With its excellence in selling itself, the French encourage visitors to enjoy some of France's most elegant and photogenic villages. Highlighting villages with populations of less than 2000 people that boast at least two historic monuments or sites and striking architecture, unique culture or natural beauty, an initial book published in the early 1980s led to an association of around 150 villages that proudly call themselves The Most Beautiful Villages in France. Sprinkled throughout the country and highlighted by the above logo, here are ten personal favourites from those that I have visited over the years in this most enchanting of European countries.
Yvoire
Bordering the sparkling beauty of Lac Léman (as the French call Lake Geneva), this medieval fishing village with its stone houses and wooden balconies glisten in geranium and wisteria blooms in summer. Whether wandering its narrow streets spotting signs of its ancient castle its 700 years of history, paddling the shores in a tiny canoe or enjoying the colour of the Garden of Five Senses, Yvoire is a wonderful diversion heading towards Switzerland.
Roussillon
Experiencing Rousillon has two contrasting feels - the narrow paths, archways and roughened walls of the historic village (over 1000 years old) and the other-worldly trail through the golden yellows, burnt oranges and flame reds of the largest ochre deposits in Europe. The area is sprinkled with painters and their easels enjoying the rich colours and strange shapes of the historically-valued clay fields or the towering bell tower and expressive town squares.
Villefranche-de-Conflent
Surrounded by its World Heritage-listed defensive walls and shaped like a boomerang, the tiny town offers its best panorama from Fort Liberia. Boasting delicate formations in its neighbouring limestone cave, the town is the launching pad for the superb Pyreneean rail journey on the Little Yellow Train.
More of France's most beautiful villages can be found here.
Sunday, December 19, 2010
Discover the Most Beautiful Villages in France
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17 comments:
These small villages in France represent the kind of travel that is my favorite - exploring off-the-beaten-path destinations. Lovely.
The house is so beautifully decorated, i would love to live here
I'd mich rather be wandering the streets of some of these pretty villages than at the tourist hot spots like the Eiffel tower.
Ah! You remind me that I MUST find a way to visit France, especially these little villages. Looking forward to the rest of your list.
I want that house in Yvoire. It looks like the perfect place for a BnB.
Nice post with excellent pictures. The pictures alone would make me want to go there, because they show how much character the place has!
Pictures looking really very beautiful, thanks for sharing it with us …………..
It reminds me of Italy in a way. For some reason I've never been as taken with France - yet you've now peaked my interest!
Nice post with excellent pictures. The pictures alone would make me want to go there, because they show how much character the place has!
interesting post with beautiful pics
I love that there's an associate like this. A nation's foundation are its villages.
Wandering through France would be my dream vacation. Thanks for indulging my fantasies on this dreary January morning
Wandering through France would be my dream vacation. Thanks for indulging my fantasies on this dreary January morning
Wandering through France would be my dream vacation. Thanks for indulging my fantasies on this dreary January morning
@donna: My favourite too.
@india travel tourism: The houses in all these villages are beautiful. The villages dress themselves up so nicely.
@heather: Me too.
@barbara: With your extensive travels, I cannot believe that you've missed France - one of my top three countries.
@matt: Yvoire was a real surprise to me. Very touristy but wonderfully situated on Lac Leman.
@john: Photos say it better than my words do...
@sherry: I've explored a fair few of the little Italian villages too and they have many of the same characteristics - fine local food, great history and striking looks.
@anil: The world could learn a lot from French tourism - they do it with style and skill.
@fashionable traveler: It's difficult not to be enchanted by France.
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