Investigating the controversial phenomenon
Europe is blessed with numerous picture-perfect hilltop towns and villages. Most are centuries old, having been established during the Middle Ages as strategic hubs during times of conflict and turmoil. As rural centers for horticulture, these destinations were celebrated for their cultivation of olives, wine, and other produce. Today, many of these places serve as popular tourist destinations, blessed as they are with outstanding architecture and a tangible sense of tradition. In fact, if you're planning to explore the continent, make sure to include some of these scenic highlights in your travel itinerary. Already packed?
Click through and find out where to go and what to see.
The photographer's favorite, Oia sits on the northwestern tip of Santorini. Its whitewashed cottages, rickety old windmills, and blue-domed churches overlook a vast caldera, the legacy of an ancient volcanic eruption.
Probably the most famous of Andalusia's pueblos blancos (white towns), Arcos de la Frontera is topped by an imposing 11th-century Moorish castle and the Basílica de Santa María de la Asunción, which dates back to the 15th century.
Croatia's Istria peninsula bristles with scenic hilltop villages, but it's Groznjan that truly captivates. In the 1950s and early '60s, this idyllic destination was home to a creative community of artists, writers, and musicians. And Groznjan today still paints a pretty picture.
Few Mediterranean hilltop towns are as imposing as Mdina. This fortified community served as the island's capital from antiquity to the medieval period. Palaces, churches, and monasteries add to the dramatic perspective.
More clifftop than hilltop perhaps, but Taormina on the east coast of Sicily has been luring visitors since the Grand Tour era of the 19th-century. Overlooking the pink-hued walls and terracotta rooftops is the astonishing Teatro Antico, a Greek theater dating back to the 3rd century BCE.
Perhaps the most iconic hilltop village in France, and certainly one of the most recognized in Europe, Mont Saint-Michel in Normandy comprises a collection of fisherman's houses crowned by a huge 11th-century abbey.
Monsaraz stands as the epitome of the classic Portuguese hilltop town. Established as a community by the Moors in the 8th century, the castle and walls are mostly 12th century. Its lofty location in the Alentejo within striking distance of Spain made Monsaraz a location of strategic importance for centuries.
Historic Motovun in central Istria is actually Celtic in origin. In fact its name is derived from the Celtic word Montona, meaning "a town in the hills."
Gaucín in Andalusia is also called the Serranía's Balcony due to its precious views of the Crestellina mountains. Also seen from cottage balconies is distant Gibraltar, the Strait of Gibraltar, and even Morocco.
The peach-hued medieval houses of Albarracín are like nowhere else in Spain. The capital of the mountainous Sierra de Albarracín Comarca, Albarracín is enclosed by stony hills and a real sense of the remote.
Ostuni stuns with its brilliant white veneer. Only the cathedral and bishop's palace reflect a different color. The town is set in the province of Brindisi, a region especially known for its high-quality olive oil and wine.
A set of medieval skyscrapers announce the location of this fabulous hilltop gem. In fact, San Gimignano in Tuscany provides one of the most unforgettable skylines in Europe, if not the world.
Set low across of a large butte of volcanic tuff, Orvieto appears as if deliberately avoiding the tourist radar. Located in southwestern Umbria, this delightful destination is famous for its labyrinth of caves and tunnels that lie beneath its streets.
One of Tuscany's most pleasant diversions, Montepulciano is a medieval and Renaissance hill town that rises above the rolling plains of Sienna to greet the visitor with period charm.
This unassuming Tuscan village is often overlooked by tourists seeking the region's more famous hilltop towns. But to ignore Monticchiello would be a mistake. Located in the heart of Val d’Orcia, this scenic destination is known for a peculiar theater tradition known as "poor theater" and each summer turns itself into an open-air performance space!
Found in Cádiz province, Zahara de la Sierra enjoys a stunning setting scattered as it is under a rocky peak topped by the ruins of a castle. Its inhabitants are known as 'Zahareños', a description that probably comes from the Arab word sahra, meaning desert.
Located in the Alpilles mountains, northeast of Arles, rural Les Baux-de-Provence unfolds itself atop a rocky outcrop that is crowned with a ruined castle. The stone-clad cottages appear as if hewn out of the mountainside.
Another picture-perfect Andalusian pueblos blancos, Casares features a collection of sugar cube-like houses piled precariously high and just nudging the battlements of a Moorish-era castle.
There's no mistaking Saint-Bertrand-de-Comminges. This tidy hilltop village in the Haute-Garonne department in southwestern France is landmarked by the impressive outline of a former cathedral, parts of which date back to 12th century.
Visit Simiane la Rotonde in spring and you'll be met with the intoxicating bouquet of fresh lavender. Clinging to a small hill on a high plateau in the Alpes-de-Haute-Provence, the town has remained practically unchanged for centuries.
The name of this fortified hilltop town in southern France's Occitania region roughly translates into English as "Cordes in the sky" to indicate its height above the clouds over low-lying areas of the valley.
Marvão in Portugal's Alto Alentejo region is arguably the most spectacular of the country's hilltop villages. Perched on a crag of the Serra de São Mamede, fortified Marvão dates back to at least the 13th century.
Regularly cited as one of the most beautiful villages in France, medieval Loubressac in the Dordogne Valley is built from ochre stone and capped with chestnut-tiled roofs. It's set on a rocky outcrop and commands outstanding countryside views.
Where better than Bavaria to find Germany's most picturesque hilltop destinations? Set 2,624 ft (800 m) above sea level, the spruce village of Bad Kohlgrub serves as a top ski resort in winter. But it's also where to indulge in a spot of alpine mountain pine moor therapy—massage and treatments using natural conifer extract that work wonders on tired joints and aching muscles.
If you're traveling through the Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur region in southeastern France, be sure to pause at Gordes. This attractive village occupies a spot on a giant chunk of calcareous rock from the Vaucluse Mountains, which dominates the Calavon valley.
One of Italy's famous five—the string of picturesque villages hugging the coastal area of Liguria—Corniglia sits on a 328-ft (100 m) promontory surrounded on three sides by vineyards and terraces. Needless to say, the views are simply jaw-dropping.
Saorge is stretched out in an arc around the concave side of wooded mountains in France's Alpes-Maritimes region. The village is affectionately known as "French Tibet" for its relatively remote upland location.
Sighișoara's well-preserved old town has drawn visitors to this popular tourist destination for decades. Located in Transylvanian, old Sighișoara is crammed full of medieval architecture, much of which can be admired by climbing the hill towards the landmark clock tower.
Locket Castle, a 12th-century Gothic wonder, stands guard over this quaint hilltop town situated in the Karlovy Vary region of the Czech Republic.
Smartno, in Slovenia's Gorska Brda region, is celebrated for its wine. The village, which overlooks the Nanos hill in the east to the Carnija Alps in the northwest, is also known for its delicious fruit harvest, especially cherries.
Accessed from a footbridge from the nearby town, Civita di Bagnoregio is famously known as "the dying city" because the plateau on which this charming little village stands is slowly crumbling away. Get there before it goes.
Sources: (Heritage Europe) (UNESCO) (European Walled Towns)
Europe's prettiest hilltop towns and villages
Discover the continent's crowning destinations
TRAVEL Tourism
Europe is blessed with numerous picture-perfect hilltop towns and villages. Most are centuries old, having been established during the Middle Ages as strategic hubs during times of conflict and turmoil. As rural centers for horticulture, these destinations were celebrated for their cultivation of olives, wine, and other produce. Today, many of these places serve as popular tourist destinations, blessed as they are with outstanding architecture and a tangible sense of tradition. In fact, if you're planning to explore the continent, make sure to include some of these scenic highlights in your travel itinerary. Already packed?
Click through and find out where to go and what to see.