The best small towns provide beautiful locales and picturesque scenery that inspire creativity and activity. Check out the 25 most picturesque small towns that would bring back life to your travel and inspiration for your photos.
01. Colmar, France
Photo by: Andrey Muretov
Photo by: Joel Holland
Situated in Alsace, Colmar uniquely blends French and German architecture, culture, and spirit. It’s as colorful in real life as it looks in the photos and is one of France’s hidden gems.
02. Manarola, Italy
Photo by: Massimo Pistone
Manarola, Italy, is one of the famed Cinque Terre towns, filled with vibrant rainbow-colored homes carved right into an impenetrable stone wall along the Mediterranean coast. This charming fishing town is famous for its fabulous wine, particularly Sciacchetra, and the paintings of Antonio Discovolors, an artist who fell in love with Manarola and devoted much of his later works to the region. No cars are here, and there are no traffic lights, screeching tires, or blasting horns.
03. Cesky Krumlov, Czech Republic
Photo by: Cesky Krumlov
I am more fond of no other town than the quaint, charming, fairytale-like town of Cesky Krumlov in southern Bohemia. It’s as if you have stepped into a time warp – small cobblestone roads, bridges every which way you look, and no, there’s no McDonalds! It’s an excellent short-day trip from Prague if you find yourself there, but for the best experience, visit Krumlov in the summer season and raft down the Vltava River.
04. Reine, Norway
Reine is a quaint fishing village on the beautiful arctic island of Moskenesøya. The port has a population of only 329 but was rightfully voted the most beautiful village in all of Norway.
05. Shirakawa, Japan
Photo by: Emran Kassim
Sweet Shirakawa is a rural mountain town famous for its thatched roofs, designed like praying hands. Find it enveloped in the morning mist, spring colors vivid against the rustic homes. Ah, the peaceful rural life.
06. Alberobello, Italy
Photo by: Atilla2008
Adorable Alberobello (repeat five times fast) has a hundred cone-shaped white-tipped houses on top of a hill, surrounded by lovely olive groves (repeat five times faster).
07. Monsanto, Portugal
Photo by: Lídia Ramalho
Monsanto was voted the most “Portuguese town in Portugal” in 1938, with its rich culture and fascinating architecture representative of the classic Portuguese style. Granite-hewn houses possess doorways of Manueline style. The red-roofed houses sandwiched among large mossy stone structures stand out from the stark gray landscape of Mt. Monsanto, east of Idanha-a-Nova. , The ruins of a castle from the Lusitanian conquest offer a magnificent view of the countryside stretching as far as Serra da Estrela.
08. Göreme, Turkey
Photo by: C McCann
Golden lunarscapes are the backdrop of this simple Turkish town still growing out of traditional farming customs. Göreme is famous for its curious “fairy chimney” rock formations, some hollowed out to create houses and churches.
09. Hoi An, Vietnam
Photo by: Vn Khanh
They say there are more lanterns in this town than people. Pair the slow, easygoing atmosphere with rich culture and history, and you have an unforgettable Southeast Asian town that may stick with you forever.
10. Giethoorn, Netherlands
Photo by: Juna van der Poort
The town was established around 1230 AD by Mediterranean settlers, who dug up the canals to transport peat extract, connecting the two man-made lakes on the eastern and southern sides of town. In 1958, when Dutch director Ber Haanstra featured the town in his movie “Fanfare,” Giethoorn became a popular tourist destination. Visitors can take punter or canoe tours, learn the town’s history in local museums, attend art exhibitions, and even ice skate on the canals during winter.
11. Bibury, England
Photo by: Paul
Bibury is a village and civil parish in Gloucestershire, England. It is situated on the River Coln, about 6.5 miles northeast of Cirencester. The Church of England parish church of Saint Mary is Saxon with later additions. From AD 1130 until the English Reformation, it was a peculiar of Osney Abbey in Oxford. The artist and craftsman William Morris called Bibury “the most beautiful village in England.”
12. Sidi Bou Said, Tunisia
Photo by: Said Jedidi
Photo by: Mohamed Akram BLOUZA
Tunisia’s blue and white village has a wide reputation as an artistic bohemian sanctuary. Sidi Bou Said is flocked by tourists, but it’s just one of those unique places that don’t lose their charm even with so many loud people littering the streets.
13. Bruges, Belgium
Photo by: Yuri Borodianski
Bruges has become incredibly popular for travelers looking to photograph the Lego-like houses in the city center (pictured above). It remains one of Europe’s prettiest little towns but is now more popular than ever.
14. Bled, Slovenia
Photo by: Domen Blenkuš
Bled is an Alpine town alongside glacial Lake Bled in northwestern Slovenia. It is the seat of the Municipality of Bled. It is most notable as a popular tourist destination in the Upper Carniola and Slovenia, attracting visitors from abroad.
15. Pucisca, Croatia
Photo by: Andrés Rojo
Photo by: Arda & Cansu Erlik
Croatia has opened itself up to tourism in recent years, so it may not be as much a secret as it once was; however, visiting the Dalmatian coast once in your life is an absolute must. It’s little gems like Pucisca that explain why.
16. Mostar, Bosnia And Herzegovina
Photo by: Alexander Campbell
The small town of Mostar in Bosnia and Herzegovina has got to be one of the most underrated destinations in Europe. If you find yourself here, visit nearby Blagaj – another charmer!
17. Odense, Denmark
Photo by: Bromand
Although it is the third largest city in Denmark, Odense has a small-town charm that can’t be found elsewhere in Denmark – a true treasure!
18. Morro de São Paulo, Brazil
Photo by: Marcel Lopes
Morro de São Paulo is so tranquil that the only way to get to the village is by boat or charter flight because no cars are allowed on the island. The village sits upon three beautiful jungle-topped hills at a point where the Canal de Taperoá meets a crystal blue Atlantic. In the past, the island acted as both a cove for pirates and a stronghold for the Portuguese.
19. Pucón, Chile
Photo by: Massimo Pistone
Manarola, Italy, is one of the famed Cinque Terre towns, filled with vibrant rainbow-colored homes carved right into an impenetrable stone wall along the Mediterranean coast. This charming fishing town is famous for its fabulous wine, particularly Sciacchetra, and the paintings of Antonio Discovolors, an artist who fell in love with Manarola and devoted much of his later works to the region. No cars are here, and there are no traffic lights, screeching tires, or blasting horns.
20. Tibetan Village – Jiuzhaigou, China
Photo by: WEIYUAN XU
Tibetan Village Project (TVP) is a non-profit, non-political organization dedicated to promoting sustainable development while preserving the rich cultural heritage of Tibet. The organization was founded in 2001 by Tamdin Wangdu to fund a medical clinic after he lost his father in the village. Several years later, TVP expanded its program to other villages to support more clinics, schools, and community projects.
21. Leavenworth, Washington, USA
The town was originally a tiny lumber community built in 1906 but struggled economically. In 1962, a local committee had the idea to completely transform the town into what it is today, saving the community from certain doom through tourism.
22. Rothenberg, Germany
Photo by: Micjc
Rothenburg ob der Tauber is a preserved medieval town in Bavaria and is well known for being part of the famous Romantic Road through southern Germany.
23. Arosa, Switzerland
Photo by: Tambako The Jaguar
Arosa is a town and a municipality in the district of Plessur in the canton of Graubünden in Switzerland. It is both a summer and a winter tourist resort.
24. Hallstatt, Austria
Photo by: Tightsqueez
Around 5000 BC, people founded Hallstatt to exploit the vast salt reserves in the mountains. The town produced so much salt that the miners made the first industrial pipeline from 13,000 hollowed-out trees during the 1300s. Nowadays, the town still mines salt, but people also regard it as a treasure trove of human history and one of the most beautiful towns in Austria.
25. Marsaxlokk, Malta
Photo by: KB
Photo by: Marius Roman
Marsaxlokk is a traditional fishing village in the southeastern part of Malta, with a population of 3,499. The village’s name comes from Marsa, which means “port,” and Xlokk, the local name for the southeast.
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