Quiet rural escapes.
Few neighbours, fewer expectations.
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…
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…
Poggio Bustone
A compact stone-built village rising above a broad valley in Lazio's upland country, with a bell-towered church at its crown and sweeping views over patchwor…
Sun Peaks
Built around a ski resort established in 1961 and formerly known as Tod Mountain, Sun Peaks is a compact village in the mountains of British Columbia, northe…
Tolaga Bay
This small East Coast village on New Zealand's North Island, Tolaga Bay sits directly on the water and is known for its long 1920s wharf — the second longest…
Souris
This small waterfront town near the northeastern tip of Prince Edward Island, Souris sits in a region known for its beaches and has a café and restaurant sce…
Collingwood
A compact waterfront settlement at the far north-west tip of New Zealand's South Island, Collingwood sits on Golden Bay with Kahurangi National Park and Fare…
Campo de Besteiros
Compact Portuguese village in the Tondela municipality, Campo de Besteiros spreads across a valley floor backed by forested hills, with red-tile rooftops, a…
Poza de la Sal
A tightly packed old stone village in Burgos province, its terracotta-roofed historic core spreading across a hillside above green patchwork farmland, with e…
Eildon
A little Victorian village on the edge of Lake Eildon, set in mountain terrain that gives it a strong visual character.
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…
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…
Balestrand
A pocket-sized fjordside village on the northern shore of the Sognefjorden in western Norway, Balestrand has drawn tourists since the 1800s and still offers…
Rupt-sur-Saône
This modest stone-built village in eastern France's Haute-Saône, where red-tile rooftops cluster around a striking medieval church tower above rolling green…
Ribeira Quente
A compact coastal village on São Miguel island in the Azores, Ribeira Quente sits where a river meets the Atlantic, with a fishing harbour and a compact beac…
St Huberts Island
This small canal estate suburb on the Central Coast of New South Wales, St Huberts Island is connected to the mainland at Daleys Point and sits within walkin…
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…
Santo Antao
This pocket-sized civil parish on the eastern tip of São Jorge island in the Azores stretches from the northern to the southern coast, with shoreline on both…
Penedono
A compact granite village in Portugal's Douro uplands, Penedono is dominated by a well-preserved medieval castle with battlemented towers rising above a cobb…
Yackandandah
This tree-lined main street blazing with autumn colour leads the eye toward forested hills in this tiny northeast Victorian town, where low-rise historic sho…
Olafsvik
Little fishing village on the north coast of Iceland's Snæfellsnes Peninsula, Ólafsvík sits where mountains meet the water and offers a handful of cafés and…
Chambord
Val-Jalbert, a historic village within Chambord's municipal boundaries, is the main draw to this tiny Quebec community on the shores of Lac-Saint-Jean, in th…
Loch
This tiny Victorian-era village in South Gippsland where well-preserved red-brick heritage buildings line quiet streets, with upland country and scenic surro…
Poco do Canto
A small parish in Portugal's Mêda municipality, set in wine-growing country with vineyards nearby and close to mountains.
Orounta
This tiny Cypriot village in the Nicosia uplands, where a well-preserved Byzantine stone church with a domed rotunda and colonnaded courtyard stands as the f…
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…
Bultei
This compact Sardinian hill village in the Goceano region, its dense cluster of terracotta-roofed stone houses set among wooded slopes and rolling farmland,…
Osilo
This modest Sardinian village near Sassari holds an unusual number of churches for its size, alongside a castle and a modest but real café and restaurant scene.
Kokrica
Little Slovenian village set on open farmland just north of Kranj, where a white-steepled parish church rises against a dramatic backdrop of snow-capped Alpi…
Finestret
This tiny hamlet in the Pyrénées-Orientales sits in the Conflent country of southern France, a Pyrenean valley region drained by the Lentillà and several oth…
Cabanas de Viriato
A white baroque church rises above citrus orchards and green meadows in this quiet Portuguese village in the Dão-Lafões hills, set within a wider region rich…
Pietraserena
A tiny Corsican hamlet of weathered stone houses and a square church tower, where a quiet road winds through an upland village that feels genuinely rooted in…
Rosais
This little village on the western tip of São Jorge island in the Azores, Rosais sits above dramatic coastal cliffs, with the ruined Rosais Lighthouse at Pon…
Atuona
Paul Gauguin spent his final years in this pocket-sized village on the southern shore of Hiva Oa, French Polynesia, and is buried in Calvary Cemetery alongsi…
Arco de Sao Jorge
Small wine-growing hamlet on Madeira's north coast, Arco de São Jorge sits between the Atlantic Ocean and the mountains to the south.
Ruakaka
A modest beachside village on Bream Bay in Northland, Ruakākā sits a short drive south of Whangārei on New Zealand's North Island.
Slocan
A small waterfront hamlet in British Columbia's West Kootenay region, Slocan sits at the foot of Slocan Lake where Springer Creek meets the water, with mount…
Antifilippi
Small Greek village spread along a forested hillside above a broad agricultural plain, with wooded ridges rising on either side and distant mountains framing…
Corbère
A rural village in the Aspres region of Pyrénées-Orientales, southern France, set between the Têt and Tech river valleys in Mediterranean mountain terrain, w…
Orsonnette
A pocket-sized French hamlet in the Auvergne uplands, set among patchwork farmland with rolling volcanic hills behind and a hilltop village visible in the mi…
Hella
This modest village in southern Iceland on the banks of the Ytri-Rangá river, Hella sits on Route 1 between Selfoss and Hvolsvöllur, roughly a two-hour drive…
Marmelete
A compact Algarve village of whitewashed houses with terracotta rooftops set among orchards and scrubland, backed by forested hills, offering a quiet rural c…
Schouweiler
A compact Luxembourg village spread across rolling green farmland in the Canton of Capellen, Schouweiler serves as a local administrative hub with a surprisi…
Djupivogur
A little settlement on a peninsula in eastern Iceland, between two fjords, with the pyramid-shaped peak of Búlandstindur as its most prominent landmark.
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…
Hemnesberget
Tiny village on the Hemnes peninsula along the southern shore of the Ranfjorden in Nordland, Norway, with a working modest-boat harbour and walking access to…
Ervedosa do Douro
A compact village in the Douro wine country of northern Portugal, Ervedosa do Douro sits within the municipality of São João da Pesqueira, directly on the ri…
Hatherleigh
A modest market town in West Devon known for its November carnival, which features two flaming tar barrel runs, and a weekly livestock market that has served…
Alange
Spa waters have drawn visitors to this modest Extremadura village since at least Roman times, when a bathhouse with separate facilities for men and women was…
Sao Mamede
This modest Portuguese village in the Batalha municipality, where a whitewashed baroque church with a stone-trimmed façade and bell tower anchors a tradition…
Ademuz
This little Spanish village sits on the water in a Valencian exclave wedged between Aragón and Castilla-La Mancha, giving it an unusual geographic position w…
Hvammstangi
Small fishing village on the Vatnsnes peninsula in northwest Iceland, Hvammstangi sits directly on Miðfjörður with mountains close by.
Atouguia
Small white-church village of orange-roofed houses spread across forested hill country in central Portugal, sitting within easy reach of the wider Ourém regi…
Dufur
This small Oregon farming village in open wheat-and-orchard country, anchored by a well-preserved early-20th-century brick hotel that hints at the area's agr…
Cellio con Breia
Tiny Piedmontese valley hamlet in lower Valsesia where a tall baroque church tower rises above red-tile rooftops against wooded hills, offering a quiet base…
Marville
A compact stone village in France's Meuse department, where a medieval church with a rose window anchors tightly grouped old houses against a backdrop of ope…
Os i Østerdalen
A little village in Norway's Østerdalen valley, Os sits along the upper Glåma river with the mountain Håmmålsfjellet rising nearby to the south.
Kaeo
A compact township in New Zealand's Far North District, Kaeo sits in mountain terrain beside the Kaio River, with the surrounding hills and waterway shaping…
Serverette
This small rural hamlet in northern Lozère, southern France, set among mountain terrain and drained by the Truyère and Mézère rivers.