20 Most Beautiful French Villages + Our Top 3! 🇫🇷

In this video we're skipping the big French cities and instead shining a light on the smaller lesser known towns and villages that totally deserve a spot on your bucket list. We'll be working our way down the map and for each place we'll tell you which big city is near so you can easily plan them as day trips. Oh and before we dive in we've put together a free download for you with all the places we talk about plus one bonus spot we didn't include in the video. We also added our top three must-do activities for each one. You can grab it from the blog post linked in the description. We're starting our journey in Normandy. If you're subscribed to our newsletter you would have seen a behind the scenes of our recent trip there. If you're not already on the list sign up to our weekly newsletter to stay updated plus we share super useful travel tips. This charming port town sits right on the Normandy coast. The nearest big city is Love where the Seine river finishes its journey which is about 25 kilometers away right across the bridge. It's also 200 kilometers from Paris so it's totally doable as a long day trip or a weekend escape. While you're there don't Galettes are originally from Brittany but since Normandy is right next door you'll find them here too. We tried one with typical toppings from Normandy. Apple, veal sausage and creamy camembert. So good. Also in Normandy and really close to Mont Saint-Michel it's one of my personal favorite towns called Avranches. The nearest big city is Rennes about 85 kilometers away. This place is a gorgeous public garden with views of Mont Saint-Michel in the distance. It's seriously beautiful. Fun fact the scriptorial museum here keeps an ancient manuscript from Mont Saint-Michel including a bible from the 9th century. If you love history definitely pay it a visit. As for what we ate right next to the church there's a patisserie called Eclat de Feuves and we're not even kidding we had the best caramel eclair of our lives there. The caramel flan was also amazing and we gave the brioche normand a try too since brioche is originally from Normandy but honestly the eclair and flan stole the show. One of our top three destinations is in Normandy and we'll reveal it at the end. Can you guess where it is? Next let's move along to the left of the map to Normandy's neighbor Brittany. Fougères is one of the best preserved medieval towns in Brittany. The closest big city is Rennes about 50 kilometers away so it's very easy to reach. The main highlight here is the Château de Fougères, a 12th century fortress that stood strong through all kinds of invasions during the 100 years war. You can visit it for 10 euros and we've linked the official site in case you want to check it out or book your tickets ahead of time. For an absolutely gorgeous view of the château and the whole valley make sure to stop by the public garden next to Église Saint-Léonard. Trust us you'll be sorry if you miss it. Also in Brittany just about an hour from Fougères is a cute little town called Dinant. Rennes is still the closest major city around 55 kilometers away. Dinant is known for its beautiful half-timbered and stone houses. It's full of medieval charm. One place you have to visit is the Basilique Saint-Sauveur. From the outside it might look like just another church but trust us the inside is gorgeous. For the best view in town head to Saint-Catherine tower viewpoint. You'll get an incredible look at the old bridge, the port and the river below. It's seriously stunning and of course we had to try some local pastries so we stopped by Yann de Bretagne and loved the lemon and apple tarts. The berry one was okay but not our fave. They also sell tons of regional products so naturally we grabbed a jar of salted caramel because we cannot resist salted caramel in this family. Grandville is a coastal town in the Manches department. Rennes is the closest major city about 110 kilometers away and it's also just about an hour's drive from Mont Saint-Michel so it's easy to fit into your itinerary. Being a seaside town Grandville is known for its seafood. There's this spot right by the port called Restaurant du Port and we loved it so much we actually went back a year later on our recent trip just to eat there again. Their creamy moules frites, that's mussels with fries, were amazing when they're in season of course. The second time we went they didn't have any mussels available which totally surprised us. We ended up trying other seafood dishes on the menu, not what we were craving but still good and fresh. However our top destination coming up does have moules frites year round and we'll tell you exactly why so keep watching. We've added a great place to see the sunset here in Grandville in the free guide so don't forget to go grab it. If you've added any new places to your travel list so far consider hitting that subscribe button it helps support the channel so we can make more of these types of videos just for you. Below Normandy let's head over to central France about two hours and a half Langeais is a commune in the André de Loire department in central France. The closest city is Tour just 25 kilometers away. Langeais is known for its stunning chateau called Chateau de Langeais. It is a fortress that was rebuilt in 1465 after being heavily damaged during the hundred years war. Be sure to check out the Pont de Langeais, that's the Langeais bridge, right next to the chateau. It crosses the Loire river and connects both sides of the town and the view of the chateau from the bridge is seriously gorgeous. And if you're in the area with a car definitely think about stopping by Chateau de Rochecourt which is a hotel restaurant. It's only about 10 minutes away and 100% worth the detour. We had afternoon tea there and paid 20 euros per person which is an amazing price for such a beautiful place. On this channel we're all about showing you how to have an amazing luxury experience without going over budget. So this is a really good example of what we mean. Next up we're heading to the German influenced region of Alsace. Most people go straight to Strasbourg or Colmar and honestly we get why, they're beautiful. But today we're talking about two villages that not many people are talking about. We're actually talking about three but the third one is one of our top three so we'll save that for later. Both of these villages feel like they're straight out of a fairy tale and they're super close to Colmar, one of the most popular Christmas spots in France. Eggersheim is just 7 kilometers away and Kaisersberg is 12 kilometers. The closest big city is Strasbourg which is actually the capital of Alsace. These towns are famous for their magical Christmas markets with so many lights, decorations and food stalls. If you're planning a holiday trip we highly recommend visiting this area and while you're there make sure to try vin chaud, that's mulled wine. Tarte flambée, kind of like an Alsatian pizza and choucroute, a hearty dish with sauerkraut and meats. They're all local classics and perfect for warming up in the winter. This next one's a bit of a hidden gem in the Savoie region near the Alps. It's called Chana and it's so peaceful and pretty. The closest bigger town is Aix-les-Bains, about 20 kilometers away and Chambéry is not far either, around 30 kilometers. Chana is built around the canal des Savières which links up with the Rhone river. We highly recommend taking a boat ride along the canal, it's such a relaxing way to take it all in. You can also go over the Pont-en-Arc bridge, watch the boats go by and grab a drink at one of the canal side restaurants. We stopped at Le Relais Gourmand and really enjoyed their Kir Savoyards, white wine from Savoie with black currant liqueur. Right in the French Alps Chambéry is actually a small city but the nearest major ones are Lyon and Geneva in Switzerland, both about 100 kilometers away. Some of the main stunning fountain with full-sized elephant statues. If you want to find an easy way to explore the whole town, hop on a little tourist train called Le Petit Train de Chambéry and if you enter museums they've got a museum of fine arts with paintings ranging from the middle ages all the way to the 20th century. Chamonix or Chamonix Mont Blanc is a town in the French Alps in the southeast of France. It's part of the Haut Savoie region, right near the borders with Switzerland and Italy. Most people know it because it sits at the base of Mont Blanc, the tallest mountain in Western Europe. So if you like skiing, hiking or just want to enjoy a town with beautiful mountain views it's a great place to visit. One of the best parts about Chamonix is how well connected it is. If you have a car it's just about an hour to Geneva and around two and a half hours to Lyon. Our favorite thing we did here was have lunch at the pink restaurant Rose du Pont at the Arc river with a view of the mountains and we loved it. In southwest France is only about 40 minute drive from Bordeaux so it's a great option for a wineful day trip if you're staying nearby. The town itself is super peaceful and beautiful with that classic French countryside vibe. We had some amazing cannellies here, they're small pastries that come from Bordeaux. They've got a crispy caramelized outside and a soft custardy center made with rum and vanilla. On our trip we stopped at Chateau Hotel Grand Baril, five minutes away for lunch. It's one of the most beautiful chateaus we've ever seen. The food was spectacular, a little on the pricey side but totally worth it. If you're already in the area we also recommend checking out the beach town of Arcachon. It's known for having the biggest sand dune in Europe, Dine du Pilat. This one's in the Lubron area of Provence. The closest city is Avignon, about 40 kilometers away. When you're in Gordes make sure to stop by the lavender fields near the Abbey Notre-Dame de Sénanque. They're beautiful especially in bloom from mid-June to late August. After all Provence is known for its lavender fields. Then head to the RL Gordes Hotel for a drink with an incredible view of the town. We had a citrusy lavender gin and tonic but you can get whatever you like. If you want an even better spot to see Gordes, check out the town viewpoint. We've added a link in the free guide. Les Baux de Provence, commonly referred to as Les Baux, is a rural commune in the Bouches-du-Rhône department in the Provence Alpes-Côte d'Azur region in southern France and it's only 20 kilometers from the next place we're talking about. Les Baux is a beautiful town. Wander through its streets and check out all the shops selling the town's famous pottery and lavender scented soaps. This area is known for its steep limestone cliffs. We had lunch at a restaurant called Hostellerie de la Reine Jeanne with a table by the window right on the edge of the cliff. The view was incredible and the food was great too. The closest big city is Marseille, about 90 kilometers away. It's famous for its Roman ruins and Van Gogh connections since he lived there in the late 1880s. We highly recommend doing the Van Gogh walk to see all the locations that inspired his paintings and visiting the Roman Abbey Theatre, the Roman Theatre and the Allée Champs, a tree-lined path with sarcophagi on either side leading to the Roman cemetery with a 12th century church. If you're having lunch here, they have many restaurants along Boulevard de Lys and Rue du Président Wilson, so definitely go check out those areas. All the way on the French Riviera, right at the border with Italy, the closest big city is Nice, about 30 kilometers away, known for its lemon trees and pastel buildings. Our tip, park at the top of the hill by the cemetery, take in the views and then walk down to the water. The views on the way down, absolute perfection. This does mean you need to walk back up, but it's totally worth it. There are two more places we love in the French Riviera that are in our top three that we're going to get into right now. In third place we have Riquevert. Riquevert is easily one of the most photographed villages in Alsace, right up there with Strasbourg and Colmar. It's about 15 kilometers from Colmar and around 75 from Strasbourg, so it's a super easy stop if you're in the area. Riquevert during Christmas is magical. If you're planning a holiday trip, definitely add this to your list. Start at the arch by the Musée du Dordert and stroll down to Rue du Général de Gaulle, all the way to the arch at Hotel de Ville. Make sure to walk into all the side streets, there are Christmas market stalls hidden everywhere. You'll also find lots of charming shops selling local wine, cheese and beautiful handcrafted gifts. In second place, we honestly couldn't pick between Aize and Saint Paul de Vence. They're both absolutely stunning, it's tough to compare because when we visited Aize the weather was cloudy and then the sun came out in Saint Paul de Vence, so that kind of gave it an unfair advantage we think. You can't miss Aize, a charming hilltop village 430 meters above sea level between Nice and Monaco with incredible views of the French Riviera coast. Aize is full of little streets with boutiques, highly rated restaurants and cute souvenir stores. They also have a small church looking over the cliff called Église Notre-Dame de l'Assomption de Aize, a memorial to those who lost their lives in Aize during the first world war. A hilltop village, just 20 kilometers from Nice, it's such a pretty place to wander around full of art galleries and cobblestone alleys. If you travel to Saint Paul de Vence, definitely visit Marc Chagall's grave with incredible views of the sea to see all the stones people have left with little messages. For a treat, order a lavender ice cream from Le Glacier de la Fontaine by the fountain. We rated it 10 out of 10, it was so creamy and delicious. And last but not least, our favorite town in France in the region of Normandy. Etretat is a stunning town on the coast of Normandy. The closest biggest city is Le Havre, just about 30 kilometers away and it's roughly a three hour drive from Paris. So if Etretat is on your bucket list, and honestly it should be, the drive from Paris is totally worth it. You can easily see everything in one day. What makes Etretat special are its dramatic cliffs and rock formations, especially the Port d'Aval arch and l'Aiguille, a sharp needle-shaped one rising out of the sea. For the best views, either go to the beach from the top near the Chapelle Notre-Dame de la Gare, you can walk up or hop on a little tourist train, or from the Jardin d'Etretat. The garden is really lovely and worth checking out, though we did think the price was a bit steep, 12 euros 90 for what it was. Just keep that in mind, still we're glad we went. We'll go into more detail about this in an upcoming video, so stay tuned. For lunch we had the most amazing moules frites covered in camembert cheese at this spot called La Courtine. The service was so good and their mussels are imported from different parts of France, so they serve them all year round. But places like Grandville depend on the local catch, that's why we couldn't order any. Thank you for watching, let us know which places you've been to or which ones you've added to your list. Make sure to subscribe before you go and check out all the links in the description, don't forget to go grab your free travel guide. Until next time, safe travels.