After walking around French cities, I realized that France likes to classify its tourist cities mainly with two tags: Florida Towns and Towns (Villes et Villages Fleuris) and < em>The Most Beautiful Villages in France (Les Plus Beaux Villages de France).
The first, Villes et Villages Fleuris, is a most common classification related to the city’s effort to promote its green spaces. Your grade, ranging from 1 to 4 flowers, based on:
- 50% for flora (trees, shrubs and flowers)
- 30% for quality of life (cleanliness, visual pollution, respect for the environment, etc.)
- 20% for festivals and tourist enhancement
We have already had the chance to visit the following Villes et Villages Fleuris: Colmar, Lyon, Nice , Cannes, Dijon, Aix-en-Provence, Valensole, Saint Rémy de Provence strong>, Cassis, Avignon, Nancy, Giverny, Versailles, Ensisheim, Eguisheim, Hunawihr, Riquewihr and Niedermorschwihr.
The other classification, Les Plus Beaux Villages de France, aims to popularize small towns, attracting more tourists.
In my opinion, it is this classification that should be taken into account when making your itinerary through small unknown cities, as the city’s effort is towards a greater scope of development. And it is a “win-win” exercise, tourists have the opportunity to get to know beautiful cities, many of them tiny, and these can increase their income from tourism.
Among its criteria, the main ones are:
- Have a maximum of 2000 residents
- Have at least 2 protected historical places or monuments
- Have a policy focused on the preservation of the city
In short, these small towns go to great lengths to be cute.
Guided tours and excursions through the most beautiful villages in France in the regions of Alsace and Provence
See the best guided tours, tourist attractions and excursions through the most beautiful villages in the regions of Provence and Alsace:
The Most Beautiful Villages in France in the Provence region
The first time I heard this terminology was when we made our trip through Provence, but I didn’t really care… But after we quickly passed through Riquewihr and I saw the sign saying that it was part of the Les Plus Beaux Villages de France, I went after it and found the website France Beautiful Villages which shows all the most beautiful cities in France!
On our trip through Provence, we visited the following cities: Gordes, Moustiers-Saint-Marie and Roussillon.
The Most Beautiful-Villages of France in the Alsace region
And yes, going back to memory and what we had published on the blog, there was no denying that these small villages really were really beautiful and that getting to know them was wonderful. So, as we live near the Alsace region, we made the project: Visit the Les Plus Beaux Villages de France in the Alsace region! 😀
Including the cities located in the Lower and Upper Rhine region, we started our enterprise and managed to visit: Hunspach, Mittelbergheim, Hunawihr, Riquewihr and Eguisheim.
So, when you get to know the city, you are getting to know its main tourist spot, one of the d'”The Most Beautiful Villages in France“. A tour that does not have a high cost, it is not necessary to pay a ticket or queue to enter, but the reward is enormous.
Strasbourg in the Alsace region of France also has a very nice Christmas market! Take the opportunity to visit its best tourist attractions in the city.
Hotel, hostel and B&BB deals to visit the most beautiful villages in France
Find your hotel in region of Alsace, France:
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