Vacation idea: The smallest town in the world is just a few hours from UK

Situated in the town of Buzet, in the central part of Istria, Croatia, Hum is believed to be the smallest town in the world. It has a population of just 30 people.

Hum, pronounced Hume, functions as a whole city with a mayor, elections, administration, and public affairs facilities.

Hum dates back to the 1100s

The small town holds a lot of history and is only 100 meters long and 30 meters wide, and it is just a few hours away from the UK. Bringing more perspective to its size, Hum is home to only two streets with around three rows of houses, but it is still categorised as a town despite it being similar in size to a village.

The two streets include several quality shops, taverns, a wine bar, and a restaurant and that sums up the tiny town of Hum.

Hum dates back to the 1100s. When it was documented for the first time, Hum was Cholm, which was a derivative of the Italian name Colmo. The legends state that Hum was created by accident when the Giants did not have many stones left when building the cities in the valley of the Mirna River. As a result, they decided to build this miniature city.

Hum was fully surrounded by walls in the 11th century on the remains of the earlier fieldwork. Some houses were then constructed inside the walls. Notably, to date, Hum has nothing built outside the walls, which makes the town one of this world's well-preserved examples of urban development completely within the walls of the medieval city.

In the 16th century, as a part of the town's defences, a bell and watch tower was built in 1552 beside the town loggia.

Hum's medieval architecture is another attraction for tourists. The town's parish church of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary goes back to 1802, while it also has a small Romanesque church of St Jerome, built in the 12th century, which holds ancient wall paintings of high quality.

There is a historic pathway called the Glagolitic Alley that connects the tiny town. It is a three-kilometre path that has huge sculptures dedicated to the Croatian Glagolitic script. Each stone monument in the pathway represents a letter of the Glagolitic alphabet, which was used in the area until the early 20th century. The road connects the town of Hum to the small village of Roc as it leads to the Double Door, the main entrance to the town.

Most of the tourists who head to Hum go to the town for its restaurant, which serves local cuisine such as Pršut, a local cured ham. Hum, also known as the "town of truffles," has other delicacies such as Biska, a traditional Istrian brandy made from mistletoe.

Beautiful accommodations available

Some of the best times to visit Hum are in October, when one can experience the local Grappa festival or in June, especially on June 11 and watch the annual voting in of the town's mayor. As per Hum's tradition, only men can vote, who gather at the City Lodge and cast their votes by writing them on a wooden spoon.

The town of Hum and the villages nearby are perfect destinations for anyone looking to dive into history and nature lovers.

There are holiday houses available for tourists visiting the charming town in Croatia. On Airbnb, the cost for a private room starts from around £33 a night, or an entire flat could cost around £88.

For luxury travellers, Hum has a very fancy villa with a private infinity swimming pool, which would cost around £440, for six people

In terms of travel time to Hum, flights from the UK take around two hours to Zagreb and from there, it is another few hours' drive to the town.