One of my favorite things about traveling in Europe is the abundance of sidewalk cafés.  On our travels, Ted and I have eaten in far more outdoor cafés than indoor restaurants.  Full disclosure requires me to add that our European travels have been during the summer months, when the weather is warm.  In some places, like Chioggia, Italy the sidewalks are exceptionally wide, allowing ample space for café tables and chairs. 

Other places, however, seem to have the philosophy of “If the space is large enough for a table and chairs, it’s large enough for a café.”  Here are some of the scrunchiest spaces in which we saw sidewalk cafés on our 2023 Big BT.

Dubrovnik, Croatia–just enough space to walk by.

Corfu, Greece–four tables for a nice conversational grouping.

Kotor, Montenegro–three cafés in this space!

Taormina, Sicily–access at the stairway landing.

Taormina again, with stair-step tables up to the next street.

Ostuni, Italy–thankfully, more tables inside.

Alberobello, Italy–winner of the smallest outdoor café seating area we’ve ever seen.