Les Plus Beaux Villages de France (meaning “the most beautiful villages of France”) is an independent association, created in 1982, that aims to promote small and picturesque French villages of quality heritage. Villages that form part of the network must adhere to preserving and enhancing the quality of the heritage in the villages so as to increase their reputation while controlling the number of visitors and consequently fostering the development of economic activity linked to tourism. The main criteria are: its population must not exceed 2,000 inhabitants, it must have a rural character and at least 2 national heritage sites.
