“Guimarães is crucial to Portugal's history -- it was named the country's first capital in the 12th century, and its medieval core remains largely intact, full of convents, grand old palaces and a crumbling castle, perched on top of a bluff.

“Like everywhere in Portugal, local bakeries make a mean pastel de nata, but here you should try the local speciality: torta di Guimarães -- a pastry filled with squash and ground almonds,” states CNN Travel.

The list also includes Giethoorn (Netherlands), Roscoff (France), Anghiari (Italy), Nafplio (Greece), Mostar (Bosnia and Herzigovina), Mazara del Vallo (Sicily), Clovelly (United Kingdom), Dinkelsbühl (Germany), Korcula (Croatia), Kenmare (Ireland), Piran (Slovenia), Reine (Norway), Regens (Spain), and Tarnów (Poland).

“Paris, Rome, Barcelona... Europe's cities are bucket list destinations, and rightly so. But the continent's small towns are a dream, too, with all the beautiful architecture and much of the culture you'll find in the big hitters, only with fewer crowds to share them with”, concludes CNN Travel.