Beautiful Book Towns of France 

The beautiful French countryside has inspired writers and artists through the ages and has several ‘Cités du Livre’, quiet little book towns that are delightful to visit.

While the concept of a ‘Book Village’ was envisaged in Hay-on-Wye in Wales, it has been adopted to transform towns and villages around France as a way to revitalise their economies and lifestyle.

Bécherel, Brittany

Bécherel is one of France’s Petite Cité de Caractère® for its preserved heritage and cultural identity. Wrapped within the medieval castle, historic granite-stone houses and cobbled streets, are small pretty gardens, crafts and art studios and a concentration of bookstores, which gained its status as France’s first ‘book town’, a place for those who love the French language and literature. 

Mid-morning is a good time to soak in the atmosphere of this quaint little town, when the shops open and vendors begin to line the streets with tables piled with books. Stroll the narrow winding streets and have a little browse of the windows of books, calligraphy and artworks. Bécherel’s most anticipated annual book fair happens every year during the Easter Weekend where the entire old town is stacked full of second-hand book sellers’ markets within the fairytale surroundings.

Montmorillon, Nouvelle-Aquitaine

Known for its delicious macaroons and as a Cité de l’Ecrit et des Métiers du Livre (City of writing and book trade), the small medieval city of Montmorillon on the river Gartempe, has always had a relationship with books. During the Age of Enlightenment, paper mills lined the riverbanks here making Montmorillon one of the major centres of the book trade and today, the ancient centre is home to booksellers, crafters and artists, and an excellent Typewriter and Calculator Museum.  

Montmorillon hosts a Book Fair in June on every even year, with a Writing and Image Fair every odd year. Both events are highly anticipated and attended by lovers of writing and the art of text.

Montolieu, Aude

There are many reasons to love this hilltop village nestled in the Montagne Noire in Aude. Montolieu is not only postcard-perfect, with its historical centre and beautiful surrounding nature, it has been southern France’s only book village for almost 30 years, all thanks to the mission of Michel Braibant, a Belgian bookbinder, who loved the town and wanted to create a home to bookshops and craftspeople, as well as a conservatory for Book Arts and Trades after learning of the ‘book village’ concept from other parts of Europe. 

Today, Montolieu Book and Art Village is home to 15 bookshops lining the village’s narrow streets, selling new and old books, from special editions to nostalgic newspaper clippings and arts and crafts shops creates an atmosphere of stepping into an open-air library. Take time to visit the Museum of Books, Arts and Crafts to learn the history of the written text and publishing.

Cuisery, Bourgogne-Franche-Comté

Could this be the biggest book market in France? 

Cuisery is a success story on how a town going through economic downturn can be revived through a common love for literature. The 1990s saw many of the businesses close in Cuisery and this quaint village on the banks of the Seille needed a solution. The idea began with an experiment to offer vacant spaces to booksellers and artisans of books, creating the village’s first Book Market in 1999 which became a success. Since then, on the first Sunday of every month, lovers of all book genres congregate here in Cuisery’s ‘Book Village’ to celebrate their love for books and literature. 

Other than to sell books, the Book Village of Cuisery has evolved to celebrate the professions of book and visual image, including paintings, the art of book binding, sculptures and photography. Several events are also held throughout the year by the Village du Livre association that combines theatres, conferences and exhibitions relating to books.

Fontenoy-la-Joûte, Grand Est

There is something very lyrical in the air about browsing for books in a disused barn that was once a busy farm in a small village. From ancient to contemporary works, French to foreign languages, there is a barn shop for that and you’ll find it in Fontenoy-la-Joûte. 

Following the success of Bécherel and Montolieu above, Fontenoy-la-Joûte began its process of creating its own heaven for books and booklovers. It began as a political project to help the rural communities with new opportunities after the industrial decline of the region. The Fontenoy-la-Joûte Book Village was born by converting struggling farms into bookshops, which are now popular with visitors coming each year to look for books of special editions as well as to enjoy the rural environment and the friendly community. 

Today, the village has 10 booksellers, a calligrapher, an artisan and a restaurant and holds several literary events throughout the year. 

Esquelbecq, Hauts-de-France

Encouraged by the need for an alternative rural image, inspired by the concept of Fontenoy-la-Joûte, the idea of Esquelbecq book town was formed to create a sustainable activity model for this countryside community in Hauts-de-France, and currently known as the only Book Town north of Paris.   

Other than the three permanent book stores, the town regularly hosts markets, literary cafes and reading events that are loved by locals, and the flagship “La Nuit du Livre” festival on the first Saturday of July is the highlight of Esquelbecq’s literary year, and the best day to visit this otherwise little known town full of history and heritage tucked away in the Flemish north.