The most popular French villages on the internet

Provencal hilltops and charming Normandy villages are among the most searched for French villages in a new study

Rocamadour is the most googled French village of the moment according to research by vacation rentals comparator Likibu. The study analysed the number of Google searches carried out by tourists for the queries “What to do”, “What to see”, “What to visit” for French villages in recent months and established a ranking of the most sought-after French villages on the internet. We take a look at the top five:

Rocamadour

The stunning village of Rocamadour in the Alzou valley is one of the main stages on the Saint Jacques de Compostelle pilgrimage route and one of six Plus Beaux Villages in Lot. Pilgrims stop here to visit the Our Lady of Rocamadour statue and the resting place of Saint Amadour, after whom the town is named. Other tourists will appreciate the 13th-century Port du Figuier that marks the entrance to the village, and the Rue de la Couronnerie which is lined with shops and restaurants. It is no surprise people would be moved to search the internet to find out more about, or just to look at pictures of this breath-taking settlement built into a cliff in the Parc Naturel Régional des Causses du Quercy. Rocamadour also has a goat’s cheese named after it which is has AOC certification for production in the regions of Perigord and Quercy.

Giverny

There is one very good reason people know of the Normandy village of Giverny, which is that it’s the home of the Fondation Claude Monet – the artist’s former house and gardens which is the second-most popular visitor attraction in Normandy after Mont Saint-Michel. The gardens, which are easily recognised from his paintings, are separated into two sections: the Clos Normand with its beautiful archways and the water garden with that bridge over that pond. If you want to learn more about Monet’s style of art you can head to the Musée des Impressionnismes, also in the village.

Les Baux de Provence

Les Baux de Provence is a cliffside village built in beautiful limestone in Bouches-du-Rhône. The area is home to the remains of the magnificent medieval fortress Château des Baux as well as the incredible Carrières de Lumières, a former quarry that is now an immersive digital exhibition space which most recently displayed the work of Salvador Dalí on its vast stone walls. Surrounded by the Alpilles hills, the village’s narrow cobblestone lanes are pedestrian only and are lined with galleries, museums, craft workshops, and souvenir shops.

Gordes

Perched in the Lubéron Regional Natural Park, Gordes, Vaucluse is another extremely picturesque hilltop village. It was one of the places some will have come to know years ago in Peter Mayle’s famous book A Year in Provence, others may have been drawn to the village because of the annual Festival de Gordes which has been a popular summer event with a mix of music and theatre since 1984. Must see sites in the area include the imposing Saint Firmin church, the villages’ 1,000-year-old castle – now an exhibition space, and the nearby Sénanque Abbey with its fields of lavender.

Veules-les-Roses

Returning to Normandy, the charming village of Veules-les-Roses has been a popular holiday resort since the 19th century, attracting artists and writers including Victor Hugo. Perfectly combining coast and country, the village boasts delightful half-timbered cottages and refreshing stretch of beach on the Côte d’Albâtre where holidaymakers can enjoy swimming and water sports. France’s shortest river, la Veules, flows through the village powering several old water mills, while restaurants in the town specialise in fresh fish and local oysters.

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