Trieste, Italy, a beautiful coastal town on a small strip of land that borders Slovenia. You’ve probably never heard of it before, as Italy is dominated by headline cities such as Venice, Rome, Florence, Naples, Cinque Terre, Verona and many, many more, and still it offers many wonderful reasons for visiting. Despite being located on the easternmost tip of Italy, opposite Venice via the Adriatic Sea, this port city is spewing with things to see and do! So, the question remains, “What brought me to Trieste?”

You may not know it, but there are more things to do in Slovenia than just visiting Ljubljana or Lake Bled. And perhaps it may come as a surprise to you, but Slovenia also has a little sliver of beautiful coastline along the Adriatic Sea. While we settled in Piran (Pirano), the gem of the Slovenian Riviera, for our 4 day Easter weekend, it’s also an easy day trip from both Ljubljana and Lake Bled and I can say with absolute certainty that if you’re planning a Balkan road trip, you will want to add this to your itinerary! But what makes this enchanting city along the Adriatic so special?

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!

CALLING ALL PUMPKIN LOVERS!!! If you enjoy the chill of autumn, a thick mist which rolls in in the evenings and dissipates in the afternoon to clear blue skies, soaking up the last remnants of warmth. If you love bundling up to go to a Pumpkin Patch and get giddy every time you get a Pumpkin Spice Latte and love all things pumpkin, then you are my kind of kindred spirit. That means you’re officially invited to the world’s largest pumpkin festival, known as Kürbisaustellung which takes place every autumn in the gardens of Schloss Ludwigsburg, just outside of Stuttgart.

While Venice might be the world’s most famous canal town, there are so many other places to visit in Europe which are equally as beautiful, graced by winding waterways, charming arched bridges and romantic canal boats casually streaming down river. Over 60,000 people descend on Venice every day, threatening its future. So, if you’ve ever dreamed about strolling through a romantic canal city but aren’t fond of the crowds, I’m here to share with you a collaboration of picturesque canal cities in Europe that aren’t Venice!

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.

Oh Heidelberg, how thou have but stolen my heart! Ok, ok, perhaps I’ve been talking about Shakespeare too much with students, but tis’ true! Ich hab’ mein Herz in Heidelberg verloren in 2007 and I never got it back! As one of Germany’s most romantic towns, located along the Neckar River nestled in a wooded gorge with the stunning ruins of the Heidelberg Castle perched above the town, Heidelberg is one town I keep going back to over and over again. It never ceases to loose its appeal, and yet I can always find some new things to do in Heidelberg! 

About an hour and half southwest of Copenhagen is Denmark’s third largest town, Odense, on the island of Funen. Not your typical tourist hot spot, especially amid a bitterly cold winter. While recently being a guest at the Langesø Castle, we drove into Odense to learn more about the area and one person in particular: Hans Christian Andersen.

In my previous post about Gdańsk, I showed you how beautiful and colorful the city was, but that was only the beginning! When I knew we would be visiting Gdańsk, I told my friend who would be showing us around that if there was enough time, I absolutely had to see some of the interesting street art located near the city. She willingly obliged us with a quick tour of an area of Gdańsk called Zaspa – a residential district with large Soviet style apartment buildings with an empty canvas on each side of the building perfect for locals to express themselves on!

Guest Post by Sharon from Exploring Our World A visit to Schloss Ambras carries you back in time to the 16th century era of Imperial Austria in all its glory. This castle and palace complex occupies prime land on a hill overlooking the colorful town of Innsbruck. The regal castle is open to the public, […]