The most beautiful towns in France

Do you feel like discovering (new places in) France? Check out the following slides for some of the French villages most appreciated by their visitors. We start with the lovely Eze, overlooking the Côte D'Azur in the Alpes-Maritimes department of southern France.

The choice of Giverny as one of France's most enchanting towns is obvious. This village is the Norman cradle of the famous French painter Claude Monet, one of the great Impressionists. Its fame beyond borders - and one of the things Monet loved - also has to do with the flowered expanse of its Giverny garden.

The Breton peninsula of Batz-sur-Mer juggles between the Atlantic Ocean and 459 hectares of salt marshes. It brings together creeks, beaches, marina and many historical monuments, including the 15th-century Saint-Guénolé church. This place bordered by waters is ideal for alternating summer pleasure and history lessons.

Renowned for its fruitful vines, the village of Chablis is much more than a place to peacefully get drunk in the shades of the orchard. It is also a place of history. In the center of the town you see the vestiges of medieval Burgundy with the 9th-century Saint Martin church. A little further south, a synagogue shows a little-known aspect of Jewish Chablis history. In short, the village has a lot to discover.

A half-hour car drive northwest from Montpellier rises the mysterious walled enclosure of the village of Montpeyroux. Located at the foot of the Cévennes and Mont Saint Baudille, the medieval wall watches over the Middle Hérault Valley. Between hiking trails and fertile land with many grape varieties (Grenache, Cinsault and Mourvèdre), the region will please everyone.

This small village of 200 inhabitants is housed right in the middle of a range of cliffs. It has a dazzling waterfall flowing in the middle of a remote wild flora. The village also conceals an underground cave which extends over 120 km (75 miles). This territory marked out by belvederes and magical vegetation is an exotic place and great for hiking.

Pont-Aven is nestled at the bottom of the estuary of the Aven river on the south coast of Finistère. The village is famous for its painting school and its Breton cookies. Renowned painters like the American Henry Bacon and the French Paul Gauguin resided there, making Pont-Aven “the city of painters.” A picturesque journey into the hollow of French soil awaits those lucky enough to visit it.

The troglodyte village of Trôo seems to arise from the imagination of an original novelist. Located in the center of France, Trôo takes you back in time without the help of a druid. The majority of the inhabitants still live in caves today. The oldest cave dates from six centuries BC. To visit the town and stay in a cave is obviously spectacular.

The village of Cargèse is an astonishing mix of Greek and Latin rites. It is the only Corsican municipality to host two churches of different denominations and only a few meters apart. Between Porto and Ajaccio, the ancient Greek city is littered with flower gardens and white sand. Cargèse overlooks the Gulf of Sagone and offers a marvellous setting for lovers of beauty.

The architectural harmony of Hunspach is a fantastic aspect to discover in this historic village. Its houses consist of half-timbered frames and their inhabitants adorn the windows with red geraniums. Hunspach's summer folklore festival and its traditional costumes and dances can make for a memorable vacation.

Pierrefonds is a castle town but not just that! The village attracts several thousand curious visitors each year, and many of them come on two wheels. The regional landscape, its roads, and the villages' terraces are a delight for bikers.

The village of Montfort-l'Amaury is located at the edge of the forest of Rambouillet in the Yvelines. Dating back to the year 1000, the town witnessed ten centuries of French history, and it shows. The municipality has several historical monuments such as the castle and park of Groussay. A getaway that's both captivating and exotic.

The village of Ménerbes lies at the top of a rocky outcrop and is perfectly integrated into the wild regional natural park that surrounds it. It offers a breath-taking view of the Provence and its vineyards. Having become popular since the 1989 novel 'A Year in Provence' by Peter Mayle, Ménerbes had already been discovered much earlier by Picasso and his muse, the photographer Dora Maar.

Created in the 1st century BC, the medieval city of Saint-Bertrand-de-Comminges is part of the Unesco World Heritage. The village unveils 2000 years of history and brings to life in harmony sometimes antique and sometimes contemporary settings. A true historical masterpiece that will please your senses.

In southern France at the limit of Périgord, Aubeterre-sur-Dronne is located on the paths of Saint-Jacques de Compostelle. The village is built in an amphitheatre around the Dronne valley. Its picturesque landscape is characterized by houses with white facades, tiled roofs in warm colours and a captivating bucolic environment. The setting has been the dream of visitors for several decades, as it joined the association of the Most Beautiful Villages of France in 1993.

A tropical climate, colourful huts typical of the Antilles, palm trees, a deserted beach… This village is the dream of any explorer in search of comfortable tranquillity. The village of Anses d'Arlet has very few shops and restaurants, so it's ideal for both nature lovers and agoraphobes! There are few tourists and local life is very peaceful. Just go there for a serene holiday.