If you plan to visit England and are looking for an alternative to London, then look no further than Canterbury. Located in southeast England, Canterbury, Kent is the spiritual heart of the country, with its cathedral listed as one of the finest in Europe, attracting visitors from all over the world. It’s a bustling city with a medieval city center filled to the brim with independent shops, bars, restaurants and historic sights.

Nestled along the eastern border of France, snuggled up against Germany, the Alsace region is one of the best wine routes in France, passing through the foothills of the Vosges Mountains, past a plethora of abbeys, castles, vineyards and wine taverns, making for one of the loveliest holidays you’ll have in France! Visiting the Alsace wine region is perfect for those who love whimsical, fairy tale towns overflowing with half-timbered buildings and picturesque cobbled-stone streets!

One of my favorite childhood Disney films is and still is Beauty & the Beast and one of my favorite scenes is when Belle meanders through a sleepy half-timbered town, with locals going about their morning in the market place, singing “Little town, in a quiet village”. While in Colmar, France, no one broke out in song, walking through the half-timbered town of Colmar is quite possibly one of the best things to do in France. So much beauty crammed into one little town, you wonder how it can possibly be real.

When considering a visit to Europe, some might become overwhelmed with the endless options when it comes to finding the best places to visit and the huge variety between countries. While hitting up Europe’s capital cities like London, Paris, Prague, or Rome, it’s always a great idea to include a few, smaller, picturesque towns, but finding these pretty little towns can feel like finding a needle in a haystack. So, I’ve gathered 50 small cities and cute towns in Europe that are just downright STUPID PRETTY!

Though I have traveled extensively through England, I have still yet to see it all. But of all the towns I have visited in England, nowhere is perhaps more ‘Medieval’ than York. An amazing 13th century wall still encircles the town, narrow streets with timber-framed houses twist and turn in a spider-like web with the York Minster at the heart of it all. The town bustles with modern cafes, restaurants, shops & museums while still holding on to the city’s heritage with traditional pubs, markets and antique shops. But why should you visit? It’s not exactly an easy day trip from London after all.

An abnormally warm spring after a relatively mild winter season and the occasional spurts of cold wind from the east. Typically Germany in March is a tease, temperatures peaking at around 70°F before plunging back down into the low 40s by April. Yet this year, March in Germany was rather a gloomy month, still suffering […]

In towns and cities all over the world, the city hall (Rathaus) is the focal point for residents and tourists alike. Whether it be the politics behind the city hall, simply as a meeting point or main attraction, they draw us in either their elegance. It functions as a seat of government, a place of of significant events within the city as well as a place to bring people together on daily basis.

As little children we all grow up watching Disney’s fairy tale movies and then have high expectations of finding prince charming and living happily ever after in a castle. Then we’re told to grow up, get our heads out of the clouds and have more realistic expectations of life. I would have done that had […]

At the heart of land renowned for exquisite hand carved cuckoo clocks, Black Forest Cherry Cake and the mysterious setting of many a Grimm Brother’s fairy tales lies the town of Triberg. Located in the Kinzig and Gutach Valleys, the surrounding landscape is some of the most quintessential of the region as roads wind hither […]

There are few towns and cities in Germany which escaped the destruction of the Second World War, and those that did, managed to survive with little to no damage. Esslingen am Neckar is one of those few towns which survived completely in tact, therefore, preserving its very special and unique medieval appearance. The town is […]