Not everyone can take a European vacation. Fortunately, there’s always California — with its Mediterranean climate, architecture and wine.
Those seeking a taste of the Continent here at home should consult Travel + Leisure’s “8 Small Towns in California That Feel Just Like Europe.” Writer Chelsee Lowe, who traveled around Europe on a Shakespeare-oriented study abroad program, has chosen “dupes” for many famous countries and regions based on things like sunbathing beaches, jagged Alps-style mountains, castles and Danish windmills.
Related Articles
The world’s top 10 food cities, including a Southern fave
The best U.S. trains for stargazing trips, including 2 in NorCal
Lonely Planet: The 10 best places to visit in Italy in 2025
The 10 cheapest, and 10 most expensive, countries to visit in 2025
10 family-friendly, budget-conscious U.S. vacation destinations
“Now, I will not argue that sipping Champagne in, well, Champagne, France, can be perfectly replicated in California,” Lowe writes, “but if you’re looking for a similar sense of escape in an equally winsome setting, I dare say you will find some pretty solid European dupes in California.”
Given that 10 is a nice, neat number, we’ve decided to add two more of our own destinations. Kensington is a charming community in the East Bay hills with a British pub and god’s-honest roundabout – it’s such a ringer for small-town England, it should be named Appleby-in-Webleyland or something. And Healdsburg is certainly a dupe for Italy’s wine country, with its rustic town square and same-latitude climate for growing Sangiovese and Cabernet Sauvignon grapes.
8 Small Towns in California That Feel Just Like Europe (Plus 2 More)
1 Catalina Island (a dupe for Santorini, Greece or Italy’s Amalfi Coast)
2 Solvang (Denmark)
3 Mammoth Lakes (Switzerland)
Carmel-by-the-Sea is known for its charming lanes, fairytale cottages, galleries and restaurants. (Ben Davidson Photography)
4 Santa Barbara (Madrid)
5 Mendocino (coastal England and Ireland)
6 Carmel-by-the-Sea (rural France and Germany)
7 Napa Valley, particularly Calistoga and Kenwood (Europe’s wine castles)
8 Temecula (Tuscany)
9 Healdsburg (Tuscany)
10 Kensington (small-town England)
Source: travelandleisure.com/places-in-california-that-look-like-europe-11710014
