Hiking & national-park bases, around the world.

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…

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…

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…

Daraga

The Cagsawa Ruins, a partially buried 18th-century church destroyed by a Mayon Volcano eruption, draw visitors to this pocket-sized Albay municipality with t…

San Andres Tuxtla

Since the 19th century, San Andrés Tuxtla in southern Veracruz has been the centre of Mexico's fine tobacco and cigar production, a distinction that still sh…

Ambrolauri

This compact Georgian city serves as the administrative centre of the Racha-Lechkhumi and Lower Svaneti region, set close to mountains and within reach of se…

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…

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…

Combe Martin

This small seaside village on the North Devon coast, Combe Martin sits in a sheltered cove at the northwest edge of Exmoor National Park.

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…

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…

Arrens-Marsous

This mountain village in the Hautes-Pyrénées, formed in 1973 from the merger of Arrens and Marsous, sitting alongside the Gave d'Azun river within the Pyréné…

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…

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…

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…

Pontelandolfo

A compact hilltop village in Campania's Sannio Hills, Pontelandolfo offers cobbled streets climbing toward a medieval round tower, colorful stone-built house…

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…

Tolmin

This tiny town in northwestern Slovenia where the Soča and Tolminka rivers meet, Tolmin sits at the junction of three valleys in mountain country, with sceni…

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…

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…

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…

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…

Vivario

A small Corsican village at the foot of the Col de Vizzavona, Vivario sits where the mountain climb begins and the surrounding terrain opens into scenic high…

Žilina

City on the Váh river in north-western Slovakia with a lively café scene and a historic centre whose arcaded main square is considered unique in the country.

Inverness

This little waterside village on Cape Breton Island, Nova Scotia, sits within an hour's drive of Cape Breton Highlands National Park to the north and the Can…

Avezzano

A compact town in Abruzzo's Marsica area with a café-filled centre and vineyards nearby, Avezzano carries a layered history: first documented in the 9th cent…

Pfunds

Tiny Tyrolean village in Austria's Landeck district, Pfunds sits at the water's edge close to the Swiss border and the tripoint with Italy, with scenic mount…

Mittenwald

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

Llanidloes

This modest Welsh town in Powys sits at the first point on the River Severn, counting from the source, and makes a reasonable base for the surrounding mounta…

Wörgl

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

Roanoke

Roanoke's most recognizable landmark is the Roanoke Star, an illuminated star atop a mountain within the city limits that has earned it the nickname "The Sta…

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…

Le Rozier

A small hamlet in the Lozère department of southern France where the Tarn and Jonte rivers meet, Le Rozier sits at the entrance to the Gorges du Tarn and Gor…

Tsepelovo

High in the Tymfi mountain range within the Vikos–Aoös National Park, Tsepelovo is the largest of the 45 villages of the Zagori region in Epirus, and carries…

Altmannstein

A compact Bavarian market town of red-tile rooftops and a round-towered church, set in the rolling wooded hills of the Altmühltal nature park, with UNESCO Wo…

El Oro de Hidalgo

Designated a Pueblo Mágico by Mexico's tourism authority, El Oro de Hidalgo is a small colonial-era town in the State of Mexico whose architecture bears the…

Cuveglio

A compact Lombardy valley town spread across a green basin beneath densely forested mountains, Cuveglio offers a relaxed base for exploring the Varese upland…

Rajcza

This tiny village in the Beskid Żywiecki mountains of southern Poland, Rajcza sits along the upper Soła river and serves as a base for both summer hiking and…

Kinosaki

Lantern-lit canal lined with traditional multi-storey inns, willow-draped stone embankments, and an arched bridge reflected in still water makes this compact…

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…

Telfs

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

Ribcev Laz

Sitting on the eastern shore of Lake Bohinj within Triglav National Park, this little Slovenian hamlet is built almost entirely around tourism, with hotels,…

Te Kuiti

A small town in New Zealand's King Country region that bills itself as the sheep shearing capital of the world, hosting the annual New Zealand National Shear…

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…

Konitsa

This pocket-sized mountain town in Epirus built on a slope of the Pindos range, Konitsa overlooks the valley where the Aoos and Voidomatis rivers meet and se…

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…

Norris Point

This pocket-sized waterfront village on Bonne Bay in western Newfoundland, Norris Point sits at the edge of Gros Morne National Park amid mountain terrain.

Spodnja Idrija

A compact village spread along the Idrijca River at the base of a deep, densely forested valley, Spodnja Idrija offers a tranquil base for exploring the surr…

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…

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…

Steinkjer

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

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…

East Retford

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

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…

Bezau

This compact village in the Bregenz Forest region of Vorarlberg, Austria, Bezau sits among mountain terrain and draws visitors year-round for skiing and hiking.

Diest

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

Chiltern

The birthplace of Prime Minister John McEwen, Chiltern is a small Victorian town in the northeast of the state, between Wangaratta and Wodonga, close to the…

Haugesund

This coastal town on the Karmsundet strait in southwest Norway, Haugesund has a compact centre with a concentration of cafés and restaurants within walking d…

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…

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…

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…

Ganllwyd

Gold-mining history gives this small Snowdonia hamlet an unexpected industrial past: remains of the former workings are visible behind the village hall, and…

Yeruham

Compact desert town in Israel's Negev, Yeruham sits amid vast arid highlands with a reservoir at its edge and serves as a practical base for exploring the su…

Eganville

Billed as the Ordovician Fossil Capital of Canada, this small Ontario village sits in a deep limestone valley carved by the Bonnechere River, where fossils s…

Villetta Barrea

A small mountain village in Abruzzo's province of L'Aquila, Villetta Barrea sits on Lake Barrea within the Abruzzo, Lazio and Molise National Park, with the…

Ridder

Founded in 1786 after Russian engineer Filipp Ridder discovered polymetallic ore deposits in the area, this town in northeastern Kazakhstan sits in the south…

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…

Figueiro dos Vinhos

This small Portuguese village in the Leiria district sits alongside the water and carries an unusually dense cluster of churches and cafés for its size, maki…

Poppi

Poppi Castle, dating to the 12th century, anchors this small Tuscan hill town in the Province of Arezzo, listed among Italy's most beautiful villages.

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.

Szklarska Poreba Dolna

A ski resort and hiking base in the Giant Mountains of south-western Poland, Szklarska Poręba serves as a gateway to Karkonosze National Park and draws visit…

Foca

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

Yeghegnadzor

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

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…

Chachapoyas

Founded in 1538 as San Juan de la Frontera de los Chachapoyas, this highland city in northern Peru sits on the eastern slopes of the Andes in the Utcubamba r…

Lebanon

Modest Oregon city on the South Santiam River, Lebanon sits at the eastern edge of the Willamette Valley with a compact centre of cafés and restaurants, a ne…

San-Martino-di-Lota

A stone-built Corsican village spread across terraced hillsides above dense maquis, with a prominent church tower, sweeping mountain backdrops, and coastal p…

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…

Shoal Bay

This summer beach village on the southern shore of Port Stephens in New South Wales, Shoal Bay sits at the entrance to the port and includes part of Tomaree…

Trinidad

A compact Colorado city on the historic Santa Fe Trail, Trinidad sits in mountain terrain at the edge of Las Animas County and is home to Trinidad State Coll…

Kotlje

This compact Slovenian Carinthian village of white-walled, red-roofed houses set against a densely forested mountain, with a church spire marking its centre…

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…

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…

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…

Silver Star Mountain

Ski resort in the Monashee Mountains of British Columbia, northeast of Vernon, Silver Star Mountain operates a snow season from late November to mid-April an…

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…

Wawona

This little community situated entirely within Yosemite National Park, Wawona sits alongside the South Fork of the Merced River with mountain scenery in ever…

Khaplu

Khaplu serves as the main base for trekking into the Hushe Valley, with access to high peaks including Masherbrum, K6, K7, and Chogolisa, in Pakistan-adminis…

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…

San Luis Obispo

This walkable California town with a dense food-and-drink scene, vineyards in the surrounding area, and hiking terrain on its doorstep — including Cerro San…

Puerto Chacabuco

Puerto Chacabuco sits at the head of Aisén Fjord in Chilean Patagonia, serving as the main port of the Aysén Region and a departure point for vessels heading…

Maentwrog

This tiny village in the Vale of Ffestiniog within Snowdonia National Park, Maentwrog sits alongside the River Dwyryd with the Moelwyn Bach mountains to the…

Castellane

A compact, photogenic subprefecture in the Alpes-de-Haute-Provence, Castellane sits on the water with mountain scenery close at hand and carries the French g…

Theth

This mountain village in the Albanian Alps, Theth sits at the centre of Theth National Park, a protected area of high valleys, dense forests, clear springs,…

Burnsall

A tiny village on the River Wharfe in the Yorkshire Dales National Park, Burnsall draws walkers on the Dalesway long-distance route, which crosses its five-a…

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…

Pollau

This pocket-sized Styrian town in Austria serves as the main centre of the Pöllauer Tal nature park, set among vineyards and close to the mountains, with a c…

Potstejn

A compact Czech village of red-tile rooftops spread across a forested river valley in the Hradec Králové uplands, with several historic churches and wooded h…

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…

Leutasch

A Tyrolean village in the mountains northwest of Innsbruck, Leutasch is known for its extensive cross-country ski trails in winter.

Broto

This pocket-sized mountain village in the Sobrarbe comarca of Huesca, Aragon, Broto sits alongside a river and offers a surprisingly full set of cafés, resta…

San Paolo Cervo

Tiny Piedmontese hamlet of stone buildings and a tall arched villa rising through dense forested hillsides, San Paolo Cervo rewards visitors seeking mountain…

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…

Gospić

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

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.

Oppdal

Compact Norwegian valley town ringed by broad forested slopes and high bare-topped mountains, Oppdal serves as a practical base for upland hiking and skiing,…

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,…

Towednack

This small churchtown and civil parish in Cornwall, close to St Ives and the Atlantic coast, sitting within the Cornwall Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty —…

Taumarunui

Sitting on the upper Whanganui River in New Zealand's central North Island, Taumarunui is a pocket-sized King Country town with a café and restaurant scene i…

Rittersgrün

This village in the Erzgebirge mountains of Saxony, Rittersgrün is known today as a winter sports and hiking destination, with a well-developed trail network…

Clifden

A small harbour town on the northwest coast of County Galway, Clifden sits where the Owenglin River meets Clifden Bay, with mountain terrain rising behind it.

Vik

Iceland's southernmost village sits on the black-sand coast of the south shore, backed by Mýrdalsjökull glacier and the volatile Katla volcano beneath it.

Nettetal

This North Rhine-Westphalian town where a grand red-brick manor with formal clipped gardens anchors a landscape of waterside walks, historic churches, and ea…

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…

Ingonish

A cluster of small settlements on Cape Breton Island's Atlantic coast, Ingonish sits within Cape Breton Highlands National Park and along the Cabot Trail sce…

Lava Hot Springs

This pocket-sized Idaho resort town on the Portneuf River draws visitors to its natural hot springs, which feed pools suited for bathing, and to a turbulent…

Innbygda

Compact Norwegian village on the Trysilelva river in Innlandet county, Innbygda serves as the base for the Trysilfjellet skiing area, which sits directly alo…

Šavnik

This compact mountain town in northern Montenegro sits where three rivers — the Bukovica, Bijela, and Šavnik — meet, making it the administrative centre of Š…

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…

Thong Pha Phum

District in Kanchanaburi province, western Thailand, Thong Pha Phum sits alongside the Vajiralongkorn Dam reservoir and is home to Thong Pha Phum National Pa…

Quetzaltenango

Guatemala's second city, known widely as Xela (pronounced SHAY-la), sits high in a mountain valley in the western highlands and draws visitors with a walkabl…

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…

Strahan

Small waterfront village on Tasmania's west coast, Strahan sits on Macquarie Harbour and serves as the main tourism base for the surrounding mountain region.

Salta

The provincial capital of Salta sits high in the Andes foothills of northern Argentina, in the Valle de Lerma, crossed by the Arenales river and close to the…

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…

Yeosu

A coastal city on South Korea's southern shore, Yeosu is known for its seafood, beaches, and marinas, and hosted the 2012 World Expo in its harbour.

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…

Olovo

A compact Bosnian town where a river curves through a forested upland valley, with red-tile houses climbing the surrounding hillsides and a little central co…

Raetihi

A modest village in New Zealand's central North Island, Raetihi sits in a valley between Tongariro and Whanganui National Parks, with views of the three volc…

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…

Vares

This compact mountain town in central Bosnia and Herzegovina, Vareš sits alongside a river and is known for its iron mining and production heritage.

Świnoujście

Baltic seaside spa town on Poland's north-western tip, Świnoujście sits across three islands at the mouth of the Świna river, with a wide sandy beach stretch…

Queenston

Queenston, in Ontario's Niagara wine country, sits where the Niagara River meets the Niagara Escarpment — the geological point from which the falls began car…

Andong

Andong, the capital of North Gyeongsang Province in South Korea, is known as a centre of Korean folk traditions and Confucian culture, with Hahoe Village and…

Bugarach

A pocket-sized hamlet in the Aude department of southern France, Bugarach sits on the Blanque river at the foot of the Pech de Bugarach, the high point of th…

Astakos

This pocket-sized waterfront town on a bay along the eastern shore of the Ionian Sea, Astakos sits at the foot of the Acarnanian Mountains in western Greece.

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…

Magra

A pocket-sized Tasmanian valley village where brick farmhouses dot rolling green paddocks beneath forested hills, offering a quiet rural escape in the Derwen…

Radozda

Small lakeside village in southwestern North Macedonia, Radozda sits directly on the shore of a vast turquoise lake, its terracotta-roofed houses climbing a…

Teresópolis

A mountain city in Rio de Janeiro state, Teresópolis sits at high elevation and serves as the main gateway to Serra dos Órgãos National Park, whose boundarie…

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…

Mutters

A pocket-sized Tyrolean village on a mid-elevation terrace at the entrance to the Stubaital valley, just south of Innsbruck, with mountain terrain, scenic su…

Mouthe

France's coldest recorded place, Mouthe is a tiny Jura mountain village in the Doubs department where Météo-France officially logged −36.7°C on 13 January 1968.

Schreiber

This little township on the northernmost shore of Lake Superior in Ontario, Schreiber sits in mountain terrain along Highway 17 with direct water access and…

Tepic

Founded in 1531 by Nuño de Guzmán, Tepic is the capital of Mexico's Pacific-coast state of Nayarit, set in a valley with the Sierra Occidental in the surroun…

Faverges

This compact town in Haute-Savoie sitting at the upper end of the glacial valley that gives rise to Lake Annecy, with mountain scenery on all sides and the B…

Putre

High in the Andes at an elevation that demands acclimatisation, this little Aymara-rooted village in northern Chile sits on the edge of Lauca National Park a…

Alexandra

A tiny Victorian town northeast of Melbourne that serves as a base for fishing the Goulburn and Rubicon rivers and boating on Lake Eildon, a short drive east.

Port Gibson

This compact Mississippi city on the western edge of Claiborne County, Port Gibson sits along the Mississippi River with an unusual concentration of churches…

Elsterwerda

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

Zamami

A tiny island village in Okinawa's Kerama Islands, Zamami sits on the water with mountain terrain rising behind it and an unusually dense café and restaurant…

Valbone

A village in the Albanian Alps set along the Valbonë river, within Valbonë Valley National Park and below the peak of Maja e Thatë.

Sisimiut

Boldly painted wooden buildings in red, blue, and yellow cluster around a working harbour, with bare rocky mountains rising directly behind this tiny Greenla…

Edzell

Georgian planned village in Angus, Scotland, laid out with a broad main street and a grid of side streets beside the River North Esk, in the foothills of the…

Kroscienko nad Dunajcem

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

Oakura

Small beachside village in Taranaki, on New Zealand's western North Island, Ōakura is built around its beach — one of the first Blue Flag accredited beaches…

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…

Montalegre

This mountain town in northern Portugal's Alto Tâmega region, Montalegre sits close to the Spanish border with a café and restaurant scene that would suit a…

Hengchun

Gateway to Kenting National Park at Taiwan's southern tip, Hengchun is a small town with a walkable centre and a lively food-and-drink scene.

Kendal

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

Bandar Lampung

Bandar Lampung, the provincial capital at the southern tip of Sumatra, has a dense café and restaurant scene and sits close to Bukit Barisan Selatan National…

Hadano

A Japanese city in Kanagawa's upland country where forested ridgelines give way to sweeping views over a broad valley basin and a glittering bay beyond, with…

Köniz

This large Swiss municipality sits on the southern edge of Bern, combining a food-and-drink scene with scenic surroundings that reach toward mountain terrain.

Rožňava

A walkable historic town in Slovakia's Gemer region, Rožňava has a centre dense with cafés and restaurants and serves as a base for the mountains and scenic…

Field

Small hamlet in Yoho National Park in southeastern British Columbia, Field sits in the Kicking Horse River valley along the Trans-Canada Highway and serves a…

Kenmare

At the head of Kenmare Bay in southwest County Kerry, this village punches well above its size with an unusually dense concentration of cafés and restaurants…

Stanghelle

Tiny Norwegian village on the Veafjorden, where the Hellestraumen branch meets the main fjord, Stanghelle sits in mountain terrain in Vestland county with sc…

Bandera

This little Texas Hill Country city that calls itself the "Cowboy Capital of the World," a title rooted in its role as a staging area for the Great Western C…

Kotohira

Kotohira-gū, the Shinto shrine known informally as Konpira-san, draws visitors to this pocket-sized town in Kagawa Prefecture via a staircase of 1,368 steps…

Youlgreave

One of the larger villages in the Peak District National Park, Youlgreave sits on the River Bradford in Derbyshire and carries a heritage-dense streetscape f…

Zamora

Founded in 1549 at the confluence of three rivers on the eastern flanks of the Andes, Zamora is the capital of Ecuador's Zamora Chinchipe province and a base…

Burrel

This compact town in northern Albania, set among mountains and close to water, has a café and restaurant scene that punches well above its size — making it a…

Padang

Padang cuisine — the fiery, coconut-rich cooking of the Minangkabau people — takes its name from this large city on the west coast of Sumatra, the capital of…

Crowborough

Crowborough sits at the edge of Ashdown Forest in East Sussex, making it the highest town in the High Weald Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty and a base for…

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…

Borovets

Bulgaria's oldest mountain resort, Borovets sits on the slopes of the Rila range and serves as one of the main starting points for hiking to Musala, the high…

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…

Ylivieska

A commercial and administrative hub for a wide stretch of Northern Ostrobothnia, Ylivieska is a Finnish town that grew up at a railway junction on the banks…

Heroica Zitacuaro

City in Michoacán's eastern reaches with a walkable centre full of cafés and restaurants, including a street locally known as "Calle del Hambre" — lined with…

Sharow

A small village just north-east of Ripon in North Yorkshire, Sharow is home to St John's Church, whose two-acre churchyard has been managed as a wildlife hab…

Maltepe

A dense residential district on Istanbul's Asian shore, Maltepe lines the Sea of Marmara with a waterfront promenade, low-rise neighbourhoods climbing toward…

Luce

A small Alpine-style village in Slovenia's Savinja Valley, where red-tile houses and a church steeple sit against densely forested hills, making it a quiet b…

Penmaenpool

A modest hamlet on the south bank of the Mawddach estuary in Gwynedd, set within Snowdonia National Park amid mountain terrain.

Saint-Roman-de-Codières

This tiny hamlet in the Cévennes mountains of southern France's Gard department sits alongside the Vidourle river and is drained by several other watercourse…

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…

Hvolsvollur

A low-rise Icelandic town spread across a broad green plain, with rounded hills rising to one side and wide open farmland stretching toward distant mountains…

Gyongyos

This walkable Hungarian town at the foot of the Mátra range — the highest mountains in the country — Gyöngyös has a centre with a real café and restaurant sc…

East Glacier Park Village

A compact grid-street hamlet at the forested edge of Glacier County, this compact Montana community sits where open ranchland meets dense pine country, makin…

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.

Drouin

Compact West Gippsland town with a walkable main street, easy access to upland country, and a relaxed local café scene that makes it a practical base for exp…

Gatlinburg

Gateway to Great Smoky Mountains National Park, this modest Tennessee resort town sits at the park's edge along U.S.

Ngong Ping

This highland plateau on Lantau Island known for the Tian Tan Buddha — a roughly 34-metre bronze statue — and the adjacent Po Lin Monastery, Ngong Ping is re…

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…

Braithwaite

A tiny Lake District hamlet in Cumbria sitting beside Coledale Beck, with the Grisedale Pike ridge to the east and Whinlatter Forest's walking trails close by.

Gananoque

Gateway to the Thousand Islands in the St.

Gümüşhane

Mountain town in Turkey's Eastern Black Sea region, Gümüşhane sits along the Harşit River at high elevation and serves as a base for trekking in the surround…

Dobrinishte

Little spa and ski town in southwestern Bulgaria, Dobrinishte sits at the end of the scenic narrow-gauge Septemvri–Dobrinishte railway line and draws on seve…

Wadebridge

Modest town in north Cornwall straddling the River Camel, Wadebridge has a pedestrianised main shopping street, Molesworth Street, with cafés and restaurants…

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…

Bidarray

A small village in the French Basque Country where the Nive river draws visitors for rafting and hiking in the surrounding Pyrenean terrain.

Koilani

This small stone-and-terracotta-roofed village spread across a forested hillside in Cyprus's Limassol uplands, with terraced vineyards climbing the slopes ab…

Pheriche

This high-altitude stop on the Mount Everest trek in Nepal's Khumbu region, Pheriche sits above the Tsola River inside Sagarmatha National Park and serves as…

Sever do Vouga

Known as the "Capital of Blueberry" for its blueberry cultivation and annual festival, Sever do Vouga is a modest town in Portugal's Aveiro District set amon…

Vagharshapat

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

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…

Blumenau

Founded on 2 September 1850 by German chemist Hermann Blumenau, this Santa Catarina city in the Itajaí Valley is home to the second-largest Oktoberfest in th…

Skalica

Walkable town in western Slovakia's Záhorie wine region, Skalica sits close to the Czech border with a centre full of historic churches, cafés, and restaurants.

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.

Studeno

This compact Slovenian village of red-tile rooftops and a white church steeple set among green hills near Postojna, offering a quiet base for exploring the u…

Fangshan

This coastal township in Pingtung County, Taiwan, Fangshan sits where the tail end of the Central Mountain Range meets the Taiwan Strait, producing a landsca…

Çamlıhemşin

This modest town in Rize Province on Turkey's eastern Black Sea coast, Çamlıhemşin is known for its mountains and valleys of dense green, with autumn foliage…

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…

La Grita

Andean valley town in Táchira state, Venezuela, La Grita draws large crowds each 5 and 6 August for the festival of the Santo Cristo de La Grita — a celebrat…

Imlil

High in the Atlas Mountains of Morocco, Imlil is the country's main base for trekking to Jebel Toubkal, the highest peak in North Africa.

Salida

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

Preddvor

This pocket-sized Slovenian resort town on the artificial lake of Črnava, Preddvor sits on the Kokra river and serves as a base for mountain hiking and cycli…

Wasserbillig

A compact Luxembourg town spread across a wooded valley where vineyards climb the surrounding hillsides, Wasserbillig sits at the water's edge and serves as…

San Felipe

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

Žabja Vas

A tiny Slovenian hamlet where old mill-style buildings sit directly above a clear green river, backed by dense conifer slopes — a quiet base for exploring th…

Pitoes das Junias

A high-elevation village in the heart of Peneda-Gerês National Park, Pitões das Júnias sits at around 1,200 metres in one of Portugal's highest parishes, wit…

Trefriw

Trefriw is a tiny Welsh village on the western slopes of the Conwy Valley, mostly within Snowdonia National Park, known for its working woollen mill — powere…

Alūksne

Latvia's highest-elevation town sits on the shores of Lake Alūksne in the East Vidzeme Upland, close to the borders with Estonia and Russia.

Mszana Dolna

Pocket-sized town in the western Beskids of southern Poland, Mszana Dolna sits in a deep valley along a river, ringed by mountain ranges including the Gorce…

Grand'Riviere

A pocket-sized Martinique village where pastel-shuttered Creole houses line narrow streets leading to a yellow-steepled church, set between upland country an…

Ashburton

A heritage-dense compact town on the south-eastern edge of Dartmoor in Devon, Ashburton has a walkable centre thick with listed buildings, cafés, and restaur…

Kelheim

This Bavarian town at the confluence of the Altmühl and Danube rivers, Kelheim sits below the Befreiungshalle, a monument on a ridge between the two river va…

San Antonio Cuajimoloyas

High in the Sierra Norte de Oaxaca, this tiny Zapotec village is one of the self-governing pueblos mancomunados communities and has built its local economy a…

Dinas Mawddwy

This little village in Snowdonia National Park, Gwynedd, where the Rivers Cerist and Dyfi meet beneath the surrounding hills.

Melres

Modest Portuguese town on the banks of a broad river, with orange-roofed houses climbing densely forested hillsides, a modest café and restaurant scene, and…

Lenoir

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

Jaén

Compact Peruvian town spread across a broad Andean valley in the high jungle of Cajamarca, where green ridgelines, patchwork farmland, and a river corridor f…

Abrigada

A compact Portuguese wine-country town in the Alenquer municipality, where a grand whitewashed manor house draped in climbing vines and shaded by mature tree…

Trhova Kamenice

This modest Czech village on the Chrudimka river in the Bohemian-Moravian Highlands, Trhová Kamenice sits on the boundary between the Železné hory and Žďársk…

Saint-Hilaire

A South Shore suburb of Montreal on the Richelieu River, Mont-Saint-Hilaire draws visitors with a mix of agrotourism — orchards, a vineyard, a cider house, a…

Vatra Moldovitei

Moldovița Monastery, a UNESCO World Heritage Site founded in 1402 by Alexander the Good, stands in this tiny Bukovina town in northeastern Romania, set along…

Nelsonville

Modest village in New York's Hudson Highlands, Nelsonville sits alongside Cold Spring in Putnam County and serves as a starting point for hiking trails throu…

Clinton

The Clinton Annual Ball, first held in 1867 and one of British Columbia's longest-running continuous events, anchors this small village on the southern edge…

Eina

Tiny Norwegian village on the north shore of lake Einavatnet, in Innlandet county, with the river Hunnselva running north through it toward the large lake Mj…

Vysoké Tatry

This tiny mountain town in northern Slovakia at the foot of the High Tatras, Vysoké Tatry brings together the region's major resorts in a single municipality…

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…

Bajina Basta

A modest Serbian town on the right bank of the Drina river, at the eastern edge of Tara National Park, with a café and restaurant scene that outpaces the tow…

Llanfrynach

This tiny village in the Brecon Beacons National Park, southeast of Brecon, Llanfrynach sits alongside the Nant Menasgin stream and the Monmouthshire and Bre…

Trenta

This small hamlet on the upper Soča River deep in the Julian Alps, Trenta sits within Triglav National Park and serves as home to the park's Trenta Lodge inf…

Moimenta da Beira

This pocket-sized Portuguese town in the Viseu district where granite-built religious architecture lines cobbled squares, the upland Douro country surrounds,…

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…

Cass

A tiny white-clapboard hamlet along the Greenbrier River in West Virginia's forested uplands, where tree-lined roads and wooded ridgelines rising behind mode…

Snina

A town in eastern Slovakia at the confluence of the Cirocha river and the Pčolinka, Snina sits between the Bukovec and Vihorlat Mountains and serves as the n…

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…

Bruntal

This compact town in the Nízký Jeseník hills of Czech Silesia sits on the Černý potok stream, with a walkable historic centre protected as an urban monument…

Tinghir

A Moroccan oasis town in the Drâa-Tafilalet region, Tinghir sits along the Wadi Todgha where a dense palm grove stretches for miles through a corridor betwee…

Maryport

This small Cumbrian coastal town on the Solway Firth, Maryport grew around a harbour built at the mouth of the River Ellen in the mid-18th century and sits a…

Rabstejn nad Strelou

A former town in Plzeňský kraj set on a rocky spur above the Střela river, with steep slopes dropping to the water on both sides and the surrounding Horní St…

Driebergen

This heritage-dense town in the Dutch province of Utrecht sits within the Utrechtse Heuvelrug National Park area, with a café and restaurant scene that punch…

Bukovel

Ukraine's largest ski resort and, as of 2012, the fastest-growing in the world, Bukovel sits high in the Carpathian Mountains in western Ukraine's Ivano-Fran…

Avelgem

A small Belgian town in West Flanders, Avelgem sits along the Scheldt river at the southeastern edge of the province, near the borders with East Flanders and…

Lunteren

This compact Dutch village in Gelderland's wooded uplands, where a tall brick church tower anchors the Dorpsstraat alongside local cafés, restaurants, and a…

Geeveston

This pocket-sized village on the Huon River in southern Tasmania, Geeveston serves as the gateway to Hartz Mountains National Park and sits within reach of U…

Datça

This modest Turkish town sits at the midpoint of the Datça Peninsula, a forested, mountainous strip of land that divides the Aegean and Mediterranean Seas.

Putten

A Gelderland town on the former Zuiderzee coast, Putten sits at the edge of the Veluwe, the largest national park in the Netherlands, making it a base for ex…

Olovi

A small Czech village in the mountains of the Karlovy Vary Region, Oloví sits above the Svatava river midway between Sokolov and Kraslice, surrounded by exte…

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…

Pen-y-cae

Little linear village in the Brecon Beacons National Park in Powys, Wales, running along the A4067 beside the River Tawe, between Abercraf and Craig-y-Nos Ca…

Nong Khiaw

This riverside village in Laos's Luang Prabang province with a café and restaurant scene that punches well above its size, Nong Khiaw sits on the Ou River am…

Collinstown

This compact Irish crossroads village in County Westmeath, with a cream-painted pub-lounge at its centre and a green overlooking nearby Lough Lene, making it…

El Cocuy

Little Colombian town in Boyacá's Gutiérrez Province, El Cocuy serves as the gateway to El Cocuy National Park and the Sierra Nevada del Cocuy.

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.

Kupiškis

A compact city in northeastern Lithuania, Kupiškis sits at the confluence of the Lėvuo and Kupa rivers — the latter giving the town its name — and borders on…

Jomsom

Straddling the Kali Gandaki River high in Nepal's Mustang district, Jomsom is the main gateway for treks into Upper Mustang and up to Muktinath, with Dhaulag…

Reuler

This small Luxembourg hamlet set among rolling farmland and forest near Clervaux, with wind turbines on the horizon and open countryside walks connecting it…

Kriens

A western suburb of Lucerne sitting at the foot of Mount Pilatus, Kriens has a walkable centre with cafés and restaurants, vineyards nearby, and scenic viewp…

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…

Bitola

Founded as Heraclea Lyncestis in the 4th century BC by Philip II of Macedon, Bitola is one of North Macedonia's oldest cities and its second largest, known s…

Tukuche

A Thakali village in Nepal's Kali Gandaki Gorge, Tukuche sits east of Tukuche Peak in Mustang District and serves as a cultural centre for the Thakali people…

Horuphav

A former fishing village on the island of Als in southern Denmark, Høruphav has kept its narrow, winding lanes and modest historic houses at its core, now su…

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…

Cholpon-Ata

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

Tenango del Aire

This tiny Mexican town in the State of Mexico's upland country, where a red-brick clock tower anchors a palm-lined central plaza, with forested mountain terr…

Angol

A small lakeside town in Chile's Los Ríos region, Lago Ranco sits against densely forested hills with weathered timber houses, a waterfront promenade, and lo…

Bantry

This small town on the southwest coast of County Cork with an unusually strong café and restaurant scene for its size, Bantry sits at the head of the deep-wa…

Morelia

Morelia's historic centre was declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1991, recognised for its well-preserved colonial architecture in pink quarry stone — i…

Ürgüp

A well-established base for exploring Cappadocia's rock-cut churches, underground cities, and fairy chimney landscapes, Ürgüp is a highland town in central T…

Venray

This Dutch Limburg town has a walkable centre with a good spread of cafés and restaurants, making it a practical base for exploring the northern part of the…

Guatire

La Parranda de San Pedro, a festivity recognized as UNESCO Intangible Cultural Heritage, originates in this city in Miranda State, Venezuela, east of Caracas.

Kicevo

A mountain town in western North Macedonia, Kicevo sits in a valley on the south-eastern slopes of Mount Bistra, between Ohrid and Gostivar, with a walkable…

Temuco

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

St. Peter's

This small Cape Breton village where a historic canal separates Bras d'Or Lake from the Atlantic Ocean, St.

Tallya

This modest Hungarian village sits in the Tokaj-Hegyalja wine district of northern Hungary, a region recognised as a UNESCO World Heritage Site, in Borsod-Ab…

Desmerice

A pocket-sized Croatian hamlet south of Ogulin, Desmerice spreads across the slopes of Zagorska Kosa ridge down to the shore of Lake Sabljaci, with eroded ro…

Sao Martinho do Porto

This tiny Portuguese beach village on a sheltered bay in the Oeste region, São Martinho do Porto has a café and restaurant scene that outpunches its size, ma…

Matranovak

A white-steepled baroque-style church anchors this small Hungarian village in Nógrád, where red-tile rooftops spread across a valley backed by wooded hills,…

Dunkeld

A small village at the southern gateway to the Grampians National Park in Victoria, Dunkeld sits beneath the twin peaks of Mt Murdadjoog and Mt Wurgarri and…

Mnisek pod Brdy

A pocket-sized town at the foot of the Brdy hills south of Prague, Mníšek pod Brdy has a well-preserved historic centre protected as an urban monument zone,…

Kielce

This city in the Świętokrzyskie (Holy Cross) Mountains of south-central Poland, Kielce sits on the Silnica River and serves as a base for the surrounding nat…

Arkhyz

Mountain-resort village in the Republic of Karachay–Cherkessia, Russia, Arkhyz sits at high elevation in the valley of the Bolshoy Zelenchuk River, surrounde…

Ayios Theodhoros

White-walled houses with terracotta roofs spread across a steep forested valley in Cyprus's Limassol uplands, with terraced hillsides and winding mountain ro…

Grand-Bourg

The main town on the Caribbean island of Marie-Galante, a dependency of the French overseas department of Guadeloupe, Grand-Bourg sits on the southwest coast…

Malacky

This town in western Slovakia's Záhorie region, Malacky sits between the Little Carpathians to the east and the Morava River to the west, with the mountain r…

Kulusuk

This tiny Greenlandic hamlet of brightly painted wooden houses on a snow-covered rocky shore, backed by dramatic snow-streaked peaks and a frozen bay, drawin…

Samokov

A modest Macedonian village of red-tile rooftops spread across a forested mountain valley in the Porečе region, offering a quiet base for exploring upland co…

Amman

Jordan's capital and largest city, Amman spreads across a landscape of hills and valleys, with a dense café and restaurant scene, a Roman amphitheatre, and a…

Val-David

This modest Laurentian Mountains village north of Montreal with a lively food scene, a reputation as an arts community, and serious outdoor credentials: Parc…

Tawau

City on the southeast coast of Sabah, Borneo, with a walkable centre full of cafés and restaurants and a waterfront within easy reach.

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…

Mutare

A mid-size Zimbabwean city whose palm-lined main street opens onto a broad valley ringed by green mountain ridges, making it a practical base for exploring t…

Manosque

Walkable town at the eastern edge of the Luberon in southeastern France, Manosque sits near the Durance river with a food-and-drink scene concentrated in its…

Kardamyli

A modest waterfront village on the Mani Peninsula in the southern Peloponnese, Kardamyli carries an outsized café and restaurant scene for its size, along wi…

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.

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…

Bowness-on-Windermere

This lakeside town in Cumbria's Lake District National Park serves as the main tourist hub for the South Lakes area, sitting directly on the shore of Winderm…

Liptovske Sliace

This whitewashed village church with a distinctive bulbous tower and red-tile roofs anchors this modest Slovak upland settlement in the Liptov region, where…

Patnos

This city on the Patnos plain in eastern Turkey, ringed by high mountains including the extinct volcano Süphan to the south and watered by a tributary of the…

Price Town

Compact Welsh valley village set along the River Ogmore beneath broad green hills, with a brick clock tower at its crossroads and historic colliery-era stone…

Igaliku

Tiny Greenlandic hamlet of stone and timber buildings beside vivid blue fjord water, backed by bare rocky peaks, where Norse ruins and a UNESCO-recognized la…

Hvalba

A small Faroese village at the foot of a deep inlet on Suðuroy, the southernmost island in the Faroe Islands, with mountain terrain rising around the water o…

Shahr-e Kord

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

Kefalovryso

Compact mountain village in Greece's Epirus region, Kefalovryso spreads across a forested valley below the Nemertska ridge, its red-tile rooftops visible fro…

Choroni

A coastal village in Aragua state where the mountains of Henri Pittier National Park meet the sea, Choroní has grown into a popular beach destination in cent…

Mount Data

National park since 1936, Mount Data rises high in the Cordillera Central range of northern Luzon, where pine forests and mossy oak forests cover its slopes…

Railay Beach

Towering limestone cliffs make Railay, a pocket-sized peninsula in Thailand's Krabi province, one of the country's premier rock climbing destinations, drawin…

Luckenwalde

A Brandenburg town on the Nuthe river where an ornate Gothic brick church with a decorative stepped gable dominates the walkable centre, set within easy reac…

Tkon

This small village on the island of Pašman in Croatia's Zadar County sits in hilly terrain surrounded by vineyards, with a ferry connection to the mainland t…

Akchour

A mountain area in Chefchaouen Province, Akchour draws visitors to its waterfalls, which cascade into a natural pool and require a one-to-two hour walk throu…

Cochrane

A compact Patagonian town on Chile's Carretera Austral with a surprisingly active centre for its size — cafés, restaurants, and a bakery cluster around a pin…

Ebersberg

This tiny Bavarian town southeast of Munich sits at the edge of the Ebersberger Forst, one of Germany's largest continuous woodlands, offering walking and sc…

Matsubara

A densely packed Osaka Prefecture city where lively shopping streets buzz with cyclists, colorful signage, and local eateries, making it a rewarding base for…

Han Pijesak

This compact upland town in eastern Bosnia and Herzegovina, Han Pijesak sits amid dense conifer forests with a mix of low-rise residential blocks and green h…

Ahlen

Walkable Westphalian town in North Rhine-Westphalia's Münsterland region, Ahlen has a centre with a good spread of cafés, restaurants, and historic churches.

Wupperthal

Founded in 1830 by German missionaries of the Rhenish Missionary Society, Wupperthal is a small historic settlement in a valley of the Cederberg mountains in…

Abadeh

A town in Fars province, Iran, known for two distinct crafts: intricately carved woodwork made from pear and box trees, and hand-woven Abadeh rugs.

San Pedro Carcha

A clear turquoise river cuts through a forested limestone gorge in Guatemala's Alta Verapaz highlands, making San Pedro Carchá a rewarding base for exploring…

Grants Pass

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

Lezhë

One of Albania's oldest continuously inhabited cities, with roughly 2,400 years of recorded history, Lezhë sits in mountain terrain in the country's northwes…

Santa Maria

A compact beach town on the southern tip of Sal island in Cape Verde, Santa Maria sits right on the coast and holds a notably dense café and restaurant scene…

Ar Ramtha

This sizeable northern Jordanian city close to the Syrian border and upland country, offering a base for exploring the region's remarkable Roman-era mosaic s…

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…

Nilaveli

Coastal resort town northwest of Trincomalee in northeastern Sri Lanka, Nilaveli draws visitors to its beach and to Pigeon Island National Park, one of the r…

Templin

This spa town in Brandenburg's Uckermark district with a walkable centre full of cafés and restaurants, Templin holds official recognition as a thermal brine…

Puerto Cisnes

Tiny coastal town in Chilean Patagonia where the Cisnes River meets the Puyuhuapi Channel, Puerto Cisnes sits across the water from Magdalena Island National…

Kure

This city on the Seto Inland Sea in Hiroshima Prefecture with a strong naval and industrial heritage, Kure is home to the second-oldest naval dockyard in Jap…

Bugojno

This town in Central Bosnia set on the river Vrbas, Bugojno sits close to Kalin Mountain and the dense Koprivnica forest to the west — once a favored hunting…

Fermeuse

Little harbour hamlet on Newfoundland's Avalon Peninsula, Fermeuse has sheltered fishing vessels since Portuguese sailors used it as a summer station in the…

Izipovce

This compact Slovak village in the Liptov region, set among rolling green meadows with a lake visible to one side and forested hills rising behind, making it…

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…

Namwon

Known as "the City of Love" for the celebrated Korean folk story of Chunhyang, Namwon is a city in North Jeolla Province, South Korea, sitting at the edge of…

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…

Ipoh

Ipoh, the capital of Malaysia's Perak state, is a large city with a well-regarded food scene built around hawker stalls and restaurants serving famous local…

Ghorahi

Ghorahi, the largest city of Nepal's Dang Valley in Lumbini Province, is known for its high-quality honey and hemp textiles, and serves as a gateway to Bardi…

Uthai Thani

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

Ignalina

A tiny town in eastern Lithuania within the Aukštaitija National Park, Ignalina sits beside several lakes — including Šiekštys and Gavys — and serves as a ba…

Langtang

This Himalayan valley in north-central Nepal's Rasua district, Langtang is known for its trekking routes and sits within Langtang National Park, close to the…

Stenlille

This pocket-sized railway town in western Zealand, Stenlille sits beside Naturpark Åmosen, Denmark's first nature park, covering around 8,000 hectares.

Raub

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

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…

Krāslava

A compact Latvian town in Latgale where white-painted historic buildings face a central square above the Daugava river, offering upland scenery, riverside wa…

Yozgat

This mid-sized Central Anatolian city spread across rolling hills at considerable elevation, Yozgat offers a base for exploring the wider region's ancient si…

Libohove

A modest town in southern Albania at the foot of Bureto Mountain, Libohove sits above the Drino valley with views across the surrounding landscape.

Gandzakar

This small Armenian village in the densely forested uplands of Tavush, where thickly wooded ridges and wild valley views make it a rewarding base for explori…

Cheongju-si

A large city in South Korea's North Chungcheong Province with a walkable centre full of cafés and restaurants, set against mountain terrain and close to water.

Corquin

A tiny Honduran town in the Copán highlands where a stone bridge crosses a river amid lush tropical greenery, low whitewashed buildings, and forested hills r…

Santa Cruz La Laguna

This small village on the northern shore of Lago de Atitlán in Guatemala's Sololá department, with mountain terrain rising behind it and a handful of cafés a…

Ranau

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

Salaspils

A town on the northern bank of the Daugava river, Salaspils sits a short distance south-east of Riga, with easy rail and road connections making it a practic…

Nkawkaw

A town in southern Ghana's Eastern Region that serves as the gateway to the Kwahu mountains, sitting in a valley at the foot of the ascent.

Tubmanburg

This town in Liberia's upland interior where a striking flooded open-pit lake sits amid terraced red-earth hillsides and dense tropical forest, offering an u…

Providenciales

Providenciales, locally called Provo, is the most populated island in the Turks and Caicos, offering direct access to Caribbean waters and a well-established…

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…

Nenagh

The county town of County Tipperary, Nenagh sits on the eastern shores of Lough Derg and serves as a base for the lake and the nearby mountains.

Houaïlou

Small Pacific town on New Caledonia's main island, Houaïlou sits where upland terrain meets the water's edge, offering a quiet base for exploring the North P…

Dhampus

Village on the Mardi Himal trekking route in Nepal's Kaski District, Dhampus offers views of Annapurna, Dhaulagiri, and Machhapuchhre from a site known as th…

Roura

A large commune in French Guiana bordering both coastal wetlands and mountain terrain, Roura encompasses the Kaw-Roura Marshland Nature Reserve alongside the…

Tartus

A Mediterranean port city on Syria's coast with a walkable centre dense with cafés, restaurants, and historic churches, Tartus is the country's second larges…

Reitoca

A little agricultural village in the mountains of Honduras's Francisco Morazán department, southwest of Tegucigalpa, where the surrounding hills and rural la…

Boljevac

This small Serbian town spread across a broad forested valley in eastern Serbia's hill country, Boljevac offers a relaxed base for exploring the upland lands…

Suncheon

A city in South Jeolla Province, South Korea, known for Suncheon Bay and set in mountain terrain with a lively café and restaurant scene.

Maracay

Known in Venezuela as "Ciudad Jardín" (Garden City) for its abundant green spaces, Maracay is a large city in north-central Venezuela at the foot of the coas…

Zhuoxi

A mountain indigenous township in Hualien County, Taiwan, Zhuoxi sits at the intersection of the Central Mountain Range and the Yushan Range, with more than…

Gobabis

A grid-planned town spread across red Kalahari scrubland, Gobabis serves as a practical base for exploring the surrounding semi-arid upland country, with a s…

Biên Hòa

A large city in Dong Nai Province, northeast of Ho Chi Minh City, Biên Hòa sits on the water with a walkable centre full of cafés, restaurants, and historic…

Baddeck

Tiny village on the shore of Bras d'Or Lake in Cape Breton Island, Nova Scotia, Baddeck holds the Alexander Graham Bell National Historic Site alongside a ha…

Ruovesi

Lake-dotted municipality in Finland's Pirkanmaa region, Ruovesi is home to Helvetinjärvi National Park and sits amid extensive forest and some 200 lakes.

Kariong

This small New South Wales town on the Central Coast where flat sandstone outcrops and eucalypt bushland open toward hilly terrain, offering easy access to s…

Odawara

Odawara Castle, described in historical sources as "impregnable," anchors this coastal city in Kanagawa Prefecture, Japan, on the shores of Sagami Bay.

Otocac

A small Croatian town in the Lika region where the Gacka river runs directly through the centre, Otočac sits in mountain terrain in the northwestern part of…

Migdal HaEmeq

Hillside town in Israel's northern Galilee region, set among pine-covered slopes with rows of orchards below and a sprawling residential skyline that serves…

Ait Ourir

A town on the northern bank of the Ourika River in Morocco's Al Haouz Province, Ait Ourir sits a short drive east of Marrakesh and close to the Atlas Mountai…

Lobuche

Lobuche is a high-altitude settlement in Nepal's Khumbu region, sitting beside the Khumbu Glacier on the route toward Everest Base Camp.

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…

Tanah Rata

This little highland town serves as the main hub of Cameron Highlands in Pahang, Malaysia, sitting at high elevation on an unusually flat stretch of terrain…

Playa Grande

Leatherback turtles nest on this Pacific coast beach in Guanacaste, Costa Rica, from October to March, drawing visitors to one of the species' major nesting…

Shajapur

This town in Madhya Pradesh's Malwa region, Shajapur draws Hindu devotees to richly adorned goddess shrines draped in marigold garlands and embroidered cloth…

Bad Segeberg

Bad Segeberg, a town in Schleswig-Holstein between Hamburg and Lübeck, has drawn summer crowds since 1952 for its Karl May Festival — open-air theatrical per…

Beaufort West

The largest town in South Africa's arid Great Karoo region, Beaufort West sits alongside Karoo National Park and serves as a major stop on the N1 national ro…

Bentong

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

Marpha

This trekking village in Nepal's Mustang District, Marpha sits in a scenic stretch of the Dhawalagiri Zone and is known for its apple orchards.

Ferral

Pocket-sized granite-built Portuguese village where grapevines trail over cobbled lanes and a modest chapel cross rises above old stone doorways, set close t…

Kataragama

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

Istalif

Pottery production has defined Istalif for generations, making this historic town in Kabul Province's Koh Daman area one of Afghanistan's best-known craft ce…

Saarijärvi

A little town in Central Finland's lake district, Saarijärvi sits among 241 lakes — including Pyhäjärvi, Summanen, and Lake Saarijärvi itself — with forests…

Bribri

A little jungle-fringed town in Costa Rica's Talamanca canton, Bribri serves as a low-key base for exploring the surrounding rainforest uplands and the indig…

Veterov

This small village in South Moravia, Věteřov sits near Babí lom, the highest hill in the Kyjovská pahorkatina uplands, where marked hiking trails cross the s…

Yaguajay

A Cuban town on the Bay of Buena Vista in the northern part of Sancti Spíritus Province, Yaguajay is home to Caguanes National Park, which protects swamp and…

Myadzyel

Compact Belarusian town on the eastern shore of Lake Myastro, Myadzyel sits within Narachanski National Park amid the Narach lake group, with Lake Batorino a…

Gauja

Tall sandstone cliffs rise straight from a calm, tea-dark river winding through dense pine and birch forest, making Gauja National Park in Latvia's Vidzeme r…

Bozi Dar

The highest town in the Czech Republic, Boží Dar sits in the Ore Mountains near the German border, where it has reinvented itself from a historic silver and…

Cape Maclear

A sandy lakeshore curves past smooth granite boulders and dense woodland at this laid-back Malawian village on Lake Malawi, where clear freshwater, a UNESCO-…

Fort Portal

A compact mountain town in western Uganda with a walkable centre, a concentration of historic churches, and a café and restaurant scene for its size.

Midreshet Ben-Gurion

This small community village on the Negev Highlands near Kibbutz Sde Boker, Midreshet Ben-Gurion sits alongside the Ben-Gurion Grave National Park and is hom…

Uturoa

This compact waterfront town serves as the main port of Ra'iātea, the largest of French Polynesia's Leeward Islands, with a compact central core of cafés and…

Serhetabat

This compact Soviet-era town in Turkmenistan's southernmost reaches, spread across dry upland terrain beneath bare rolling hills, offering a glimpse into rem…

Guri-si

A city immediately east of Seoul in Gyeonggi Province, Guri sits along the Han River and is home to the Royal Tombs of the Joseon Dynasty, a UNESCO World Her…

Bocoio

A sizeable Angolan town in Benguela Province's upland interior, Bocoio sits within reach of the coast and offers a base for exploring the varied landscapes b…

Cumaná

Widely regarded as the oldest continuously-inhabited city of Spanish foundation in South America, Cumaná sits at the mouth of the Manzanares River on Venezue…

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…

Pena Pobre

A compact barrio in Puerto Rico's eastern municipality of Naguabo, Peña Pobre sits close to upland country and within easy reach of the coast, making it a qu…

Ōnojō-shi

A mid-size Japanese city in Fukuoka Prefecture where a calm river with grassy banks winds through a low-rise urban landscape, with a backdrop of distant moun…

Jaren

Jaren, the administrative centre of Gran Municipality in Norway's Innlandet county, sits within reach of Randsfjorden — Norway's fourth-largest lake — and th…

Goma

Goma is a city in eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo, on the northern shore of Lake Kivu, built largely on ancient lava flows from the Virunga volcanic…

Melipeuco

A compact Andean town in Chile's Araucanía Region, Melipeuco sits at the gateway to Conguillío National Park, which contains the Llaima volcano.

Vedi

This compact Armenian town spread across a river valley floor, ringed by dry rolling hills, and well-placed as a base for exploring the wider Ararat region's…

Phang Nga

This small provincial capital in southern Thailand sits on a low plain at the northern edge of Phang Nga Bay, ringed by mountains on all sides — a geography…

Lagadin

A small beachside village on the eastern shore of Lake Ohrid, Lagadin sits at the foot of Galičica National Park a short drive south of Ohrid city.

Vranisht

Modest Albanian village in Vlorë County where open meadows and wildflowers give way to steep green hills and snow-streaked peaks rising behind, with the Ioni…

Kampos

A tiny Cypriot hamlet in the upland interior of the island, Kampos sits within a region of the Troodos mountains ringed by UNESCO-listed painted churches, ma…

A Luoi

A narrow concrete road cuts between raw rock faces toward a sweeping valley of layered blue mountains, making this compact Vietnamese highland town a rewardi…

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…

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…

Anton Ruiz

This small barrio on Puerto Rico's eastern coast, Antón Ruíz sits close to upland terrain and within easy reach of the island's Caribbean shoreline, making i…

Manisa

Spreading across the slopes of Mount Sipylus in Turkey's Aegean region, Manisa is a city known for its old mosques and a five-hundred-year-old Mesir Paste Di…

El Limón

This city in Venezuela's Aragua state sitting at the foot of Henri Pittier National Park, with the El Limón River running through it.

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…

Kangerlussuaq

A little Greenlandic village of colourful corrugated buildings set against bare, snow-streaked rock faces, serving as a gateway to vast Arctic wilderness and…

Balinovic

This small Serbian village in the Valjevo municipality, set among gently rolling green hills with scattered farmsteads, open meadows, and woodland — good cou…

Imouzzer Kandar

A mountain town in Morocco's Middle Atlas region, Imouzzer Kandar sits at high elevation on the road between Fès and Ifrane, with several UNESCO World Herita…

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…

Chilas

This base for reaching Fairy Meadows National Park and Nanga Parbat, the ninth-highest peak in the world, Chilas sits on the left bank of the Indus River in…

Mazsalaca

This modest Latvian town on the right bank of the Salaca River, Mazsalaca sits at one of the river's most scenic stretches, where cliffs and caves line the w…

Tecpan Guatemala

Founded in 1524 on the site of Iximché — the former Kaqchikel capital and Guatemala's first colonial capital — Tecpán Guatemala sits in the Central Highlands…

Ovalle

A city on the Limarí River in Chile's Coquimbo Region, Ovalle has a walkable centre with cafés and restaurants, vineyards in the surrounding valley, and larg…

Riverside-Albert

This little hamlet on the Shepody River in New Brunswick, Riverside-Albert sits roughly halfway between Fundy National Park and the Hopewell Rocks, making it…

Fushe-Arrez

This small Albanian mountain town in Shkodër County, Fushë-Arrëz offers a broad stone-paved central square framed by forested green ridges, making it a pract…

Mairana

This small Bolivian town in Santa Cruz's agricultural valley country, Mairana sits near Amboró National Park and features a red-tile church fronting its cent…

Pirkkala

A densely populated Finnish town beside Tampere, Pirkkala features a handsome red-brick church with a square tower set among birch trees, with lakes and upla…

AElvsbyn

This small town on the Pite River in Norrbotten, northern Sweden, Älvsbyn has carried the informal title "Pearl of Norrbotten" since at least 1930.

Vallenar

Founded in 1789 by Ambrose O'Higgins and named after his birthplace in County Sligo, Ireland, Vallenar is a town in Chile's Atacama Region set in the valley…

Uvita

This small coastal town in southern Costa Rica's Osa region, Uvita sits at the edge of Marino Ballena National Park, home to Playa Uvita's distinctive Whale'…

Bamyan

The cliff-carved Buddhas of Bamyan — monumental figures dating to the 3rd–5th centuries CE and destroyed by the Taliban in 2001 — made this high-altitude cit…

Gorkha Municipality

Gorkha Municipality in Nepal's Gandaki Province is the birthplace of Prithvi Narayan Shah, the king who unified and founded modern Nepal, and the hilltop Gor…

Sjusjøen

This cross-country skiing destination on a forested mountain plateau east of Lillehammer, Sjusjøen sits at the heart of an extensive trail network connecting…

Ferntree Gully

Foothills town at the edge of the Dandenong Ranges, east of Melbourne, Ferntree Gully sits alongside its own national park and offers ready access to the ran…

Kardzhali

A walkable town on the Kardzhali Reservoir in southern Bulgaria's Eastern Rhodope Mountains, with a centre full of cafés and restaurants.

Dolga Vas

A quiet Slovenian village of rendered houses with terracotta rooftops along a main road, backed by forested hills and sitting beside the Rinža River, making…

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…

Sequeiro

This tiny Portuguese village near Santo Tirso, where a granite roadside shrine with arched columns and a conical spire stands on cobblestones, reflecting the…

Ōdate

This northern Akita city with a walkable food-and-drink scene, upland country close by, and a sleek civic centre fronting open plazas, making it a practical…

Sarfannguit

A remote Greenlandic hamlet set among rugged, rocky islands and open sea, where bare peaks dusted with snow rise above a fractured coastline scattered with c…

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…

Tosya

Black Sea region town in Kastamonu's upland country, Tosya sits beside a rushing river with stone-walled weirs and lush waterside vegetation, offering a rela…

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…

Agematsu

This pocket-sized town in Nagano Prefecture, Japan, sits along the Kiso River, with the Kiso Komagatake peak of the Central Alps rising at its eastern edge.

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…

Zhubei

The county seat of Hsinchu County in northwestern Taiwan, Zhubei has grown rapidly in recent decades due to its proximity to Hsinchu City and the Hsinchu Sci…

Daitō-shi

This densely built Osaka Prefecture city where a forested hillside viewpoint opens onto sweeping panoramas across a vast urban plain, with upland trails and…

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…

Reykjahlíð

Reykjahlíð sits on the shores of Lake Mývatn in northern Iceland, a tiny settlement that serves as the main base for exploring one of the country's most volc…

Puerto Viejo de Talamanca

Salsa Brava, Costa Rica's most powerful surf wave, draws surfers to this Caribbean coastal town in Limón Province — though Puerto Viejo de Talamanca is worth…

Gyeongsan-si

A university city on the western edge of North Gyeongsang Province, Gyeongsan sits directly against Daegu and is served by its metro network, making it a pra…

Aplanta

A tiny community in Cyprus's Limassol district, set in upland country within a region ringed by UNESCO World Heritage sites, making it a quiet base for explo…

Santa Marta

Founded on 29 July 1525 by Rodrigo de Bastidas, Santa Marta is Colombia's oldest surviving city and one of the earliest Spanish settlements in South America,…

Jiaosi

Jiaosi, a township in northern Yilan County, Taiwan, is best known for its hot springs, which draw visitors from nearby Taipei via rail and highway.

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