French wine country off the beaten path.
Less-touristed wine towns in France, for travelers seeking fewer crowds but all the beauty.
Béziers has hosted its Feria for centuries, drawing around a million visitors each August to one of France's largest bullfighting events — but the Canal du Midi's nine-lock staircase at Fonseranes and the Pont-canal de l'Orb are reason enough to linger. Across these 201 picks, from Collioure on the Côte Vermeille to the Jura highlands, the Gard and Pyrénées-Orientales dominate, with Banyuls-sur-Mer lending its name to its own appellation at the country's southern edge.
Bastia
Corsica's principal port and commercial hub, Bastia sits at the base of Cap Corse on the island's northeast coast, where a walkable harbour front, small fort…
Cremieu
A little medieval town in Isère, southeastern France, Crémieu has preserved its historic centre largely intact and hosts an annual September festival, Les Mé…
Estaing
Estaing, a modest village on the Lot river in Aveyron, is a member of Les Plus Beaux Villages de France and carries an unusual concentration of protected his…
Espalion
A little town in the Aveyron department of southern France, Espalion sits directly on the Lot river, with a café and restaurant scene in its compact centre a…
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…
Collioure
A Mediterranean fishing village on the French Catalan coast where the last ridges of the Pyrenees meet the sea, Collioure has long drawn artists to its water…
Clermont-l'Hérault
A modest wine-country town in the Hérault department of southern France, Clermont-l'Hérault sits alongside the Lergue and Salagou rivers and carries a café a…
Banyuls-sur-Mer
Banyuls-sur-Mer gives its name to the surrounding wine region and sits on a bay at the southern end of France's Mediterranean coast, making it the country's…
Mirecourt
Mirecourt, a tiny town in the Vosges department of northeastern France, has long been known for two distinct crafts: lace-making and the manufacture of strin…
Saint-Céré
This compact town in the Lot department of southern France, Saint-Céré sits on the River Bave with vineyards in the surrounding countryside and scenic views…
Lodève
This small town in the Hérault department of southern France's Occitania region, Lodève sits at the confluence of several rivers and offers a compact central…
Chenonceaux
Château de Chenonceau, built across the River Cher and the most visited château in France after Versailles, sits at the edge of this little hamlet in the Ind…
Joigny
A tiny wine-country town on the river Yonne in Bourgogne-Franche-Comté, Joigny has a medieval old town that has earned the Pays d'art et d'histoire designati…
Ménerbes
This walled hilltop village in the Luberon mountains of Provence, Ménerbes holds membership in the Les Plus Beaux Villages de France association and sits in…
Auch
This walkable Gascon town in southwestern France's Gers department, Auch sits on the River Gers and is known for its gastronomic scene, its cathedral, and a…
Beaune
Widely regarded as the wine capital of Burgundy, Beaune is a walled town in eastern France whose historic centre holds the cellars and facilities of wine pro…
Sartène
A small sub-prefecture in southern Corsica's Corse-du-Sud department, Sartène is an inland granite town with valley views and a café and restaurant scene str…
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…
Montmelian
Compact Savoie town set in a river valley between forested hills and vine-covered slopes, with a rocky outcrop rising above its grey-roofed centre and easy r…
Sancerre
Sancerre is a medieval hilltop village in the Cher département of Centre-Val de Loire, overlooking the Loire river and recognized as one of France's most bea…
Gaillon
A compact Norman town of half-timbered houses and slate rooftops rising above a river valley, Gaillon pairs a walkable central core of cafés with vineyard su…
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…
Olargues
A medieval village on the Jaur river in southern France's Hérault, Olargues sits within the Haut-Languedoc regional nature park and carries a listing among L…
Lods
This tiny hamlet on the Loue river in eastern France's Doubs département sits among vineyards and carries membership in Les Plus Beaux Villages de France, th…
Salins-les-Bains
Salt has shaped Salins-les-Bains since the fifth millennium BC, and the town's historic saltworks — added to the UNESCO World Heritage List in 2009 as an ext…
Saintes
Sitting on the Charente river in western France, Saintes carries one of the region's most substantial Gallo-Roman, medieval, and classical heritage records —…
Aiguèze
Sitting on the Ardèche river in southern France's Gard department, this modest village has been a member of Les Plus Beaux Villages de France since 2005 — th…
Saint-Florent
A former fishing port on the Gulf of Saint-Florent in Haute-Corse, this small Corsican village now fills its harbour with pleasure boats and its waterfront w…
Saint-Cirq-Lapopie
Clinging to a steep cliff above the Lot river in south-western France, this small Quercy village draws visitors with dramatic viewpoints, a strong café and r…
Ornans
Birthplace of the painter Gustave Courbet, this little town in the Doubs department sits along the Loue river in the Jura massif, its house facades rising di…
Dreux
A town in Eure-et-Loir drained by the Avre and Blaise rivers, Dreux has a compact centre with cafés, restaurants, and several historic churches, including th…
Saint-Etienne-de-Baigorry
This little Basque village in the Pyrénées-Atlantiques sitting on the Nive des Aldudes river, Saint-Étienne-de-Baïgorry is the main gateway to the Aldudes va…
La Romieu
A member of Les Plus Beaux Villages de France, this small Gers village in southwestern France is anchored by the 14th-century Collégiale Saint-Pierre, whose…
Champagnole
This small town in the Jura department of eastern France, Champagnole sits on the right bank of the Ain river at the heart of the Jura massif's second platea…
Fayence
This hilltop village in the Var department of Provence, Fayence sits above the plain between the southern Alps and the Esterel massif, with cafés and restaur…
Tournus
This compact Burgundian town on the Saône river with a café and restaurant scene that is well stocked for its size, Tournus sits in the heart of Bourgogne-Fr…
Cerdon
This little village in the Ain department of eastern France is known for two things: its pink sparkling wine and a copper factory — once the only one of its…
Viviers
This modest town on the Rhône in southern France's Ardèche, Viviers was once the capital of the historic Vivarais province — a name it gave to the entire reg…
Gruissan
A little Mediterranean coastal town in the Aude, southeast of Narbonne, Gruissan sits within the Narbonnaise en Méditerranée regional nature park alongside l…
Charcenne
A small hamlet in eastern France's Haute-Saône, Charcenne sits alongside the Colombine stream at the foot of the Monts de Gy, with mountain views and wine-co…
Château-Chalon
Vin jaune — the prized yellow wine of the Jura — reaches its most celebrated expression in Château-Chalon, a little cliff-top village in eastern France whose…
Jonzac
A spa town in the Charente-Maritime since 1986, Jonzac sits on the Seugne river in the heart of Cognac wine country, with a café and restaurant scene that pu…
Talmont-sur-Gironde
Founded in 1284 by Edward I of England, Duke of Aquitaine, this tiny hamlet on a promontory above the Gironde estuary in Charente-Maritime holds the 12th-cen…
Noyers
Well-preserved medieval village on the river Serein in Burgundy's Yonne department, Noyers-sur-Serein is a member of Les Plus Beaux Villages de France, with…
Saint-Martin-de-Re
This waterfront village on the Île de Ré, off the Charente-Maritime coast near La Rochelle, Saint-Martin-de-Ré is home to Vauban's 17th-century fortification…
Apt
This small Provençal town on the Calavon river in the Luberon mountains of Vaucluse, Apt has a café and restaurant scene that would suit a town twice its siz…
Lourmarin
This Provençal village in the Vaucluse holds membership in Les Plus Beaux Villages de France and pairs a café and restaurant scene unusually dense for its si…
Die
Clairette de Die, a sparkling wine produced in the surrounding Diois region, is the calling card of this little subprefecture in southeastern France's Drôme…
Clemensat
A tiny French hamlet of dark volcanic-stone buildings set against rolling green upland pastures, Clémensat offers a genuine taste of rural Auvergne close to…
Les Vans
A tiny village in the Ardèche with an unusually lively café and restaurant scene for its size, Les Vans sits on the water in the Cévennes area of southern Fr…
Tournon-sur-Rhône
Small Rhône-side town in the Ardèche, Tournon-sur-Rhône sits in deep wine country north of Valence with a café and restaurant scene that punches above its size.
Voiron
A gateway town to the Chartreuse Mountains in southeastern France, Voiron sits at the foot of the range with a walkable centre full of cafés and restaurants,…
Ispoure
A small Basque village in the Pyrénées-Atlantiques, Ispoure sits in mountain terrain in the former province of Lower Navarre, with scenic viewpoints in the s…
Elne
Once the first capital of the historical province of Roussillon before Perpignan took that role, Elne is a small town in southern France's Pyrénées-Orientale…
Leucate
A small Mediterranean coastal town in the Aude, Leucate sits between the sea and the Étang de Leucate lagoon, with a café and restaurant scene that punches a…
Céret
Known for its modern art museum, cherry harvests, and bullfighting tradition, Céret is a tiny Catalan town in southern France's Pyrénées-Orientales, sitting…
Port-Lesney
A small village on the banks of the Loue river in the Jura, Port-Lesney draws visitors with a five-star château hotel, a Michelin-starred restaurant, and a r…
Lavardens
This modest village in the Gers department of southwestern France, Lavardens holds membership in the Les Plus Beaux Villages de France association and sits i…
Cerbère
Pocket-sized French village where the Pyrenees meet the Mediterranean, Cerbère sits at the southernmost seaside point of mainland France and serves as a key…
Argenton-sur-Creuse
A modest town in the Indre department of central France, Argenton-sur-Creuse sits along the Creuse river with a café and restaurant scene in its compact cent…
Larressingle
This tiny walled hamlet in the Gers department of southwestern France holds six nationally protected historic monuments within its medieval fortifications, i…
Vernantois
A small stone-and-tile village spread across a green valley in France's Jura, ringed by forested limestone hills, sitting within easy reach of wine country a…
Villeneuve-lès-Avignon
Tiny Provençal town on the Rhône across from Avignon, where a massive medieval fortress with round towers and crenellated walls rises above stone houses, cyp…
Château-Thierry
Birthplace of the fabulist Jean de La Fontaine and site of both the First and Second Battles of the Marne, Château-Thierry is a town in the Aisne department…
Lagrasse
This compact village in the Corbières massif of southern France's Aude department, Lagrasse sits on the Orbieu river in wine and mountain country and holds m…
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…
Loupian
This rural coastal village in the Hérault département of southern France, Loupian sits on the edge of the Étang de Thau lagoon, within three overlapping Natu…
Pézenas
A small town in the Hérault department of southern France with one of the oldest protected historic districts in the country, Pézenas holds a dense café and…
Champlitte
This wine-country commune in Haute-Saône, eastern France, Champlitte sits within the Communauté de communes des 4 Rivières and holds the labels Cité de Carac…
Les Baux-de-Provence
Atop a rocky spur in the Alpilles mountains of southern France, Les Baux-de-Provence is a tiny medieval village built around a ruined castle overlooking the…
Nérac
A small town in Lot-et-Garonne, southwestern France, sitting on the water with a café and restaurant scene that punches above its size, and vineyards in the…
Frontignan
Frontignan, a coastal town in the Hérault department of southern France, is the home of Muscat de Frontignan, an AOC sweet wine made solely from the Muscat g…
Marsillargues
A small town in the Hérault department of southern France's Occitanie region, Marsillargues sits in wine country along the Vidourle river, with two Natura 20…
Bletterans
This small Jura village in eastern France's Bourgogne-Franche-Comté region, with vineyards in the surrounding countryside, water nearby, and a handful of caf…
Finestret
This tiny hamlet in the Pyrénées-Orientales sits in the Conflent country of southern France, a Pyrenean valley region drained by the Lentillà and several oth…
Limeuil
At the confluence of the Dordogne and Vézère rivers in southwestern France's Dordogne department, this small medieval village was historically a hub of the r…
Vauvert
This small wine-country town in the far south of France's Gard department, Vauvert sits within the Camargue delta and is drained by several waterways, includ…
Fenouillet
This compact rural hamlet in the Fenouillèdes, a long depression between the Corbières hills and the Pyrenean massifs in northern Pyrénées-Orientales, Fenoui…
Rogliano
This modest Corsican village at the northern tip of Cap Corse sits close to the water and mountain terrain, with an unusual concentration of churches for its…
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…
Gerberoy
This compact commune in the Oise department of northern France holds membership in Les Plus Beaux Villages de France, the association recognising the country…
Venzolasca
A hilltop Corsican village of grey-stone houses crowned by a tall church tower, with open sea views stretching to a distant island silhouette and nearby vine…
Bergerac
Sitting on the banks of the Dordogne river in southwestern France, Bergerac is a Town of Art and History with vineyards in the immediate surroundings and a w…
Bélesta
Little wine-country hamlet in the Fenouillèdes — a valley corridor between the Corbières hills and the Pyrenean massifs in southern France's Pyrénées-Orienta…
Balazuc
A small village on the Ardèche river in southern France, Balazuc sits in wine country with scenic viewpoints across the surrounding landscape.
Bagnols-sur-Cèze
Wine-country town in the Gard department of southern France, set on the Cèze river with a walkable centre full of cafés and restaurants.
Castelnou
A compact village in the Aspres region of Pyrénées-Orientales, Castelnou sits among vineyards and Mediterranean terrain between the Têt and Tech river valleys.
Sant'Antonino
This small Corsican hill village in the Balagne region is considered the oldest, highest, and most scenic settlement in that area, and holds membership in Le…
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…
Pont-Saint-Esprit
A small town on the Rhône in southern France's Gard département, Pont-Saint-Esprit sits at a historic river crossing where the Ardèche meets the Rhône just t…
Corbère
A rural village in the Aspres region of Pyrénées-Orientales, southern France, set between the Têt and Tech river valleys in Mediterranean mountain terrain, w…
Le Vigan
Modest town in the Cévennes region of southern France's Gard department, Le Vigan sits on the River Arre and carries a café and restaurant scene that punches…
Sommières
Little town in the Gard department of southern France where the Vidourle river runs through the centre, Sommières sits in deep wine country between Nîmes and…
Asquins
This small Burgundy hamlet on the Yonne is the starting point of one of the four main French pilgrimage routes to Santiago de Compostela, and its church of S…
Bédarieux
This tiny town in southern France's Hérault department where the Orb river runs through the centre, Bédarieux sits within the Haut-Languedoc Regional Nature…
Brégnier-Cordon
This compact stone-church village in France's Ain department, its red-tile rooftops spreading across upland country above wooded river plains, with vineyards…
Montolieu
Known as a Village du Livre — a book village — Montolieu is a little commune in the Aude department of southern France, set on the southern edge of the Massi…
Termes
A little hamlet in the Corbières massif of southern France's Aude department, Termes sits among limestone hills that form the transition between the Massif C…
Mauguio
This Mediterranean-climate town in the Hérault with a compact centre of cafés and restaurants, Mauguio sits in the heart of Languedoc wine country and extend…
Largentière
Silver mining shaped this pocket-sized Ardèche village for centuries — its name, adopted in the 13th century, refers directly to the silver-bearing ore extra…
Issigeac
A pocket-sized medieval village in the Bergerac wine-growing region of the Dordogne, Issigeac is built on a circular plan with largely original half-timbered…
Villefranche-sur-Saône
The main town of the Beaujolais wine region, Villefranche-sur-Saône sits on the Saône in the Rhône department of eastern France, a short distance north of Lyon.
Anduze
A small town at the foot of the Cévennes in southern France's Gard department, Anduze sits on the River Gard with a café and restaurant scene that punches ab…
Thouars
This modest town on the River Thouet in western France's Deux-Sèvres, Thouars sits in wine-growing country and holds an official "town of art and history" de…
Riom
This heritage-dense town in Auvergne's Puy-de-Dôme, Riom served as capital of the Terre d'Auvergne from 1210 and carries that history in a compact centre thi…
Quinson
This tiny Provençal village in Alpes-de-Haute-Provence where a converted stone chapel houses the tourist office, wooded hills rise behind compact streets, an…
Condom
A pocket-sized Armagnac-country town in the Gers department of southwestern France, Condom-en-Armagnac sits on the River Baïse with a central core of cafés a…
Najac
A medieval ridge village in southern France's Aveyron, Najac is dominated by a partly ruined château built in 1253 on the orders of Alphonse de Poitiers, wit…
Moissac
At the confluence of the Garonne and Tarn rivers and the Canal de Garonne in southern France's Occitanie region, Moissac is a pocket-sized town in Tarn-et-Ga…
Aigues-Mortes
Enclosed within well-preserved medieval walls, this pocket-sized town in the Camargue region of southern France sits at the junction of two waterways and dra…
Tremolat
This pocket-sized Dordogne village where elevated viewpoints look down over a wide river bend, stone arched bridge, patchwork farmland, and vineyard slopes r…
Aubenas
This small town in the southern Ardèche with a café and restaurant scene that is well stocked for its size, Aubenas sits on the river Ardèche at a crossroads…
La Roque-sur-Cèze
A modest hamlet on the Cèze river in southern France's Gard department, La Roque-sur-Cèze holds membership in Les Plus Beaux Villages de France and sits with…
Cavaillon
Known across France as the capital of the melon, Cavaillon is a Provençal town in the Durance Valley at the western edge of the Luberon mountains.
Fleurance
A small town in the Gers department of southwestern France, Fleurance sits on the River Gers amid the cereal fields and vineyards of Gascony's Gaure country,…
Lisle-sur-Tarn
This pocket-sized town on the River Tarn in southern France's Occitanie region, sitting within the Gaillacois wine country, an area long known for the qualit…
Serviès-en-Val
Compact hamlet in the Corbières massif of southern France's Aude department, set in wine country on the limestone terrain that bridges the Massif Central and…
Fontaine-de-Vaucluse
The spring at Fontaine-de-Vaucluse is the largest resurgent spring in France and ranks among the most significant in the world by annual flow, feeding the Ri…
Vassel
This compact French village in the Puy-de-Dôme, its central square anchored by a stone fountain, a clock-towered mairie, and a solid Romanesque-style church,…
Arbois
Arbois holds a double distinction in French wine history: it became France's first AOC-designated wine region in 1936 and is still known as the capital of Ju…
Prades
Founded in the 9th century as a fortified settlement, Prades is a small Catalan-French town in the Pyrénées-Orientales with a café and restaurant scene that…
Vinca
Compact village in southern France's Catalan Pyrenees, Vinca sits beside a broad river lake with snow-capped peaks rising dramatically behind, surrounded by…
Billieme
A pocket-sized Savoyard hamlet set among vineyard rows in a broad green valley, with a forested mountain rising sharply behind and the wider Auvergne-Rhône-A…
Épinal
Town on the Moselle river in northeastern France's Vosges département, Épinal has been known since 1796 for its popular printed imagery, a tradition launched…
Lons-le-Saunier
The capital of the Jura département in eastern France, Lons-le-Saunier takes its name from the salt springs first exploited by the Romans, which drove the to…
Floure
A small wine-country hamlet in the Aude, set along the River Aude on the edge of the Corbières massif — the limestone uplands that bridge the Massif Central…
Tonnerre
A compact Burgundy town on the water's edge, Tonnerre pairs a handsome neoclassical Hôtel de Ville — visible on its cobbled central square — with surrounding…
Orthez
This medieval stone bridge with a fortified tower spans a green river at the heart of this pocket-sized Pyrénées-Atlantiques town, where a compact café scene…
Montclus
This small hamlet in the Gard department of southern France, Montclus sits along the Cèze river and holds membership in Les Plus Beaux Villages de France.
Puycelsi
A member of the Les Plus Beaux Villages de France association, Puycelsi is a modest village in the Tarn department of southern France, set in the Gaillacois…
Pignan
A pocket-sized town in the Hérault department of southern France's Occitanie region, Pignan sits in Mediterranean wine country with a central core of cafés a…
Lectoure
This small town in the Gers department of southwestern France, Lectoure sits above the River Gers in a region historically nicknamed the "French Tuscany," wi…
Saint-Quentin-la-Poterie
Pottery has shaped this small village in southern France's Gard department for centuries, and today more than twenty ceramic workshops and sculptors line its…
Montbrison
Montbrison lends its name to Fourme de Montbrison, a blue cheese made in the Forez region of central France for centuries and granted appellation d'origine c…
Morsiglia
This compact Corsican hamlet on the Cap Corse peninsula sits at the water's edge with vineyards close by and an unusual number of churches for a settlement o…
Lunel
This wine-country town in the Hérault department of southern France, Lunel sits along the Vidourle river between Montpellier and Nîmes, with rail connections…
Villerouge-Termenès
This small hamlet in the Corbières massif of southern France's Aude department, Villerouge-Termenès sits in limestone hill country between the Massif Central…
Auvillar
A member of Les Plus Beaux Villages de France since 1994, this compact village on the Garonne in Tarn-et-Garonne is also a stop on the Santiago de Compostela…
Montner
This modest hamlet in the Fenouillèdes — a long depression between the Corbières and the Pyrenean massifs in southern France's Pyrénées-Orientales — where al…
Fanjeaux
Saint Dominic, founder of the Dominican Order, made this small medieval village in the Aude his base between 1206 and 1215, preaching to the Cathars of the s…
Nahuja
A small hamlet in the Cerdanya, a high plateau in the French Pyrénées-Orientales close to the Spanish border, Nahuja sits within the Parc Naturel Régional de…
Baume-les-Messieurs
This small hamlet in eastern France's Jura department, Baume-les-Messieurs sits at the heart of the Reculée de Baume — the most extensive of the Jura escarpm…
Fitou
Fitou, a small village on the Mediterranean coast of southern France's Aude department, lends its name to one of the region's oldest AOC red wines, produced…
Serdinya
A tiny hamlet in the Conflent country of Pyrénées-Orientales, southern France, set along the Têt river amid Pyrenean valleys and surrounding vineyards.
Ille-sur-Têt
A compact Roussillon town on the Têt river, with vineyard surrounds, a flower-decked mairie facing a compact central square, and easy access to upland Pyrene…
Frontenay
A tiny Jura hamlet where a moss-draped grotto, a weathered Romanesque church, and a turreted manor house in honey-gold stone sit close to the water, surround…
Paraza
A pocket-sized hamlet in the Minervois wine country of southern France's Aude department, sitting alongside the Canal du Midi and the Aude river.
Remoulins
Sitting on the River Gardon in southern France's Gard department, Remoulins is the closest village to the Pont du Gard, the Roman aqueduct that draws visitor…
Aups
A pocket-sized Provençal village in the Var department that calls itself the truffle capital of the Haut-Var, Aups sits in mountain terrain surrounded by vin…
Bessancourt
A pocket-sized Île-de-France town with a stately 19th-century mairie on its central square, vineyard surroundings, a walkable café and restaurant scene, and…
Gimont
A small rural town in the Gers department of southwestern France, Gimont sits on the Gimone river in wine-growing country within easy reach of Toulouse.
Minerve
Minerve, a tiny hamlet in the Hérault that gives its name to the Minervois wine region, draws well over 300,000 visitors a year to its dramatic gorges, natur…
Lissac-sur-Couze
This pocket-sized French village in Corrèze where a substantial stone manor and an ornate church stand side by side above green hillside meadows, set along t…
Pissotte
This tiny French village in the Vendée, where a stone church with a red door anchors a compact village square surrounded by wine-growing countryside and a ha…
Nanc-lès-Saint-Amour
Pocket-sized stone-church village spread across forested upland country in the Jura, with red-tile rooftops visible from elevated viewpoints and deep wine co…
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…
Uchaud
A compact town in the southern Gard, within the Nîmes agglomeration, set in Mediterranean wine-growing country with vineyards in the surrounding area.
Collias
This compact village in the Gard department of southern France, Collias sits on the River Gard within the Gorges du Gardon, with mountain views and a Mediter…
Saint-Martin-de-Londres
A compact wine-country village in the Hérault, northeast of Montpellier, with a café and restaurant scene that is well stocked for its size.
Liouc
Tiny stone-house hamlet in southern France's Gard, set among wooded hills and vineyard-covered plains, with a low ridge of mountains on the horizon and the V…
Malras
Little hamlet in the Aude department of southern France's Occitania region, set in wine country and drained by the Blau river.
L'Isle-Jourdain
Tiny town in the Gers department of southwestern France, L'Isle-Jourdain sits on the River Save and carries a café and restaurant scene that holds a surprisi…
Donzere
A small town on the left bank of the Rhône in southeastern France's Drôme department, Donzère sits among vineyards with mountain views and scenic viewpoints…
Lupiac
Birthplace of Charles de Batz-Castelmore — the real-life musketeer behind Alexandre Dumas's d'Artagnan — this small hamlet in the Gers department of southwes…
Souvignargues
Little village in the southern Gard, near Nîmes, set in Mediterranean wine country and drained by several small streams.
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…
Alès
Gateway town to the Cévennes in southern France's Gard department, Alès sits on the Gardon d'Alès river with mountain terrain rising around it, vineyards in…
Bouzigues
Oyster production defines this little village on the Étang de Thau lagoon in southern France's Hérault, where an unusual concentration of seafood restaurants…
Codognan
A modest village in the Gard department of southern France's Occitanie region, set in wine country and drained by the Rhony river, with a café and restaurant…
Ganges
A compact town in the Hérault department of Occitanie, Ganges sits at the confluence of three rivers — the Hérault, the Rieutord, and the Vis — with a café a…
Rennes-le-Château
A tiny hilltop hamlet in the Aude that draws tens of thousands of visitors each year to the mystery surrounding 19th-century priest Bérenger Saunière, who re…
Pamiers
Sitting on the right bank of the Ariège river at the foot of the first Pyrenean foothills, Pamiers is the largest town in the Ariège department, with a compa…
Lessy
This pocket-sized Moselle village where a robust medieval stone church tower with Gothic-windowed nave and an adjoining churchyard anchors a compact rural co…
Saint-Cyprien
A Mediterranean coastal town in the Pyrénées-Orientales, Saint-Cyprien holds the third-largest marina in France and sits within the historic Roussillon regio…
Montpeyroux
This compact hamlet in the Puy-de-Dôme sits on the water in deep wine country in central France's Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes region, and holds membership in Les Pl…
Tresques
Small village in the Gard department of southern France, Tresques sits in wine country on the banks of the Tave river, with mountain views and UNESCO World H…
Vaux-sur-Poligny
This tiny hamlet set in a broad green valley between forested Jura hillsides, Vaux-sur-Poligny sits in the heart of French wine country with scenic viewpoint…
Flavigny-sur-Ozerain
Flavigny-sur-Ozerain, a small village in Burgundy's Côte-d'Or, is the sole production site of Anis de Flavigny, the anise-flavoured sweets that have made it…
Caveirac
This little wine-country village in the Gard, just west of Nîmes, Caveirac sits in the agricultural plains and low hills of the Vaunage, surrounded by extens…
Venthon
This tiny Savoyard village of timber-and-stone chalets spread across a densely forested hillside above Albertville, Venthon offers easy access to Alpine upla…
Salinelles
A small wine-country hamlet in the southern Gard, Salinelles sits along the Vidourle river in a Mediterranean landscape of protected natural areas, including…
Limoux
Blanquette de Limoux, a sparkling wine first recorded in a 1544 text and now protected by a designated origin classification, has defined this small Aude tow…
Cornillon
Small medieval village in the Gard, set on a rocky outcrop above the Cèze river in southern France's wine country, with the Cèze gorges and surrounding garri…
Uzès
Uzès, a tiny town in the Gard department of southern France's Occitanie region, carries the historic title of "premier duché de France" — a precedence grante…
Gallargues-le-Montueux
A little wine-country village in the Gard, southern France, where the Vidourle river runs through and a handful of cafés and restaurants serve a place of its…
Estagel
This small wine-country village in the Roussillon region of southern France, set in the Agly river basin between the Corbières hills and the Pyrenean massifs.
Thuir
A sun-warmed Catalan town in southern France's wine-growing Roussillon plain, Thuir pairs a compact café-lined centre with the legacy of its famous aperitif…
Brignon
A small village in the Gard department of southern France, Brignon sits alongside the river Gard in deep wine country, with several historic churches for its…
Deaux
Little stone village in southern France's Gard, with a clock-towered church rising above limestone houses, cypress trees, and Mediterranean scrub, set amid t…
Homps
A compact village in the Minervois wine country of southern France's Aude department, Homps sits where the Canal du Midi meets the River Aude, giving it a wa…
Monpazier
Built in 1284 by Edward I of England, Monpazier is one of the best-preserved bastide towns in the Dordogne, its original grid plan still centred on an arcade…
Gaillac
Gaillac wine has given this small Tarn town its identity for centuries, with vineyards spreading across the surrounding countryside and the River Tarn runnin…
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…
Salavas
A small Ardèche village sitting right on the water, with a lively café and restaurant scene well above its size, vine-covered surrounds, scenic viewpoints ne…
Argelès-sur-Mer
A Mediterranean coastal town in the Pyrénées-Orientales, Argelès-sur-Mer sits directly on the water with a café and restaurant scene that punches above its s…
Cavillargues
A modest village in the Gard department of southern France, Cavillargues sits alongside the Auzigue river amid Mediterranean vineyard country, with mountain…
Rustroff
This pocket-sized Moselle village where a stone fountain square fronts a warm-rendered church with a rose window and slate spire, set in upland wine-growing…
Lézignan-Corbières
Small town in the heart of the Corbières wine region of southern France's Aude department, Lézignan-Corbières sits alongside the Orbieu river and holds a Vin…
Limousis
Small hamlet in the Aude department of southern France, Limousis sits on the Orbiel river at the edge of the Montagne Noire, the southern rim of the Massif C…
Souillac
A little Dordogne-valley town in the Lot with a riverside setting, a compact café-and-restaurant core, vineyard surroundings, and easy access to the wider re…
Cardet
This modest French village in the Gard, Cardet sits right on the water amid deep wine country, with upland landscapes close by and several UNESCO World Herit…