The Most Beautiful Villages of France

In this fully updated new edition, discover the 159 most picturesque French villages, with a dozen walking itineraries ranging from 45-minute strolls to extended pilgrimages.

From the medieval fortress of Montrésor in the Loire to the hilltop village of Gordes in the Luberon, this illustrated guide unveils the beauty of rural France, providing complete visitor's information for these exceptionally preserved destinations.

A brief history of each village is accompanied by recommendations for sightseeing, accommodation options ranging from hotels to campsites, plus restaurants, markets, artisanal produce, and local specialties. Suggested leisure activities encompass festivals, events, and excursions to explore the region on foot, by canoe, or on horseback. An eight-page supplement in this revised edition features walking itineraries through and around the picturesque villages: traverse charming medieval Saint-Amand-de-Coly in under an hour, spend a long weekend in the Land of a Thousand Lakes, or embark on a leg of the Santiago de Compostela pilgrimage--there are options for every ability level.Les Plus Beaux Villages de France, founded in 1982, is to protect and promote the heritage of villages rigorously selected for their patrimonial wealth and architectural quality. It has also pioneered an international federation of The Most Beautiful Villages in the World, which is committed to sustainable development and the preservation of historical and cultural heritage in Belgium, Quebec, Italy, and Japan.