French wine country off the beaten path.
Less-touristed wine towns in France, for travelers seeking fewer crowds but all the beauty.
Bastia
Corsica's principal port and commercial hub, Bastia sits at the base of Cap Corse on the island's northeast coast, where a walkable harbour front, small fort…
Cremieu
A little medieval town in Isère, southeastern France, Crémieu has preserved its historic centre largely intact and hosts an annual September festival, Les Mé…
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…
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…
Béziers
Every August, the Feria de Béziers draws around a million visitors to this southern French wine town for five days of bullfighting — one of the largest event…
Collioure
A Mediterranean fishing village on the French Catalan coast where the last ridges of the Pyrenees meet the sea, Collioure has long drawn artists to its water…
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…
Banyuls-sur-Mer
Banyuls-sur-Mer gives its name to the surrounding wine region and sits on a bay at the southern end of France's Mediterranean coast, making it the country's…
Mirecourt
Mirecourt, a tiny town in the Vosges department of northeastern France, has long been known for two distinct crafts: lace-making and the manufacture of strin…
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…
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…
Ménerbes
This walled hilltop village in the Luberon mountains of Provence, Ménerbes holds membership in the Les Plus Beaux Villages de France association and sits in…
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…
Beaune
Widely regarded as the wine capital of Burgundy, Beaune is a walled town in eastern France whose historic centre holds the cellars and facilities of wine pro…
Sartène
A small sub-prefecture in southern Corsica's Corse-du-Sud department, Sartène is an inland granite town with valley views and a café and restaurant scene str…
Rodes
This compact stone village in southern France's Pyrénées-Orientales, where red-tile rooftops and a brick clock tower rise toward dramatic rocky outcrops topp…
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…
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…
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…
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…
Salins-les-Bains
Salt has shaped Salins-les-Bains since the fifth millennium BC, and the town's historic saltworks — added to the UNESCO World Heritage List in 2009 as an ext…
Saintes
Sitting on the Charente river in western France, Saintes carries one of the region's most substantial Gallo-Roman, medieval, and classical heritage records —…
Aiguèze
Sitting on the Ardèche river in southern France's Gard department, this modest village has been a member of Les Plus Beaux Villages de France since 2005 — th…
Saint-Florent
A former fishing port on the Gulf of Saint-Florent in Haute-Corse, this small Corsican village now fills its harbour with pleasure boats and its waterfront w…
Saint-Cirq-Lapopie
Clinging to a steep cliff above the Lot river in south-western France, this small Quercy village draws visitors with dramatic viewpoints, a strong café and r…
Ornans
Birthplace of the painter Gustave Courbet, this little town in the Doubs department sits along the Loue river in the Jura massif, its house facades rising di…
Dreux
A town in Eure-et-Loir drained by the Avre and Blaise rivers, Dreux has a compact centre with cafés, restaurants, and several historic churches, including th…
Saint-Etienne-de-Baigorry
This little Basque village in the Pyrénées-Atlantiques sitting on the Nive des Aldudes river, Saint-Étienne-de-Baïgorry is the main gateway to the Aldudes va…
La Romieu
A member of Les Plus Beaux Villages de France, this small Gers village in southwestern France is anchored by the 14th-century Collégiale Saint-Pierre, whose…
Champagnole
This small town in the Jura department of eastern France, Champagnole sits on the right bank of the Ain river at the heart of the Jura massif's second platea…
Fayence
This hilltop village in the Var department of Provence, Fayence sits above the plain between the southern Alps and the Esterel massif, with cafés and restaur…
Tournus
This compact Burgundian town on the Saône river with a café and restaurant scene that is well stocked for its size, Tournus sits in the heart of Bourgogne-Fr…
Cerdon
This little village in the Ain department of eastern France is known for two things: its pink sparkling wine and a copper factory — once the only one of its…
Viviers
This modest town on the Rhône in southern France's Ardèche, Viviers was once the capital of the historic Vivarais province — a name it gave to the entire reg…
Gruissan
A little Mediterranean coastal town in the Aude, southeast of Narbonne, Gruissan sits within the Narbonnaise en Méditerranée regional nature park alongside l…
Charcenne
A small hamlet in eastern France's Haute-Saône, Charcenne sits alongside the Colombine stream at the foot of the Monts de Gy, with mountain views and wine-co…
Château-Chalon
Vin jaune — the prized yellow wine of the Jura — reaches its most celebrated expression in Château-Chalon, a little cliff-top village in eastern France whose…
Jonzac
A spa town in the Charente-Maritime since 1986, Jonzac sits on the Seugne river in the heart of Cognac wine country, with a café and restaurant scene that pu…
Talmont-sur-Gironde
Founded in 1284 by Edward I of England, Duke of Aquitaine, this tiny hamlet on a promontory above the Gironde estuary in Charente-Maritime holds the 12th-cen…
Noyers
Well-preserved medieval village on the river Serein in Burgundy's Yonne department, Noyers-sur-Serein is a member of Les Plus Beaux Villages de France, with…
Saint-Martin-de-Re
This waterfront village on the Île de Ré, off the Charente-Maritime coast near La Rochelle, Saint-Martin-de-Ré is home to Vauban's 17th-century fortification…
Apt
This small Provençal town on the Calavon river in the Luberon mountains of Vaucluse, Apt has a café and restaurant scene that would suit a town twice its siz…
Lourmarin
This Provençal village in the Vaucluse holds membership in Les Plus Beaux Villages de France and pairs a café and restaurant scene unusually dense for its si…
Die
Clairette de Die, a sparkling wine produced in the surrounding Diois region, is the calling card of this little subprefecture in southeastern France's Drôme…
Clemensat
A tiny French hamlet of dark volcanic-stone buildings set against rolling green upland pastures, Clémensat offers a genuine taste of rural Auvergne close to…
Les Vans
A tiny village in the Ardèche with an unusually lively café and restaurant scene for its size, Les Vans sits on the water in the Cévennes area of southern Fr…
Tournon-sur-Rhône
Small Rhône-side town in the Ardèche, Tournon-sur-Rhône sits in deep wine country north of Valence with a café and restaurant scene that punches above its size.
Voiron
A gateway town to the Chartreuse Mountains in southeastern France, Voiron sits at the foot of the range with a walkable centre full of cafés and restaurants,…
Ispoure
A small Basque village in the Pyrénées-Atlantiques, Ispoure sits in mountain terrain in the former province of Lower Navarre, with scenic viewpoints in the s…
Elne
Once the first capital of the historical province of Roussillon before Perpignan took that role, Elne is a small town in southern France's Pyrénées-Orientale…
Leucate
A small Mediterranean coastal town in the Aude, Leucate sits between the sea and the Étang de Leucate lagoon, with a café and restaurant scene that punches a…
Céret
Known for its modern art museum, cherry harvests, and bullfighting tradition, Céret is a tiny Catalan town in southern France's Pyrénées-Orientales, sitting…
Port-Lesney
A small village on the banks of the Loue river in the Jura, Port-Lesney draws visitors with a five-star château hotel, a Michelin-starred restaurant, and a r…
Lavardens
This modest village in the Gers department of southwestern France, Lavardens holds membership in the Les Plus Beaux Villages de France association and sits i…
Cerbère
Pocket-sized French village where the Pyrenees meet the Mediterranean, Cerbère sits at the southernmost seaside point of mainland France and serves as a key…
Argenton-sur-Creuse
A modest town in the Indre department of central France, Argenton-sur-Creuse sits along the Creuse river with a café and restaurant scene in its compact cent…