Food scenes & café towns.
Eat there, sit awhile, eat there again.
Montignac-Lascaux
Lascaux Cave, one of the world's most celebrated prehistoric painted caves, sits just outside this tiny village on the Vézère river in the Dordogne, making M…
Scilla
A particularly photogenic pocket-sized town on a promontory at the northern entrance to the Strait of Messina, Scilla has a café and restaurant scene that pu…
Arona
Photogenic small town on the shore of Lake Maggiore in northern Italy, Arona has a café and restaurant scene that punches well above its size, along with an…
Vielha
Capital of the Val d'Aran in the Pyrenees, Vielha sits at the confluence of the Garona river and its tributary the Riu Negre, with a café and restaurant scen…
Mount Maunganui
A photogenic seaside suburb of Tauranga on New Zealand's North Island, Mount Maunganui takes its name from the large lava dome — known in Māori as Mauao, mea…
Weilburg
A photogenic pocket-sized town in Hesse set on the Lahn river between the Westerwald and Taunus uplands, Weilburg was for centuries the residence of the Nass…
Wallace
Photogenic pocket-sized city in Idaho's Silver Valley mining district, Wallace sits alongside the South Fork of the Coeur d'Alene River and carries a notable…
Monaco-Ville
Set on a Mediterranean headland known as The Rock, Monaco-Ville is the historic core of the Principality of Monaco — a compact, photogenic village dense with…
Saluzzo
A medieval hill town in Piedmont's Cuneo province, Saluzzo served as capital of its own marquisate for over four centuries — from 1142 to 1548 — and retains…
Obanazawa
A city in Yamagata Prefecture known for receiving some of the highest snowfall in the world — over two metres in an average winter — Obanazawa has even devel…
Saint-Pierre
A medieval castle rises dramatically above this compact Alpine valley village in Italy's Aosta Valley, where snow-dusted terraced hillsides, a lively café sc…
Peniche
This photogenic Atlantic-facing town on the Portuguese coast in the Oeste region, Peniche has a walkable centre with a real food-and-drink scene and water vi…
Bagnoregio
This particularly photogenic village in Lazio's Viterbo province, Bagnoregio draws attention for its scenic surroundings and an unusually dense concentration…
Conwy
Conwy Castle and the medieval town walls — both on the UNESCO World Heritage List — anchor this small walled town on the River Conwy in North Wales, where mo…
Lerma
A pocket-sized Castilian village above the Arlanza river valley, Lerma is the headquarters of the Arlanza DOP wine denomination and holds a historic centre —…
Revelstoke
This compact city in southeastern British Columbia where the Columbia River meets the Illecillewaet, Revelstoke sits at the foot of the Selkirk Mountains wit…
Judenburg
Photogenic compact town on the Mur river in Styria's mountain terrain, Judenburg carries a medieval trading history visible in the burgher houses and churche…
Saint-Claude
Small mountain town in eastern France's Jura department, Saint-Claude sits on the river Bienne amid highland terrain with scenic viewpoints in the surroundin…
Nyon
This lakeside town on the western shore of Lake Geneva, Nyon sits in the heart of Swiss wine country with a walkable centre, a solid food-and-drink scene, an…
Anghiari
A particularly photogenic hill village in Tuscany's Arezzo province, Anghiari has an unusual concentration of churches and cafés for its size, along with sce…
Estremoz
Large white palace-castle with medieval battlements crowns the hilltop above this Alentejo town, whose whitewashed streets, multiple churches, and surroundin…
Cauterets
This spa town and ski resort in the French Pyrenees, Cauterets sits along the Gave de Pau river within the Pyrénées National Park, surrounded by mountain sce…
Ilfracombe
A photogenic harbour town on the North Devon coast, Ilfracombe sits among cliffs and hills with scenic views in multiple directions.
Solothurn
Solothurn's pedestrian-only old town, built largely between 1520 and 1790, is one of Switzerland's most concentrated displays of Baroque architecture, blendi…
Moulins
This heritage-dense town on the river Allier in central France, Moulins is the historic capital of the Bourbonnais province and holds a walkable centre with…
Bad Ragaz
A spa and health resort in the canton of St.
Lovere
At the northwest tip of Lake Iseo in Lombardy, Lovere is a particularly photogenic small town whose streetscape blends overhanging wooden roofs with heavy st…
Batalha
A pocket-sized Portuguese town in the Leiria region whose skyline is dominated by an elaborate Gothic and Manueline monastery — all soaring pinnacles, lace-l…
Bad Reichenhall
Salt production with a history stretching back four thousand years defines Bad Reichenhall, a spa town in the Bavarian Alps of Upper Bavaria whose Alpine sal…
Domodossola
A walkable town in Piedmont's Ossola valley with a centre full of cafés and historic churches, Domodossola is the main hub of the Val d'Ossola, sitting at th…
Cannobio
This photogenic small town on the north-western shore of Lake Maggiore in Piedmont, Cannobio sits where the Cannobina Valley meets the lake and has repeatedl…
Minusio
This compact Swiss-Italian lakeside town on Lago Maggiore, Minusio spreads along the water's edge beneath snow-capped Alpine peaks, offering a lively café an…
Vieste
Particularly photogenic coastal town on the Gargano peninsula in Puglia, Vieste sits within the Gargano National Park and has earned repeated Blue Flag recog…
Vietri sul Mare
Polychrome ceramics have been made in Vietri sul Mare since at least the 15th century, and the tradition remains central to this little Campanian town at the…
Monte Sant'Angelo
The Sanctuary of San Michele Arcangelo, a UNESCO World Heritage Site that has drawn Christian pilgrims since the 6th century, sits at the heart of this pocke…
Amarante
A particularly photogenic small city on the Tâmega River in northern Portugal, Amarante sits in deep wine country with a strong café and restaurant scene for…
Bertinoro
A hilltop wine-country village in Emilia-Romagna with an unusually lively café and restaurant scene for its size, Bertinoro sits atop Monte Cesubeo with view…
Trevi
Commanding views across the Umbrian plain — said to extend over much of the valley in westerly directions — this medieval hill town on the lower flank of Mou…
Cortona
A photogenic hilltop town in Tuscany's Val di Chiana, Cortona sits high enough to offer panoramic views in every direction and holds an unusual concentration…
Noto
Rebuilt in the early 18th century after a devastating earthquake, Noto is one of eight Late Baroque towns in Sicily's Val di Noto declared a UNESCO World Her…
Frohnleiten
A compact Styrian town where pastel-fronted historic buildings and a prominent church rise directly above a broad river, backed by forested hills and served…
Étretat
The white chalk cliffs of Étretat — rising high above a grey pebble beach on Normandy's Alabaster Coast — drew Monet, Courbet, Boudin, Maupassant, and Flaube…
Nelson
This photogenic little city on the western arm of Kootenay Lake in British Columbia's Selkirk Mountains, Nelson has a café and restaurant scene that punches…
Saint-Amand-les-Eaux
A walkable town on the river Scarpe in northern France's Nord department, Saint-Amand-les-Eaux has a centre with a real café and restaurant scene and sits on…
Forcalquier
Once the capital of a flourishing county in medieval Haute-Provence, Forcalquier is a tiny town in the Alpes-de-Haute-Provence sitting between the Lure and L…
Miltenberg
Particularly photogenic small town on the Main river in Bavaria's Lower Franconia region, Miltenberg sits in wine-growing country with vineyards nearby and s…
Kufstein
Kufstein Fortress, first mentioned in the 13th century, dominates this photogenic Tyrolean town on the River Inn, flanked by the Brandenberg Alps and the Kai…
Cazorla
Small Andalusian town in Jaén's Sierra de Cazorla, with a café and restaurant scene that punches well above its size, multiple scenic viewpoints into mountai…
Sant'Agnello
A pocket-sized town on the Sorrentine Coast between Piano di Sorrento and Sorrento, Sant'Agnello sits right at the water with scenic viewpoints nearby and a…
Ponte da Barca
Sitting on the Lima River in northern Portugal's deep Vinho Verde country, Ponte da Barca is a particularly photogenic small town with a café and restaurant…
Omegna
At the northernmost tip of Lago d'Orta in Piedmont, Omegna sits directly on the water with a lakeside boulevard where a street market runs every Thursday mor…
Oamaru
Victorian buildings cut from fine white local limestone give Oamaru a distinctive streetscape, and the town also sits beside penguin colonies on the South Is…
Mondsee
A modest lakeside town in Upper Austria's Salzkammergut region, Mondsee is best known for the medieval Mondsee Abbey, whose church served as the wedding loca…
Real Sitio de San Ildefonso
Home to the Royal Palace of La Granja and the Royal Glass Factory, this small town in the foothills of the Sierra de Guadarrama is a short drive from Segovia…
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…
Llastres
Modest fishing village on the Asturian coast of northern Spain, Llastres sits directly on the water with scenic viewpoints in the surrounding area and a café…
Gytheio
The ancient seaport of Sparta, Gytheio sits on the eastern shore of the Mani Peninsula in the southern Peloponnese, its waterfront lined with cafés and resta…
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…
Schmalkalden
Town on the Schmalkalde river at the southern edge of the Thuringian Forest, Schmalkalden sits in mountain terrain with scenic viewpoints across the surround…
Obidos
Compact walled town in Portugal's Oeste region, its dense cluster of white-walled, terracotta-roofed houses crowned by a medieval castle and dotted with chur…