The world is full of charming and beautiful villages that retain the charm of their era of greatest splendor. In our trips we have been fortunate to visit many of them so we wanted to make a list of those who have met and even exceeded our expectations and that for us have become the 10 villages to see before you die. We have chosen some for being beautiful medieval villages, others for their incredible locations, either on the shore of a lake or on steep coastlines by the sea and others for their excellent state of conservation.
1. Hallstatt
Hallstatt, who they say is the most beautiful town in the world on a lakeIt is such a beautiful place in Austria that even the Chinese made a copy in their country. A good option, apart from being cheaper, is to stay in the neighboring Obertraun village, just across the lake and gradually approaching, enjoying the views as we approach Hallstatt. The town itself is small and can be visited in about 2 or 3 hours, although if you can spend a few more hours, better than better. To highlight the Hallstatt ossuary, in the upper part of the town, an essential visit while curious. We visited Hallstatt on an 11-day route through Austria, in which we loved this beautiful town and the place where it is located.
Hallstatt
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The best offers of Flights to Austria here
The best Hallstatt hotels here
Rent your car in Austria at the best price here2. Colmar
Colmar, the most beautiful town at Christmas and one of the villages to see before dying, either on these dates or at any other time of the year. In the end it turned out to be the icing on the cake of our trip to Alsace, in northern France, near the border with Germany, where we found some of the most amazing and charming villages in the country. During our route we visit fairytale towns such as Eguisheim, Riquewihr, Ribeauvillé or Strasbourg, although through its streets and houses, Christmas decoration and Christmas markets, Colmar ended up being the most special corner of that trip.
Colmar
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3. Riomaggiore
Although we have to say that five villages of Cinque Terre In Italy they are wonderful, there is one that aroused our interest in a more insistent way. Built on the shores of the Mediterranean Sea and surrounded by hills and vineyards, they form a set declared World Heritage by UNESCO. Of the five villages, our favorite was Riomaggiore although it must be said that Manarola and Vernazza stayed very close. Our trip through Cinque Terre began with a low cost flight to Pisa and from there we took a train to La Spezia, gateway to these villages, from where we can easily move by train or boat between the different villages and visit them in 2 or 3 days.
Riomaggiore
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Book the best tours and excursions to Cinque Terre in Spanish here here4. Shirakawa-go, one of the villages to see before dying
The historic village of Shirakawa-go, located in the Japanese Alps, is famous for its typical straw-roofed houses that are very inclined to withstand snow. On our trip to Japan, we visited it by bus from Takayama, where we stayed. We can confirm that it was one of the best visits we made on the trip since it was completely snowy and although we had trouble getting to the viewpoint because of the amount of snow and ice that was there, the views from there, after all the effort, deserved everything the effort.
Shirakawa-go
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5. Ceský Krumlov
Ceský Krumlov, the most beautiful town in the Czech Republic and another one of the villages to see before dying. Although it is almost a small city, its medieval historical center is spectacular, located on the banks of the Vltava River and has remained intact as a town for more than five centuries. We visited it during our drive through the Czech Republic and we had no doubt in including it in this list.
Cesky Krumlov, one of the villages to see before he died
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6. Oberammergau
Oberammergau, the Bavarian town where the facades of the houses are true works of art, in which story tales are represented. It was the most beautiful and amazing town of our trip through Bavaria, in southern Germany, that we visited after visiting the spectacular Neuschwanstein Castle. A totally recommended visit if you are in the area and that we are sure will surprise you.
Oberammergau
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7. Castle Combe
Castle Combe, is considered one of the most beautiful villages in England. Located in the area of The Cotswolds, in the south of England, it is part of a beautiful area full of greenery and beautiful villages of honey-colored stone houses, which are charming. During our route through the English countryside, it was the first town we visited and of which we have the best memory with Bibury, another of the villages to see before dying.
Castle Combe
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8. Conques
Conques, one of the most beautiful villages in France and one of the villages to see before dying. Located in the Midi-Pyrénées area in southern France, it is part of a set of beautiful medieval villages such as Cordes sur Ciel, Rocamadour, Belcastel or Saint-Cirq-Lapopie, which together with great landscapes, castles, templar cities, churches or abbeys form one of the best routes you can do in Europe. We visited him on a car route through Midi-Pyrenees that took us to one of the most incredible areas of the country to which we will surely return.
Conques
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9. San Gimignano
One of our favorite areas of the world is Tuscany in Italy. It brings together everything we like: good gastronomy, breathtaking landscapes at any time of the year, especially in autumn and spring and villages in which to move to the medieval era. One of these jewels is without a doubt San Gimignano, a town known as the Medieval Manhattan for its tall towers. Getting lost in its streets and squares, with its stone houses, is an obligation, just like trying some (or several) of its delicious ice cream.
San Gimignano
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10. Fenghuang
Fenghuang is a time-frozen town in China. Although more than a town, in the overpopulated China it can be considered a small city. Walking through its streets is going back in time, with its wooden houses built on the banks of the Tuojiang River and the small boats that run along the river. This was the town that most caught our attention with Pingyao on our trip to China in 25 days.
Fenghuang
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If you want to add more villages to the list of 10 villages to see before you die, do not forget to put them in the comments and we will add them in the second part that we write.
