These Are The 10 Best Small Art Towns in Europe (and their Best Hotels)

Summary

• Europe is home to some of the most unique off-the-beaten-path attractions, and small arts towns provide an escape from big cities.
• The guide recommends the best small art towns to visit for an artistic experience, along with top-rated hotels in each town.
• Each recommended town offers a variety of art galleries, museums, music festivals, and historical attractions for art enthusiasts to enjoy.

Europe is home to some of the most unique off-the-beaten-path attractions any avid traveler would love. For those looking to avoid the chaos of navigating big cities, small arts towns provide a perfect escape. If you have even the slightest creative bent, you’ll find something to love about the most beautiful small towns in Europe, ranging from art galleries to music festivals. This guide shares some of the best small art towns you should visit for a memorable artistic experience and their best hotels to stay in.

The recommendations provided in this guide have been curated after a careful review of the best hotels in each of the towns. The chosen hotels have over 8.0 ratings on the Kayak website and offer great hospitality with top-notch amenities.

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Colmar, France

Colmar is a popular destination in France for artistic spirits. For a small yet electric dose of creativity, the Unterlinden Museum should be your top attraction. This former monastery now houses art galleries with paintings and sculptures. The town comes to life during the summer with musical performances from top local and international artists at the Fête de la Chanson Française and Festival de Musique Baroque music festivals.

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Bled, Slovenia

Bled is a must-visit town when looking for different art styles. If you love performing arts, the town has different performance venues that host different music festivals that you can visit. One of the events worth attending during the summer is the Orkarina Festival. Here, you’ll get to listen to the unconventional rhythm of the percussion instruments, violin, and flute. This town also plays host to different art galleries where visitors can explore different forms of art, such as ceramics, photography, and paintings.

Burano, Italy

When visiting Burano, one of the places you should visit is the Museo del Merletto. This museum showcases beautiful artwork from the 16th century and has many vintage items and illustrations. As a performing arts lover, you shouldn’t miss to check out the Burano Regatta. This event takes place in September and features food and music performances.

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Rothenburg ob der Tauber, Germany

Rothenburg ob der Tauber is a Medieval city that offers some of the best medieval attractions in Europe that are worth adding to your bucket list and will grab the attention of any art lover. Besides the sights of beautiful old buildings, visitors can explore different gallery displays that showcase the history of the town over the years. A great example is the Medieval Crime and Punishment Museum (Mittelalterliches Kriminalmuseum), which features detailed records of the old penal system in Germany and medieval tools used for torture. If you visit the town during summer, consider taking part in the Rothenburger Volksfest and the Historical Shepherds Dance.

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Graz, Austria

Graz should be on the bucket list of any art-loving enthusiast looking to travel to the Mediterranean city of Austria, thanks to its exceptional collection of art galleries. Top of the destinations to check out is the Schloss Eggenberg, which holds a collection of the Syrian culture over the years. Kunsthaus Graz is also a great place to explore and engage with international contemporary art. As a classical music lover, you may want to check out the Mozart and Schubertiade festival and enjoy some world-class performances.

Basel, Switzerland

Basel is one of the best small art towns in Europe, with plenty of attractions for art lovers. Among the attraction sites that should be on your to-do list is the Basel Art Museum. This museum features a vast collection of Switzerland artwork from the 19th century up to today. Get to explore historical paintings and drawings from local artists dating back to the 1400s. For music lovers, the Basel Carnival is a festival worth attending. It’s one of the largest festivals in the country, with over 20,000 participants in attendance.

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Dinant, Belgium

This magnificent gem town that’s one of the most beautiful towns in Belgium boasts a unique blend of sights art lovers would like. By visiting places like the Specialty Museum, you’ll learn the history of the man who invented the saxophone. But that’s not all! Whether on a visit or passing through, the Dinant Jazz Festival is something that will pique any traveler’s interest. Other crowd-pulling concerts worth checking out are the Abyss and the Golden Age Rock Festival.

Brno, Czech Republic

Brno multicultural tradition makes it stand out as a town with a long tradition of rich folk music. Visitors can immerse themselves in concerts hosted in different locations within the town. Some of the most popular include the FASTfest and VlhkáFest. For travelers looking to explore the different works of contemporary art, the Brno House of Arts is a place worth visiting.

Portree, Scotland

Portee is located northwest of the major city of Glasgow and offers different attractions to help art lovers get a better insight into the city’s traditions. If you’re on the quest to discover the best art attractions in Portee, the Skye and Lochalsh Centre and the Skyworks Gallery are some of the best places to visit. This quaint little town also has a lot of venues that host different festivals throughout the year. A notable event is the Skye Live Festival, which features the best performance in contemporary Scottish folk music.

Novi Sad, Serbia

Novi Sad might be a little-known city, but it’s a destination art lovers will definitely fall in love with. To learn more about the town and the region’s long history, it’s worth visiting the Museum of Vojvodina. A tour of the Gallery of Matica Srpska opens you up to the foundation of Serbian art, including the 17th-century icon. Visit Serbia in the summer and enjoy performances from artists of different music genres like hip-hop, rock, and electronic.