Credit: Michael Barton via Shutterstock.
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California is full of charming small towns, each with its own scenic coastlines, redwoods, deserts, vineyards and beachside cafés. From San Diego to Mendocino, the Golden State offers travelers amazing options for idyllic escapes.
According to World Atlas, the whimsical seaside village of Carmel‑by‑the‑Sea has just been named one of the best bucket-list small towns in the U.S., and it’s easy to see why.
Where fairy tales meet the Pacific
Nestled on the Monterey Peninsula in California, Carmel-by-the-Sea is perched where forested hills meet the Pacific’s spray just south of Monterey Bay. The town officially incorporated in October 1916.
This town looks straight out of a storybook, thanks to Its many fairytale-style cottages, with steeply pitched roofs, curved chimneys, and windows. These buildings, with its iconic style, first appeared in the 1920s when builder Hugh Comstock created the “Hansel” cottage for his wife’s doll shop.
The playful design was unlike anything else on the West Coast, and the town quickly embraced it. Soon, other builders and homeowners followed suit, creating a street scape filled with cozy, irregularly shaped cottages, as Carmel official website explains.
Credit: Visit Carmel-by-the-Sea | carmelcalifornia.com
But what’s even more interesting, is that the cottages weren’t just a mere style choice, but rather a reflection of the local philosophy back then. Carmel had long been an artist colony, attracting painters, writers, and creatives who valued originality and expression over uniformity and the architecture mirrored that cultural identity, turning the village into a living gallery of fantasy-inspired homes, according to Carmel Magazine.
Even today, there are strict local codes that preserve the cottage-style look with no street numbers, no chain restaurants in the historic district, and no big-box developments.
Exploring a storybook town 
Mariusz S. Jurgielewicz via Shutterstock.
The quintessential activity at Carmel is simply strolling and wandering its streets filled of this legendary cottages. In and around the downtown are, it’s easy to find over 100 art galleries, boutique shops tucked down secret courtyards, and cafés inviting you to linger, See Monterey details.
Carmel Beach invites romantic barefoot walks, sunset shows and the fizz of waves. The trails at nearby Point Lobos State Natural Reserve offer tide-pools, sea-otters and panoramic headlands for those willing to step off the beaten path.
When the sun sets, Ocean Avenue is the perfect path to find hidden laneways, stop at a boutique wine-bar, or simply sit with a view of the Pacific…