Essoyes: a French village that leaves a lasting Impression Champagne village only has 711 residents but holds an important place in the history of art, with Renoir spending summers here with his family
How ceramics saved one of the most beautiful places in France Moustiers draws crowds of tourists every year, who come to experience its Proven莽al charm and see its fa茂ence favoured by French nobility
Why this peaceful medieval village in Corr猫ze makes for a dramatic film location Saint-Robert is one of 鈥楾he Most Beautiful Villages in France鈥� with its fortified church and grand residences
magazine Erbalunga: France鈥檚 hotspot for the earliest summer sunrise Visit this Corsican fishing village in September for an unforgettable experience... just remember to set the alarm
Veules-les-Roses: a floral village home to the shortest river in France This coastal Normandy village is dotted with thatched cottages, watermills and rambling roses
Peillon: a picturesque village perch茅 in the south of France Skip luxury shopping in the C么te d鈥橝zur and travel back in time to this little village teetering on a nearby mountaintop
Plogoff: the 'Land鈥檚 End' of France The residents of this westernmost Breton village won a historic victory against a nuclear power plant
Eguisheim: the French fairytale village that inspired Disney's Beauty and the Beast Explore the enchanting streets and historic charm of this photogenic spot in France's Grand Est region
Plouray: a Brittany village with its own Buddhist centre This small rural village near Lorient has previously played host to Buddhist figures including the Dalai Lama
Photos: have you visited Saint-Antoine-l'Abbaye, France鈥檚 favourite village 2025? This year鈥檚 village pr茅f茅r茅 des Fran莽ais is home to a 1095 Gothic Abbey
Saint-Vaast-la-Hougue: the 'most beautiful harbour in France' This picturesque coastal town, not far from Cherbourg, has a war-trodden history as an ancient English landing site
France's Favourite Village 2025: when and how to tune in We look at the shortlist of 14 villages vying to win the title in today's (July 2) television announcement
Valjouffrey: our French village scores badly for 'quality of life' but we love it Residents are 'happy' to live in this village on the western side of the 脡crins Massif, despite the stats
Illiers-Combray: the village that inspired a famous French writer France鈥檚 iconic writer Marcel Proust spent childhood holidays at his aunt's house in Eure-et-Loir
Cassel: the small, charming village with a long, fascinating history in northern France Discover the medieval history, Flemish influences, and Unesco carnival 'giants' of Cassel, voted France鈥檚 favourite village
The charming French alpine village where goats roam free Les Lindarets in the Haute-Savoie is an idyllic village full of history... and goats
5 tips to be accepted into French village life Foreign newcomers drawn to the country idyl should not remain passive observers
Villagers surprised by soldier invasion during French army exercise Resident: 鈥業 opened my shutters and saw soldiers firing right in front of me鈥�
Billy, Lucy, Alex: Is there a French town or village with your name? You can check on the map below or review the data yourself
PHOTOS: Villages selected for new 鈥榝avourite in France鈥� title The public is invited to vote for their favourite on the shortlist in the 12th annual TV contest
Dordogne villagers raise 鈧�170,000 in days to open petrol station Mayor says the project will help stop people travelling out of town to fill their cars and shop
Two more villages awarded prestigious 鈥榤ost beautiful in France鈥� title The Plus Beaux Villages de France judges carefully consider 32 criteria across heritage, history, architecture and the environment
French village resorts to bizarre way of stopping cars from speeding Forget cameras, squiggly white lines could be the new way of slowing cars
France's geographical heart: where does the country's centre lie? The controversial village at the heart of France
Find Paris鈥檚 secret village hidden in the bustling Marais district Wander around independent shops and tranquil courtyards in the maze-like Village Saint-Paul
Utopian living runs in the family in French village of Fontaine-Daniel We discover how workers鈥� rights and social harmony have been promoted for more than a century at a former cotton mill in the Mayenne village of Fontaine-Daniel
Which village in France has been crowned the country鈥檚 favourite? The winner has an impressive cultural output given its size
Meet Nicolas Sarkozy鈥檚 former communications chief, Thierry Saussez He discusses his brainchild Villes & Villages: o霉 il fait bon vivre, and his business that aims to defeat French pessimism
These are the French villages most searched on Google With spring in full flow and several bank holidays on the horizon, which French villages are the most popular?
Idea to revitalise rural areas in France: the 鈥榮mart village鈥� The trend for 鈥榮mart cities鈥� could be applied to villages to revitalise rural communities
Semur-en-Auxois: visit Burgundy鈥檚 medieval monastic centre Stone walls, towers and sculptures tell the tale of this historic town, if you know where to look
French village warns tourists to expect 'rural noises' The mayor has installed clear notices warning that tourists should "Enter at your own risk"
Remote French village reinvigorated by women farmers and Basque pigs A new generation of dynamic young farmers is moving into Urepel, but the telephone reception is not quite as vigorous
Collonges-la-Rouge: first to be crowned among the Plus Beaux Villages de France This fairytale mountain village gets its name from the intense red bricks made with sand grains of the nearby Massif Central
鈥楪host areas鈥�: The places in France where no one lives There is also a village in France that has only one resident and another just two, a new map shows
Ingenious locals made mobile 鈥榳heelbarrow鈥� benches for French village The benches can be easily moved depending on the sun and people鈥檚 needs - the mayor tells us why he is not worried about theft
MAP: Longest beach, most bakeries - A tour of France by its records We go round the country looking at the hottest and coldest towns, the village with the fewest number of people and the city with the most CCTV cameras
Saint-V茅ran: the quaint alpine village feels 鈥榟ow France used to be鈥� Hikers, astronomers and city-dwellers head to the highest village in France to reconnect with nature
Failing French villages must resist quick wins and plan better future Journalist Samantha David looks at her home village in France and how local authorities need to work together to create a long term vision
Photos: 14 villages vie to be French favourite: which gets your vote? Voting is now open for the competition, which is part of a France 3 series. We take a look at the villages in the running
The 鈥榠deal town of tomorrow鈥� imagined by the French public Independent neighbourhoods, more greenery and better transport links were among the 鈥榤ust haves鈥� identified. The study will inform 2022 presidential election candidate campaigns
Angers and Gu茅thary ranked best town and village to live in France The Loire Valley town and Basque Country village have taken the top spot this year, in a ranking that considers 187 criteria across nine categories of local infrastructure and facilities
French hamlet unites with shared cow and a milking rota Villagers have bought a cow to provide fresh milk 鈥� and a milking rota is proving an ideal way to bring neighbours together
The French village whose pocket knives are a cut above The plateau-perched village of Laguiole in the south of France is where knives and cheese keeps its small economy booming
Billboards: Are these the four 'ugliest' towns or villages in France? Environmental association awards 鈥榩rizes鈥� for second year running, to raise awareness of an 鈥渋nvasion鈥� of advertising signs sprawled across France鈥檚 towns and villages
Why are France鈥檚 new identity cards translated into English? The decision to include English as well as French on the new cards prompted controversy, with a member of the Acad茅mie fran莽aise calling it 鈥榠nsulting鈥�
Sancerre: Locals raise a glass to France鈥檚 newest 鈥楩avourite Village鈥� Hilltop commune surrounded by vineyards in central France gets TV viewers鈥� vote
This bijou French village perches majestically between rock and river La Roque-Gageac in Dordogne is a micro-village with a micro-climate, holding traces of human habitation dating back to 25-35,000 BC
French village鈥檚 action to stop Waze sending cars onto its rural roads Villagers take action after sat-nav system guides thousand of drivers through country roads to avoid congestion on nearby busy autoroute
Dordogne: Mars rocks and craters named after French villages NASA鈥檚 Curiosity rover recently discovered a link between the red planet and the department in southwest France
Cast your vote to decide France's Favourite Village 2021 As popular France 3 TV show returns to our screens, see which village is carrying the flag for your region
Must I inform the mairie when I buy a home in France? We explain whether registering at the mairie is a legal obligation, or just a good idea, when you move into a new commune in France
France鈥檚 favourite village boasts old-style houses Hunspach in Alsace has been voted France鈥檚 favourite village for 2020.
France鈥檚 favourite village: Which will win tomorrow's vote? Fourteen villages will tomorrow compete for the crown of "France's favourite village", in the annual competition and TV show to celebrate French heritage.
France鈥檚 first Alzheimer's village opens after Covid delay Specially created village is based on models from the Netherlands
France鈥檚 first 鈥楢lzheimer village鈥� mirrors local life France鈥檚 first Alzheimer鈥檚 village is set to welcome its first residents at the end of this month.
Villagers in France banned from being ill A dozen small-town mayors have highlighted the lack of rural doctors by signing a symbolic decree making it illegal for local residents to fall ill or die.
First 24 French 'rural caf茅' villages are chosen The first 24 villages have been selected to receive funding and help to open a caf茅 under a scheme to fund 1,000 of them in rural areas.
MPs plan to protect France's rural noises and smells Bill to be heard this week would make rural sounds and aromas part of the 'sensory heritage of the countryside'
2-year study reveals the best place to live in France Survey studied official data on education, shops and services, health, sports and leisure, solidarity, quality of life, and transport to come up with 'definitive' ranking of nearly 35,000 villages, towns and cities
French village is a real-life Advent calendar Each year a tiny village turns itself into a real-life Advent calendar, with residents opening their doors on a different evening from December 1 to 24 to welcome visitors with drinks and snacks.
French local history 鈥� October 2019 The last earthly remains of villages that died for France - The Connexion recounts the history of nine Meuse villages that were destroyed in the First World War, but live on in French memory
French village split as mayor sparks woodpile battle A village is split over its mayor鈥檚 determination to remove a woodpile from the front of a house.
The French village where everyone is maire Vandoncourt has been called 鈥渢he village with 600 mayors鈥�... only now there are more like 800 of them.
'Give French countryside sounds protected status' Mayor calls on MPs to make sounds of the French countryside to be listed as part of the country's 'national heritage'
Life in slow lane catches on... a town at a time Sleepy villages abound in France, as anyone who has travelled off the motorways in summer will tell you.
French steak knife village Laguiole wins right to name Laguiole, the French village famous for its steak knives of the same name, has been granted the right to ban companies that are using the name - but are actually located elsewhere - from doing so.
French village鈥檚 surprise 鈧�4.5m A villager left 鈧�4.5million as a surprise gift to her commune 鈥� four times its annual budget 鈥� in her will.
Row over how loud bells toll Village faces five-figure bill if court rules church bells are ringing too loud
Pesticide ban and 鈥榥ew鈥� ways to beat weeds After farmers using the common pesticide metam sodium had difficulty breathing, it was banned in France until February for tests. Similar fears on other pesticides prompted a national ban on councils using chemicals in parks and, as Brian McCulloch finds, encouraged other ways of working
Secret history of buildings - December 2018 In the latest of her explorations of small French villages with secret histories, Jane Hanks visits Peyrusse-le-Roc in Aveyron
Secret history of buildings - September 2018 Mont St Michel has always attracted visitors, from pilgrims to today鈥檚 tourists. Jane Hanks traces its buildings鈥� evolution
Cinema truck takes films on the road to rural communes Having a local cinema is not something that many small communes can afford or support but in Centre-Val de Loire a touring cinema is bringing the latest titles to a circuit of 46 rural areas.
French eco-villages find way to combat depopulation Imagination, commitment and hard work can help rebuild rural life as these three villages in Dordogne and Limousin show
