Charming old-world towns in Britain off the beaten path.

Less-touristed old-world towns in Britain, for travelers seeking fewer crowds but all the beauty.

Conwy's UNESCO-listed castle and medieval walls — still encircling the town above the River Conwy — set the tone for a list that ranges from Tywyn's Cadfan Stone, bearing the oldest known written Welsh, to Newlyn's working harbour where Stanhope Forbes and the Newlyn School painters set up easels in the 1880s. Polperro, Salcombe, Ilfracombe, and Kingswear represent the coastal end of things, each shaped by water, trade, and centuries of use. Britain's old-world towns reward the traveler willing to look past the obvious stops.