French lakeside and river towns off the beaten path.
Less-touristed lakeside and river towns in France, for travelers seeking fewer crowds but all the beauty.
Montignac-Lascaux
Lascaux Cave, one of the world's most celebrated prehistoric painted caves, sits just outside this tiny village on the Vézère river in the Dordogne, making M…
Abondance
Abondance, a tiny Alpine village in Haute-Savoie just south of Lake Geneva, lends its name to both a regional cheese and the breed of cattle whose milk produ…
Aire-sur-la-Lys
A fortified town on the River Lys in northern France's Pas-de-Calais, Aire-sur-la-Lys has a photogenic centre with cafés and restaurants along the waterfront…
Saint-Claude
Small mountain town in eastern France's Jura department, Saint-Claude sits on the river Bienne amid highland terrain with scenic viewpoints in the surroundin…
Cauterets
This spa town and ski resort in the French Pyrenees, Cauterets sits along the Gave de Pau river within the Pyrénées National Park, surrounded by mountain sce…
Donzy
A compact Burgundian village of terracotta rooftops and stone-built streets, dominated by a tall Gothic church tower, with a river meadow landscape spreading…
Moulins
This heritage-dense town on the river Allier in central France, Moulins is the historic capital of the Bourbonnais province and holds a walkable centre with…
Terrasson-Lavilledieu
This small town on the Vézère river in the Dordogne, Terrasson-Lavilledieu is known for its Jardins de l'Imaginaire, a medieval-origin market trading in truf…
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…
Niort
Walkable town in western France's Deux-Sèvres department, Niort sits on the Sèvre Niortaise river and serves as the eastern gateway to the Marais Poitevin re…
Saint-Amand-les-Eaux
A walkable town on the river Scarpe in northern France's Nord department, Saint-Amand-les-Eaux has a centre with a real café and restaurant scene and sits on…
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…
Quimper
Quimper faience — white glazed pottery with colourful painted designs — is the signature craft of this Breton town, the prefecture of Finistère in northweste…
Pesmes
This village on the banks of the Ognon river in Haute-Saône holds membership in Les Plus Beaux Villages de France and carries a dense concentration of listed…
Foix
The castle of the Counts of Foix, classified as a historic monument since 1840, rises on a rock above this modest medieval town at the foot of the Pyrenees i…
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…
Figeac
Tiny town on the Célé river in France's Lot department, Figeac draws summer visitors in numbers that have earned it the "Grand Site d'Occitanie" label, along…
Sainte-Enimie
This photogenic village in the Gorges du Tarn in southern France's Lozère, Sainte-Enimie sits directly on the river and holds membership in Les Plus Beaux Vi…
Gérardmer
Sitting directly on its own lake in the Vosges mountains of northeastern France, Gérardmer is a compact town with a café and restaurant scene that would suit…
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…
La Roque-Gageac
Sitting directly on the Dordogne river in southwestern France, this tiny village carries membership in Les Plus Beaux Villages de France and a strong reputat…
Decize
This stone arched bridge crosses a wide river into this compact Burgundian town, where a Romanesque church tower and slate-roofed buildings rise above a live…
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…
Montauban
Founded in 1144 by the Count of Toulouse, Montauban is a reddish-brick town on the Tarn river in southern France, known as the birthplace of the 19th-century…
Campan
This mountain village in the French Pyrenees, Campan sits within the Pyrénées National Park on terrain drained by the Adour river and several tributaries.
Montargis
Laced with canals and bridges along the Loing and several other waterways, Montargis is a walkable town in the Loiret that markets itself as the "Venice of t…
Josselin
A multi-turreted medieval castle rises directly from the riverbank in this tiny Breton village, its grey stone towers reflected in the calm water below, with…
Meyrueis
A compact mountain village in southern Lozère where the Jonte river runs through the centre, Meyrueis sits within the Cévennes and is flanked by the gorges o…
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…
Le Puy-en-Velay
One of the principal starting points for the pilgrimage route to Santiago de Compostela, Le Puy-en-Velay is a heritage-dense town in south-central France's A…
Saint-Pons-de-Thomières
Sitting beside the river Jaur in southern France's Hérault department, Saint-Pons-de-Thomières is a small cathedral village and the capital of the Haut-Langu…
Lamanère
The southernmost hamlet in continental France, Lamanère sits in the Pyrénées-Orientales amid mountain terrain drained by several small rivers and streams.
Morlaix
Walkable Breton town in Finistère whose centre sits at the confluence of two rivers, Morlaix is defined by its 19th-century viaduct rising through the heart…
Tende
Mountain village in the Alpes-Maritimes with an unusual number of churches for its size, Tende sits alongside a river in high alpine terrain near the French-…
Soissons
One of France's most ancient towns, Soissons sits on the river Aisne in the Hauts-de-France region, with a walkable centre full of cafés and a strong archite…
Bagnères-de-Bigorre
Spa town in the foothills of the French Pyrenees, Bagnères-de-Bigorre sits in the valley of the Adour river and offers a café and restaurant scene that holds…
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…
Château-Verdun
A hamlet in the upper Ariège valley of southwestern France, Château-Verdun sits beside the Aston river in mountain country and holds a nationally listed monu…
Châteaudun
A heritage-dense town on the Loir river in Eure-et-Loir, Châteaudun has a compact centre with a strong concentration of listed buildings — among them a 1938…
Saint-Alban-de-Montbel
A pocket-sized French hamlet in Savoie where low-rise houses with dark-roofed chalets cluster at the edge of a calm green lake, backed by dramatic limestone…
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…
Romorantin-Lanthenay
A compact French town where a flower-lined weir and stone arched bridge span a calm river, with a church steeple and cream-rendered townhouses forming the ba…
Marvejols
This little town in the Lozère department of southern France, Marvejols sits on the Colagne river in mountain terrain and served as a royal town and capital…
Esterre
A small hamlet in the Hautes-Pyrénées, Esterre sits alongside the Bastan river within the Pyrénées National Park, surrounded by mountain scenery and scenic v…
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…
Castelnaudary
Castelnaudary, a small town in the Aude department of southern France's Occitanie region, claims to be the world capital of cassoulet and is a major producer…
Saint-Beauzély
This village in Aveyron's Grands Causses regional nature park, Saint-Beauzély sits on the right bank of the Muze river on the southern slopes of the Lévézou…
Ligny-en-Barrois
This pocket-sized town in the Meuse département of northeastern France, Ligny-en-Barrois sits alongside the Rhine-Marne canal and carries a "Village étape" d…
Cluses
Sitting on the Arve river in the Alps of Haute-Savoie, Cluses is a town with a walkable centre, a café scene, and steep mountain slopes rising on either side.
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…
Angles-sur-lAnglin
This small village on the Anglin river in the Vienne département, Angles-sur-l'Anglin is a member of Les Plus Beaux Villages de France and carries a strong p…
Dinan
A walled Breton town in the Côtes-d'Armor department of northwestern France, Dinan sits on a hill above the Rance river, its medieval ramparts and château fo…
Mende
Mende is the little prefecture of France's Lozère department in Occitania, set along the River Lot amid mountain terrain and offering a café and restaurant s…
Lillers
This small town in Pas-de-Calais where the river Clarence runs through the centre, Lillers has a compact core with cafés and restaurants and four listed hist…
Yvoire
A medieval village on the shore of Lake Geneva in Haute-Savoie, Yvoire holds a strong visual appeal — its flower-filled streets have earned it a place among…
Mirepoix
A heritage-dense tiny town in the Ariège department of southwestern France, Mirepoix sits on the River Hers-Vif with a café and restaurant scene that punches…