The Most Highly Acclaimed and Iconic Villages from France's Official List of Beautiful Small Towns

A Regional Categorization France’s official association Les Plus Beaux Villages de France recognizes 184 villagesas of 2026, each with fewer than 2,000 inhabitants and at least two protectedheritage sites. Villages are rigorously evaluated on 32 criteria covering heritage, architecture,environment, and urban planning, with reassessment every six years. Occitanie leads with 51 labeled villages (28% of total), followed by NouvelleAquitaine (35) and Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes (26).Iconic villages include Saint-Cirq-Lapopie (Lot), Gordes (Vaucluse), Conques(Aveyron), Les Baux-de-Provence (Bouches-du-Rhône), and Sainte-Suzanne (Mayenne). Each region’s villages reflect diverse historical, architectural, and cultural heritage,from medieval fortresses to Renaissance châteaux and religious sites.