Wikivoyage:Small city article template Voyage Tips and guide

NOTE: This is an informational skeleton that describes the structure to use when creating articles about villages, towns, and small cities. Editing this template will not create a new article; for information on how to create new articles see Project:How to start a new page.

Contents

To quickly insert a complete blank small city template, copy the quick version into the edit box on the page you are editing. Another option is to simply type {{subst:smallcity}}, which will expand into the template after it's been saved.

The "small city" article skeleton is also used for towns, villages (if they're large enough to have an article) groups of small villages and vast but sparsely-populated rural areas. The "small city", as the lowest-level article in the hierarchy, contains individual listings. The fact that governments officially consider Adrian (Texas, population 150) to be a "city" and Whitby (Ontario, population 128,000) to be a "town" does not matter. If an area like Prince Edward County is not further subdivided into towns with individual articles, you might prefer to use the similar Wikivoyage:Rural area article template.

Stuff in italics below is editorial comment, with suggestions for what should go in each section. You should plan on ruthlessly eliminating if you copy this code to a new small city article.

The first section of the small city article does not have a heading. This is a where you give a quick descriptive overview of the small city. Be sure to include some context so readers know where and what they are reading about. Links to the region and country that the city is in can be useful here, too.

Also include any background information particular to the city (i.e. Geneva is a French-speaking city, New Delhi can be more dangerous than other parts of India, etc), but try not to duplicate too much information that already exists in the country or region page. You don't need to mention that they speak English in Sioux Falls, for example, or that the US dollar is the currency of choice.

Give a deeper understanding of the city, such as its history, its culture, its mores, its politics, its relationship to other cities and the country it's in. Jokes and stereotypes about locals, etc.

Arrival details. For small cities, be concise. There's no reason to list every single way to get to the small city. Just give the location of the main transportation center – airport, bus terminal, or train station, schedules for planes, buses, or trains from the nearest one or two large cities, and suggestions for getting from the transportation center to the city center, or wherever all the hotels, restaurants, and attractions are.

If the small city is also accessible by car, give driving details and directions for getting to it from the nearest one or two large cities. Try to include the names of major highways and rough travel times.

How to get around once you are there: bus, train, rickshaw, ferry, gondola, etc. How much does local transport cost, where/how to buy tickets, and good discounts (week or weekend passes, 1/2 price seniors or students, etc). In a very small town with no public transit, list local taxis (if available) or indicate which areas may be easily reached on foot or cycle from the village centre.

List attractions that people come to this city for, such as museums, palaces, churches, temples, historical buildings, monuments, statues, streets, zoos, etc. You can also note here general information about attractions, such as discount tourist admission passes, need for a guide, weather warnings, good walking routes, general areas to hang out in, etc.

• Name of Attraction, Address (extra directions if necessary), ☏ phone number, fax: fax, email. Days and times open. One to five sentences about why this attraction is worth seeing, things to pay special attention to, warnings, notes, historical or other background information. Include practical information, such as parking, restrooms, if it's a short visit or an all-day destination, availability of food/water, whether you can use a wheelchair/baby stroller here, if it's recommended for specific audiences (young kids, multi-generational families, large groups), etc. $entryprice. 

This is for things that travellers will do themselves. More active participation is needed for Do things than for See things. For example, going to see a river goes under See; kayak trips down the river go under Do.

• Name of Activity, Address (extra directions if necessary), ☏ phone number, fax: fax, email. Days and times open. One to five sentences about why this activity is worth doing, things to pay special attention to, warnings, notes, historical or other background information. $entryprice. 

What would be good to buy in this city? Local crafts or other specialties? Souvenirs of the region? Is this a centre of fashion or electronics shopping? Good place to buy travel equipment, general goods or anything else?

Where are the main commercial districts, the main street or high street in the village? Is there a local farmers' market or fair?

• Name of the store or venue, Address (extra directions if necessary), ☏ phone number, fax: fax, email. Days and times open. One to five sentences about the goods sold, specialties, atmosphere, service, parking, what have you. $price range (if possible to determine). 

For restaurant listings and other food-related stuff. Mention any local specialties or oddities. Specific restaurant listings should be in the format below. Listings can be subdivided by price (Budget, Mid-range and Splurge) if there are more than a few. Also, give a general idea of good areas of the destination to try finding a restaurant on your own. Some travellers like (or have) to make their own food – include local food-shopping options if possible.

• Name of Restaurant, Address (extra directions if necessary), ☏ phone number, fax: fax, email. Days and times open. One to three sentences about the food, service, atmosphere, view, specialties, music, what have you. $lowprice-$highprice (if possible to determine). 

For bars, clubs, and other nightlife. Yes, many people go out to clubs and don't drink; the name of the section is still Drink. Mention any local specialties or oddities, and give a general idea of good areas of the destination to try. Good things to mention: dress code, entrance fees, safety concerns, solo-woman friendly or pick-up bar, good/bad nights).

• Name of Bar, Address (extra directions if necessary), ☏ phone number, fax: fax, email. Days and times open. One to three sentences about the drinks, service, atmosphere, view, specialties, music, what have you. $beerprice draft/bottle beers, $wellprice well drinks. 

There is overlap between this section and others, particularly "eat". An English-style pub serves food, as does a "bar and grill". The choice to classify these as restaurants vs. nightlife is often an arbitrary one, but each establishment is normally listed in one section only.

Establishments serving coffee or tea belong in "eat" if you can get a meal there. If they're marketed as nightlife (and not as food) they might fit in "drink", but at that point this section needs to be split into subsections as "English pubs", "blaring discos" and "all-night cafés" are very different in nature.

Winery or brewery tours are also a grey area in that they may qualify as activities ("do"). If an establishment is already listed as something to "do" or somewhere to "eat", don't list it again as nightlife just because there's something to "drink" here.

This is for helping the traveller find a place to lay their weary head: hotels, motels, hostels, campgrounds, pensions, etc. Give a general idea of good areas of the destination to try to find lodging. Other good info to include is high/low season, the importance of reservation, things to request (quiet room, view, airport pick up, etc). Listings can be subdivided by price (Budget, Mid-range and Splurge) if there are more than a few.

• Name of Place, Address (extra directions if necessary), ☏ phone number, fax: fax, email. Check-in: Check-in time, check-out: Check-out time. One to three sentences about the service, atmosphere, view, rooms, what have you. $lowprice-$highprice. 

Information on communications – phone, Internet, other. This is where you'd list Internet cafes or computer rental centers for staying in touch by email or on the Web. If there are free or paid wireless Internet hotspots in the district, name them here. Long-distance telephone centers, where travelers can pay to make long-distance telephone calls, would be useful here, too.

• Name of Internet Café, Address (extra directions if necessary), ☏ phone number, fax: fax, email. Days and times open. One to three sentences about the computers, connectivity, food or beverages available. $rate per hour. 

Information about nearby destinations that would serve as a good "next stop." Provide a brief description of other nearby destination suggestions, neighboring cities or day-trip ideas. Don't duplicate information that's up in "Get in."

This is normally a place to list adjacent destinations which have their own articles (for instance, Minneapolis is near Saint Paul and Ottawa is near Gatineau). If a city is on a major highway or rail line, the "go next" section will normally contain a {{routebox}} listing the next stops on the line in each direction.

In rare cases, day trips to adjacent villages too small to have their own page could be accommodated by splitting this section into two, "nearby" and "go next", as:

Nearby

A tiny village

• Listing for the one attraction in a tiny village

Another tiny village

• Individual listing in another tiny village

Go next

• Names of nearby places with their own Wikivoyage articles
• Routeboxes for major rail and road links through the town

It is normally only necessary to do this for sparsely-populated rural areas around small towns. Listings for suburbs of a city go in the main body of that city's article, or in districts of a huge city.