There’s more to France than Paris. Whether you explore by car, train or even canal boat, spend some time enjoying the French countryside where you can tick off these must do cute towns in France – but spoiler alert, these stunning French towns are so cute, you’re likely to fall head over heals in love with France.
1. Toulouse
Starting off the list of cute villages and towns in France with Toulouse. Toulouse is definitely a French town, rather than a French village, because it is even considered to be the capital of France’s southern Occitanie region. As you explore the streets, you’ll start to notice a theme and understand why Toulouse is a cute town in France that has been dubbed ‘The Pink City’ (although there are definite shades of orange in there!). Toulouse is a popular summer destination and thanks to its international airport, you can fly in directly from a number of cities, including London.
2. Castelnaudary
Situated just a 45-minute drive south east from Toulouse is the charming and cute France town of Castelnaudary. While you’re here be sure to walk through the town to the top of the hill, where you’ll be greeted by a windmill and a great view. Don’t leave this cute France town without trying the cassoulet (a French dish of meats and white beans) which is Castelnaudary’s famous dish.
3. Carcassonne
It may be listed at number three in this list of cute villages and towns in France you must see, but Carcassonne is up there with my favourites. Situated in the south east of France, Carcassonne is a fortified and absolutely stunning town. Head up to the citadel where you can wander the cobbled footpaths and explore the medieval castle, which, as you can see from my photo below, is especially beautiful at sunset. You can find out more about Carcassonne here.
4. Dole
Heading further north now and you’ll find yourself in Dole. Situated less than an hour’s drive from Dijon, Dole is the definition of a fairytale city. With small rivers, towering buildings and even pathways that lead underneath the city itself, be sure to bring your camera because you won’t regret visiting this incredibly picturesque and cute town in France.
5. Besançon
Carcassonne isn’t the only cute town in France that is fortified with a citadel, Besançon also is. In fact, the fortifications in Besançon have actually been listed as a UNESCO World Heritage site. Known for its art and history, and the fact they have turned their citadel into a zoo (yes, there are monkeys and kangaroos), Besançon is one of the towns in France that is not just cute but very interesting.
6. Verdun-sur-le-Doubs
Verdun-sur-le-Doubs was one of the pleasantly surprising cute towns in France. There’s no denying this cute France town is very small, but the entrance to the town via the French canals is instantly captivating, with the town seeming to rise up from the river itself. If you look at the photo below, the black vertical line on the building on the right shows just how high this river can get if it floods – insane.
7. Charlon-sur-Saône
Charlon-sur-Saône is more than just a beautiful town, did you know its also the home of photography? Well, where the inventor of photography lived. With markings on the footpaths, you can grab a historic map and follow it through the quaint cobbled streets and learn more about this cute town in France.
8. Pontailler-sur-Saône
I visited Pontailler-sur-Saône when I was exploring the French canals by canal boat and this was the perfect French village to stop at during this time (As my parents now own a canal boat in France, I’ve explored France a few times this way now, you can read about the first time I did it here – bless these blog articles are old). By chance our visit coincided with an onion festival, which was interesting to see and we, of course, ate our way through the fresh produce at the canal side markets.
9. Auxonne
Only a 20 minute drive south of Pontailler-sur-Saône, you’ll find the large town of Auxonne. While historical ties often bring tourists to Auxonne, the town itself is very cute to wander through – would you just look at the house below! Auxonne is a very easy town to explore (especially if travelling via canal boat or arriving via the train from Dijon).
10. Gordes
Heading further south again and you’ll find the very impressive Gordes. One of the cute towns in France, Gordes is well marked on the tourist route – and for good reason. Gordes is argued to be one of the most beautiful villages in France and often considered one of the most photographed in the area. This view captured in the photo below is a very popular spot to snap a picture while exploring this cute town in France.
11. Roussillon
You had The Pink City earlier with Toulouse, now it is time for Roussillon, which is famous for being – red. Roussillons’ colour is due to the fact that it is in the centre of one of the world’s biggest ochre deposits and even the name ‘Roussillon’ comes from a similar Latin word for red. Another one on the tourist route, Roussillon is best visited via hire car (in fact, it’s found only a 15 minute drive from Gordes).
12. Les Baux-de-Provence
Found just 30 minutes east of Beaucaire, Les Baux-de-Provence is also fighting for the title of one of the most beautiful and photographed towns in France. This cute town in France has made its mark on the Provence and France tourist trail so I’d recommend arriving earlier in the day if you can to capture the quaint streets (while they’re looking quaint and not so busy!). You can find out more about what to see and do in Les Baux-de-Provence here.
13. Nice
Situated on the French Riviera, Nice is one of the most famous cute France towns. With easy access to Monaco and French towns, Nice is the perfect place to base yourself to explore the surrounding area. Don’t want to leave Nice? Makes sense with the gorgeous beach, sparkling sea and beautiful streets to explore while you’re here.
14. Paris
Okayyyy, so Paris probably doesn’t need to be included in this list, but I still did. While there is certainly more to France than Paris, I absolutely love the capital of France so had to sneak it in. It is also an incredibly well connected city, not just with trains to other cute towns in France and places in Europe, but a popular airport hub to countries across the globe (so a great place to enter or leave the country!)
If you are interested in Cute villages and towns in France you must see, you may also be interested in
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