Is Rocamadour the Most Sought-After Village to Visit in France?

The village of Rocamadour, perched atop an impressive rocky outcrop in the Dordogne Valley is the most searched-for French village on the Internet, according to a study by holiday rentals comparison website Likibu.  

The study looked at the number of Google search requests placed by travellers looking to visit France by analysing the terms “what to do”, “what to see” and “what to visit”. The results drew up a list of the 30 most searched-for villages in France to explore and Rocamadour is, for the third year running and by far, the number one sought-after destination with 110,000 search requests in the space of a month, including 12,870 tourism-based requests. 

The study was completed between March 29th and April 3rd 2023 and included all villages in France with less than 2,000 inhabitants – a total of 30,037 locations! 

Located in the heart of the Dordogne Valley, in the Causses du Quercy Regional Natural Park, Rocamadour is best known as a pilgrimage site and its role as a stopover village on the way to Santiago de Compostela. Built on the side of a cliff, more than 120 metres above a canyon, the medieval town is dramatically picturesque and listed as one of France’s Plus Beaux Villages. Travellers flock to the Lot village to gaze upon the many churches and chapels, climb the hundreds of steps to reach the castle at the top and amble along the boutique-lined cobbled streets before tasting the local cheese of the same name. 

Read More: Touring the Dordogne Valley in a 2CV Classic Car

Giverny, mostly known as the location of Claude Monet’s house, came in second with 8,170 tourism requests. The little Normandy village, dotted with art galleries, and lovely tea shops and restaurants attracts no fewer than 500,000 to 700,000 tourists a year, drawn to the mesmerising gardens of the Impressionist artist.  

Another artistically inclined village came third with 4,630 tourism requests. Les Baux de Provence, in the Bouches-du-Rhône, is best knocwn for its Carrières de Lumières – a former quarry which hosts multi-media art shows, projecting images onto the white stone walls. Set in the heart of the Alpilles massif, the charming village boasts boutique hotels, craft shops, museums, restaurants and plenty of heritage sites to enjoy year-round. 

The following destinations were – in this order – Saint-Jean-Pied-de-Port in the French Basque country, Provencal Gordes, Saint-Florent in Corsica, vineyard-surrounded Sancerre in the Loire valley,  Yvoire, on the banks of Lac Léman in Haute-Savoie, Piana, also in Corsica and finally Vézelay, with its UNESCO-listed basilica in Burgundy. 

You can see the full study results on Likibu’s website (in French). 

Have your say! What is your favourite French village in the list? Vote below! And if you have a short story to tell about visiting one of them, why not write for us.