Medieval Towns
Cobbled streets that never left the Middle Ages.
The best-preserved medieval towns in Europe look almost exactly as they did 600 years ago — walled, cobbled and still lived in. This guide collects medieval old towns and fortified cities worth travelling for, with ramparts you can walk, night watchman tours and timber-framed streets that turn cinematic after dark. Every town is mapped, rated for mystery and written up with practical travel advice: when to arrive to beat the day-trippers, which gates to enter by, and the best time of year for atmosphere over crowds.
2 destinations
Medieval Towns destinations
Carcassonne, France
Carcassonne
Carcassonne in southern France is a walled medieval city with 52 towers and a double ring of walls. It was almost pulled down in the 1800s and then rebuilt by the architect Viollet-le-Duc, whose pointed roofs are still argued about today. It is a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
Rothenburg, Germany
Rothenburg ob der Tauber
Rothenburg ob der Tauber is a walled town in Bavaria that still looks medieval, with a complete ring of walls you can walk on. It stopped growing after war and plague in the 1600s, and poverty kept it frozen. Part of it was bombed in 1945 and carefully rebuilt.