The Most Beautiful Villages

With its 10 villages classified among this elite club “plus beaux villages de France”, the Aveyron boasts more than any other department in France !

Belcastel, simply an emotional experience.
On the banks of the river Aveyron, this picture-postcard village is dominated by its 15th century castle.  In this unique setting, the architect Fernand Pouillon, inspired by the site, set his talent to work restoring the château.

Conques, twentieth century light shed on Romanesque art.
A major cultural centre, Conques was an important staging post on the pilgrims' way along the Saint-Jacques trail to Santiago de Compostella, and it remains a jewel of Romanesque art. The new windows in the abbey, designed by Pierre Soulages, are set in harmony with the austerity of the Romanesque setting, and, at the same time, enhance it.

Sauveterre-de-Rouergue, 13th century royal bastide.
This is a town of half-timbered houses with corbels, sculpted ornamental stonework, ornate doorways, remains of the fortifications, moats, towers archways… wander back in time through the ages.

Sainte-Eulalie d'Olt, is a land of traditions and an anglers paradise.
See the medieval village square, 11th century church, 15th century château, renaissance residence and the mill wheel which sets the pace of life in this village, an ideal place for strolling around.

Brousse le Château, at the confluence of two rivers.
Here is a fortified château which dates back to the 9th-12th centuries, a medieval bridge of Romanesque design, a church and oratory… in short an exceptional site in the Tarn valley.

La Couvertoirade was founded by the Templars, later to become a Hospitaller commandery.
At the heart of Larzac, this site was protected for seven centuries by the might and influence of the Knights Templars and Hospitallers.

Estaing, a medieval village steeped in tradition.
This remarkably pretty village in the north of the Aveyron is precipitously positioned at the entrance to the Lot gorges, and at the foot of the Aubrac Mountains, in a terraced landscape. Discover the château, the Gothic bridge, a beautiful cross, and more.

Saint-Côme d'Olt, a Hospitaller village, secular by tradition...
Here is a medieval village, a belfry, a fortified gateway, impressive mansion houses, all right in the footsteps of the pilgrims on their way along the Saint Jacques trail to Santiago de Compostella. Discover this village where little has changed in the centuries.

Peyre, a most unusual troglodyte village.
Located some 7 kilometres downstream from Millau, this village was literally cut from the local rock. It is remarkable in many ways, especially its volcanic tuff houses, stone alleyways and the Romanesque troglodyte church, which was fortified in the 17th century.  It is a most unusual site, sculpted right into the cliffs, offering exceptional views of the Millau Viaduct.