Stories
Explore 10 Fairytale Villages Across Europe That Look Like Paintings
C
CNBC TV18•11-10-2026, 09:13
Explore 10 Fairytale Villages Across Europe That Look Like Paintings
- •Hallstatt in Austria features 16th-century timber chalets nestled between the Dachstein Alps and the Hallstätter See.
- •Giethoorn in the Netherlands is a roadless village with an 18th-century canal network and reed-thatched farmhouses.
- •Lauterbrunnen in Switzerland is set in a dramatic U-shaped valley framed by 72 plunging waterfalls and traditional chalets.
- •Riquewihr in France showcases medieval ramparts and brightly painted half-timbered houses that inspired Beauty and the Beast.
- •Manarola in Italy consists of multi-tiered pastel tower houses clinging to the steep sea cliffs of Cinque Terre.
- •Castle Combe in England preserves an unbroken streetscape of honey-coloured limestone cottages dating back to the 14th century.
- •Reine in Norway features vibrant red rorbuer cabins built on stilts against the granite backdrop of the Lofoten archipelago.
- •Beilstein in Germany is a tiny historic wine village packed with 16th-century timber-framed houses beneath Metternich Castle.
- •Albarracín in Spain stands out for its pinkish-red architecture and ancient defensive walls along the Guadalaviar River gorge.
- •Culross in Scotland is a remarkably preserved 16th-century settlement featuring whitewashed cottages and the mustard-yellow Culross Palace.
Key Questions Answered
Giethoorn is a historic rural village in the Overijssel region often called the 'Dutch Venice' because it is completely devoid of roads and cars. Visitors can only explore the village on foot or via silent electric whisper-boats through its 18th-century canal network.
Riquewihr features a cobblestone main street lined with brightly painted half-timbered houses dating back to the 16th and 17th centuries, adorned with carved wooden oriel windows and flower boxes that inspired Disney's 'Beauty and the Beast'.
Reine is defined by vibrant red rorbuer, which are historic wooden fisherman cabins built on stilts directly over the tidal fjord waters against the sheer granite face of Mount Reinebringen.
