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Top cozy towns and quaint villages

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Rothenburg ob der Tauber
Half-timbered streets and a walkable town wall
8.3
A wall walk of about 2.5 kilometers circles this old Bavarian town. Half timbered houses with red roofs and flower boxes line the cobbled lanes. Visitors can climb the town hall tower for wide views over the roofs. A year round Christmas shop sells glass ornaments and wooden toys.
Highlights:
  • ⚖️ Explore the Medieval Crime and Justice Museum exhibits
  • 📸 Visit the iconic Plönlein for picturesque photo moments
  • 🏰 Walk the well-preserved medieval town walls and towers
Takayama
Old town, morning markets and Hida beef
8.1
Mountains of the Japanese Alps surround this old town in Gifu Prefecture. Sanmachi Suji street has dark wooden merchant houses and sake breweries. Cedar balls hang from the eaves of breweries when new sake is ready. Morning markets along the Miyagawa River sell pickles and fresh vegetables.
Highlights:
  • 🏯 Tour the Takayama Jinya, the historic Edo government house
  • 🍠 Visit the morning markets along the Miyagawa River
  • 🏮 Wander through Takayama’s preserved old town of Sanmachi Suji
Bamberg
Smoked beer and a UNESCO old town
7.9
The smoky smell of rauchbier, a beer brewed with smoked malt, drifts from taverns. The old town hall sits on a tiny island in the middle of the river. UNESCO lists the whole old town, which spreads across seven hills. Brewery taverns serve smoked beer with roast pork and dumplings.
Highlights:
  • ⛪ Visit Bamberg Cathedral and see the Bamberg Horseman statue
  • 🏛️ Take iconic photos at the Old Town Hall on the Regnitz River
  • 🌉 Explore medieval streets and bridges of Bamberg Altstadt
Yufuin Onsen
Lakeside onsen town below Mount Yufu
8.4
Mount Yufu rises behind the village and often wears a cap of mist. Lake Kinrinko has warm spring water that makes fog on cold autumn mornings. Visitors can soak in outdoor baths at small inns beside rice fields. Shops on Yunotsubo Street sell cheesecake, pottery and handmade sweets.
Highlights:
  • 🌅 Take a morning walk around tranquil Lake Kinrin
  • 🛍️ Stroll along Yufuin’s picturesque Yunotsubo Kaido shopping street
  • 🛀 Bathe in a private open-air onsen with mountain views
Shirakawa-go
Thatched gassho farmhouses in the Hida mountains
7.6
Steep thatched farmhouses in the gassho style, meaning praying hands, dot this mountain valley. The roofs are angled at about 60 degrees to shed heavy winter snow. Visitors can stay overnight in a farmhouse and eat local mountain vegetables. On select winter evenings the houses glow with warm light against the snow.
Highlights:
  • 🏺 Visit the open-air museum to explore preserved houses
  • 📸 Capture winter scenery with snow-covered village rooftops
  • 🏡 Admire the traditional gassho-zukuri thatched farmhouses
Kinosaki Onsen
Seven bathhouses to stroll between in yukata
8.3
Guests walk between seven public bathhouses in cotton robes and wooden sandals. Willow trees line the small canal that runs through town. Each bathhouse has its own design and a different type of hot water. Visitors can buy a pass to enter all seven baths in a day.
Highlights:
  • ⛩️ Visit the historic Kinosaki Shrine and participate in local rituals
  • 👘 Stroll through the charming streets wearing a yukata and geta
  • 🛁 Relax in a traditional ryokan and soak in private onsen baths
Kurokawa Onsen
Riverside bath hopping in a Kumamoto valley
8.8
Visitors buy a wooden hand pass to soak in three baths at different inns. Around 30 small inns sit along a stream in a forested valley. Most baths are outdoors and surrounded by trees and stone. Lantern light glows along the stream path in the evening.
Highlights:
  • 🏮 Enjoy seasonal lantern festivals lighting the village
  • 👘 Stroll the charming streets in traditional yukata robes
  • ♨️ Use the wooden pass for onsen hopping across baths
Shibu Onsen
Nine public baths and cobbled lanes
8.5
Nine public bathhouses in this village each have their own name and hot water. Visitors carry a towel and get a stamp at each bathhouse. Snow monkeys bathe in a hot spring at Jigokudani Monkey Park nearby. Wooden inns line a narrow street with steam rising from vents.
Highlights:
  • 👘 Stroll historic streets wearing yukata robes
  • 🐒 Visit Jigokudani Monkey Park to see bathing snow monkeys
  • ♨️ Soak in nine unique public hot spring baths
Kurashiki
Canal town with storehouses and Western art
7.7
Boatmen in traditional clothes pole flat boats along the willow lined canal. White walled rice warehouses from the Edo period line the water. Many now hold museums, cafes and shops selling denim goods. Ohara Museum of Art opened in 1930 with works by Monet and El Greco.
Highlights:
  • 🌿 Visit Kurashiki Ivy Square, a scenic former textile mill
  • 🖼️ Explore the Ohara Museum of Art’s priceless collection
  • 🏞️ Stroll the historic Kurashiki Bikan Quarter canals
Kusatsu-Onsen
Steaming hot water field and bath hopping
8.1
Like a giant kettle, the Yubatake sits steaming in the middle of town. Wooden channels carry hot spring water across it to cool it down. Sulfur smells drift through the streets near free public foot baths. Visitors can watch a yumomi show where women stir the water with boards.
Highlights:
  • 🌿 Relax in open-air baths at Sainokawara Park
  • 🎍 Watch a traditional Yumomi hot water cooling show
  • ♨️ Admire the steaming Yubatake hot spring field in the center of town
Kawagoe
Edo-style warehouse town near Tokyo
7.8
Bells ring from a wooden bell tower called Toki no Kane above the old street. Rows of dark clay warehouses, called kurazukuri, line the street below. Shops sell sweet potato snacks, a local specialty since the 1700s. Candy Alley has old fashioned sweets and a smell of sugar.
Highlights:
  • 🕰️ Visit the iconic Toki no Kane clock tower
  • 🍠 Taste traditional sweet potato treats at Kashiya Yokocho
  • 🏮 Stroll down Kurazukuri Street and admire Edo-era warehouses
Nozawa Onsen
Thirteen free public baths and a ski area
8.3
Thirteen free public bathhouses stand around this Japanese ski village. Locals boil vegetables and eggs in the hot Oyu spring near the top of town. Each January a fire festival lights up the hillside with burning torches. Skiers finish the day at a bath in wooden bathhouses.
Highlights:
  • 🔥 Experience the unique Ogama boiling hot spring kitchen
  • 🥾 Hike trails around the scenic Nozawa Onsen village
  • ♨️ Tour the 13 historic public hot spring bathhouses
Hida
Carp canal and sake town near Takayama
7.3
Koi carp splash in a narrow canal beside white walled storehouses in Furukawa. Hida Furukawa, the historic quarter of the city, is a short walk from the station. Old shops sell hand dipped candles and local sake. The sound of running water follows walkers along the Seto River.
Highlights:
  • 🚆 Ride the scenic Hida-Furukawa rail line through mountain valleys
  • 🍶 Take a sake brewery tour and sample local varieties
  • 🏮 Wander through the preserved streets of Hida-Furukawa
Gero
One of Japan's three great hot springs
7.5
Along with Arima and Kusatsu, this town is ranked among Japan's three famed hot springs. The alkaline water feels silky and smooth on the skin. Free foot baths and small shrines dot the streets beside the Hida River. Gassho Village nearby has thatched farmhouses moved from other regions.
Highlights:
  • 🚶🏻 Stroll along the Gero Onsen street and footbaths
  • 🏮 Stay overnight in a traditional ryokan inn
  • ♨️ Soak in Gero’s famous natural hot spring baths
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