Today, we come up with a list of most beautiful villages of Europe. Europe is undoubtedly the home to the world’s most attractive villages. From the Bled to the Bibury, below is the list of ten truly beautiful villages in Europe. These frozen-in-time European villages will make you appreciate the beauty of Europe.
Top 10 Most Beautiful Villages in Europe:
10. Bled, Slovenia
This small Alpine town in northwestern Slovenia rings the shore of Lake Bled, whose glacial blue waters surround a tiny island and its small Baroque church. It is most notable as a popular tourist destination in the Upper Carniola region and in Slovenia as whole, attracting visitors from abroad, as well. Bled is known for the glacial Lake Bled, which makes it a major tourist attraction. Perched on a rock overlooking the lake is the iconic Bled Castle. The town is also known in Slovenia for its vanilla and cream pastry. It’s no doubts one of the most beautiful European villages.
9. Gruyères, Switzerland
Gruyères is a medieval town in the district of Gruyère in the canton of Fribourg in Switzerland. The town is an important tourist location in the upper valley of the Saane river. Gruyères is famous for its namesake cheese, whose mild, nutty flavor melts so well in fondue. A wide, stone-paved street leads up to the magnificent 13th-century Gruyères Castle, with its imposing fortifications and expansive views of the surrounding Alpine foothills.
8. Cong, Ireland
Encircled by streams, the picturesque village of Cong straddling the borders of County Galway and County Mayo, in Ireland. Cong is located on the isthmus connecting Loughs Corrib and Mask, near the towns of Headford and Ballinrobe and the villages of Neale and Cross. Cong is known for its underground streams that connect Lough Corrib with Lough Mask to the north. It was also the home of Sir William Wilde; Historian and father to prominent playwright, novelist, poet, and short story writer Oscar Wilde. Cong counts numerous stone bridges, the ruins of a medieval abbey, the occasional thatched-roof cottage, and Ashford Castle, a grand Victorian estate that has been converted into a romantic luxury hotel.
7. Albarracin, Spain
Albarracín is a picturesque and most beautiful village in Europe. A sliver of medieval Spain has been preserved within the fortified walls of this village. Which is surrounded by the barren hills of the central Aragon region. Down Albarracín’s narrow alleys and winding lanes await ancient stone towers and ocher-hued castles and chapels. It’s a charming town and was declared a Monumento Nacional in 1961. The town is named for the Moorish Al Banū Razín family that once had been dominant in the area during the period of Muslim domination in the Iberian Peninsula.
6. Telc, Czech Republic
Telc is a small South Moravian town with arguably the most beautiful main square in the Czech Republic. Residents of Telc were once quite competitive about the beauty of their homes. As is evident today on the elongated main square, where one building is lovelier than the next. The town was founded in 13th century as a royal water fort on the crossroads of busy merchant routes between Bohemia, Moravia and Austria.
5. Folegandros, Greece
Folegandros lies on the southern edge of the Cyclades with the Sea of Crete sweeping away to its south. The island has an ethereal beauty, enhanced by its main settlement, the cliff-top Hora, one of the most appealing villages in the Cyclades. Its inhabitants were Dorians. Later it came under Athenian rule. The island was conquered in 1207 by the Venetian Marco Sanudo and remained under the rule of Venice until 1566, when it was taken by the Ottoman Turks. The Greeks reclaimed it in the 19th century.
4. Reine, Norway
Reine is a pretty fishing village in the Lofoten archipelago. An area of starkly beautiful Nordic wilderness, where sapphire bays punctuate fjords and mountains. It’s the administrative centre of the municipality of Moskenes in Nordland county, Norway. The village has been a commercial centre since 1743. Despite of its remote location, thousands of people visit this village annually. The village is situated on a promontory just off the European route E10 highway, which passes through the village.
3. Colmar, France
French and German influences commingle in this well-preserved Alsatian village, where local bakeries sell both croissants and kugelhopf, and restaurants specialize in foie gras and sauerkraut (or choucroute). Colmar is the third-largest commune of the Alsace region in north-eastern France. The city is renowned for its well preserved old town. Also known for its numerous architectural landmarks and its museums, among which is the Unterlinden Museum with the Isenheim Altarpiece.
2. Hallstatt, Austria
Hallstatt, the most picturesque village in Austria. The village enjoy the gorgeous setting on the bank of Hallstätter See. Between the pristine lake and a lush mountain that rises dramatically from the water’s edge. Hallstatt is known for its production of salt. Dating back to prehistoric times, and gave its name to the Hallstatt culture; A culture often linked to Celtic, Proto-Celtic, and pre-Illyrian peoples in Early Iron Age Europe, c.800–450 BCE. Some of the earliest archaeological evidence for the Celts was found in Hallstatt.
1. Bibury, England
Situated on the River Coln. This hilly Cotswold region is a designated “Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty” in southwestern England. And one of its loveliest villages is Bibury. The village is known for its honey-coloured seventeenth century stone cottages with steeply pitched roofs. It’s a charming village just a short drive from “The Capital of the Cotswolds”, Cirencester. Bibury was once described by William Morris (1834-96) as “the most beautiful village in England”. In fact, Fox News says that Bibury is one of the world’s most picturesque villages.
