They may be less known than places like Copenhagen or Florence, but they have great pedestrian city centers and are surrounded with interesting prospects.

Pedestrian city centers are common tourist hot-spots that typically follow a formula. Here are 5 cities that don’t make many (or any) “top tourist” destination lists. Sill, they have great city centers and are close to many interesting places to visit.

1. Tallinn, Estonia

Their beautiful historic center seemed to escape harm considering the numerous conflicts that plagued the Baltics throughout history. This city with just over half a million people is compact and easy to walk with trams to get you out to slightly further places. Near the center are many neat spots to check out like the old commuter ship terminal ‘ruin’ and the old prison. From there, you can take a 2 hour (or faster) ferry over to Helsinki on the other side of the Gulf of Finland. Also close to the city center are some neat neighborhoods like the two old factory districts which were converted into a tech hub along with world class dining.

A small town in Switzerland close to the German border has some great beer and fascinating places to wander. After finding a few of the old breweries that were ran by monks, try some of the local produce and plan a trip around the nearby Bodensee – the giant lake that acts as a tri-border between Austria, Switzerland, and Germany. It is hard not to notice castle ruins throughout the region. Luckily, this place has preserved it’s 700 year old center.

3. San Miguel de Allende, Mexico

Finding pedestrian unfriendly / non-cobbled streets in San Miguel de Allende is tricky. This small village seems to be a great place to relax and you can almost walk everywhere (that is worth walking to). This old Spanish colonial town is close to places like Queretaro, Guanajuato, and Mexico City. With so many expats in this place, you can get by with English in addition to Spanish.

4. Viareggio, Italy

Being so close to Florence, this nice little beach city is crammed up against the Mediterranean Sea. If you are visiting Florence in the summer, this is a great spot to head to to get away from the people / concrete induced heat of Florence. It may be popular with Italian tourists, but it seems many foreigners skip this spot.

5. Cusco, Peru

Cusco is a small city in the Peruvian Andes that most people do actually go to but spend only a few days as part of a stop between Lima and the Inca trails leading to Machu Picchu. Wander around the city for a few days and you will realize there are many hidden spots in the maze of pedestrian streets and alleys.

Looking for more – check out the Project for Public Spaces (PPS) list.

Obviously there are many missing from this list. Give us some suggestions in the comment section below along with some links!