calvi

This small Corsican town on the northwest coast with a waterfront setting, a café and restaurant scene that outpaces the town's size, and scenic viewpoints a…

Bosa

Sitting on the north bank of the Temo River — the only river-built town on Sardinia — Bosa is a little Sardinian settlement with a strong café and restaurant…

Owase

A compact Japanese port town where densely packed low-rise streets meet a working harbour, backed dramatically by steep, forest-covered mountains that drop a…

Corte

Corte served as the capital of independent Corsica under Pascal Paoli between 1755 and 1769, and the town still carries that history at its centre — the cita…

Alassio

A sandy-beached resort town on the Italian Riviera in Liguria, Alassio draws visitors year-round — as a bathing destination in summer and a health resort in…

Kronach

Birthplace of the Renaissance painter Lucas Cranach the Elder, Kronach is a town in Upper Franconia where three rivers meet at the edge of the Franconian For…

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…

Susa

This little town in the Susa Valley west of Turin, at the foot of the Cottian Alps, with a concentration of Roman and medieval monuments that reflects its an…

Annaberg-Buchholz

A mountain town in Saxony's Ore Mountains whose historic old town has been part of a UNESCO World Heritage site since 2019, alongside the surrounding histori…

Joigny

A tiny wine-country town on the river Yonne in Bourgogne-Franche-Comté, Joigny has a medieval old town that has earned the Pays d'art et d'histoire designati…

Sutri

Sutri's ancient remains — a Roman amphitheatre carved directly into tuff rock, an Etruscan necropolis of rock-cut tombs, and a Mithraeum embedded in the cryp…

Crested Butte

A compact Colorado mountain town spread across a snow-covered valley, with a dramatic peak rising directly behind it, a lively café and dining scene well abo…

Montargis

Laced with canals and bridges along the Loing and several other waterways, Montargis is a walkable town in the Loiret that markets itself as the "Venice of t…

Pella

Sitting on the western shore of Lake Orta in Piedmont, this compact village in the Province of Novara offers waterfront views, mountain country close by, and…

Scuol

This mountain village in Switzerland's Lower Engadin valley serves as the main tourist hub for the region, sitting alongside the water with scenic surrounds…

Srodmiescie

Broad pedestrian boulevard lined with ornate Hanseatic-style facades and a soaring red-brick clock tower forms the walkable heart of Gdańsk, Poland's Baltic…

Brunate

Known as the "Balcony on the Alps," this compact village above Lake Como offers panoramic views stretching across the western Alpine arc, the Po Plain, and t…

Bad Neustadt an der Saale

This walkable Bavarian spa town where the Franconian Saale and Brend rivers meet, Bad Neustadt an der Saale has a centre with several historic churches, café…

Alcobaça

The Monastery of Alcobaça, built on the orders of Portugal's first king to mark the 1147 Conquest of Santarém from the Moors, is one of the country's great G…

Ivrea

Ivrea earned UNESCO World Heritage status in 2018 for its mid-20th-century Olivetti complex — factories, headquarters, and surrounding modernist buildings th…

Auch

This walkable Gascon town in southwestern France's Gers department, Auch sits on the River Gers and is known for its gastronomic scene, its cathedral, and a…

Wattens

Wattens, a little market town in Tyrol's Innsbruck-Land district, is best known as the home of Swarovski, the Austrian crystal glass company.

Ostuni

Widely known as "the White Town" for its whitewashed houses and medieval walls, Ostuni is a walkable Apulian hill town in the province of Brindisi with a den…

Beaune

Widely regarded as the wine capital of Burgundy, Beaune is a walled town in eastern France whose historic centre holds the cellars and facilities of wine pro…

Hluboka nad Vltavou

Hluboká Castle draws visitors to this little South Bohemian town on the Vltava river, a short distance north of České Budějovice.

Thiene

This walkable Veneto town in the province of Vicenza, Thiene sits close to the mountains and within reach of the wine country that defines much of the surrou…

Küssnacht

Sitting on the north shore of Lake Lucerne at the foot of Mount Rigi, Küssnacht is a pocket-sized Swiss town with a café and restaurant scene that outpaces t…

Westerlo

Belgian town in Antwerp province where a grand red-brick civic building with ornate stepped gables and onion-domed towers anchors a green, walkable centre wi…

Pontremoli

A heritage-dense tiny town in Tuscany's northernmost corner, Pontremoli sits on the Magra river — its name meaning "Trembling Bridge," after a prominent cros…

Sartène

A small sub-prefecture in southern Corsica's Corse-du-Sud department, Sartène is an inland granite town with valley views and a café and restaurant scene str…

Llanes

Little coastal town on Asturias's eastern Costa Verde, Llanes sits between the Cantabrian Sea and the limestone ridge of the Sierra del Cuera, with the Picos…

Varazze

Small Ligurian town on the Riviera di Ponente with a seafront position, a strong café and restaurant scene, and an unusual concentration of churches for its…

Le Puy-en-Velay

One of the principal starting points for the pilgrimage route to Santiago de Compostela, Le Puy-en-Velay is a heritage-dense town in south-central France's A…

Castropol

This small Asturian village sits on the Eo estuary where Asturias meets Galicia, with waterfront views across to Ribadeo and a concentration of scenic viewpo…

Gallipoli

A historic town on the western coast of Salento in Apulia, Gallipoli is built around a limestone island connected to the newer mainland district by a 17th-ce…

Kazimierz Dolny

Photogenic little town on the Vistula river in eastern Poland, Kazimierz Dolny owes its Renaissance streetscape to a grain-trade boom in the 16th and early 1…

Copacabana

A small Bolivian town on the shore of Lake Titicaca, Copacabana draws visitors to its 17th-century Basilica of Our Lady of Copacabana — home to the image of…

Castel San Pietro Romano

Small hilltop village east of Rome recognised among Italy's most beautiful villages and, since 2019, named the most beautiful village in the Mediterranean —…

Priego de Córdoba

Known as the "city of water" for the many springs that rise around it, Priego de Córdoba is also celebrated as the jewel of Cordovan Baroque for its concentr…

Morlaix

Walkable Breton town in Finistère whose centre sits at the confluence of two rivers, Morlaix is defined by its 19th-century viaduct rising through the heart…

Sperlonga

This photogenic coastal town on the Tyrrhenian Sea, roughly midway between Rome and Naples, Sperlonga is best known for the ancient Roman sea grotto found wi…

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…

Torres Novas

This compact Portuguese town of whitewashed buildings and terracotta rooftops spreading across gentle hills, Torres Novas offers a walkable central square, a…

Kyparissia

This compact waterfront town on the northwestern Peloponnese, Kyparissia has a café and restaurant scene that punches above its size, an unusual density of c…

Pont-Audemer

This small Normandy town where tall half-timbered buildings line waterside streets, Pont-Audemer rewards a stroll with its well-preserved medieval architectu…

Lienz

A heritage-dense medieval town in East Tyrol, Austria, Lienz sits at the confluence of the Isel and Drau rivers with a well-preserved historic centre, an unu…

Castellammare del Golfo

A seafront town in Sicily's Trapani province, Castellammare del Golfo takes its name from the medieval fortress in its harbour — "Sea Fortress on the Gulf" —…

Ax-les-Thermes

Thermal spa village in the Ariège Pyrenees with more than sixty hot springs, Ax-les-Thermes also operates a winter ski area — Ax 3 Domaines, established in D…

Wasserburg am Inn

This modest Bavarian town whose historic centre occupies a peninsula formed by a loop of the river Inn, Wasserburg am Inn has a strong café and restaurant sc…

Lavagna

This compact Ligurian seafront town of terracotta rooftops and domed churches, Lavagna sits between the Ligurian Sea and a backdrop of green hills, with a li…

Bagnères-de-Bigorre

Spa town in the foothills of the French Pyrenees, Bagnères-de-Bigorre sits in the valley of the Adour river and offers a café and restaurant scene that holds…

Corning

This small city on the Chemung River in upstate New York, Corning is best known as the headquarters of Corning Incorporated, the Fortune 500 glass and cerami…

Borgosesia

A small town on the Sesia River in Piedmont's alpine Valsesia valley, Borgosesia has a café and restaurant scene and a concentration of churches that both ex…

Monção

Wine-country town on the southern bank of the Minho River, where Portugal meets Spain, Monção pairs a walkable centre with a dense food-and-drink scene and s…

Banská Štiavnica

This UNESCO World Heritage Site since 1993, Banská Štiavnica is a modest medieval mining town in central Slovakia set within the caldera of an ancient volcan…

Numana

This compact Adriatic village on the Conero Riviera in the Marche region, Numana sits directly on the water with vineyards nearby and scenic viewpoints along…

Jesenik

Home to the Priessnitz Medical Spa, founded in 1822 as the world's first hydrotherapy institute, Jeseník is a spa town in the Olomouc Region of Czechia, set…

Murat

Compact mountain town in the Cantal department of south-central France, Murat sits in volcanic highland terrain with scenic surrounds and a concentration of…

Scalea

A tiny coastal town on Calabria's Tyrrhenian shore, Scalea pairs a modern beach resort strip — developed since the 1960s along the Riviera dei Cedri — with a…

Aguilar de Campoo

A small town in northern Palencia where the River Pisuerga runs through the historic centre, Aguilar de Campoo has an unusually dense concentration of histor…

Campo Maior

Small Portuguese town in Alto Alentejo whose street festival, the Festas do Povo, was added to UNESCO's Intangible Cultural Heritage list in 2021 — an event…

Atrani

Tiny village on the Amalfi Coast, Atrani sits right at the water's edge just a short walk from Amalfi itself, with a heritage-dense streetscape, a striking n…

Almodóvar del Río

A well-preserved medieval castle crowns a rocky outcrop above this Andalusian town of whitewashed houses along the Guadalquivir River, offering dramatic elev…

Zell am See

Sitting directly on the shores of a deep alpine lake in the Austrian state of Salzburg, Zell am See pairs year-round mountain sports — anchored by the Zell a…

Caprarola

Villa Farnese dominates this compact Lazio town in the Cimini volcanic hills, a large Renaissance mansion begun in 1530 as a fortress for Cardinal Alessandro…

Svolvær

This little town on the island of Austvågøya serves as the main hub of the Lofoten archipelago, where abrupt mountain peaks rise directly from the ocean alon…

Wetteren

A walkable East Flemish town on the River Schelde, Wetteren sits a short distance east of Ghent with a centre that offers a real café and restaurant scene.

Oulx

This pocket-sized village in the upper Susa Valley near the French border, Oulx sits at the confluence of the Dora di Riparia and the Dora di Bardonecchia ri…

Spiez

This small Swiss town on the shore of Lake Thun sits in the Bernese Oberland, with vineyards on its slopes, mountain views in every direction, and a café and…

Sancerre

Sancerre is a medieval hilltop village in the Cher département of Centre-Val de Loire, overlooking the Loire river and recognized as one of France's most bea…

Tomo

Compact Italian hamlet in Belluno's forested valley country, where a classical white-façade church anchors a cluster of red-tile buildings against densely wo…

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…

Cluny

Founded in 910 by Duke William I of Aquitaine, the Benedictine Abbey of Cluny shaped this little Burgundian town into one of medieval Europe's great centres…

Castelsardo

A photogenic coastal town on Sardinia's northwest shore, at the eastern end of the Gulf of Asinara, Castelsardo sits right on the water with scenic viewpoint…

Zierikzee

This modest Zeeland town in the southwest Netherlands holds an unusually dense concentration of listed historic buildings and churches for its size, with a w…

Ericeira

One of only two European World Surfing Reserves, Ericeira is a modest seaside town on Portugal's western coast, a short drive northwest of Lisbon, widely reg…

Luino

Modest town on the eastern shore of Lake Maggiore, Luino is best known for its Wednesday market, said to be among the largest of its kind in Europe, drawing…

Bad Langensalza

This German spa town in Thuringia where a walkable old centre of half-timbered buildings and a tall church tower rising above cobbled streets meets riverside…

Douarnenez

This photogenic port town on Douarnenez Bay in Brittany, long famous for sardine fishing and canning, with a walkable centre and a food-and-drink scene to ma…

Spello

This small walled hill town on the southern flank of Monte Subasio in Umbria, Spello has an unusually dense concentration of historic churches and a café and…

Yachats

Modest Oregon coastal village with a disproportionately strong café and restaurant scene and a photogenic shoreline right on the Pacific, Yachats sits at the…

Bad Windsheim

This small Bavarian spa town west of Nuremberg is the only therapeutic spa (Heilbad) in Middle Franconia, built around mineral springs that also supply sever…

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…

Ilwaco

A small waterfront city on Baker Bay where the Columbia River meets the Pacific Ocean, Ilwaco sits at the southern tip of Washington's Long Beach Peninsula w…

Jindrichuv Hradec

Walkable South Bohemian town set on the shore of Vajgar pond, Jindřichův Hradec has a well-preserved historic centre protected as an urban monument reservati…

Esterre

A small hamlet in the Hautes-Pyrénées, Esterre sits alongside the Bastan river within the Pyrénées National Park, surrounded by mountain scenery and scenic v…

Souris

This small waterfront town near the northeastern tip of Prince Edward Island, Souris sits in a region known for its beaches and has a café and restaurant sce…

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…

Castelnaudary

Castelnaudary, a small town in the Aude department of southern France's Occitanie region, claims to be the world capital of cassoulet and is a major producer…

Riegersburg

This small Austrian village in the wine country of southeastern Styria, set among hills with scenic viewpoints and a café scene that punches above its size.

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…

Cluses

Sitting on the Arve river in the Alps of Haute-Savoie, Cluses is a town with a walkable centre, a café scene, and steep mountain slopes rising on either side.

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…

Grottammare

A walkable Adriatic beach town in the Marche region, Grottammare pairs a seafront café and restaurant scene with a medieval hilltop quarter that belongs to t…

Rattenberg

Austria's smallest city sits on the Inn River in Tyrol, and its compact historic centre — dense with listed buildings, churches, and cafés — punches well abo…

Plomari

A coastal town on the southern shore of Lesbos, Plomari sits right at the water with mountains close behind and an unusually dense concentration of cafés, re…

Conca dei Marini

A compact village on the Amalfi Coast between Amalfi and Furore, sitting directly on the water with scenic viewpoints nearby and an unusually dense cluster o…

Penparcau

A pocket-sized village just south of Aberystwyth in Ceredigion, Wales, Penparcau sits between Tan y Bwlch beach, the River Ystwyth, and the River Rheidol, wi…

Dinan

A walled Breton town in the Côtes-d'Armor department of northwestern France, Dinan sits on a hill above the Rance river, its medieval ramparts and château fo…

Porto Cesareo

This modest Apulian town on the Ionian coast of the Salento peninsula with a café and restaurant scene that punches well above its size, Porto Cesareo is bes…

Harlingen

A waterfront town in the Dutch province of Friesland, Harlingen has a walkable centre dense with listed historic buildings, a working harbour that is the pro…

Mende

Mende is the little prefecture of France's Lozère department in Occitania, set along the River Lot amid mountain terrain and offering a café and restaurant s…

Iglesias

A walkable town in southwestern Sardinia with a centre dense with historic churches, cafés, and restaurants, Iglesias was one of the most important royal cit…

Leukerbad

Mountain spa and ski resort in the Swiss canton of Valais, Leukerbad is best known for its thermal springs, which reach temperatures of up to 51°C, and the m…

La Ferté-Bernard

Tiny French town in the Sarthe where a grand Gothic church with flying buttresses and intricate stone carvings dominates the centre, complemented by watersid…

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…

Delémont

A tiny Swiss town with a notably lively café and restaurant scene, Delémont sits on the water with vineyards in the surrounding countryside and scenic viewpo…

Mirepoix

A heritage-dense tiny town in the Ariège department of southwestern France, Mirepoix sits on the River Hers-Vif with a café and restaurant scene that punches…

Arenas de San Pedro

This small town in Ávila's Sierra de Gredos foothills with a café and restaurant scene that punches above its size, Arenas de San Pedro sits beside water and…

Opatija

Historic seaside resort on Croatia's Kvarner Gulf, Opatija sits right on the water with a café and restaurant scene that would suit a town twice its size.

Fossombrone

Compact Marche town where a river curves through a red-tile historic centre, backed by vineyard-covered hills, with a good café and restaurant scene and a no…

Myrina

A waterfront capital of the Greek island of Lemnos, in the North Aegean, Myrina has a café and restaurant scene that punches above its size, a strong concent…

Peníscola

This small Mediterranean coastal town in Castellón, Peníscola sits on a rocky promontory jutting into the sea, giving it strong photographic appeal and sceni…

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…

Vecrīga

Vecrīga (Old Riga) is the medieval historic core of Latvia's capital, listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site since 1997 and awarded the European Heritage Lab…

San Juan La Laguna

A tiny Tz'utujil Maya town on the southwest shore of Lago de Atitlán in Guatemala's highlands, San Juan La Laguna has a café and restaurant scene that outpac…

Vila Verde

Small town in the Minho region of northern Portugal with a notably dense café and restaurant scene for its size, set alongside water and within reach of moun…

Cagli

Small town in the Marche region of central Italy, Cagli sits alongside the Burano river with an unusually dense concentration of churches for its size and a…

Aiguèze

Sitting on the Ardèche river in southern France's Gard department, this modest village has been a member of Les Plus Beaux Villages de France since 2005 — th…

St. Gilgen

This lakeside village on Lake Wolfgang in Austria's Salzkammergut region draws visitors with mountain views, a strong café and restaurant scene for its size,…

Avigliana

Two volcanic maar lakes — Lago Grande and Lago Piccolo — sit at the edge of this modest Piedmontese town in the Susa valley, west of Turin, with the medieval…

Herisau

This walkable Swiss town serves as the seat of government and parliament for the canton of Appenzell Ausserrhoden, with a centre that includes a Protestant c…

Zell am Ziller

A little Tyrolean village in Austria's Zillertal with a notably dense café and restaurant scene for its size, several churches, and a strong visual profile a…

Cividale del Friuli

Founded by Julius Caesar as Forum Iulii — the name that eventually gave the entire Friuli region its identity — Cividale del Friuli later became the capital…

Kutná Hora

Silver mining made Kutná Hora one of medieval Bohemia's wealthiest towns, and the architectural legacy it funded earned the historic centre — along with Sedl…

Feuerthalen

This compact Swiss village on the Rhine, where red-tile rooftops and half-timbered houses line a broad river crossed by an iron rail bridge, with forested hi…

Camerino

A little Apennine hill town in the Marche region of central-eastern Italy, Camerino is home to a medieval university and has a café and restaurant scene that…

Aracena

The largest town in the Sierra de Aracena y Picos de Aroche natural park, this tiny Andalusian town in Huelva province draws on the surrounding sierra for it…

Brugg

Sitting where the Aare, Reuss, and Limmat rivers meet — a confluence known in German as the Wasserschloss der Schweiz — Brugg is a little Swiss town in canto…

Tomar

Founded within the walls of a Knights Templar fortress in the late 12th century, Tomar is a Portuguese town on the water with a walkable centre dense with hi…

Baeza

Baeza holds some of the best-preserved Italian Renaissance architecture in Spain, recognised alongside neighbouring Úbeda as a UNESCO World Heritage Site in…

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…

Saint-Florent

A former fishing port on the Gulf of Saint-Florent in Haute-Corse, this small Corsican village now fills its harbour with pleasure boats and its waterfront w…

Langeoog

One of the seven inhabited East Frisian Islands in Germany's Lower Saxon Wadden Sea, Langeoog is a dune island with a long sandy beach, cycle paths, and a na…

Korneuburg

This heritage-dense tiny town on the Danube a short distance northwest of Vienna, Korneuburg pairs a colourful main square — dominated by a neo-Gothic town h…

Pérouges

This medieval walled village in the Ain department, northeast of Lyon, Pérouges is listed among the Plus Beaux Villages de France and carries one of the most…

Husum

Birthplace of the novelist Theodor Storm, who called it "the grey town by the sea," Husum is a walkable North Sea town in Schleswig-Holstein with a café-fill…

Clyde

This low-rise Otago town spread across a wide river valley, with arid ranges rising behind, a handful of cafés punching above its size, and the Clutha River…

Sennori

A small wine-country town in northern Sardinia, Sennori has been a member of Italy's national association of wine towns since the association's founding in 1…

Altdorf

Altdorf, the cantonal capital of Uri in the Swiss Alps, is best known as the setting of the William Tell legend — the compact town where Tell is said to have…

Workum

One of the eleven historic cities of Friesland, Workum received its city rights in 1399 and retains a heritage-dense waterfront streetscape in the Dutch prov…

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…

Andermatt

High-Alpine village in the canton of Uri, Andermatt sits at the historic crossroads of Switzerland's north-south and east-west mountain routes through the Sa…

Cehegín

Cehegín's old town, declared a historic-artistic ensemble by Spain's Ministry of Culture in 1982, makes for a walkable afternoon in the Murcia region, with a…

Gmunden

Lakeside town in Upper Austria's Salzkammergut region, Gmunden sits on the northern shore of the Traunsee with mountain views, a walkable centre dense with l…

Stein am Rhein

Stein am Rhein sits on the Rhine where Lower Lake Constance meets the river, and its medieval centre — pedestrianised, lined with half-timbered houses, and c…

Lacco Ameno

Rebuilt after a devastating 1883 earthquake that destroyed most of its buildings, Lacco Ameno transformed from a fishing village into a thermal-spa resort on…

Karon

This dense mix of resort hotels, pool villas, and local housing spreads across forested hillsides right down to a long stretch of turquoise-water beach, maki…

Cilaos

Mountain town on the French island of Réunion, Cilaos sits inside a volcanic caldera — known locally as the Cirque de Cilaos — high above sea level in the is…

Saint-Cirq-Lapopie

Clinging to a steep cliff above the Lot river in south-western France, this small Quercy village draws visitors with dramatic viewpoints, a strong café and r…

Krippen

A little fishing hamlet on the Elbe in Saxony's Saxon Switzerland region, Krippen holds official spa-resort status as a Kneipp health resort and sits in moun…

Zofingen

Walled medieval town in the Swiss canton of Aargau, Zofingen has a well-preserved historic core with a medieval monastic settlement, a good spread of cafés a…

Dauwendaele

A compact Dutch town on the water, Dauwendaele sits within reach of Middelburg's ornate Gothic civic architecture — visible here in a grand stone town hall r…

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…

Port Angeles

A waterfront town on Washington's Olympic Peninsula, Port Angeles sits on the Strait of Juan de Fuca with ferry service to Victoria, British Columbia, and mo…

Steffisburg

Swiss town in the canton of Bern spread across a broad valley floor, with a castle-like church rising above red-tile rooftops and a dramatic wall of snow-cap…

Susice

A compact town in the Šumava foothills of the Plzeň Region, Sušice sits on the Otava River with two scenic lookout towers on the hills to the west, a well-pr…

Almodovar

This pocket-sized Alentejo town in southern Portugal's Beja district is home to the Museum of Southwestern Writing, which holds ancient stones bearing what s…

Flims

A mountain village in the Swiss canton of Graubünden, Flims sits at elevation on the main road through the Imboden region, with the rocky face of the Flimser…

Litoměřice

A walkable wine-country town at the confluence of the Elbe and Ohře rivers in northern Bohemia, Litoměřice has a well-preserved medieval centre — protected a…

Arcachon

A well-established Atlantic seaside resort in the Gironde, Arcachon was created in 1857 as a destination in its own right, set within the Landes forest south…

Valderrobres

Photogenic modest town in Aragon's Teruel province, Valderrobres sits directly on the Matarranya River with a Gothic church, a Gothic castle, and a Renaissan…

Abersoch

Small sailing village on the south coast of Wales's Llŷn Peninsula, Abersoch sits where the River Soch meets the sea and has grown into one of Britain's more…

Horgen

Lakeside town on the south bank of Lake Zurich, Horgen has a walkable centre with cafés and restaurants, scenic viewpoints in the surrounding hills, and dire…

Ayamonte

Sitting at the mouth of the Guadiana River on the Portuguese border, Ayamonte is a walkable Andalusian town with a café-filled centre, waterfront views, and…

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…

Kudowa-Zdrój

One of Europe's oldest spa towns, Kudowa-Zdrój sits in the foothills of the Table Mountains on Poland's southwestern border with the Czech Republic, where it…

Nagold

This Black Forest-edge town in Baden-Württemberg where the River Nagold runs through a centre of half-timbered houses and modern architecture, with a walkabl…

Vila Franca de Xira

Bull-running festivals held each July and October make Vila Franca de Xira one of Portugal's most distinctive Tagus-side towns, sitting on the river's banks…

Tournus

This compact Burgundian town on the Saône river with a café and restaurant scene that is well stocked for its size, Tournus sits in the heart of Bourgogne-Fr…

Fulpmes

Small market town in Austria's Stubaital valley, Fulpmes has served as the iron-working centre of the valley for generations and sits at the base of the Schl…

Dinkelsbühl

One of only four towns in Germany with completely intact medieval city walls, Dinkelsbühl sits on the River Wörnitz along the Romantic Road in Central Franco…

Bonifacio

Modest commune at the southern tip of Corsica with an unusual concentration of cafés, restaurants, and churches for its size, and scenic viewpoints that make…

Nymburk

This modest Czech town on the Elbe River in Central Bohemia, Nymburk has a well-preserved historic centre protected as an urban monument zone since 1992, wit…

Piazza Armerina

The Villa Romana del Casale, a UNESCO World Heritage Site since 1997 celebrated for its extensive Roman mosaics, sits just outside this Sicilian hill town in…

Gruissan

A little Mediterranean coastal town in the Aude, southeast of Narbonne, Gruissan sits within the Narbonnaise en Méditerranée regional nature park alongside l…

Lenzburg

A medieval hill town in the Swiss canton of Aargau, Lenzburg is anchored by Schloss Lenzburg, a castle that grew from an 11th-century fortification on the Sc…

Piuro

On 4 September 1618, a catastrophic landslide completely buried the village of Piuro — then part of the Three Leagues — killing between 1,000 and 2,500 peopl…

Tucepi

A small Dalmatian village on the Makarska Riviera in Croatia, Tučepi has an unusually dense café and restaurant scene for its size, several historic churches…

Villaviciosa

This compact Asturian coastal town where an ornate sandstone town hall with a clock tower anchors a palm-lined square, backed by green hills and a waterfront…

Gazzaniga

This modest town in Lombardy's Val Seriana, Gazzaniga sits on the right bank of the Serio river northeast of Bergamo, with a café and restaurant scene and a…

Naters

This small Swiss town in the canton of Valais, Naters sits in mountain terrain near Brig with vineyards in the surrounding area and scenic viewpoints within…

Viveiro

This coastal town on Galicia's Cantabrian shore, Viveiro sits at the mouth of the Río Landro where it meets the Ría de Viveiro, with a walkable centre dense…

Bolsena

On the eastern shore of Lake Bolsena in northern Lazio, this compact town is known across the Catholic world as the site of the Eucharistic miracle that led…

Arlesheim

This small Swiss town near Basel, in the canton of Basel-Landschaft, is anchored by a Baroque cathedral dating to 1681 and rebuilt in 1761, whose organ — bui…

Albarracín

Declared a Monumento Nacional in 1961 and proposed for UNESCO World Heritage status, Albarracín is a small Aragonese village in the province of Teruel whose…

Diamante

This pocket-sized coastal town on Calabria's Tyrrhenian shore, Diamante lends its name to the Diamante citron, a variety still grown in the region.

Jonzac

A spa town in the Charente-Maritime since 1986, Jonzac sits on the Seugne river in the heart of Cognac wine country, with a café and restaurant scene that pu…

Valletta

Built by the Knights Hospitaller in the 16th century and named after Jean Parisot de Valette, who repelled the Ottoman siege of Malta, Valletta is the EU's s…

Deshaies

A compact coastal town on the northwest shore of Basse-Terre Island in Guadeloupe, Deshaies sits where mountain terrain meets the Caribbean, with a café and…

Le Touquet-Paris-Plage

One of France's most storied seaside resorts, Le Touquet-Paris-Plage sits on the Opal Coast at the mouth of the Canche river in Pas-de-Calais, with a wide be…

Wieliczka

The Wieliczka Salt Mine, a UNESCO World Heritage Site since 1978, draws well over a million visitors a year to this town in southern Poland's Kraków metropol…

Pawcatuck

Sitting on the Pawcatuck River across from Westerly, Rhode Island, this pocket-sized Connecticut village has a historic core — the Mechanic Street Historic D…

Albenga

This heritage-dense coastal town on the Gulf of Genoa, Albenga is known as the city of a hundred spires and holds a well-preserved historic centre within eas…

Gjirokastër

Gjirokastër's old town, a UNESCO World Heritage Site since 2005, is one of the few surviving examples of an Ottoman-era trading town in the Balkans, its ston…

Saint-Martin-de-Re

This waterfront village on the Île de Ré, off the Charente-Maritime coast near La Rochelle, Saint-Martin-de-Ré is home to Vauban's 17th-century fortification…

Pỏlezzaygjd

A compact town on the shore of Lake Lugano in Lombardy's Province of Como, Porlezza has a café and restaurant scene that punches above its size, several hist…

Wörgl

Known internationally for the "Miracle of Wörgl" — a 1930s local currency experiment credited with reviving the town's economy during the Great Depression —…

Bidart

A small Basque Atlantic-coast town in southwestern France, Bidart stretches along several kilometres of shoreline where heavily folded cliffs drop down to be…

Sarnico

This tiny lakeside town on the western shore of Lake Iseo in Lombardy's Bergamo province, where the lake meets the River Oglio, Sarnico has a café and restau…

Mittenwald

Violin-making has defined Mittenwald for centuries, and this small Bavarian Alpine town near the Austrian border carries that tradition alongside dramatic mo…

Apt

This small Provençal town on the Calavon river in the Luberon mountains of Vaucluse, Apt has a café and restaurant scene that would suit a town twice its siz…

Schwaz

A heritage-dense little town in Tyrol's lower Inn valley, Schwaz was Austria's second-largest city after Vienna during the Middle Ages, when silver mining dr…

Sargans

Sargans, a small town in Switzerland's canton of St.

Póvoa de Lanhoso

A modest town in the mountains of northern Portugal's Braga district, Póvoa de Lanhoso sits on the water and offers a café and restaurant scene, a concentrat…

Garsten

This small Upper Austrian market village on the water is best known for the former Garsten Abbey, a heritage landmark that now serves as a prison — an unusua…

Ascona

A modest Swiss town on the shore of Lake Maggiore in Ticino, Ascona pairs a dense café and restaurant scene with vineyard surroundings, mountain views, and a…

Lynton

A pocket-sized village on the Exmoor coast in North Devon, sitting above a steep gorge that separates it from the neighbouring village of Lynmouth below.

Spittal an der Drau

A modest Carinthian town in western Austria where several alpine valleys converge — the Drau, Lieser, and Möll among them — Spittal an der Drau has a café an…

Cangas de Onis

A lively Asturian market town where a grand stone clock-tower town hall anchors a busy central square, with upland country and UNESCO World Heritage sites cl…

Pont-Aven

Known as "the city of painters," this pocket-sized Breton town on the Aven river drew Paul Gauguin, Émile Bernard, William Bouguereau, and a number of other…

Skerries

A small coastal town north of Dublin with a real café and restaurant scene for its size, Skerries sits directly on the water in County Fingal.

Pizzo

This modest seaport town on Calabria's Costa degli Dei, Pizzo sits on a steep cliff above the Gulf of Saint Euphemia and is locally known for its gelato trad…

Sisteron

Wedged into a narrow gap between two long mountain ridges where the Durance, Buëch, and Sasse rivers converge, Sisteron has served as the gateway between Pro…

Esmoriz

This compact Portuguese city on the water south of Porto, Esmoriz has a café and restaurant scene that punches above its size, along with a notable concentra…

Cullera

A coastal town in Valencia where the Júcar river meets the Mediterranean, Cullera sits between the sea and a modest inland peak that shapes its natural setting.

Les Vans

A tiny village in the Ardèche with an unusually lively café and restaurant scene for its size, Les Vans sits on the water in the Cévennes area of southern Fr…

Kuressaare

This well-established spa and resort town on the southern coast of Saaremaa, Estonia's largest island, Kuressaare has been one of the country's most visited…

Eschwege

Walkable town in northeastern Hesse on the Werra river, Eschwege sits in hilly terrain with scenic viewpoints in the surrounding countryside and a centre wit…

Saint-Jean-de-Luz

A little beach resort on the Bay of Biscay in France's Basque Country, Saint-Jean-de-Luz sits at the mouth of the River Nivelle near the Spanish border, with…

Vevey

Milk chocolate was invented here in 1875, and Vevey has remained a town defined by food and drink ever since — it is home to the global headquarters of Nestl…

Alzey

A wine-country town in Rhenish Hesse, Rhineland-Palatinate, Alzey sits in a region ringed by UNESCO World Heritage sites and carries a walkable centre with c…

Tournon-sur-Rhône

Small Rhône-side town in the Ardèche, Tournon-sur-Rhône sits in deep wine country north of Valence with a café and restaurant scene that punches above its size.

Mirandela

Compact city in northeastern Portugal with a notably dense café and restaurant scene, Mirandela sits on the Tua River and is known for its cuisine — particul…

Bad Staffelstein

This small spa town in Upper Franconia, Bavaria, sits along the Main river and is anchored by three landmarks: the Basilica of Vierzehnheiligen, designed by…

Villefranche-de-Rouergue

This little town in the Aveyron department of southern France, Villefranche-de-Rouergue holds both a "Ville d'Art et d'Histoire" designation and the "Grand S…

Mola di Bari

Focaccia from Mola di Bari's bakeries has long been a point of local pride in this Adriatic fishing town in Apulia, refounded by Charles I of Anjou in 1277 o…

Dulverton

A compact Somerset village on the River Exe at the edge of Exmoor, Dulverton serves as the base for the Exmoor National Park Authority and a practical gatewa…

Voiron

A gateway town to the Chartreuse Mountains in southeastern France, Voiron sits at the foot of the range with a walkable centre full of cafés and restaurants,…

Telfs

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

Whitianga

A seaside town on Mercury Bay, on the east coast of New Zealand's Coromandel Peninsula, Whitianga sits on Buffalo Beach and has a café and restaurant scene t…

Ispoure

A small Basque village in the Pyrénées-Atlantiques, Ispoure sits in mountain terrain in the former province of Lower Navarre, with scenic viewpoints in the s…

Radstadt

A heritage-dense modest town in Austria's Salzburg state, Radstadt sits close to the mountains and carries an unusual concentration of cafés, restaurants, an…

Pljevlja

Mountain town in northern Montenegro, Pljevlja sits along the Ćehotina river with a walkable centre of cafés and restaurants.

Tresserve

This tiny town in Savoie sits on a hill between Aix-les-Bains to the east and Lac du Bourget — France's largest natural glacial lake — to the west, with scen…

Knittelfeld

A small Styrian town on the Mur river with a café and restaurant scene that is unusually rich for its size, Knittelfeld also carries a place in Austrian poli…

Bembibre

Bembibre, in the El Bierzo region of León, is a small town on the Boeza and Noceda rivers with vineyards in the surrounding area and a café and restaurant sc…

Leucate

A small Mediterranean coastal town in the Aude, Leucate sits between the sea and the Étang de Leucate lagoon, with a café and restaurant scene that punches a…

Schladming

Well-equipped winter sports town in Styria's Enns valley, Schladming has twice hosted the FIS Alpine World Ski Championships — in 1982 and 2013 — and also he…

Whangamata

A pocket-sized beach town on the southeast coast of the Coromandel Peninsula with two ocean beaches safe for swimming and surfing, a harbour, and a café and…

Lannion

A walkable Breton town on the river with a centre full of cafés and restaurants, Lannion sits in the Côtes-d'Armor department of northwestern France and serv…

Mikołajki

This small resort town in north-eastern Poland's Masurian Lake District, Mikołajki sits on Lakes Tałty and Mikołajskie near Śniardwy, Poland's largest lake,…

Kalavryta

This small mountain town in the Achaea region of Greece, Kalavryta sits on the bank of the Vouraikos river at the foot of the Aroania (Chelmos) range and ser…

Céret

Known for its modern art museum, cherry harvests, and bullfighting tradition, Céret is a tiny Catalan town in southern France's Pyrénées-Orientales, sitting…

Astorga

Founded as the Roman military camp Asturica Augusta in the late 1st century BC, Astorga is a tiny city in León with a heritage-dense centre that includes a c…

Bjelovar

Founded in 1756 by decree of Empress Maria Theresa, Bjelovar is one of Croatia's youngest cities, laid out on a planned grid with a regular square street pat…

Sarlat-la-Canéda

Sarlat-la-Canéda's medieval and early Renaissance centre — a dense network of narrow lanes, shaded squares, and stone mansions with lauze-tile roofs — was th…

Saint Vlas

A compact Black Sea resort town on Bulgaria's southern coast, Saint Vlas has a café and restaurant scene that punches well above its size, with scenic viewpo…

Acqui Terme

Hot sulphur springs have drawn visitors to Acqui Terme since the Roman era, when the town was known as Aquae Statiellae, and a 19th-century pavilion called L…

Bar-le-Duc

First recorded in 1344, the currant preserve known as Bar-le-Duc jelly — sometimes called "Bar caviar" — takes its name from this Renaissance town in northea…

Bridgewater

This pocket-sized Nova Scotia town sits at the navigable limit of the LaHave River on Nova Scotia's South Shore, with a café and restaurant scene that is unu…

Stans

This little Swiss mountain town on the water in Central Switzerland, Stans serves as the capital of the canton of Nidwalden and supports a café and restauran…

Tréguier

Small port town on the Breton coast in Côtes-d'Armor, Tréguier has a café and restaurant scene that punches above its size, with waterfront access and a hist…

Torres Vedras

This wine-country town north of Lisbon with vineyards across the surrounding agricultural land, Torres Vedras has a walkable centre with a solid café and res…

Atlacomulco de Fabela

A lively Mexican town in the State of Mexico highlands, where a stone kiosk anchors a well-kept central plaza ringed by arcaded colonial-style buildings, bac…

Remiremont

A modest town in the Vosges where the Moselle and Moselotte rivers meet, Remiremont has a café and restaurant scene that punches above its size, and sits at…

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…

Stafa

A modest town on the right shore of Lake Zurich, in the canton of Zürich, Stäfa sits along the stretch known as the Gold Coast, with vineyard country rising…

Issoire

This compact French town in the Auvergne, its dense orange-tile rooftops dominated by a striking Romanesque church with twin towers, set against rolling upla…

Estoril

This Portuguese Riviera town on the Atlantic coast is home to Casino Estoril, one of Europe's largest casinos, and has long attracted royalty, celebrities, a…

Wemmel

This white château with pointed turrets and onion-spire finials overlooks a calm pond in this Flemish Brabant town on Brussels' doorstep, where a solid local…

Villeneuve-lès-Avignon

Tiny Provençal town on the Rhône across from Avignon, where a massive medieval fortress with round towers and crenellated walls rises above stone houses, cyp…

Mamoiada

Mamoiada, a small village in Sardinia's mountainous Barbagia region, is known across the island for its traditional carnival, in which participants wear the…

Diest

Diest, a Flemish Brabant town on the Demer river, is best known for its beguinage and medieval ramparts.

Avanos

Pottery workshops line this little Cappadocian town on the banks of the Kızılırmak — Turkey's longest river — where red clay from the riverbed has fuelled a…

Castelmola

Tiny hilltop village above Taormina on Sicily's east coast, Castelmola occupies the site of ancient Taormina's acropolis and is listed among Italy's most bea…

Absam

This little Austrian town in Tyrol with an unusual concentration of churches for its size, Absam is a pilgrimage stop on the Camino de Santiago (Jakobsweg) w…

Vrsar

This pocket-sized seaside village on Istria's western coast, Vrsar has a café and restaurant scene that outpunches its size, a historic hilltop centre with t…

Carlentini

This Sicilian hill town in the Province of Syracuse, Carlentini sits on the Colle Meta Grande near the Lago di Lentini and the slopes of the Monti Iblei, and…

Serfaus

A Tyrolean ski village in northwest Austria, Serfaus is part of the Serfaus-Fiss-Ladis ski region formed in 1999 and sits on a sunny terrace above the Inn Va…

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…

Santarcangelo di Romagna

A little town in Emilia-Romagna with a notably dense café and restaurant scene, Santarcangelo di Romagna sits on the Via Emilia in the province of Rimini, cr…

Kemer

This Mediterranean resort town on the Turkish Riviera where the western Taurus Mountains meet a long stretch of coastline, Kemer sits a short drive southwest…

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…

Schwyz

The Federal Charter of 1291 — the founding document of Switzerland — is on display at the Bundesbriefmuseum in this walkable canton capital in Central Switze…

Neapoli

This compact coastal town at the southern tip of the Malea peninsula in Laconia, Neapoli has a lively café and restaurant scene and a striking number of chur…

Warburton

A modest mountain village in Victoria's Yarra Ranges, east of Melbourne, where the Yarra River runs through the centre and an unusually strong café and resta…

Glarus

Sitting on the river Linth between the Glärnisch and Schilt mountain ranges, Glarus is the modest cantonal capital of the Swiss canton of Glarus, with a café…

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…

Vila Praia de Âncora

This pocket-sized coastal town in Alto Minho, Portugal, with a café and restaurant scene that punches well above its size, set directly on the water with mou…

Romanshorn

Modest Swiss town on the southern shore of Lake Constance in canton Thurgau, Romanshorn has a café and restaurant scene that punches above its size, several…

Lagrasse

This compact village in the Corbières massif of southern France's Aude department, Lagrasse sits on the Orbieu river in wine and mountain country and holds m…

Procida

This little island off the Naples coast, between Cape Miseno and Ischia, has a café and restaurant scene, a concentration of historic churches, and vineyards…

Brielle

A heritage-dense historic seaport on the western edge of South Holland, Brielle sits at the mouth of the New Maas with a concentration of listed buildings, s…

Privas

Privas is the birthplace of Clément Faugier, who in the late 19th century built the enterprise that made Ardèche chestnuts — and the marron glacé and crème d…

Punta Gorda

Waterfront town on Florida's southwest coast, Punta Gorda has a walkable centre with a real café and restaurant scene along the harbour.

Soldeu

A ski and snowboard village in the Pyrenees mountains of Andorra, Soldeu is among the country's best-known areas for winter sports, with modern facilities an…

Argelès-Gazost

This tiny town in the Hautes-Pyrénées with a café and restaurant scene that punches above its size, Argelès-Gazost sits on the Gave de Pau river in the footh…

Ladysmith

A small harbour town on the east coast of Vancouver Island, Ladysmith sits right on the water at the 49th parallel, with a café and restaurant scene that pun…

Ayllón

A compact Castilian town of warm stone and terracotta rooftops, Ayllón spreads across rolling Segovian plateau country, with a central square, a notable chur…

Jacob-Bellecombette

This tiny town in the Savoie department of southeastern France sits where the Chambéry valley meets the northern foothills of the Chartreuse massif, offering…

Nyborg

Nyborg, on the eastern tip of Funen, is a Danish town on the Great Belt with a walkable waterfront centre and a good spread of cafés and restaurants.

Arcos de Valdevez

Walkable riverside town in northern Portugal's Alto Minho, Arcos de Valdevez sits on the border with Galicia and offers a centre with a real café and restaur…

Pézenas

A small town in the Hérault department of southern France with one of the oldest protected historic districts in the country, Pézenas holds a dense café and…

Kaprun

A little Austrian town in the Salzburg province that pairs year-round glacier skiing on the Kitzsteinhorn — whose summit viewing platform sits high above 3,0…

Amriswil

This small Swiss town in canton Thurgau near the shore of Lake Constance, with vineyards in the surrounding countryside and a café and restaurant scene that…

Nérac

A small town in Lot-et-Garonne, southwestern France, sitting on the water with a café and restaurant scene that punches above its size, and vineyards in the…

Byblos

One of the oldest continuously inhabited cities in the world, Byblos has been settled since the sixth millennium BC and became a full urban centre by the lat…

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…

Bultei

This compact Sardinian hill village in the Goceano region, its dense cluster of terracotta-roofed stone houses set among wooded slopes and rolling farmland,…

Grimma

A Saxon town on the Mulde river southeast of Leipzig, Grimma has a walkable historic centre with a concentration of Gothic and Renaissance buildings and a ca…

Marigot

Marigot is the capital of the French Collectivity of Saint Martin, a small waterfront town in mountain terrain with a café and restaurant scene that punches…

Lousã

This small town in central Portugal's Coimbra district with a notably dense café and restaurant scene for its size, set close to mountains with scenic viewpo…

Moratalla

A small town in the Murcia region of southeastern Spain, Moratalla sits alongside water and close to mountain terrain, with a café and restaurant scene that…

Correggio

Correggio, in Emilia-Romagna's wine country, gave its name to the Renaissance painter Antonio Allegri, known simply as "il Correggio," and was ruled from 151…

Szczyrk

A winter sports resort town in the Beskid Śląski mountains of southern Poland, Szczyrk sits in the valley of the Żylica river with the peak of Skrzyczne risi…

Mers-les-Bains

A small seaside resort on the Somme coast, Mers-les-Bains is known for its Belle Époque seafront villas — a listed quarter that earned the town second place…

El Barco de Ávila

Pocket-sized town on the Tormes River in Ávila province, Castile and León, with a café and restaurant scene that punches above its size.

Kalabaka

The gateway town for the Meteora monasteries — a UNESCO World Heritage site set atop dramatic rock formations just outside town — Kalabaka sits at the foot o…

Feldkirchen in Kärnten

Tiny Carinthian town in mountain terrain with vineyards nearby and water close at hand, Feldkirchen in Kärnten has an unusually lively café and restaurant sc…

San Daniele del Friuli

San Daniele del Friuli, a little town in Friuli-Venezia Giulia northwest of Udine, is best known as the production centre of its eponymous DOP prosciutto, ce…

Amasra

A Black Sea port town in Turkey's Bartın Province, Amasra sits on a headland flanked by two sheltered harbours and two small islands, with beaches and forest…

Kastoria

Built on a peninsula that juts into Lake Orestiada in the mountains of northern Greece, Kastoria is a little town with an unusual concentration of Byzantine…

Hellevoetsluis

A waterfront town in South Holland, Hellevoetsluis sits on the Haringvliet with sea, beach, and dunes close by, and a walkable centre with cafés and restaura…

Bojano

A little town in Molise's Campobasso province with a café and restaurant scene that punches above its size, and an unusual concentration of historic churches.

Caraz

Founded as San Ildefonso de Caraz in 1573, this little Peruvian town sits along the Santa River in the Callejón de Huaylas valley, with the Andes close on al…

Skopelos

This little port town serves as the capital of Skopelos island in the Sporades, with an unusual density of cafés, restaurants, and churches for a settlement…

Aarau

Sitting on the Aare river at the foot of the Jura Mountains, Aarau is the capital of the Swiss canton of Aargau, with a walkable old town of baroque gabled h…

Bad Sooden-Allendorf

This small spa town in Hesse straddling the Werra river, Bad Sooden-Allendorf drew its wealth from salt-brine extraction for centuries before reinventing its…

São Filipe

This modest Cape Verdean town of sun-faded colonial facades and cobbled streets dropping toward the Atlantic, São Filipe rewards visitors with historic churc…

Santa Maria Maior

A parish of Funchal on the island of Madeira, Santa Maria Maior offers lush tropical vegetation, red-tile rooftops cascading toward the Atlantic, and elevate…

Gunzenhausen

This walkable Bavarian town on the Altmühlsee, Gunzenhausen has a centre with a good spread of cafés and restaurants and is nationally recognised as a recrea…

Cabourg

Marcel Proust's favoured retreat on the Normandy coast, Cabourg is a Belle Époque seaside town on the Côte Fleurie where the river Dives meets the English Ch…

Youghal

A designated Irish Heritage Port on the estuary of the River Blackwater in East Cork, Youghal is a historic walled seaside town with medieval and early moder…

Choeng Thale

This Phuket town fronting calm water, where multi-storey buildings with dark gabled roofs and white balconies line the shoreline among palms, backed by a liv…

Pazzano

A small village in Calabria's Locride region, Pazzano was once the principal iron-mining centre of the entire southern Italian mainland during the Bourbon pe…

Mithymna

This waterfront village on the northwest coast of Lesbos, Mithymna — still widely known by its older name Molyvos — sits beneath a medieval fortress that ris…

Mondim de Basto

A pocket-sized town in northern Portugal's Vila Real district with a café and restaurant scene that is unusually rich for its size, vineyards in the surround…

Porrentruy

This small French-speaking Swiss town in the canton of Jura has a café and restaurant scene that outpaces the town's size, with vineyards in the surrounding…

Koroni

This little Peloponnese town on the Gulf of Messinia, Koroni is known for its Venetian castle rising above the waterfront, the olive oil variety Koroneiki, a…

Fafe

This small city in northern Portugal's Braga district with a walkable centre, a food-and-drink scene, and vineyards in the surrounding countryside.

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…

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…

Santillana

A modest historic town in Cantabria known by the old saying that it is "the town of three lies" — neither a saint, nor flat, nor by the sea, despite what its…

Le Monastier-sur-Gazeille

This compact Auvergne village of stone and red-tile houses spread across rolling green upland country, Le Monastier-sur-Gazeille sits beside a river with vol…

Mendrisio

A compact Swiss-Italian town in Ticino's wine country, Mendrisio has a café and restaurant scene that punches above its size, alongside an unusual concentrat…

Kapfenberg

This steel town on the Mürz River in Styria, Kapfenberg has been shaped by iron and steel production since the 15th century, when proximity to the Styrian Er…

Hydra

A densely built Greek island village where whitewashed and terracotta-roofed houses climb a steep hillside above the water, with a lively café and restaurant…

Otranto

Italy's easternmost town, Otranto sits on the Adriatic coast of the Salento peninsula in Apulia, with a café and restaurant scene that holds a surprising num…

Patersberg

A tiny hamlet in the Loreley district of Rhineland-Palatinate, Patersberg sits in the Rhine wine country with scenic mountain views and is officially recogni…

Karpenisi

Karpenisi is the highest-elevation regional capital in Greece, a small town in the southern Pindus Mountains set along the Karpenisiotis river with Mount Tym…

Paray-le-Monial

This pocket-sized Burgundian town on the water, Paray-le-Monial draws visitors with its ornate Renaissance town hall on an open square, an unusual density of…

Lismore

Pocket-sized heritage town on the River Blackwater in County Waterford, Lismore has a café and restaurant scene that punches above its size.

Pfaffenhofen an der Ilm

This walkable Bavarian town on the river Ilm, south of Munich, with a centre full of cafés and historic churches and mountain views within reach.

Bagnols-sur-Cèze

Wine-country town in the Gard department of southern France, set on the Cèze river with a walkable centre full of cafés and restaurants.

Mahahual

This pocket-sized Caribbean village on Mexico's Costa Maya in Quintana Roo, Mahahual has grown from a fishing settlement into a tourist centre with a café an…

Neustadt an der Aisch

This tiny Bavarian town on the Aisch river in Middle Franconia, Neustadt an der Aisch has a café and restaurant scene that punches above its size.

Philipsburg

This broad arc of white sand meets vivid turquoise water in this compact Caribbean capital, where colorful low-rise buildings back the beach and green hills…

Ehrwald

At the foot of the Zugspitze — Germany's highest peak — this modest Tyrolean village in Austria's Reutte district draws outdoor visitors across all seasons,…

Le Grau-du-Roi

The only commune in the Gard department with a Mediterranean coastline, Le Grau-du-Roi is a small southern French town with a real café and restaurant scene,…

Naarden

Naarden's 17th-century star-shaped fortifications, among the best preserved in Europe, encircle a walkable historic town centre in the Gooi region of North H…

Zafra

Walkable town in Extremadura's Badajoz province with a centre full of cafés and restaurants, Zafra is the birthplace of Fray Ruy Lopez, author of one of the…

Pont-Saint-Esprit

A small town on the Rhône in southern France's Gard département, Pont-Saint-Esprit sits at a historic river crossing where the Ardèche meets the Rhône just t…

Borgo San Dalmazzo

A tiny Piedmontese town near Cuneo with a café and restaurant scene that punches above its size, Borgo San Dalmazzo also holds an 11th-century parish church…

Unterseen

Sitting on the eastern shore of Lake Thun in the Swiss canton of Bern, Unterseen looks directly toward the Eiger, Mönch, and Jungfrau — three of the Alps' mo…

Le Vigan

Modest town in the Cévennes region of southern France's Gard department, Le Vigan sits on the River Arre and carries a café and restaurant scene that punches…

Saltaire

Built between 1851 and 1871 by wool industrialist Sir Titus Salt alongside the River Aire and the Leeds and Liverpool Canal, Saltaire is a Victorian model vi…

Fasano

A walkable Apulian town with a café-filled centre and a notable concentration of historic churches, Fasano sits at the boundary between the Salento and the T…

Sommières

Little town in the Gard department of southern France where the Vidourle river runs through the centre, Sommières sits in deep wine country between Nîmes and…

Baza

A walkable Andalusian town in Granada province with a centre full of cafés and restaurants, Baza sits alongside the rivers Guardal and Gállego and is the lar…

Hohenems

Home to the Schubertiade, a music festival dedicated to Franz Schubert that has made this Vorarlberg town internationally known, Hohenems also holds a 16th-c…

Samoëns

Alpine village in the Vallée du Giffre near the Swiss border, Samoëns holds a "ville fleurie" designation for the quality of its gardens and public greenery,…

Krk

This pocket-sized Croatian island town on the Adriatic has an unusually dense concentration of historic churches and cafés for its size, with scenic viewpoin…

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…

Louviers

This walkable Norman town on the water, Louviers sits in the Eure department of Normandy with a centre well supplied with cafés and restaurants.

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…

Schouweiler

A compact Luxembourg village spread across rolling green farmland in the Canton of Capellen, Schouweiler serves as a local administrative hub with a surprisi…

Engelberg

A mountain resort in Central Switzerland, popular for both skiing and summer Alpine tourism, with a café and restaurant scene that punches above its size.

Port Fairy

This pocket-sized waterfront town in south-western Victoria where the Moyne River meets the Southern Ocean, Port Fairy sits on the Princes Highway between Wa…

Reit im Winkl

This Bavarian village on the German-Austrian border known for reliable snowfall and a ski resort that earned Germany's first-ever Premium Winter Trails Certi…

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…

Largentière

Silver mining shaped this pocket-sized Ardèche village for centuries — its name, adopted in the 13th century, refers directly to the silver-bearing ore extra…

Hartberg

A little Styrian town in southeastern Austria with a café and restaurant scene that would suit a town twice its size, Hartberg sits in wine country with scen…

Cremeno

A small Lombardy village in the hills above Lecco, Cremeno draws visitors with its elegant colonnaded baroque church, scenic upland surroundings, and a surpr…

Beuvron-en-Auge

A hamlet in Normandy's Calvados department that holds the Les Plus Beaux Villages de France designation, Beuvron-en-Auge punches above its size with a little…

Rønne

The largest town on the Danish island of Bornholm in the Baltic Sea, Rønne has a waterfront position, cobbled streets, half-timbered houses, and a café and r…

Pietrasanta

This walkable coastal town in northern Tuscany's Versilia district, Pietrasanta sits at the foot of the Apuan Alps with a centre full of cafés, restaurants,…

Anduze

A small town at the foot of the Cévennes in southern France's Gard department, Anduze sits on the River Gard with a café and restaurant scene that punches ab…

Aabenraa

A fjord-side town in Southern Denmark with a walkable centre and a working harbour that ranks among the country's deepest, Aabenraa sits at the head of Aaben…

Tavagnasco

Small village in Piedmont's Dora Baltea valley, north of Turin, Tavagnasco sits on the river with mountain terrain close by and vineyards in the surrounding…

Wertheim am Main

At the confluence of the Tauber and Main rivers in southwestern Baden-Württemberg, Wertheim am Main is a medieval town best known for its landmark castle and…

Huntsville

Walkable town in Ontario's Muskoka District with a centre full of cafés and restaurants, Huntsville sits amid the lakes and hilly terrain of the Canadian Shi…

Morretes

A walkable riverside town in Paraná, Brazil, with a centre full of cafés and restaurants and a reputation built around barreado, a traditional slow-cooked di…

La Floresta

The oldest resort on Uruguay's Costa de Oro, La Floresta dates to 1909 and sits on the Canelones Department's Atlantic coast.

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…

Novi Vinodolski

Adriatic coast town in Croatia with a café and restaurant scene that punches above its size, Novi Vinodolski sits where the Vinodol Valley — long used for wi…

Winschoten

This town in the northeast Netherlands with a walkable centre well stocked with cafés and restaurants, Winschoten serves as the main shopping hub for the Old…

Benningen am Neckar

This small wine-country town on the Neckar river in Baden-Württemberg, Benningen am Neckar sits a short distance north of Stuttgart in the Ludwigsburg distri…

Tórshavn

The capital of the Faroe Islands, Tórshavn sits on the water with mountains rising close behind, and carries a café and restaurant scene that punches well ab…

Gilsdorf

This tiny Luxembourg village in the Sure valley sits directly on the river in hilly terrain within the canton of Diekirch, and offers an unusual number of ca…

Cetinje

Montenegro's former royal capital, Cetinje sits on a small karst plain beneath Mount Lovćen and has been called a "city-museum" for its concentration of hist…

Capranica

This modest town in the Tuscia area of Lazio, Capranica sits on the ancient Via Cassia and along the route of the Via Francigena pilgrimage road, with vineya…

Dokkum

This pocket-sized Frisian town in the Netherlands retains its historic ring of well-preserved fortifications — the bolwerken — along with a centre dense with…

Ulcinj

Montenegro's southernmost coastal town, Ulcinj has a café and restaurant scene that punches well above its size, alongside a beach, a lake, and Ada Bojana Is…

Sora

This walkable town on the banks of the Liri river in Lazio's Frosinone province, Sora has a centre with a good spread of cafés, restaurants, and historic chu…

Crépy-en-Valois

A walkable town in the Oise department of northern France, Crépy-en-Valois sits at the heart of the Automne valley and served as the historic capital of the…

Ommen

A pocket-sized Dutch town on the River Vecht in Overijssel, Ommen has a café and restaurant scene that punches above its size.

Tortona

A walkable Piedmontese town on the right bank of the Scrivia river, between the plain of Marengo and the foothills of the Ligurian Apennines, Tortona sits in…

Filandia

This compact Andean town in Colombia's Quindío department draws visitors with a café and restaurant scene that punches well above its size, set against the w…

Weinfelden

A tiny Swiss wine-country town in canton Thurgau with a café and restaurant scene that is well stocked for its size, Weinfelden sits on the water with scenic…

Atina

A small village in Frosinone province, Lazio, with several historic churches and a café and restaurant scene that punches above its size.

Senija

This compact Valencian village set among olive groves and terraced farmland, with a flat-topped rocky peak dominating the skyline, a church tower at its hear…

Simon's Town

This pocket-sized naval town on the eastern shore of the Cape Peninsula, Simon's Town has served as a military harbour for more than two centuries — first fo…

Ceglie Messapica

This walkable Apulian town in the Salento area of Brindisi province, Ceglie Messapica has a whitewashed historic centre of narrow stone-paved lanes, many chu…

Nova Gorica

Nova Gorica and its Italian neighbour Gorizia jointly hold the European Capital of Culture title for 2025 — a designation the BBC called Europe's first borde…

Matlock

This small Derbyshire county town sits in the south-eastern Peak District, where the River Derwent runs through mountain terrain and scenic viewpoints are cl…

Erice

Sitting on the summit of Monte Erice above Trapani in western Sicily, this medieval hilltop village retains its ancient Elymian-Punic fortifications, cobbled…

Illertissen

A Bavarian town on the River Iller, Illertissen is dominated by a striking white castle complex with an onion-domed tower, complemented by a walkable centre…

Millau

This town at the confluence of the Tarn and Dourbie rivers in Aveyron, Millau is best known for its Viaduct and a walkable centre with a dense food-and-drink…

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…

Castlebar

The county town of County Mayo in western Ireland, Castlebar has a café and restaurant scene that punches above its weight for a modest town.

Loznica

This walkable town in western Serbia with a centre full of cafés and restaurants, Loznica sits on the right bank of the Drina river close to the border with…

Velilla del Río Carrión

Sitting on both banks of the Carrión river in the mountains of northern Palencia, Velilla del Río Carrión is a tiny village with a surprisingly lively café a…

Birsfelden

A compact Swiss town where a fast-flowing river runs directly past a row of colourful multi-storey houses, with a lively café and restaurant scene, surroundi…

Varnsdorf

A small industrial town on the Mandau River in the Lusatian Highlands, Varnsdorf sits on Czechia's northern border with Germany, surrounded by mountain terra…

San Vito dei Normanni

A town in Apulia's Brindisi province with a walkable centre full of cafés and restaurants, San Vito dei Normanni sits in northern Salento, a short drive from…

Aigues-Mortes

Enclosed within well-preserved medieval walls, this pocket-sized town in the Camargue region of southern France sits at the junction of two waterways and dra…

Thalwil

A small Swiss town on the western shore of Lake Zurich, Thalwil sits on the terraced slopes of the Zimmerberg and offers lake views alongside a café and rest…

Scicli

Scicli's baroque historic centre earned UNESCO World Heritage status in 2002 as part of the Late Baroque Towns of the Val di Noto, and the town backs this up…

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…

Koksijde

A Belgian North Sea coast town where rolling sand dunes meet a dense grid of red-tile houses, offering a walkable food scene, direct beach access, and easy r…

Budva

One of the oldest settlements on the Adriatic coast, Budva is Montenegro's busiest coastal resort, built around a well-preserved medieval walled city and san…

Béjar

Béjar is a small town in Salamanca province whose historical identity was shaped by a once-thriving textile manufacturing industry.

Soorts-Hossegor

This small Atlantic resort town in the Landes department of southwestern France, Hossegor is built around surfing: its beach break, including the wave known…

Karystos

A waterfront town on the southern tip of Euboea, Karystos has a café and restaurant scene that punches above its size, vineyards in the surrounding countrysi…

Acquaviva delle Fonti

Acquaviva delle Fonti, a town on the Murge plateau in Apulia's Bari metropolitan area, is known across the region for its red onions, which carry DOP protect…

Tembleque

This pocket-sized village in Toledo province, Castile-La Mancha, sits in wine-growing country with vineyards nearby and water close at hand, and carries a co…

Vonitsa

Small beach town on the south coast of the Ambracian Gulf in northwestern Greece, Vonitsa has a café and restaurant scene that punches above its size, a conc…

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…

Isola Bella

One of the Borromean Islands on Lake Maggiore, Isola Bella is a small island a short distance from the lakeside town of Stresa, divided between the Borromeo…

Saint-Omer

Saint-Omer is a sub-prefecture town in Pas-de-Calais where the canalised river Aa begins its course toward the North Sea, giving the centre a waterside chara…

Espinosa de los Monteros

A small village in the Cantabrian Mountains of northern Burgos province, Espinosa de los Monteros has a waterside setting and a café and restaurant scene tha…

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…

Wambrechies

This small French town on the water near Lille, Wambrechies draws the eye with its ornate brick town hall — a stepped-gable, diamond-patterned tower rising a…

Oropesa

Little coastal town on the Mediterranean shore of Castellón, Oropesa del Mar has a café and restaurant scene that punches well above its size, making it a pr…

Erlenbach am Main

This wine-producing town on the Main river in Bavaria's Lower Franconia region, Erlenbach am Main is the largest town in the Miltenberg district and carries…

Laguiole

Compact Aveyron village of tightly packed grey stone-slate rooftops and chimney pots, Laguiole sits in upland country with several listed historic monuments…

Cotacachi

Leather goods and handicrafts define Cotacachi, a tiny highland town in Ecuador's Imbabura Province where artisan workshops line the streets alongside a stro…

Kiryat Shmona

Israel's northernmost city, Kiryat Shmona sits on the western slopes of the Hula Valley close to the Lebanese border, with mountain terrain rising around it…

Hennebont

A compact Breton town on the Blavet river, Hennebont rewards visitors with medieval ramparts visible from the waterfront, a Gothic church spire rising above…

Albaida

This hilltop church tower and whitewashed old quarter rise above palm-lined streets in this compact Valencian town, set among vineyard country with a walkabl…

Pluma Hidalgo

Pocket-sized Oaxacan village set high in densely forested mountain country, where ridge after ridge of green hills stretch toward the coast, rewarding visito…

Guingamp

This tiny Breton town in the Côtes-d'Armor with a café and restaurant scene that is unusually rich for its size, Guingamp also holds a concentration of histo…

Obercorn

Compact section of the commune of Differdange in Luxembourg's canton of Esch-sur-Alzette, Obercorn is where the River Chiers — a tributary of the Meuse — has…

Palmela

A wine-country town south of Lisbon on the Península de Setúbal, Palmela sits among vineyards with scenic viewpoints across the surrounding landscape and a w…

Aubenas