The 4 Most Beautiful Villages In France

Throughout the country we can find magnificent cities, but there are towns in France that can compete in beauty and attractiveness with their older sisters. They are towns full of attraction, which fascinate and attract a certain tourist who wishes to carry out a rural trip. 

Nature, history, tradition and a rich gastronomy are some of the experiences that these beautiful French towns  offer to travelers. To make a trip to them is to know different and peculiar landscapes, exceptional corners through which time has not passed and original streets.

They are different places, full of charm, peace and tranquility. In short, towns that when they meet are impossible to forget.

Villages of France with a medieval atmosphere

Cordes-sur-Ciel, the French Olympus

Located in the Midi-Pyrenéss region, it  is one of the best known and most visited French villages for its charming medieval appearance.  Being located at the top of a mountain, it was given the affectionate nickname “above the sky.”

Once there we will verify that it lives up to its name, since on days with thick fog it gives the feeling of being on Olympus. Its beautiful citadel is all walled and its houses are authentic treasures of Gothic art. It is very pleasant to walk through its cobbled and zigzagging alleys, contemplating its facades decorated with characters and animals from fables that give a special touch.

Walking through these passages we find the Saint-Miquel church or the door of the Clock Tower that will make us feel as if we were in bygone times. To make a stop, nothing better than going to a cool place full of vegetation, such as the Jardin des Paradis, where we can rest from so many sensations.

Conques, the most beautiful town in France

This medieval town is located on the French Camino de Santiago. For some it is the most beautiful town in France. Lots of pilgrims arrive here every day, who usually stop to pray at the Abbey of Sainte-Foy and then continue their journey to Santiago de Compostela. Thanks to this spiritual aura the town gives off a special magic.

Walking through its cobbled streets gives the impression of going back to the Middle Ages. It is impossible not to marvel at its timber framed houses  topped by slate roofs. A truly fairy tale image.

The most advisable thing is to let yourself go and go without haste, since as you go, each corner is more surprising. Its most important monument, in addition to the abbey, is the castle of the Humières family. If you have time, you  have to go up to the viewpoint in the upper part of the town, from there the views are quite a spectacle.

A fairytale town: Colmar

Colmar is bathed by the Lauch river and belongs to the Alsace region. As a curiosity, this village has a certain German touch, probably due to its proximity to Germany. This is why some of its houses are clearly influenced by German Gothic art.

It is one of the most beautiful and most visited villages in France. Many of its inhabitants actually make a living from tourism. However, many of them also have wine businesses, something that has led to consider it as the capital of Alsace wines.

One of its main attractions is Little Venice, a must-see.   There is a boat that makes a beautiful itinerary through the area transporting us under all its bridges that we cannot miss. This neighborhood, with its colorful houses full of flowers and its narrow, well-kept canals, makes the traveler feel like the protagonist of a story.

A seafaring town: Barfleur

Barfleur is a fishing village located in the Cotentin region and belonging to Normandy. The first thing that strikes us when we arrive is the 17th century church of Saint-Nicolas, whose imposing shape will accompany us at all times.

Its formidable lighthouse has nothing to envy either. It has a height of approximately 75 meters and is located alone, in the middle of the sea and at the mercy of the shock of the waves.

However, the most picturesque thing is its colorful port, thanks to the boats that arrive daily loaded with rich fish, shellfish and mussels. The latter are recognized throughout the world for their delicious taste and even have a variant of their own denomination, the “Barfleur blonde”.