In chronological order, these are the most picturesque small towns I have visited.
Which one would you most like to visit? Enjoy!
More info: lifeisacamino.com
Sens, France
Vezelay, France
The starting point for my 1,000 mile walk on the Camino de Santiago.
Sainte Foy-la-Grande, France
Saint Jean Pied de Port, France
This is the last stop on the French part of the Camino de Santiago--after St. Jean it's all Spain.
Puente la Reina, Spain
Puente la Reina is famous for its medieval bridge, but I will always remember it for the smell of red peppers roasting on charcoal fires.
La Guardia, Spain
Castrojeriz, Spain
Villafranca del Bierzo, Spain
Villafranca was the last stop before I conquered the challenging and breath-taking Dragonte route of the Camino.
Howth, Ireland
Howth is a windswept harbor on the northern side of Dublin; I hiked around it one windy afternoon in November.
Maastricht, The Netherlands
Amiens, France
It's a stretch to call Amiens a small town (pop: over 130,000) but it's old quarter features possibly the most awe-inspiring Gothic cathedral of them all.
Autun, France
Bayonne, France
Toledo, Spain
I celebrated my 24th birthday with my dad in Toledo.
Sintra, Portugal
Nazaré, Portugal
On its own, the town of Nazaré is picturesque enough, but it's the huge waves in wintertime that are so incredible.
Segovia, Spain
Segovia has a castle which may or may have not inspired the Disneyland version (I think the original one is cooler, of course).
Cádiz, Spain
Girona, Spain
For all the history nerds out there, Girona is full of Paleolithic, Roman, and Medieval artifacts. And it's damn cute.
Roses, Spain
Fun fact: I slept on the beach in Roses - this picture was taken as I woke up at sunrise.
Cadaqués, Spain
Mechelen, Belgium
Mechelen isn't as glamorous as Bruges or Ghent but it has a picturesque main square and typically Flemish architecture.
Cruas, France
Vinezac, France
Vinezac is one of a handful of charming towns in Ardeche, a region just north of Provence.
Ruoms, France
Skagen, Denmark
Not counting Greenland or the Faroe Islands, Skagen is the northernmost point of Denmark.
Alghero, Italy
This charming town on the island of Sardegna has some incredibly lovely beaches.
Ramsgrange, Ireland
Inverary, Scotland
Arrochar, Scotland
It might be hard to see, but the town is that little white strip at the bottom of the mountains.
Pease Pottage, England
It's not especially pretty but I would like to point out how wonderfully ridiculous English place names can be.
Salisbury, England
Salisbury sits in the figurative shadow of Stonehenge--just 8 miles away--but it should be the other way around.
Perranporth, England
Isafjordur, Iceland
Population: 3,000, making it the biggest city in the extremely remote--even by Icelandic standards--Westfjords region.
Uppsala, Sweden
Archi, Italy
Narrow streets, a ruined castle, an old church, and internecine family feuds, and lots of homemade wine. Must be Italy.
Pesche, Italy
Castelmezzano, Italy
Matera, Italy
Smederevo, Serbia
Perast, Montenegro
