These animals can cause excruciating pain and even kill you!
Founded on the remains of a 15th-century castle, Fourcès is a typical bastide—a fortified village noted for its round central 'square,' where the houses are built in a circle to allow a proper defense. Fourcès is an utterly charming destination distinguished by its half-timbered medieval houses, many of them built over arcades.
Vestiges of Saint-Tropez's distant past as a sleepy fishing village can still be admired due to the fact that its 17th-century architectural heritage has been protected. Its historic hub is a maze of narrow streets and small squares bathed in terracotta hues. In the 19th and 20th centuries, a wave of artists, painters, writers, and filmmakers settled in Saint-Tropez to lend the destination a creative bohemian atmosphere. Today, this Mediterranean jewel set in the heart of the French Riviera welcomes a jet-setting celebrity crowd from all over the world.
Perched on the slopes of Monts de Vaucluse, Gordes is a typical Provençal hilltop village. It's only an hour from Avignon, and has long served as an artist's community: Marc Chagall (1887–1985) was a frequent visitor.
Set on the Sorge river and built along a series of canals, L'Isle sur la Sorgue is famous for its near 300 antique shops that attract art collectors from all over France. The town hosts antique markets on most Sundays.
Crowned by the landmark 12th-century Vézelay Abbey, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, the picturesque hill town of Vézelay is surrounded by vineyards and is a blaze of color in spring when fields of glowing sunflowers enhance the approach to this historic town.
Troyes is situated within the renowned Champagne wine region. The town's historic center is lined with half-timbered properties, most of which date back to the 16th century.
This attractive alpine-fresh town is a pleasure to visit any time of the year, but of course in winter it positively buzzes as one of the country's top ski resorts, with its proximity to Mont Blanc making it a world-class winter destination. Incidentally, Chamonix was the site of the first Winter Olympics in 1924.
Picture-perfect Colmar is a visual treat and arguably the prettiest town in France. The capital of the Alsace wine region, Colmar is renowned for its colorful and well-preserved old town, an area that is crossed by canals of the Lauch river.
Roussillon is noted for the nearby ochre deposits found in the clay surrounding the village, which helped put this magical destination on the map. The mining of yellow, orange, or brown ochres for the textile industry thrived throughout the 18th and 19th centuries. One of the former ochre quarries at Roussillon can be visited via the Sentier des Ocres ("Ochre Path"), a walk of either 30 or 60 minutes through the now disused workings.
Set within sight of Lake Geneva, the lovely little town of Yvoire is noted for its collection of medieval buildings and vivid summer floral displays, best appreciated in the enchanting Jardin des Cinq Sens ("Garden of Five Senses").
Stunning Saint-Émilion sits in France's celebrated Bordeaux wine region. Saint-Émilion's medieval splendor is acknowledged by UNESCO as a World Heritage Site due to the region's exceptional landscape and the town's beautifully-preserved historic monuments.
Located on the French Riviera, Villefranche-sur-Mer is a quiet fishing village that serves as a blissful retreat from not-too-far-away Nice. Apart from its dreamy disposition, Villefranche-sur-Mer is famous for its 14th-century Chapelle St-Pierre ("Saint Peter's Chapel") and the murals painted in the 1950s by French artist Jean Cocteau (1889–1963).
Sometimes referred to as the "Pearl of the French Alps," Annecy is a town in Haute-Savoie treasured for its gentle sloping hills and crystal clear canals that wind their way through the streets: it lies on the northern tip of Lake Annecy, 35 km (22 mi) south of Geneva, Switzerland.
Perched on a hilltop like an eagle's nest and overlooking the shimmering French Riviera below is the quaint village of Èze, seen here at sunrise with Saint-Jean-Cap-Ferrat in the background.
Lovers of fine art beat a path to the village of Giverny to visit the home and garden of Claude Monet (1840–1926), both of which are open to the public (the garden inspired his famous 'Water Lilies' series of paintings).
Seemingly chiseled out of solid rock, Rocamadour, in France's Lot department, stands out with its jaw-dropping views over the Alzou canyon. The hilltop town is also visited for the Chapelle Notre Dame with its famous Black Madonna statue, which has for centuries attracted pilgrims from many countries.
The Notre-Dame de l'Assomption church shouldn't be missed as you make your way slowly through ancient Vouvant, which still has some of the original fortifying walls around it. The town is also noted for a beautiful medieval bridge, which crosses the Loire river.
The impressive grandeur of Carcassonne is heightened by its citadel, known as the Cité de Carcassonne, a medieval fortress dating back to the Gallo-Roman period and a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Carcassonne is also wine territory, surrounded as it is by the famous vineyards of Languedoc.
In fact classified as a city, Amiens nonetheless exudes a delightful town character. The imposing 13th-century Amiens Cathedral is the destination's principal draw, and should be explored at leisure. Meanwhile, the canals that Amiens is also famous for can be explored by boat.
Surrounded by neatly combed Burgundy vineyards, Cluny offers the visitor all sorts of reasons to linger. The town grew up around the 10th-century Benedictine Abbey of Cluny, which is a perfect spot to commence your sightseeing.
After you've marveled at the 11th-century tapestry bearing its name, Bayeux deserves further exploration of its historic core. The town is also known as the first to be secured by by the Allies during Operation Overlord—the codename for the Battle of Normandy, launched on June 6, 1944.
The diminutive cobblestoned Alsace village of Kaysersberg has graced many a chocolate box lid and calendar cover for its astonishing beauty. In fact, it's been previously voted France's favorite village, its medieval character and cluster of historic monuments making it a clear winner.
Locronan is named after Saint Ronan, the Irish hermit who founded it in the Middle Ages. It was granted town status in 1505, but Locronan's quiet streets and stone-clad cottages lend it a pleasant village air. The destination is noted for its once thriving hemp-weaving industry, the material used primarily for rigging vessels, both commercial and military, that operated from Brittany's many ports.
Nestling in the countryside near Alençon and set on either side of the Sarthe river is seductive Saint-Céneri-le-Gérei. Its scenic allure has always attracted artists, among them noted French landscape painter Jean-Baptiste-Camille Corot (1796–1875), who like many others was drawn to the village's well-preserved houses and 15th-century church.
Another popular Alsace town famed for its splendid architecture and medieval atmosphere, Riquewihr wows with its collection of 16th-century half-timbered houses and flower-decked balconies. After exploring, settle down in one of the many bars and sample some of the aromatic wine the region is celebrated for.
France is peppered with bastides, and Domme is no exception. A Dordogne landmark, historic Domme is all walls, ramparts, and towers—sturdy defenses that embrace a fascinating medieval core.
With its film set looks and yesteryear charm, it's no wonder Rochefort-en-Terre is designated a "Petite Cité de Caractère." Dating back to the Middle Ages, Rochefort-en-Terre prospered as a roche fort ("stronghold"), controlling trade routes that generated considerable income for the village, which was ploughed back into building a church, castle, covered market, and a cluster of mansions.
Clinging to a hillside and situated in the narrow valley of the Gellone river where it meets the steep-sided gorge of the Hérault river, the medieval hamlet of Saint-Guilhem-le-Désert is especially known for its abbey, founded in 804 and today a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
Château-Chalon is one of the gems found in the Jura mountains. Perched high above the vineyards in the Seille Valley, Château-Chalon is another town that expanded around a abbey. Exploring the church and the ruins of a castle provide an excuse afterwards to partake in a drop of wine tasting in any one of the winemakers' houses lining the town's narrow streets.
Grasse is celebrated as the world's capital of perfume, and that's reason enough to explore this delightful medieval town in southern Provence. Grasse is especially known for its fragrant May rose, the pale pink flower that blooms in May, and jasmine. Both are used in Chanel No. 5, the first perfume launched by French couturier Coco Chanel in 1921.
One of the oldest medieval towns on the French Riviera, Saint-Paul-de-Vence boasts a roll call of celebrity visitors and residents past and present, names that include Picasso, French actor Yves Montand, and former Rolling Stones bassist Bill Wyman.
Sources: (Claude Monet) (The New York Times) (Olympics)
See also: Picturesque towns in Europe you won't believe exist
France has long been a preferred destination for tourists seeking to explore a coast and countryside embroidered with some of the most charming and beguiling towns and villages found in Europe. In fact, many of these fairytale destinations are members of the Les Plus Beaux Villages de France ("The most beautiful villages of France") association. And these rural and seafront havens all make perfect bases from which to explore the many different regions of this fascinating country.
Click through for inspiration on where to go and what to see.
The most scenic towns and villages in France
Where to find the best coast and countryside destinations
TRAVEL Europe
France has long been a preferred destination for tourists seeking to explore a coast and countryside embroidered with some of the most charming and beguiling towns and villages found in Europe. In fact, many of these fairytale destinations are members of the Les Plus Beaux Villages de France ("The most beautiful villages of France") association. And these rural and seafront havens all make perfect bases from which to explore the many different regions of this fascinating country.
Click through for inspiration on where to go and what to see.