Mountain villages.
Higher up than anyone bothered to develop.
Mauterndorf
A compact Alpine village in Austria's Salzburg region, where traditional timber-and-plaster houses spread across a green valley floor beneath forested peaks,…
Brienno
This tiny hamlet sits directly on the western shore of Lake Como in Lombardy, with a concentration of churches and a handful of cafés and restaurants that ou…
Clusone
Particularly photogenic small town in Lombardy's Val Seriana, Clusone sits along the River Serio in mountain country with scenic viewpoints and a compact his…
Vogogna
This photogenic village in the Val d'Ossola, Piedmont, sits at the water's edge with mountain terrain rising behind it, partly within the Val Grande National…
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…
Campagna
This pocket-sized town in the Picentini Mountains of Campania's Salerno province, Campagna has an unusual density of churches and cafés for its size, set aga…
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…
Kaslo
Photogenic village on the west shore of Kootenay Lake in southeastern British Columbia, Kaslo has a small but real café and restaurant scene for its size.
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…
Abondance
Abondance, a tiny Alpine village in Haute-Savoie just south of Lake Geneva, lends its name to both a regional cheese and the breed of cattle whose milk produ…
Eibenstock
A compact Saxon town in the forested Ore Mountains, Eibenstock pairs a Gothic church spire and ornate 19th-century civic buildings with a broad reservoir bac…
Sellano
A tiny Umbrian village in the Vigi valley, Sellano is listed among I Borghi più belli d'Italia and since 2024 has been connected to the Castello di Montesant…
Admont
Admont Abbey, a monastery founded in 1074, anchors this little Styrian village set in the valley of the Enns River within Gesäuse National Park.
Karlovy Vary
Founded in the 14th century by Charles IV and built around a cluster of hot springs, Karlovy Vary is Czechia's most visited spa town, set at the confluence o…
Modane
Compact town in the Maurienne Valley of Savoie, Modane sits within the Vanoise National Park close to the Italian border, with mountain scenery on all sides…
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…
Cascia
A pocket-sized mountain village in the remote southeastern corner of Umbria, Cascia holds an unusual concentration of churches for its size and a handful of…
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…
Lower Hutt
A walkable waterfront city in New Zealand's Wellington region, Lower Hutt sits along the eastern shores of Wellington Harbour at the southern end of the Hutt…
Bad Ragaz
A spa and health resort in the canton of St.
Kastelruth
Photogenic village in the South Tyrolean Dolomites, Kastelruth sits at around 1,000 metres elevation near the Seiser Alm alpine meadow and is a recognised me…
Bad Goisern am Hallstättersee
A modest market town in Austria's Salzkammergut region, sitting at the water's edge in mountain terrain with scenic viewpoints in the surrounding hills.
Termignon
This tiny, photogenic village in the Maurienne valley of Savoie, Termignon sits alongside the water with scenic mountain surrounds and, for a settlement this…
Gagra
This small Black Sea town where tall cypress trees line the slope between forested mountains and a long pebble beach, with mixed Soviet-era and older archite…
Cremieu
A little medieval town in Isère, southeastern France, Crémieu has preserved its historic centre largely intact and hosts an annual September festival, Les Mé…
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…
Campertogno
Particularly photogenic hamlet in the Valsesia valley of Piedmont, Campertogno sits in mountain terrain with a striking number of churches for a settlement t…
Grazalema
A particularly photogenic Andalusian village in the Sierra de Grazalema Natural Park, known as one of the classic *pueblos blancos* — the whitewashed hill to…
Valsolda
This photogenic cluster of villages on the shores of Lake Lugano in Lombardy, Valsolda sits on the Swiss border with mountain terrain rising behind it.
Boccioleto
A pocket-sized mountain hamlet in Piedmont's Vercelli province, Boccioleto sits alongside the water with an unusual concentration of churches for a settlemen…
Montieri
This compact Tuscan hill village in the Colline Metallifere, Montieri sits in mountain terrain and holds a 14th-century church of Santi Michele e Paolo conta…
Gurro
This tiny Piedmontese hamlet in the mountains above Lake Maggiore claims a remarkable origin story: according to local legend, Scottish soldiers fleeing the…
Nesso
A particularly photogenic village on the eastern shore of Lake Como, roughly halfway between the towns of Como and Bellagio, with a little but real café and…
Ladis
A small Tyrolean village in Austria's Landeck district known since the Middle Ages for its sulphur and sour springs, Ladis also draws visitors for ski touris…
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…
Pescina
This compact Abruzzo hill town of orange-roofed stone buildings, with church towers rising above the rooflines and sweeping views across a broad valley towar…
Nevada City
This photogenic compact town in the Sierra Nevada foothills of California, Nevada City sits along a waterway in mountain terrain with a compact central core…
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…
Schönau am Königssee
This photogenic tiny town in the Bavarian Alps at the northern end of the Königssee, a fjord-like lake reaching depths of up to 190 metres and home to the ch…
Mestia
A particularly photogenic highland village high in the Caucasus Mountains of northwest Georgia, Mestia sits in the Upper Svaneti region with an unusual conce…
Colmars
A small fortified village in the Alpes-de-Haute-Provence, Colmars-les-Alpes holds membership in the association Les Plus Beaux Villages de France, a recognit…
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…
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…
Macugnaga
High in the Italian Alps at the foot of Monte Rosa's dramatic east face, Macugnaga is a tiny mountain village in Piedmont offering skiing in winter and hikin…
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…
Vimperk
Vimperk is a tiny South Bohemian town at the foot of the Šumava mountains, long known for its glass-making and printing traditions and its position on the hi…
Zahara de la Sierra
A white-walled Andalusian village in the Sierra de Grazalema natural park, Zahara de la Sierra sits above the Embalse de Zahara reservoir with panoramic view…
Fiumalbo
This small Emilian village in the Modena Apennines holds membership in I Borghi più belli d'Italia — Italy's register of its most beautiful villages — and dr…
Murau
Compact Austrian town where a Gothic church and a hilltop manor anchor a dense cluster of orange-roofed buildings along a fast-flowing river, backed by fores…
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…
Brissago
This small lakeside village on the western shore of Lake Maggiore in Switzerland's Italian-speaking canton of Ticino, Brissago sits right at the water with v…
Cetara
Colatura di alici — a pungent, amber fish sauce pressed from anchovies — has been produced in this little Amalfi Coast village in Campania for centuries, and…
Faja Grande
The westernmost settlement in Europe, this modest Azorean hamlet on the western coast of Flores island sits directly at the water with mountain terrain close…
Bezzecca
A compact Alpine village in Trentino's Valle di Ledro, where terracotta-roofed houses cluster around a yellow-façaded church, forested peaks rise on all side…
Collioure
A Mediterranean fishing village on the French Catalan coast where the last ridges of the Pyrenees meet the sea, Collioure has long drawn artists to its water…
Foix
The castle of the Counts of Foix, classified as a historic monument since 1840, rises on a rock above this modest medieval town at the foot of the Pyrenees i…
Mayrhofen
This well-known ski resort in Austria's Zillertal, Mayrhofen sits in the Ziller river valley in Tyrol and serves as the main base for alpine skiing across th…