Charming old-world towns in France off the beaten path.

Less-touristed old-world towns in France, for travelers seeking fewer crowds but all the beauty.

Rocamadour's cliff-face sanctuaries have drawn pilgrims since the 12th century — Henry II of England and Blanche of Castile among them — and that same depth of layered history runs through all 307 towns on this page. Conques anchors a UNESCO-listed Romanesque abbey on the Via Podiensis pilgrimage route, Gisors carries the physical record of Capetian-Plantagenet border struggles in its castle mound, and Crémieu in Isère has kept its medieval streets intact enough to recreate that world every September.