This may not be something you expect to hear from a travel blogger, but you can’t be a tourist all the time. We’ve learned that a forced march to complete a checklist of tourist attractions is a surefire formula for burnout. We live by the quality-over-quantity mantra which means we don’t feel driven to visit cities or attractions just because they’re on someone’s top ten list. And the second part of that mantra is we always find a pleasant place to slow down, relax, and take some time off the tourist treadmill.
Every traveler will have a different list of their chillax criteria, but for us the best option is a small city or village that’s a bit off the normal tourist track with an easygoing, cafe vibe and some low-key sights. We look for a comfy place where our routine includes coffee in our PJs, lots of reading time, and impromptu afternoon naps. Of course, a lot of this mood is more a state of mind than geography, but choosing the right city is a great start. Here are links to seven posts about cities that chilled us out when we were feeling road weary.
1. Bacharach, Germany: Wedged between a wide bend in the Rhine River and lush grapevine-covered hills this tiny village has more Medieval charm and character per square inch than any you’re likely to find – even on a Disney movie set. From it’s Main Street lined with meticulously preserved half-timbered houses to the mysterious ruins of a Gothic cathedral on the hillside, Bacharach is the whole package. Our homey hotel had a large flower-boxed balcony overlooking the main street Oberstrasse, where we could enjoy a cup of tea after our ten-minute walk from one end of town to the other. If you think that I sound smitten, you’d be right.
2. Luang Prabang, Laos: Sitting quietly between jungle-covered hills on one side and the quiet-flowing Mekong River on the other, Luang Prabang is a magical mix of ornate Buddhist temples, French Colonial architecture, street-strolling monks-in-training, as well as a food-orgy of a night market. It’s a joy to watch it wake up slowly and quietly. There’s a leisurely lull in the heat of the day; then it buzzes and hums after sundown when both tourists and locals take to the streets. It’s the perfect combination of exotica and calmness for an intriguing yet soothing break.
3. Guanajuato, Mexico: An astoundingly rich silver mine provided the wealth for the hillside mansions, ornate cathedrals, and picturesque plazas that made Guanajuato a UNESCO World Heritage site. The city has a low-key, small town feel, and much of the city center has been pedestrianized. The main plaza at night is the city’s beating heart, but with pocket-parks around every corner there are also plenty of other intimate spots to unwind and watch the world saunter by.
4. Kotor, Montenegro: For crowd-averse travelers to the coastal Adriatic, tiny Kotor is becoming an increasingly popular alternative to Dubrovnik’s crowds of cruise-ship tourists. Surprisingly it escaped damage in the Balkan Wars, and consequently, is one of the best preserved Medieval towns in the Mediterranean. Its long, complex history carved time-worn character into every church, mansion, and shophouse in its historic old town. With its low tourist numbers and maze of cobbled streets if there was ever a city for unplanned roaming, Kotor is it. And its small size means it’s only a short walk to your hotel and some blissful R&R.
5. Tallinn, Estonia: In the 16th Century Tallinn was a Baltic boomtown. This is important to modern travelers because rich tradesmen and merchants can afford to build stately houses and fancy churches which is precisely what they did. Fortunately, most of this centuries-old architecture still survives today in one of the best preserved medieval towns in northern Europe. It’s a world of cobblestones, narrow alleys begging to be explored, and Medieval buildings of all shapes and sizes.
We’re suckers for Medieval architecture, but a bonus in Tallinn is the 19th Century Rotermann Quarter. What started life as a large, ugly brick manufacturing complex had a slick, modern makeover. And in contrast to the historic center it’s now a trendy residential/commercial facility that’s crowded with upscale shops, hip coffee houses, and upscale restaurants. Tallinn isn’t on many “top spot” lists, so crowds aren’t a problem, making it the perfect stop to immerse yourself and unwind.
6. Novi Sad, Serbia: Even though Serbia still suffers some aftereffects from its horrific civil war, there is much to see, and travelers with a sense of adventure will be rewarded. Belgrade, the capital and largest city is interesting, but like most big cities, its pace is fast and the hassles frequent. However, a two-hour bus ride up the road is the smaller, calmer, easier to navigate city of Novi Sad. We found a tiny, second-story studio apartment at the end of an ancient passage, buried in the depths of the pedestrian area. All we heard were the sounds of life afoot: a busker’s flute, far-off conversations punctuated with laughter, and a neighbor’s clinking dishes down the alley.
7. Hoi An, Vietnam: From the earliest part of planning for our RTW trip, the unusual historic old town of Hoi An was on our radar to enjoy some downtime. Wandering the narrow streets and riverfront lined with ancient trading houses was just the balm for the hustle and bustle of frenetic cities like Tokyo and Hanoi. Hoi An has definitely been discovered by the tour companies, but most of the visitors return to their boats or buses for the night, so early mornings are golden … and cool. Also, staying in a homestay in a real neighborhood gave us a quiet glimpse of daily life.
The world gets smaller every day, and don’t kid yourself, if you’ve discovered an idyllic hideaway, others have as well. The key for road-weary travelers is to decide what you need to rejuvenate, whether beach or garden bungalow, and make it happen. These cities worked for us, and hopefully, if you wander into the area, they’ll work for you as well.
Happy Trails,
James & Terri
P.S. In honor of Jimmy Buffett, this post could easily have been called “License to Chill.” He was a firm believer in the slow-down lifestyle, and communicated it in song to his millions of fans. If it’s good enough for Parrot Heads, it should work for all of us. RIP Jimmy.
GALLIVANCE 
I love this post, and these are things that people rarely consider or write about in the travel world. thank you
Beth, you can probably tell we’re big believers in taking time off. And I can’t tell you how many wonderful experiences we’ve had that we would have missed if we rushed through a visit. ~James
I so agree with this approach
Some great choices. I’ve been to four of them.
Peggy, I’m not surprised that an experienced traveler like you has visited many of these places. And like us, I’m sure you have some version of the slow-down strategy in your travel plans. It makes sense for so many reasons. ~James
I like the idea of your post, but as you note, everyone has their own ideas about how to chill. My bride of 54 years would have me find a place in the mountains away from people. It is more complicated now because she also insists on having someone to cook and clean. 😁
Ray, time away from people is also an option for downtime. In my corporate days, I could think of nothing else. And some mountain time has a cleansing effect that is hard to beat. To your last point, as I get older someone to cook and clean sounds better and better. ~James
One of our favorite ways to travel (especially when traveling with a group of folks) used to on cruises. You only have to pack/unpack once. Everything is clean (yes, choose your cruise/cruise line carefully…). The food is cooked, often to order, the dishes are never your problem. The magical gnomes that clean the room according to the instructions you gave the first day and are not seen throughout the rest of the cruise are just that, magical 🙂
Haven’t been to the place in Mexico but I know the others are all worth visiting even aside from chilling out. Sadly Luang Prabang and Hoi An were both getting very popular the last time I was there and it sounds like it’s gotten worse. If you’re in Novi Sad it’s worth taking the train north for a day trip to Subotica, which has some gorgeous Art Nouveau architecture – https://mytimetotravel.wordpress.com/2011/10/03/novi-sad-vs-subotica/.
I’m not a beach person, but I once needed a rest in southeast Asia and had a few very lazy days on Perhentian Besar off the coast of Malaysia. I learned to snorkel there, but otherwise did nothing in particular.
Kathy, interesting to hear that we had the exact same itinerary in Serbia. We based ourselves in Novi Sad and day tripped to Subotica for the Art Nouveau. And like you, we did a post on the historic buildings there. They really are wonderful, and Subotica is a very pleasant place. Sadly, when we were there the refugee crisis was underway, and the train station was packed with refugees waiting to cross the Hungarian border: heartbreaking and humbling. ~James
I agree, we seek out those spots too on our long trips. We’ve been to Hoi An and Luang Probang and agree with those for places to rejuvinate but I’ve never visited the others. Maggie
Maggie as I said, lots of this chill-out mood is more a state of mind than geography, but some places just lend themselves for relaxing. When we visited Luang Prabang we had been on the road a while, and SE Asia had really taken the wind out of our sails, so LP was a relaxing breath of fresh air. ~James
Not a surprise that I’ve been to and enjoyed 5 of them since we have similar travel styles! My husband and I are very go-go, but on occasion I love to settle into a small-town place and just chill. (Harder for him to do, but we’re working on that!)
Lexie, in the early days of our travel life it was really hard to take time off. We had the mindset that we spent all the money to get here and our travel time was limited, so we need to see what there is to see. It took a while to overcome this. Our first big foray abroad was to Europe and in those days we had an unlimited Eurail Pass … and the pace almost killed us. 🙂 ~James
I no longer race around trying to see and do everything. I’d rather find a nice spot and savour it when I’m travelling. Collecting material for the next book, makes me slow down too. I find wandering around graveyards relaxing but I’m a bit weird that way. Every place you listed looks perfect.
Darlene, I can absolutely relate to what you’re saying about collecting book ideas. I’ve always said that of writing a travel blog has made me a more observant traveler. I’m always on the lookout for unique and interesting things for the next post. Sometimes what I discover never makes it into a post, but the knowledge makes the travel more rewarding. And having more time to relax and be mindful makes all of this possible. ~James
I’m another fan of graveyards (growing up in England with all those churchyards might have something to do with it). One of my favorites is Lviv’s, I hope it survives.
I love meeting another graveyard fan.
Here’s my take on Bacharach, Germany, including some background on those “mysterious ruins of a Gothic cathedral on the hillside.”
https://operasandcycling.com/the-rabbi-of-bacharach/
Thanks for the comment Don and for dropping by the blog. And particularly, thanks so much for this link to your very informative post on Bacharach. We had a delightful stay there, and having this history makes it even more memorable. No matter which way we looked in Bacharach, there was something interesting that made us curious about the history. Obviously, this little burg has had a long and tumultuous past and it shows on every street and in every building … including the mysterious Cathedral on the hillside. Thanks again for the link. ~James
I know all about travel fatigue and/or burnout. Slowing down and taking days off exploring is key to keeping the travel adventure going. And of course, finding the right chilling spot is crucial. Great post!
Ingrid I suspect that most long term travelers figure this out sooner or later. We’re very lucky that travel is so readily available, but sometimes the downside is being able to see too many things quickly, and not really appreciating what it is that we see. A little break always makes me more mindful, and that’s what it’s all about. ~James
Great post, you two. We are very familiar with travel exhaustion and road weariness. As a matter of fact, we are getting there again after only one month in Peru. Some countries wear you out! 🙂
Finding a peaceful, comfortable spot is difficult, though, and I’m glad these places worked for you. What comes to my mind about some of the towns you mention are fireworks and loud processions (Mexico), the buzz of heaps of motorcycles (Hoi An), yelling street vendors, honking cars, backfiring engines, screaming roosters, and barking dogs. That’s our experience in most cities. It’s hard to find a quiet place to camp/sleep.
Liesbet, I can certainly relate to your sensitivity to noise. We feel the same. We stay in hotels and apartments and before deciding, we scour the reviews for any mention of noise, and if it’s an issue we go elsewhere. Unfortunately, you don’t have this flexibility with a camper. I know that our tiny camper is like sleeping in a tin can – we hear every tiny noise.
As I mentioned in one of our posts, motorbikes are a huge noise problem in Vietnam. In Hoi An, our homestay was off the main road down and L-shaped alley and our room and balcony faced a large grassy field which was about as quiet as things get in the city. Good luck in your search for quiet. ~James
I tend to travel more slowly now compared to more than a decade ago. I do echo your sentiment about the need to find a place to slow down during our travels. I’m so happy to see Luang Prabang in the list because that was where for the first time I felt effortlessly relaxed while traveling. That was when I realized I had to change the way I travel into one with a slower pace. I also agree with what you say about Hoi An. I loved that town, but you’re right about early morning as the best time to explore its alleys. I have a feeling I would enjoy the other places listed here as well!
Bama, I suspect that all long-term travelers come to this reality eventually. We’ve all had that feeling of trying to do too much, and having the overall experience suffer for it. I remember once in some famous cathedral in Rome spending about 5 seconds looking at a Caravaggio masterpiece and thinking: Umm, another Renaissance Masterpiece. Later in the day I said to myself: What were you thinking? There are lots of people who dream of seeing art like that and you just strolled by! These days, I’m pretty good at knowing when it’s time for a break, and luckily, Terri and I are simpatico on the pace. And BTW, we feel exactly the same about Luang Prabang. ~James
Oh so many places here I’ve yet to visit!
But I know what you mean about Luang Prabang. We went for a week and stayed 12 days. It’s that kinda place.
Alison
Alison, you’re the second person that I’ve heard say that. LP is special for sure, and we have so many good memories of our time there. It was so relaxing, and we had a couple of fabulous (and cheap!) meals. As word gets out I’m sure it will get busier, but I guess that’s the way of the travel world. ~James
Great post! Life is definitely not a race, we need to step back sometimes and relax🙂
Have a lovely day!
Christie, “Life is definitely not a race” is the perfect phrase to describe what our post is about. In fact, I wish I’d thought of it myself, and it would have been in the post. 🙂 ~James
🙂 🙂
Such a relaxing blog. I’d echo your praise of Tallinn. For me, a week or two in a mobile home in the brisk, salty air of Brittas Bay is truly the sort of heaven where nothing happens. Now I’m back in town. But it’s the contrast that we need.
Shane as you know, the key is to find the place and combination of ingredients that work and make it happen. As the Greeks say: Know thyself. It improves the results all around. ~ James
I’m not sure if it is age or experience but we too are getting less enamored with the fast pace of cramming tourist sites in. Oh the joy of leaving a chaotic city with elbowing tourists for the countryside and small towns. I’ll definitely keep these suggestions in mind for future travel.
Sue as you know, it’s almost impossible to arrive in most countries without going through the capital. But we always do our homework before arrival, and unless there’s something specific we’re interested in seeing, we just breeze through and carry on to smaller, more interesting places. By this point in our lives we’ve seen most of the places that were on our bucket list, and we have a very good idea of what we’re interested in seeing. Put more succinctly, we have nothing to prove and we drive the train. It’s nice to have arrived at that point. ~James
It’s a good spot to arrive to James. On our recent cycling tour we decided to start with a few days in Florence as we had never been. Surely September would be quieter. Apparently shoulder season is November and February. Like you most of the time we try to breeze in and out. Still learning. 🙂
Brilliant mix of places (I’m not familiar with Bacharach).
I feel they provide tranquility in different ways. Hoi An & Luang Prabang are smack bang on well trod tourist trails, but I think their nature or feel, forces people to chill (at least a little).
Guanajuato is a great choice, especially if you’re up one side of the valley so forced to get your step/stair count up wandering its mazy alleys! It’s just quite the challenge in heavy rains wearing flip-flops! lol
In fact, there’s a huge number of Mexican towns & cities that would work for this (just avoid San Miguel de Allende and most of the Yucatan/Quintana Roo)!
I think the charm of a place adds to the feeling of tranquility, so can definitely see how Tallinn works as well, Novi Sad, another inspired (and oft overlooked) selection. So much gorgeous old Austro-Hungarian architecture and food there as well!
Now I’m pondering other suggestions for your list!
Safe travels,
Chris