Villages in France

You know you will get better advice if you give us a little more to go on, lol.

Time of year?

On a train line or will you have a car?

What do you want from the small town/village? - Seaside? Wine country? History? Mountains?

Pam, it's been almost 6 months since the OP asked almost the same question

Oh, I see the previous post where they were asking specifically about Alsace. Wonder if they're trying to widen their scope?

https://community.ricksteves.com/travel-forum/france/small-picturesque-villages

We are in a very preliminary stage of planning where to go. I spent a lot of time in Paris last year, so I thought some smaller towns would be nice. My friend is going with me and has never been to Europe, so it would be nice to show her a little of the countries surrounding France. I don't want to spread us to thin in each town, however.

September would be ideal but if it's too packed like summer and prices too high we might go in the spring. We will go for 2-3 weeks.
Does that help?

Yes, that helps!

Did you visit the Alsace villages when you were last in France? Or are they still under consideration?

We will most likely be going by train and bus.

No, I spent all my time in Paris.

Spending all your time in Paris is so very easy to do. One must pull oneself away from Paris as Paris is so enticing, so much to discover and re-discover and explore. I spent over a month in that city this seeing sites I had been back to in years, if not decades.

On the small towns: I vote for choosing one in Alsace-Lorraine or in the Loire valley.

Pam, Wine, history, quaintness, maybe mountains.

Wine, history, quaintness, maybe mountains

All of this is available in Alsace, and public transportation is very good there. Colmar is a good base with easy access to nearby villages, and there are several towns to explore between Strasbourg and Sélestat (Obernai, Barr...).

Do you want to spend all of your time visiting small villages and towns? Or do you plan on spending some time in Paris since your friend has never been to Paris?

Suggestions for 2 to 3 weeks: (if you don't visit Paris)
Provence - you could easily spend all 3 weeks in lovely Provence. Or spend a week to 10 days here. What does Provence have to offer? Small, quaint villages and towns such as St. Remy, Eygalieres, Les Baux, Rousillon, Bonnieux, Lourmarin, Isle Sur La Sorgue, Menerbes, Aix en Provence, Avignon, Arles, and Nimes, and more. There are markets, castles, pretty countryside, the asylum where Van Gogh was a patient (in St. Remy), the sound and light show in a quarry in Les Baux, churches, Cezanne's studio (in Aix), etc. You can visit the Camarque where you can see the Mediterranean and white horses, black bulls and pink flamingoes. If you want a city, Marseille is a wonderful and interesting place to visit, especially the Le Panier district with all its funky graffiti.

I would suggest spending about half your time in Provence and the other half in the Dordogne region where you can visit caves with ancient drawings and paintings, castles, gardens, and take a boat ride on the Dordogne River. Stay in Sarlat. Visit Cahors and Brantome.

Or add a 3rd region, such as the French Riviera. So a week in Provence, a week in Dordogne, and a week on the French Riviera. Here you can stay in Nice and use public transportation to visit seaside villages. Rent a car to visit the mountain towns.

You need a good guidebook. I wouldn't rely only on Rick Steves. I suggest also using Lonely Planet and Michelin Green Guide.

Kwkwoo, Thank you for the suggestions.

Hi mlw, there are 174 villages that the French government has designated as “The Most Beautiful Villages of France”. You may want to check out this article:

https://www.francetraveltips.com/designated-les-plus-beaux-villages-de-france/

there are actually 174 villages

There are 176 since last week, Entrevaux and Saorge, both in the Alps.

Two more to add to my list 😊

Kmkwoo, I thought I sent a reply yesterday but it's not showing up. Have you been to the Loire Valley or Alsace? If so, how do they compare? So far, the only thing I know for sure is that I want to visit a couple of villages around Colmar in Alsace. I'm considering Provence, Loire Valley, Burgandy, Dordogne and also taking a fast train or airplane to Florence, and possibly Rome. My friend has never been to Europe and most likely will never go again. She's very interested in art and Florence was one of my favorite places years ago. I have spent much time in Paris, although I could still spend more time there, I never went to the small towns and villages in France. I don't know how to allot our time. Would going to the west part of France, Loire or Dordogne make sense, time wise, and I'm not sure on a good route to take by train. Have you been to all those areas in France, and preferred Dordogne and Provence?
Another fact about myself, I do love red wine. We've decided on 3 weeks.
Everyone's ideas welcome. Thanks!