Salut, tout le monde!

Having lived in France for four years, I had visited a good handful of what are consider “les plus beaux villages de France.” In other words, these are several dozen villages throughout the country which have been promoted by national tourism as having “rich, cultural heritage,” as means of drawing visitors in to take in the beauty of them all.

Throughout my time in France, I’ve visited perhaps a dozen of them, from those in Alsace to Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes to Occitanie. However, a dozen doesn’t cut it, as the current list of villages features more than 150 of them. Every time I scroll on social media (thanks, Instagram), I always come across some French village which I haven’t been to and, every time, I fall in love a bit with the charm of it all. Makes me want to return to France sooner than I want, honestly. XD

That said, I’ve decided to provide a small list of “les plus beaux villages de France” that I hope to visit someday. I will say that I am biased, and that the overwhelming majority of them are from the Occitanie region (which is one of my favorites in France), but in any case, I hope to step foot in my second country in order to see them all. If you have any recommendations for other “plus beaux villages de France,” please let me know!

5 Beautiful Villages I Want to Visit in France

1. Cordes-sur-Ciel (Occitanie)

Head in the Clouds in Spellcasting Cordes Sur Ciel
Source: The Geographical Cure

2. Belcastel (Occitanie)

Belcastel, France travel and tourism, attractions and sightseeing and Belcastel reviews
Source: France This Way.

3. La Roche-Guyon (île-de-France)

Lots of steps to the top - Review of Chateau de La Roche-Guyon, La Roche- Guyon, France - Tripadvisor
Source: TripAdvisor

4. Saint-Cirq-Lapopie (Occitanie)

Saint-Cirq Lapopie
Source: DordogneMaison

5. Lyons-la-Fôret (Normandy)

Monuments and architecture - Lyons-la-Forêt - Lyons-la-foret
Source: Cirkwi

What are some plus beaux villages de France you’ve visited? Let me know!

— Rebecca

Published by Rebecca

Blogger, world traveler, poet, food lover, part-time penguin. Welcome!

52 thoughts on “5 Beautiful Villages I Want to Visit in France”

  7. Nice selection. I have only been to Belcastel, and there is more or less the same photo on my site. I need to get back on the road to get out of the big cities and see all these villages where the regional character is more accentuated.

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    1. I’m sure that particular photo angle is a popular shooting spot! There are many plus beaux villages in the île-de-France region, so they can keep you occupied on weekend getaways. 🙂

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  8. I’ve only ever heard of one on your list. But looking at the pictures, it does look like a magical place. I would absolutely come with you. You can be my translator!
    Just kidding.
    I do hope you get to go see all of these one day soon. They’re all beautiful.

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    1. Which village have you heard of? Haha, my French has gotten rusty since returning to the US, but I get by! How’s your French, considering you’re Canadian and had (possibly) taken courses in grade school?

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  12. What a wonderful collection of beautiful villages, Rebecca 🙂 While pretty much everyone loves visiting Paris for its world-class restaurants, cafés, and museums, there’s plenty more to see in France than just the capital. Over the years, while exploring different regions of France, we’ve discovered that the villages and small towns in France have beauty to rival any major city in the world, with hilltop views, flower-lined canals, and pastel buildings pulled straight from the pages of a storybook. Thanks for sharing, and have a nice day 🙂 Aiva xx

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  14. Ooh, Cordes-sur-Ciel looks magical! I’m not sure if it’s been aired in the US, but it reminds me a lot of the city in the sky in the second series of His Dark Materials (a BBC series, based on Philip Pulman’s books). I think the only “plus beaux villages” I’ve visited are Eguisheim (in Alsace) and St-Croix-en-Jarez (in Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes). Both beautiful, but Eguisheim had the edge for me as I’m a sucker for pastel-coloured half-timbered buildings!

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    1. I’ve visited Eguisheim, but it’s a shame I never got around to visiting Sainte-Croix-en-Jarez, despite living in the Lyon region for two years; it was RIGHT in my backyard! Looks like I’ll have to add it to my list to go. I love you can return to France to check out more plus beaux villages when you can!

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      1. Sometimes it’s the places that are on your doorstep that you don’t get round to visiting! One day, eh! Here’s hoping for a return visit to France when travel restrictions are a bit less chaotic.

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  18. Can highly recommend Saint Cirq Lapopie. Would also recommend Rocamadour, Beynac, La Roque Gageac in that area. Also in Provence you should visit Les Baux-de-Provence, Saignon, Roussillon and Gordes. In the north we liked Dinan and of course Le Mont St Michel. Happy planning, cheers, Mark

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    1. I’ve been to Rocamadour, Roussillon, Gordes, Dinan, and le Mont St. Michel. I had tried THREE times to go to Les Baux-de-Provence whilst in the south of France two years ago, but it never materialized. I’m focused on returning to France in order to check it out!!

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      1. There are so many lovely villages to see in France (and other European countries). We have a twice rescheduled boat trip booked in France on the Canal du Rhine near Strasbourg which we are hoping to now do in 2023, Covid-19 restrictions permitting. Good luck with your planning. Cheers, Mark

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