The 11 Most Endearing Small Streets Worth Visiting

This 15-feet-wide street in old Cairo might be the most historically and archaeologically significant street on Earth. Built in the 10th century, this “palace city to inspire awe and fear” has become an “open air museum” with an enormous concentration of medieval architecture that’s unparalleled in the Islamic world.

The charming little town of Colmar in Eastern France is one of the most beautiful places in Europe and right in the heart of it is the Grand Rue. From canals to rainbow-colored houses and Alsace wine, walking down this street will make you feel like you fell into a fairy tale.

Penang is legendary for its “hawker” food and strolling down Beach Street one can fill up on Hokkien mee (prawn & egg breakfast broth) or Ais kacang (shaved ice with red bean & grass jelly). This street offers more than edible treats, though. Wall paintings and murals line the road, with a street art festival here every November.

Built in the 17th century, the oldest road in the oldest commercial district in North America lays at the foot of Cap Diamant, the “Cape Diamond.” Full of shops, cafe, history, and French architecture, this street also offers a lovely view of “the most photographed hotel in the world,” the Chateau Frontenac.

Known as the “Street of the Incomparable Pearl,” Dariba Kalan is a market unto itself in Old Delhi’s famed Chandni Chowk. As Asia’s largest jewelry market, there are hundreds of merchants selling their precious jewels on this narrow street. If shopping makes you hungry, stop by Jalebi Wala for a sweet, deep-fried treat.

Constructed in the 12th century for the port’s merchants and traders, Placa Street is a cobblestone mecca for shoppers, eaters, and sightseers. Located blocks from the Adriatic Sea and some of the most beautiful (and overlooked) beaches in the world, this street is also a perfect place to just breath in the sea mist.

With the gates of Cuba now partially open, there’s no better place to experience the country than this half-mile-long street in Old Havana. Lively during the day, it comes alive at night with drinks, cigars, classic cars and music. For the historically inclined, check out Hemingway’s Cuban residence at the Hotel Amos Mundos and the Taquechel Pharmacy Museum.

The De 9 Straatjes is a collection of nine little streets that are divided by three canals in the heat of Netherlands’ capital city. Gasthuismolensteeg maybe the most happening, with tons of boutiques, the best broodjes (sandwich) shop in the city, and the odd Museum of Spectacles.

The Rua Bispo Coutinho in the 16th-century Portuguese sugarcane port city of Olinda winds past street vendors, art galleries, museums, an observatory, and the grand Igreja de Sao Salvador do Mundo. The varied nature of the road epitomizes this classy Brazilian beach town, which is also a great place to party.