Les Plus Beaux Villages de France is an organization that brings together 151 villages throughout France. The whole idea started out as a book by Charles Ceyrac, who at the time was Mayor of Collonges-la-Rouge. He wanted to bring together a list of villages that were neglected or ignored. However, his goal was very specific in that he wanted to restore and preserve the patrimony to the villages. He didn’t want to turn them into touristy, soulless locations.
The list, whose website is available in French or English, contains 151 locales. The site is very comprehensive: regions are broken up into departments and each site has a contact number or website so you can find out more information. Tourist websites in France are pretty hit or miss, so I was pleasantly surprised how much this one provided. I would have liked to have seen more photos of the villages, especially since the descriptions of them are limited to a couple of sentences. You can obviously find out more about each individual village by doing a quick Google search. It would have really made this site complete if they provided more substantial information.
I looked at the two regions that I’m most familiar with and was surprised that I had never even heard of the places they had listed. In Burgundy, they suggested Semur-en-Brionnais, a small hamlet, listed for its château and Roman church. For Poitou-Charentes, Angles-sur-l’Anglin was listed for its artisan reputation, specifically its lace embroidery, handmade for the last 150 years.
So how are villages chosen to be on the list? They have to meet a number of strict criteria, such as having less than 2,000 inhabitants and at least two historical registered or listed sites. The rigorous selection process enables the organization to influence how villages are marketed to tourists. Although being on the list obviously helps villages bring in visitors, inclusion on the list requires municipal councils to promote the village in local development. This ensures that the acclaim of being part of the list benefits the department as a whole.
Visiting the whole list, or at least a good portion, is a great idea to plan your way around France. The villages are scattered all over the country and vary greatly in terms of what has put them on the list, ensuring that you don’t just end up visiting 151 picturesque Provincial villages.