18 Travel Destinations in the U.S. That Feel Like Europe

Historic windmill along street, with half-timbered buildings on left — European immigrants helps make towns like Solvang feel like the Old World.

It’s funny how places located halfway across the world from each other can feel so alike. Thanks to a long history of immigration, there are many places in the United States that feel like they were airlifted right out of Europe. From small towns with cobblestone streets to a tiny place in Iowa with its own tulip festival, here are 18 destinations across the USA where you can go for a little European flair.

1. Solvang, California

If you love: Danish charm, architecture, and pastries
Where to stay: Corque Hotel

This Santa Barbara County town, with a population of 6,126, is known for its Danish-style architecture and extensive wine offerings. Dubbed “the Danish Capital of America,” Solvang dates back to 1911 when Danish immigrants purchased nearly 10,000 acres of Santa Ynez Valley land and established a community far from home. Residents have meticulously preserved the founders’ original vision, with European influences in every street, shop, and cellar. Select a Danish or æbleskiver (like a doughnut hole) from several Danish bakeries around town.

2. Ouray, Colorado

Ouray high angle aerial view of small town in Colorado with city main street historic architecture — The town of Ouray is surrounded by mountains on all sides, like villages in Switzerland.

If you love: Fresh mountain air and hiking in the Swiss Alps
Where to stay: The Western

Ouray is known as the “Switzerland of America,” as it’s surrounded by the Alps-like San Juan Mountains. The town has excellent mountain hiking, via ferratas, one of the largest ice climbing parks in the world, and hot springs. The Ute Native American tribe has used the geothermal pools for hundreds of years.

Walk to the Switzerland of America Lookout Point on the edge of town, and in winter head to the Ouray Riverside Resort for fondue and snowshoe tours. Whichever regional airport you fly into—Montrose, Telluride, or Durango—enjoy the scenic route on the Million Dollar Highway, a name that describes both the price to build the road and the worth of the winding views.

3. Pella, Iowa

Pink and white tulips in foreground beside large circular pond, with small windmill at left — Pella goes all out for its tulip festival, celebrating the arrival of spring.

If you love: The tulip fields of Holland
Where to stay: Royal Amsterdam Hotel

It may seem like a random place for one of the country’s largest tulip festivals, but Pella, Iowa, is full of surprises. With Dutch bakeries selling windmill cookies and a giant pair of clogs you can take photos in, Pella makes visitors feel like they’ve been transported to the Netherlands. The town’s annual Tulip Time festival takes place every year during the first weekend of May.

Even if you don’t come to the town that month, there are plenty of Dutch-themed things to do: visiting the historical village, the Vermeer Windmill, the Scholte House Museum, and the Pella Opera House. And when you’re ready to head back to modern times, Des Moines is less than an hour away.

4. New Orleans, Louisiana

Jazz trio on street in French Quarter, with balconied buildings decorated for Mardi Gras — Expect a high-spirited party any day in New Orleans’s French Quarter.

If you love: The romantic architecture of France
Where to stay: Henry Howard Hotel

While the French Quarter’s energy is certainly very different from that of cities like Paris, the city was originally built with French architecture. Though most of those structures burned down, many were replaced with Spanish buildings during the Spanish rule in the mid 1700s, so today you’ll feel a mixture of French, Spanish, and Creole influences.

Find a quiet moment in front of one of New Orleans’s most distinctive buildings—the Old Ursuline Convent Museum, the last intact example of colonial French architecture in the Big Easy—and dig into the city’s rich Creole cuisine (po’boys, anyone?). And there’s always Mardi Gras (a raucous celebration with deep French roots), if you really want to party.

5. St. Augustine, Florida

Aerial view of rectangular castle on green law, wiht bay at top and parking lot on right — The Castillo de San Marcos is among the oldest forts in the continental United States.

If you love: Málaga, Spain
Where to stay: St. Francis Inn

St. Augustine, Florida, the oldest continuously occupied settlement in the United States, was founded by the Spanish in 1565. Old World Spanish influence can be felt all over the city’s historic district, from its cafés to sites like the Castillo de San Marcos National Monument, which the Spanish built to defend regional trade routes in 1695. Aviles Street, also located in St. Augustine’s Old Town, is home to the city’s art district and is considered the oldest street in the country. As for where to stay, the St. Francis Inn dates back to 1791, and its rooms and suites have a Spain–meets–Key West vibe: Think stucco walls, bright shutters, wood floors, and antique beds.

6. Catalina Island, California

Aerial view of harbor, with many small boats, plus town at left and green hills in distance — Avalon Harbor on Catalina Island is where ferries coming from mainland California dock.

If you love: The sunny beaches and sea breezes of the Greek Islands
Where to stay: Hotel Atwater

Catalina Island, matching Greece’s Mediterranean climate, is a short ferry ride from Newport Beach, Dana Point, Long Beach, or San Pedro. Hotel Atwater was opened in 1920 by William Wrigley Jr. (of chewing gum fame) in honor of his son’s wife, Helen Atwater Wrigley; it’s a block from the beach, where the hotel has its own cabanas and restaurant. For those looking for luxury, the six-room Mt. Ada used to be the private island home of Wrigley Jr. and his wife Ada.

7. Leavenworth, Washington

A horse-drawn carriage, with Bavarian-style buildings and mountains in background — Leavenworth’s small downtown is filled with Bavarian-style buildings and hosts a buzzing Oktoberfest each year.

If you love: German vibes in the heart of the Pacific Northwest
Where to stay: Posthotel Leavenworth

In 1960, Leavenworth’s town leaders, in a bid to attract tourists, completely reinvented the town and reimagined it as a Bavarian village, inspired by its location in the Cascade Mountains (which they felt was reminiscent of the Alps). Today, Leavenworth is home to one of the most well-known and popular Oktoberfests in the United States. And if you haven’t had your fill of German culture after drinking a lager or two, consider a visit to the Nutcracker Museum and Gingerbread Factory afterward.

8. Sitka, Alaska

Street lined with historic buildings, with church at center and mountain in distance — Due to Russian colonialization, Sitka is a rare town in the U.S. that looks and feels like Russia.

If you love: The onion dome architecture of Russia
Where to stay: Talon Lodge

Without consulting the Indigenous Tlingit people, Russia claimed the land of Alaska in the early 1800s in order to profit from seal fur trading. They set up Sitka—which they called New Archangel—as the capital of Russian America and built an Old World town before selling the land in 1867 to the United States. The Sitka Tribe of Alaska outlasted both colonizers, but the Russians left their architecture behind. Now you can see classic onion-domed roofs at the St. Michael’s Cathedral, the first Russian church built in the United States, and visit Russian Bishop’s House, a historic building that’s now a museum with recreated rooms from that time. Head to the Sitka National Historical Park and the Old Sitka State Historic Site to learn more about the battles between the Tlingits and Russians.

9. Virginia Wine Country

Aerial view of rows of green vineyard, with farm buildings and trees in distance — You’ll find rows of wine grapes planted across vineyards in Middleburg, Virginia.

If you love: Off-the-radar Italian villages and rustic vineyards
Where to stay: Goodstone Inn & Restaurant

The architecture may be more colonial than Tuscan, but Virginia’s wine country exudes the same rural appeal as the Italian countryside. About an hour’s drive west of Washington, D.C., Middleburg’s Goodstone Inn & Restaurant beckons with secluded stays in suites and cottages. Nearby wineries with tastings include Greenhill Vineyards, Boxwood Winery, and Stone Tower Winery.

10. Grand Marais, Minnesota

Short, white lighthouse on stilts, with flat water and pine trees in background — You may need a sweater and knit cap for a walk to Grand Marais lighthouse.

If you love: Moody lakeside villages in Sweden
Where to stay: Mayhew Inn

Sweden is full of remote lakeside villages, the type of place where a writer might rent a cabin to finish her novel in peace. You’ll find a similar ambience in Grand Marais, Minnesota. Swap the cabin for full-service accommodations at the intimate Mayhew Inn, which has six artist-designed suites inside a brick building from the 1900s. For views of boats bobbing in the Lake Superior harbor, head up to the roof deck. Lean into Nordic life with a warm-up inside floating sauna Sisu + Löyly.

11. Sonoma County, California

A lavender field with olive trees at right — Just like Provence, Sonoma has fragrant lavender fields and plenty of wineries to visit.

If you love: The lavender fields and rolling vineyards of Provence, France
Where to stay: Farmhouse Inn

You may be familiar with the wineries and dramatic coastline of California’s Sonoma County, but it’s also home to lavender farms that bloom each summer, like Monte-Bellaria di California (near Sebastopol) and Matanzas Creek Winery (in Santa Rosa). After a day outdoors in the fragrant fields, you’ll have a hard time convincing yourself you aren’t in the French Riviera. Check into Forestville’s Farmhouse Inn; its 25 rooms have private patios among flowering gardens and a Michelin-approved restaurant with a dozen-odd tables.

12. Vail, Colorado

A Bavarian-style building with bell tower and baskets of flowers along wooden porch — Beyond Vail’s top-shelf skiing, the town is home to a handful of Bavarian-style buildings housing restaurants and hotels.

If you love: The fairy-tale castles and mountain peaks of Germany’s Allgäu region
Where to stay: Sonnenalp Vail

Germany’s Allgäu in southern Bavaria is best known for Neuschwanstein, which is said to be the inspiration behind the castles in both Disney’s Cinderella and Sleeping Beauty movies. But instead of booking it to a U.S. theme park, head to the scenic mountain village of Vail. The chalet-style Sonnenalp Vail is owned and operated by the same family as the Sonnenalp in Germany. You won’t find a castle here, but you will be treated like a princess—a Bavarian princess—with access to warming fondue. Visit during Christmas when the town really feels like a picture-perfect European village, decorated with lights and a layer of snow. Oktoberfest is also a fine time for some foliage and beer-heavy fun.

13. Boston, Massachusetts

Boston, Mass, USA Jan 9, 2026 People on Acorn street and red brick houses in the Beacon Hill historic district downtown. — Boston has several pockets that feel like residential streets in London.

If you love: The residential neighborhoods of London
Where to stay: The Newbury Boston

London is far too big a city to really compare it to charming Boston, but the oldest sections of Beantown have a similar look to walking down side streets in British neighborhoods like Westminster or Highbury. A stroll around Boston’s Louisburg Square, Beacon Hill, and the Back Bay will transport you to a time and place where brick, Victorian-style rowhouses (adorned with flower boxes) lined cobblestone streets lit exclusively by gas lamps.

This makes sense for a former British colony, and you can hear all about that English rule on a tour of Boston’s Freedom Trail. This is also one of the USA’s most walkable cities, giving it a European vibe, especially with the trolley car transit system. Check out Faneuil Hall, a marketplace a bit like London’s Covent Garden, although keep in mind the area is quite touristy. And if you squint at Boston’s Custom House Tower, you might just convince yourself it’s a cousin of Big Ben.

14. Calistoga, California

Geyser, with flat water in foreground and trees in background — The thermal waters of Calistoga have a Czech vibe to them.

If you love: The Czech spa town Karlovy Vary
Where to stay: Calistoga Motor Lodge

The Czech spa town of Karlovy Vary may be a favorite for its thermal baths, but Calistoga, California, has equally impressive hot springs, plus wineries, and restaurants like James Beard- and Michelin-recognized Solbar. Base your stay at the chic Calistoga Motor Lodge, a reimagined motel with three on-site mineral pools. After a day spent winetasting or biking around town, the lodge’s MoonAcre Spa is the perfect place to unwind. Indulge in traditional treatments like massages and body scrubs or try something more unusual, like a locally inspired mud bath or a salt soak in a claw-foot tub.

15. Montauk, New York

A few people in shorts and T-shirts on beach, with lifeguard stand topped by blue umbrella, plus water in background — At the very tip of Long Island, New York, is the popular surfing town of Montauk.

If you love: Denmark’s blustery beaches and surfing towns
Where to stay: Marram

To feel like you’re catching waves in the chilly Danish surf spot Klitmøller—aka “Cold Hawai‘i”—without the flight, head to Montauk. It’s roughly three hours by car or train from Manhattan. Bed down at Marram, a 96-room boutique hotel on the water south of Shadmoor State Park. Tackle the waves with world-class surfers by booking with the hotel’s on-site Engstrom Surf school, or opt for something more low-key, like a morning meditation or self-guided nature walk.

16. Near Anchorage, Alaska

A waterway backed by blue glacier and snow-topped mountains — Portage Glacier can be reached from Anchorage in about 90 minutes.

If you love: The dramatic glaciers of Norway
Where to stay: Alyeska Resort

The 10-story-high Portage Glacier is 50 miles south of Anchorage and only 10 miles south of the Alyeska Highway/Girdwood junction. It is simply stunning.

Book in at the château-style Alyeska Resort, which has 301 rooms. Surrounded by majestic snow-capped peaks and creaking spruce trees, the hotel has the feel of an off-the-grid oasis without sacrificing any amenities. Among them? A 60-passenger scenic tram that climbs 2,300 feet in elevation to the top of Mount Alyeska.

Tordrillo, a luxury lodge in the Tordrillo Range, requires a floatplane flight from Anchorage to reach, but once you’re there, activities abound—including climbing Alaska’s first via ferrata course, skiing in the morning, and salmon fishing at night.

17. Cape Cod, Massachusetts

Aerial view of white lighthouse and large, red-roofed colonial-style house overlooking bay in Cape Cod — The freshest seafood and frothy pints beckon on Cape Cod.

If you love: The artsy and craft-centric coastal region of Cornwall, England
Where to stay: Chatham Bars Inn

Miles of gorgeous Atlantic coastline, sweeping sand dunes, delicious seafood, and a thriving arts and crafts community: Cape Cod could easily pass for Cornwall, as long as you’re OK swapping Cornish pasties for clambakes. Wake up to ocean views at the historic 1914 Chatham Bars Inn and enjoy its private quarter-mile-long beach. Head into town for a little history lesson at Atwood House & Museum, in a 1750s home (open seasonally), harvest your own oysters with Chatham Shellfish Company, and cap off the day with a pint and pub grub at Hog Island Beer Co.

18. Great Smoky Mountains, Tennessee

A few horses grazing on meadow, with autumn trees and mountains in background — Go hiking, biking, and horseback riding in the Great Smoky Mountains.

If you love: Germany’s Black Forest
Where to stay: Blackberry Mountain

Situated over 5,200 acres across eight miles of the Great Smoky Mountains’ protected ridgetop, Blackberry Mountain—sister property to wine-and-dining destination Blackberry Farm—pitches itself as “your own private national park.” With three on-site restaurants, a spa, fitness classes, and seemingly endless hikes, we’ll take it. It’s the perfect home base from which to explore the mountain range, which straddles the Tennessee–South Carolina border and is known for its natural beauty and biodiversity.

This article was originally published in 2020 and most recently updated on April 10, 2026, with current information. Lyndsey Matthews, Natalie Beauregard, Michelle Konstantinovsky, and Danielle Hallock contributed to the reporting of this story.

Katherine LaGrave

Katherine LaGrave is a writer and National Magazine Award-nominated editor who oversees Afar’s award-winning print magazine. The Society of American Travel Writers named her the 2021 Travel Journalist of the Year.