Clinging to sheer cliffs that soar above sparkling seas, plunging gorges, and mountain chasms, these villages prove humans will build a home almost anywhere beauty beckons. From Italy’s Ligurian coast to Vietnam’s mist‑draped karst plateau and the wind‑hammered Faroe Islands, each perch tells a long story of resilience—some dating back to Roman times, others carved out by 20th‑century road builders.
Pack sturdy shoes (and maybe a little courage): here are 12 Jaw‑Dropping Cliffside Villages to Visit in 2025 marvels you’ll want on your lifetime itinerary.
Manarola, Cinque Terre, Italy
First chronicled in 1338, Manarola tumbles down a terraced rock face into the Ligurian Sea like a watercolor come alive. Narrow carruggi wind past pastel houses balanced on 70‑meter cliffs, while 12th‑century San Lorenzo church keeps watch from the village crown. Thanks to centuries‑old dry‑stone walls, the surrounding vineyards still yield Sciacchetrà dessert wine—a sweet reward after hiking the famed Via dell’Amore. Visit at dusk when sunset paints both sea and stone in rose‑gold hues.
Oia, Santorini, Greece
Perched on the caldera rim left by the 16th‑century BCE volcanic eruption, Oia feels suspended between cobalt skies and the Aegean’s inky depths. White‑washed cave houses, blue domes, and an 1890 windmill cascade 130 meters down ignimbrite cliffs. Venetian merchants fortified the settlement in the 1200s, but today artists and honeymooners rule its labyrinthine lanes. Stake out a spot on the ruined Castle of Agios Nikolaos for a sunset locals swear is the island’s best.
Dong Van Karst Plateau Hamlets, Hà Giang, Vietnam
In Việt Nam’s far north, H’Mông stone houses huddle on limestone spurs 1,400 meters above sea level, their corn terraces clinging to slopes like patchwork. Dong Van’s market dates to 1900, yet the fossils embedded in nearby rocks push the plateau’s story back 400 million years. Hair‑pin Ma Pi Leng Pass—blasted open in 1965 by local youth brigades—offers vertigo‑inducing views of the Nho Quế River canyon below. Come in September when buckwheat fields tint the cliffsides pink.
Ronda, Andalucía, Spain
Few vistas rival the Puente Nuevo (1793), a stone arch that leaps 120 meters above El Tajo gorge to link Ronda’s Old and New towns. Celts founded the settlement in the 6th century BCE; Romans, Moors, and finally Catholic monarchs each fortified the clifftop, leaving bathhouses, palaces, and Spain’s oldest bullring (1785). Today hikers trace ancient bandolero smuggling paths while sipping locally aged Málaga wine in cliff‑edge cafés.
Positano, Amalfi Coast, Italy
Legend claims sea nymphs lured Poseidon here, and it’s easy to see why: candy‑colored villas spill down a near‑vertical ravine toward the Tyrrhenian, their foundations dating to 9th‑century Saracen refugees. Fashion icon John Steinbeck put Positano on the map in 1953, calling it “a dream place,” and its 13th‑century Santa Maria Assunta still guards a Byzantine Black Madonna. Arrive by ferry for postcard views of the cliff stacked like theater seats above Spiaggia Grande.
Azenhas do Mar, Sintra Coast, Portugal
Carved into chalky cliffs 30 kilometers northwest of Lisbon, Azenhas do Mar (“Sea Watermills”) once powered grain mills with Atlantic tides. White cottages trimmed in indigo cling to the rock, ending at a natural seawater pool first popularized in the 1940s. Nearby Cabo da Roca—the continent’s westernmost point—adds dramatic lighthouse panoramas to a day trip steeped in salty air and grilled sardines.
Bonifacio, Corsica, France
Founded by Boniface II of Tuscany in 828 CE, this medieval citadel teeters on lacy limestone ledges eroded into sea‑caves below. Cannonballs from 16th‑century Genoese sieges still pepper its ramparts, while the 187‑step King Aragon’s Staircase—legend says cut overnight in 1420—drops straight to turquoise shallows. From the marina, the cliff‑hugging skyline looks like a stone ship set to sail the Strait of Bonifacio.
Gasadalur, Vágar, Faroe Islands
Until a 2004 tunnel pierced surrounding peaks, fewer than 20 villagers braved the 400‑meter trek over Mount Árnafjall to reach Gasadalur. Their turf‑roofed homes nestle above Múlafossur waterfall, which plunges straight from basalt cliffs into the North Atlantic. Summer’s midnight sun bathes the scene in an other‑worldly glow, while hardy puffins nest in crevices carved by relentless gales.
Rocamadour, Lot, France
A 12th‑century miracle tale of the Black Madonna turned this 120‑meter cliffside hermitage into one of medieval Europe’s key pilgrimage stops. Seven sanctuaries, including the Saint‑Sauveur Basilica (UNESCO, 1998), climb the rock in vertiginous tiers accessed by the Grand Escalier’s 216 steps—traditionally ascended on knees. Today, cheese mongers peddle nutty Rocamadour goat rounds beneath half‑timbered inns that dangle over the Alzou canyon.
Setenil de las Bodegas, Andalucía, Spain
Rather than carve the rock away, Romans—and later 15th‑century settlers—built their white homes under a massive basalt overhang of the Río Trejo gorge, creating natural insulation that keeps wine cellars (bodegas) cool. Strolling Calle Cuevas del Sol, you’ll see roofs replaced by 20‑meter boulders, while olive‑oil and chorizo tapas arrive to tables perched inches from dripping stalactites. April’s Ruta de la Tapa festival turns the whole cliff into a culinary crawl.
Sidi Bou Saïd, Tunisia
Perched 130 meters above the Gulf of Tunis, Sidi Bou Saïd’s trademark blue‑and‑white palette dates to French musicologist Baron d’Erlanger, who preserved the Moorish village in 1915. Cobbled alleys lead to cafés where 18th‑century poet Abu Said once meditated, and the domed Zaouia shrine crowns the promontory. From the Marina view‑deck, azure doors frame the same Mediterranean horizon that inspired painters Paul Klee and August Macke in 1914.
Misfat Al Abriyeen, Al Hajar Mountains, Oman
Dating to at least the 17th century, this mud‑brick oasis straddles a steep wadi 1,000 meters above sea level. Falaj irrigation channels—UNESCO‑listed in 2006—carry spring water through date‑palm terraces clinging to ochre cliffs, while stone watchtowers recall a time tribes guarded mountain passes. At sunset, saffron and cinnamon‑hued houses glow against rugged peaks, offering travelers a timeless slice of Omani highland life.
