Tiny Places

Liechtenstein is 62 sq mi/160 sq km of Alpine scenery, a castle and vineyards tucked into the Alps between Austria and the Rhine. It has a princely art collection and museum, plus 80,000 companies with banking addresses-of-convenience. Called a “miniature Switzerland,” it may resemble the Duchy of Grand Fenwick in Peter Sellers’ The Mouse That Roared.

With a tiny land area along the River Gambia’s banks, Atlantic beaches, game fishing and history, The Gambia draws tourists. Author Alex Haley’s Roots were there. It was a staging area for the slave trade, also a British colony (until 1965). Still a tenuous democracy, its uncertain politics and infrastructure may deter inexperienced travelers.

It’s one of Malta’s three major islands, all a bit south of Sicily, and Gozo’s 26 sq mi/67 sq km offer green, terraced fields, rocky hills, a deeply indented coastline and the beautiful blue Mediterranean. Odysseus was among history’s visitors there, and Gozo has archaeological sites galore. Scuba diving, too, and several millennia of history.

Small in size, big in petrodollars, Qatar (KAH-tar) is opening to westernism, although women are veiled and justice is based on the literal Quran. Al Jazeera, Arabia’s CNN, broadcasts from capital Doha. High-rise buildings, camel races, coral reefs and ancient forts draw business and pleasure travelers. Don’t discuss politics and you’ll be fine.

Coral reefs, historical sites, affordable prices—Tonga is the South Pacific dream. It wasn’t a European colony, but the king has an ermine-lined cape and a plummy Oxbridge accent. Its 169 coral and volcanic islands well north of New Zealand have the total land mass of London. It’s being discovered—hurry if you want the “real” Polynesian experience.

Add a notch to your passport and a dent in your wallet with Andorra. This tiny principality in the Pyrenees between France and Spain has good winter skiing and great year-round tax-free shopping. Spectacular scenery, too. And lots of “offshore” banking, but not your usual neighborhood bank—think big bucks and international tax avoidance.

Today’s Belize tourists were preceded by the Maya (1500 BC), pirates and settlers who discovered rain forest, exotic birds and animals, coral reefs and, after the Maya, their ruins. In spite of growing tourism, there’s no excess of glitz or glossy. Howler monkeys outside, great snorkeling and a lack of golf draw hardy souls. Lots of expats, too.

It’s easy enough to reach, if your travels involve the northeastern U.S., but you could drive right through Rhode Island and not notice the smallest state. Stop and take a look at the quiet old towns, Narragansett Bay, ocean beaches and Newport, with its fabulously huge “cottages.” More time? Take a boat to Block Island and enjoy the salt air.

Swaziland, smallest Southern Hemisphere country and next-door to South Africa, was Britain’s last protectorate in Africa (to 1968). An absolute-monarch king rules over vibrant traditional culture, beautiful scenery and exotic wildlife. Tradition is strong and change comes slowly, although travelers can go from game park to shopping mall in a day.

Tiny place, huge clout—Vatican City, right in downtown Rome. This independent city-state has its own mini-army of Swiss Guards and perhaps the world’s greatest concentration of irreplaceable art masterpieces. Carvings, tapestries, paintings: You name it, the Vatican likely has it. The pope lives there, and in respect visitors dress conservatively.