Photos: Two new villages join France's 'most beautiful' list

Two more villages have been awarded the coveted Plus beaux villages de France (Most beautiful villages of France) label, bringing the number of listed villages to 186.

The association's quality and labelling committee met in Blesle (Haute-Loire) at the end of September and voted to admit Marols (Loire), and Montréal (Yonne).

The 186 listed villages are now spread across 14 regions and 72 departments.

The label is highly sought after, as it brings both heritage recognition and a valuable boost to tourism.

Marols: 16 years in the making

For Marols, the award is the reward for a long wait: the village first applied for the label 16 years ago.

Home to some 462 people, it sits at the southern edge of the Monts du Forez, roughly halfway between Montbrison and Saint-Étienne.

Its medieval heritage includes a fortified gateway and a fortified Romanesque church, and the jury was particularly taken with its granite stone buildings. The village's architecture has also been brought to life by the work of local artists and craftspeople.

The committee praised the consistency of Marols' traditional buildings and the efforts the commune has made to showcase them, as well as to support local businesses and the arts.

It becomes the second village in the Loire to receive the label, after Sainte-Croix-en-Jarez, which grew up from a former Carthusian monastery.

Montréal: medieval meets Burgundian

Montréal lies around 60km south-east of Auxerre, in Bourgogne-Franche-Comté.

The remains of its old fortifications, ramparts and wells still shape its streets, and the village combines medieval heritage with traditional Burgundian architecture.

Highlights include a 12th-century collegiate church with 16th-century carved wooden choir stalls, along with houses dating from the 15th to the 17th centuries.

It is the third village in the department of Yonne to join the list, following Noyers and Vézelay.

More than 30 criteria

Getting on to the list is no simple matter. Villages are judged against more than 30 criteria.

To be eligible, a village must have fewer than 2,000 inhabitants and at least two protected monuments within its boundaries.

The committee then assesses the quality of its townscape and architecture, and what the commune is doing to show them off.

Tourism also counts for a great deal: the jury looks at accommodation and leisure options, as well as shops and services for visitors.

In return for the extra publicity, member villages pay the association a contribution of between €1,200 and €4,800.

You can also read which village won the Village Préféré des Français in 2026.

Label is not for life

Membership is not guaranteed for ever. Listed villages are re-inspected every six to nine years to check that standards are being maintained.

At the same meeting in Blesle, the committee renewed the status of the following 15 villages, in some cases with reservations or recommendations attached.

• Bruniquel (Tarn-et-Garonne)

• Castelnau-de-Montmiral (Tarn)

• Cordes-sur-Ciel (Tarn)

• La Garde-Adhémar (Drôme)

• Grignan (Drôme)

• Locronan (Finistère)

• Mirmande (Drôme)

• Moncontour (Côtes-d'Armor)

• Oingt (Rhône)

• Pérouges (Ain)

• Le Poët-Laval (Drôme)

• Puycelsi (Tarn)

• Rochefort-en-Terre (Morbihan)

• Saint-Suliac (Ille-et-Vilaine)

• Sainte-Croix-en-Jarez (Loire)

You can see the full list of the 186 villages with the label on the Plus beaux villages de France website.