Ancient sites in France off the beaten path.
Less-touristed ancient sites in France, for travelers seeking fewer crowds but all the beauty.
Lascaux Cave outside Montignac-Lascaux and the Roman foundations of Périgueux's ancient city of Vesunna are just two anchors in a country where the archaeological record runs from prehistoric cave art through Greek and Roman settlement. Gard leads this list of 23 with five picks, while Dordogne and the Lot add further depth — and Béziers, where Greek founders arrived in the 7th century BCE, rounds out the southern reach.
Montignac-Lascaux
Lascaux Cave, one of the world's most celebrated prehistoric painted caves, sits just outside this tiny village on the Vézère river in the Dordogne, making M…
Béziers
Every August, the Feria de Béziers draws around a million visitors to this southern French wine town for five days of bullfighting — one of the largest event…
Rodes
This compact stone village in southern France's Pyrénées-Orientales, where red-tile rooftops and a brick clock tower rise toward dramatic rocky outcrops topp…
Cluny
Founded in 910 by Duke William I of Aquitaine, the Benedictine Abbey of Cluny shaped this little Burgundian town into one of medieval Europe's great centres…
Angles-sur-lAnglin
This small village on the Anglin river in the Vienne département, Angles-sur-l'Anglin is a member of Les Plus Beaux Villages de France and carries a strong p…
Périgueux
Périgueux, the historic capital of the Périgord region in southwestern France's Dordogne, sits on the Isle river and holds a layered heritage running from Ro…
Lordat
The ruins of Lordat's castle, a classified historic monument since 1923, sit on a rocky spur above the upper Ariège valley in southwestern France, with wide…
Saint-Hippolyte-du-Fort
A compact town in the Gard department of southern France's Occitanie region, Saint-Hippolyte-du-Fort sits on the Vidourle river in mountain terrain, with a s…
Baume-les-Dames
Small town on the Doubs river in eastern France's Franche-Comté, with vineyards in the surrounding countryside, scenic viewpoints nearby, and a central core…
Caunes-Minervois
Red marble quarried here since Roman times has surfaced in some of France's grandest buildings, and the village's eighth-century abbey anchors a well-preserv…
Capdenac
Admitted to the Les Plus Beaux Villages de France association in 2010, Capdenac is a small village in the Lot department of south-western France, set above t…
Gourdon
A compact subprefecture in the Lot department of southwestern France, Gourdon sits at the heart of the Bouriane — a forested, hilly natural region of the Que…
Faverges
This compact town in Haute-Savoie sitting at the upper end of the glacial valley that gives rise to Lake Annecy, with mountain scenery on all sides and the B…
Saint-Bertrand-de-Comminges
A tiny Pyrenean village in Haute-Garonne that punches well above its size in historic architecture: the Cathedral of Notre-Dame has been a protected monument…
Granges-le-Bourg
A small stone-built French hamlet in rolling Haute-Saône countryside, where red-tile rooftops climb a hillside crowned by medieval ruins, set against open gr…
Saint-Gilles
One of Christendom's most important pilgrimage sites in the 12th century, Saint-Gilles-du-Gard is a modest town in the Gard department of southern France who…
Sauve
A small village in the Gard department of southern France, set on the Vidourle river amid Mediterranean vineyards, with a café and restaurant scene that punc…
Thoraise
This pocket-sized hamlet in the Doubs department of eastern France sits within a meander of the Doubs river, with mountains visible in the wider landscape.
Valojoulx
Tiny golden-stone hamlet in the Vézère valley, where a medieval church sits against wooded limestone cliffs, placing you at the heart of Dordogne's UNESCO-ri…
Vers-Pont-du-Gard
The Pont du Gard, the Roman aqueduct bridge that ranks among the best-preserved ancient structures in Europe, stands on the territory of this small village i…
Cloucarnac
Carnac, on the south coast of Brittany, is defined by its Neolithic menhir alignments — one of the most extensive collections of standing stones in the world…
Sare
Member of the Les Plus Beaux Villages de France association, Sare is a pocket-sized Basque village in the Pyrénées-Atlantiques on the Spanish border, backed…
Calvisson
This tiny wine-country town in the Gard department of southern France, Calvisson sits in the Vaunage between Nîmes, Montpellier, the Cévennes, and the Camarg…