villages isolated from everything, far from big cities and major axes are thought to be accessible only by car. And yet ! Among the 159 municipalities that have been certified “most beautiful villages of France”, a few have the advantage of being easily reached by train or bus, city or county. What allow passengers not carried to discover all that makes the charm of these villages is not like the others : a unit for architectural, historic monuments classified as heritage sites and remarkable, according to the criteria of the association, which awards the label.
walled City in the heart of the Pyrenees, in the medieval village along the Dordogne, a former fishing hamlet near Saint-Malo… so Many places to discover this summer by train, thanks to the offer “TER in France,” established by the regions to promote sustainable tourism. Offered to subscribers of the TER to the year and to young people aged 12 to 25 years, this offer allows you to use the regional trains unlimited on the whole territory in July and August.
Le Figaro has selected twelve villages labelled “plus beaux villages de France” where you can go by train or by bus (see our map).
read also : From France: the madness of the villages !Belvès (Dordogne)in Belvès (“beautiful view” in occitan), offers a panorama on the horizon of the black Perigord. WEBLODY – stock.adobe.com
Besieged during the Hundred years War and the wars of religion, the “city of the seven spires” custody of the remains miraculously preserved. Among them, cave dwellings, underground inhabited as early as the Thirteenth century a wooden hall 500-year-old and the mansions of Renaissance style. The gates of the city, the forest of Bessède is an ideal playground for hikers and mountain-Bikers who want to venture out in the black Perigord.
Access : train station of Belvès, at 1: 15 of Agen and Périgueux.
read also : The Périgord as it is the ignoreEguisheim (Haut-Rhin)Colmar, 10 km from Colmar, is a step in the road of wines of Alsace. OT Eguisheim
colorful Houses, cobblestone streets, facades of half-timbered houses and the pointed roof… Eguisheim corresponds to the idea that we have of an alsatian village. If its Christmas market is particularly popular with tourists, this is the year that we visit the village, located on the road of wines of Alsace, a few kilometers south of Colmar. Wrapped in concentric circles around its castle, Eguisheim was elected “village favorite of the French” in 2013 in the issuance of France 2, presented by Stéphane Bern.
Access : train station in Colmar, then bus 208 (20 minutes). The journey is feasible to bike through a trail that was constructed through the vineyards (8 km, 30 minutes). Bike rental in the train station of Colmar at the agency Colmar Bike-Vélodocteurs.
La Roche-Guyon (Val d’oise), The castle of La Roche-Guyon is backed by a chalk cliff typical of the regional natural Park of Vexin. PackShot – stock.adobe.com
Single “more beautiful village of France” in the paris region, La Roche-Guyon is located on a meander of the Seine, at the gates of Normandy and the regional natural Park of Vexin. Not far from the gardens of Giverny and the Fondation Claude Monet, it is distinguished by its medieval castle backed by a cliff of white chalk. Today property of the la Rochefoucauld family, the building was frequented by the kings of France, and the philosophers of the Enlightenment. Below, the garden of 3.5 hectares, restored in 2004, takes over the plans of the original dating back to the Eighteenth century.
Access : railway station of Mantes-la-Jolie (Transilien J and N), then bus 95-11 ; or walk an hour on the GR2 from the train station of Bonnières-sur-Seine-france (Transilien J).
read also : Tour de France to the edge of the most beautiful tourist trains of our régionsLes-Baux-de-Provence (Bouches-du-Rhône)The ruined castle and the Carrières de Lumières in the heart of les Baux-de-Provence. LR Photographies – stock.adobe.com
Built on a rocky spur, the village of les Baux-de-Provence dominates the regional natural Park of the Alpilles and its landscape of limestone, vineyards and olive groves. The Carrières de Lumières are, in addition to the medieval castle in ruins, a place of must visit. This space digital exhibition immersive, housed in a veritable cathedral of stone, puts Dalí and Gaudí in the spotlight this year.
Access : railway station of Arles or Avignon-City, then bus 57 (40 minutes to 1 hour), from may to September. A package TER + taxi easy to reach les Baux-De-Provence by van leaving from the gare d’arles (July to November).
Montsoreau (Maine-et-Loire)château de Montsoreau, 15 km from Saumur, is located at the confluence of the Loire and the Vienne. JS. Evrard
Alexandre Dumas has made it the place of action of his novel The Lady of Monsoreau. Subsequently, a number of film adaptations of the Three Musketeers have been turned. Welcome to Montsoreau, a medieval village located 15 km from Saumur. Its castle of the Fifteenth century, which houses a museum of contemporary art, overlooking the confluence of the Loire and the Vienne. Another site to explore : the mushroom of the Saut-aux-Loups, a set of cave dwellings that has been used since a century in the cultivation of mushrooms. After a walk through the streets full of Montsoreau along the Loire river about 2 km to the nearby town of Candes-Saint-Martin (Indre-et-Loire), also labelled the “most beautiful villages of France”.
Access : railway station of Saumur, and then bus line 1 or line summer (20 minutes).
read also : “Vélodyssée”, Vélocéan, Loire by Bike… Six ideas for routes to bicycle in the Country of the LoireMornac-sur-Seudre (Charente-Maritime), a Village of farmers, Mornac-sur-Seudre is located twenty kilometers from the Atlantic coast. Destination Royan Atlantique – T. AVAN
It is aboard a tourist train with vapor that one gets to Mornac-sur-Seudre. 10 km north of Royan and a twenty on the Atlantic coast, the village of oyster in the estuary of the Seudre is also classified as a “Village of stone and water”. A 5 km loop, the “Cut pedestrian”, allows hikers to discover all the charm of the village : its romanesque church, its halls medieval and its colourful huts at the water’s edge.
Access : TER station Saujon, 7 minutes of Royan, then Train Seagulls up to Mornac-sur-Seudre (30 minutes).
read also : architectural Journey back in time to RoyanPérouges (Ain)Meximieux is located 30 minutes by TER from Lyon. Pierre-Jean DURIEU – stock.adobe.com
Protected by an enclosure of ramparts and built on the summit of a hill, Meximieux seems to be frozen in the Fifteenth century. Located thirty kilometres north-east of Lyon, the ancient city of weavers almost fell into ruins during the industrialization of weaving looms. To discover the history of the village, attached alternately to the Dauphiné and the Savoie, in the direction of the Museum of the Old-Meximieux, housed in a former residence of the counts of Savoy. Specialty to eat on the spot : the galette de pérouges, a sugar pie scented with lemon.
Access : railway station of Perugia-Meximieux, 30 minutes TER to Lyon.
Saint-Jean-Pied-de-Port (Pyrenees-Atlantiques), Saint-Jean-Pied-de-Port is an essential stop for pilgrims walking on the paths of santiago de Compostela. RODOLPHE ESCHER / The Figaro Magazine
Linked to the Atlantic coast by the TER, Saint-Jean-Pied-de-Port is a vital step on the paths of Saint-Jacques-de-Compostelle. The basque town has received the label “most beautiful village of France” recently, in 2016. It owes its name to its situation at the foot of the pass of Roncesvalles, the pass is nicknamed the “port” in the Pyrenees. Founded in the Twelfth century, Saint-Jean-Pied-de-Port, also called “Donibane Garazi” in basque, was part of the kingdom of Navarre. The church of Notre-Dame-du-Bout-du-Pont, second gothic building in the basque Country, and the citadel, redesigned by Vauban, are part of the must-sees of the village.
Access : railway station of Saint-Jean-Pied-de-Port, 1 hour away by TER Bayonne.
Saint-Suliac (Ille-et-Vilaine)Saint-Suliac is located in 20 minutes by bus from Saint-Malo. LAMBART Norbert – Brittany
ten kilometres south of Saint-Malo, Saint-Suliac, which occupies the banks of the estuary of the Rance. The fishing nets are deployed on the facades of the houses recall the past of this former fishing village, founded in the sixth century, today inhabited by 900 souls. After a walk in the “ruettes”, in the direction of the summit of Mont Gareau to enjoy a panoramic view on the Rance. Away from the centre of the village, visitors will fall on to the “Dent de Gargantua,” a menhir of quartz white dating back to the neolithic period.
Access : railway station of Saint-Malo, then bus 12 (20 minutes).
read also : 48 hours in Saint-Malo, for the charm and sweetness of the sea air outside saisonTurenne (Corrèze)
Not far from the valley of the Dordogne which alone has five villages labelled “plus beaux villages de France,” Turenne has the advantage of being served by the TER of the line in Brive-la-Gaillarde – Rodez. Recognizable to her dungeon of limestone and its slate roofs, the village was until the Eighteenth century, a powerful viscount, a sort of state within a State. Turenne is the starting point of the GR480, a hiking trail that passes through several villages with the exception of the Corrèze.
Access : railway station of Turenne, a 30-minute TER Brive-la-Gaillarde.
read also : Michelin Green Guide 2020 coronation the castle of CommarqueVillefranche-de-Conflent (Pyrénées-Orientales)Villefranche-de-Conflent is the starting point of the “yellow Train” that crosses the Catalan Pyrenees 30 km/h. JCMILHET-OTCC
Located in the chain of the Pyrenees, Villefranche-de-Conflent, in addition to being the “most beautiful village of France”, is inscribed in the world heritage of Unesco the title of the fortifications of Vauban. In addition to its walls, we must not forget to visit fort Liberia and the caves of the Great small channels, known as the “Versailles underground”. The village is the starting point of the “yellow Train”, a tourist line that travels through the Catalan Pyrenees and 63 km up to Latour-de-Carol on the Spanish border.
Access : train station of Villefranche – Vernet-les-Bains, 1hr TER of Perpignan.
read also : Canfranc, the rebirth of a train station ghost at the heart of the PyrénéesYvoire (Haute-Savoie)to The medieval village of Yvoire is situated between Geneva and Evian-les-Bains. JEAN-PIERRE CLATOT / AFP
Its stone houses are reflected in the clear waters of lake Geneva. Founded in 1306, Yvoire retains the traces of a military past important, as evidenced by its ramparts and fortified gates. Main place of visit : the Garden of the five senses. The labyrinth is divided into four parts, evoking the sight, touch, taste and smell, hearing, being represented by the noise of the water and the birds singing.
Access : railway station of Thonon-les-Bains, then bus 152 (20 minutes). Yvoire is also served by the company river CGN all year round to Nyon (20 minutes) and season to travel from Geneva (1 hour 20 minutes) and Lausanne (1h50).
The editorial team conseilleDe Penta-di-Casinca in Zonza, the ten most beautiful villages of CorseVacances summer: the rural departments in the starting blocksÉchappée in provence, the Baronnies to the villages perchésSujetsvoyagevacances in Francevacances summer 2020TourismeAucun comment
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