9 Hidden Treasures of Rural France You Probably Didn’t Know Existed

Beyond the busy streets of Paris and the sparkling beaches of the Riviera, there’s a hidden world in rural France that few have explored. How do I know? I live in the Charente region, which has medieval villages, graveyards of the Knights Templar, and prehistoric tombs known as Dolmens.

Go a bit further, and you have an underground monolithic church, a chateau belonging to the same family for over 1000 years, and the walled city once home to Isabella of Angouleme, Queen of England, alongside King John. That’s quite some history and was one of the many things that drew me to this area.

However, Charente isn’t the only department with hidden gems and stories dating back to the start of the Middle Ages. Look beyond the usual tourist attractions, and you’ll find a world of adventure just waiting for you to enjoy.

Blanzacais and The Chapel of the Knights Templar

In the heart of the Charente countryside lies a tiny village called Blanzacais, quiet and easy to miss if you’re not looking. Here you’ll find the Chapel of the Knights Templar with a history that most people have never heard. 

It was once part of a Templar commandery known as Le Dognon, built in the middle of the 12th century. The Templars followed the Cistercian rule here, meaning everything they needed was kept within the grounds. That included a water source, garden, mill, and workshops, so the monks and knights rarely had to leave.

Despite centuries of damage, war, and abandonment, three of the original walls are still covered in faded medieval paintings. Some show scenes from the Crusades, others feature legendary figures like Geoffroy Martel, a local noble and brother to Guillaume Taillefer, one of the counts of Angoulême. They’re an amazing visual record of the people and stories that shaped this part of France during a turbulent time.

After the Templars were disbanded in 1314, the chapel passed to the Hospitallers. Then came the Hundred Years’ War, followed by waves of religious violence that left the commandery in ruins. By the late 1700s, the chapel was sold as national property. A local farmer bought it and, for a time, used the space to shelter his animals.

In 1902, the Protestant community of Barbezieux bought the building. They repaired the roof and replaced some of the stonework, including the vault and archway. The Cévenole cross above the door now marks its connection to the Protestant faith. Inside, the medieval paintings were painstakingly restored in the 1950s, when entire sections of painted plaster were removed and glued to sheets and sent to the Trocadéro Museum in Paris, where they were displayed for a decade.

Eventually, the paintings returned home and were mounted on mahogany latticework, and they still line the chapel walls today.

Rocamadour, the Village in the Sky

Perched on the edge of a limestone cliff in the Lot department of southwestern France, Rocamadour looks like it belongs in a medieval painting. This village seems to defy gravity, rising in layers above the Alzou Canyon. For centuries, pilgrims climbed its 216 steps on their knees to reach the Sanctuary of the Blessed Virgin Mary, believed to hold miraculous powers.

The village grew around the tomb of Saint Amadour, a mysterious hermit whose perfectly preserved body was discovered in the 12th century. In the Middle Ages, Rocamadour became such a powerful spiritual destination that even Henry II of England made the journey on horseback after falling seriously ill.

There’s also a hidden pulley system inside the sanctuary used for raising supplies up the cliff. It dates back to medieval times and still works. It’s breathtaking and well worth a visit.

The Gorgeous Village of Collonges-la-Rouge

This village in the Corrèze department of southwestern France is made almost entirely of red sandstone, and when the sun hits just right, it glows. It looks more like a film set than a real place, but it has been here for over a thousand years. Cobbled lanes, towers, and turrets line the narrow streets, once part of a fortified medieval town.

The striking red color comes from the local iron-rich stone, which helped the village rise to wealth. During the Middle Ages, it sat on a pilgrimage route to Santiago de Compostela. Merchants, knights, and clergy passed through, and many stayed. At one point, Collonges was home to 1,500 residents and 25 noble families, a high number for such a small area.

Tucked near the Church of Saint-Pierre is a 16th-century mermaid carving on a house facade. She’s weathered but still visible, her long tail curling beside a half-erased face. Historians believe she may have been a symbol of temptation, a reminder to pilgrims passing through to stay focused on their journey. No wonder it’s often featured in the ‘Les Plus Beaux Villages de France‘.

Gorges du Verdon: France’s Own Grand Canyon

Carved by the Verdon River over millions of years, the Gorges du Verdon cuts through the limestone plateaus of Provence like a natural fortress. With turquoise waters winding between cliffs that soar up to 2,300 feet, it’s often called the Grand Canyon of France. But unlike its American cousin, this one comes with lavender fields, medieval villages, and the sound of cicadas echoing through the gorge.

You can kayak through the narrow waters, hike up steep ridges with views that stretch for miles, or just stop at a lookout and take it all in. Each bend reveals a new perspective, shade of blue, or a solitary goat perched in a place you’d never expect to see one.

The entire gorge was almost flooded in the early 1900s. A massive dam project proposed turning the area into a reservoir, which would have completely submerged the gorge. Locals fought the plan for decades, and in the end, nature won. Today, the Sainte-Croix Lake, created by a smaller dam downstream, feeds into the gorge instead.

The Mystical Forest of Brocéliande

In the heart of Brittany lies a forest steeped in legend. Known today as the Forest of Paimpont, it’s better known to storytellers and seekers of the strange as Brocéliande. This is where the legends of King Arthur, Merlin the wizard, and the Lady of the Lake take root in mossy groves and shadowed clearings. You won’t find any tacky or touristy neon signs or theme parks, though, just winding paths, still ponds, and an atmosphere that feels thick with stories.

Walk through the forest and you’ll come across the supposed Tomb of Merlin, a pair of standing stones. The Fountain of Barenton is also said to summon storms when its waters are poured on the nearby rock. In local tradition, this was a testing ground for knights, who’d face the storm to prove their worth.

Not all the magic is in the myths. In the 13th century, monks from a nearby abbey wrote of strange lights dancing over the moors and unexplained voices in the trees. I’m a sucker for a good myth or legend and there is certainly something about this place that feels magical. If you close your eyes, you can easily conjure up those mystical legends.

The Wine Sensations of Bourgogne

In the eastern heart of France, the region of Bourgogne has been growing wine for over 2,000 years. But the monks of the Middle Ages transformed it from farmland into a world-famous winemaking region. The Benedictines and later the Cistercians documented everything, including sunlight, slope, rainfall, and soil. By the 12th century, they had divided the land into small plots, called climats, each known for producing a distinct style of wine. Many of these same plots are still in use today.

The Cistercian monks at Clos de Vougeot were particularly influential. They built stone walls around their vineyard to protect it and experimented with how grape varieties responded to different soil types. Their wines were so well-regarded that dukes and popes sought them out. The monks sold what they didn’t need, using the money to support their abbeys and build churches across the region.

Today, Clos de Vougeot still stands. You can visit the original 12th-century wine press inside the château. It’s massive, made of solid oak, and was turned by hand. The tools may have changed, but the respect for the land hasn’t. 

Burgundy wines are still made with minimal intervention. No bold blends or heavy manipulation. Just Pinot Noir and Chardonnay grown in limestone-rich soil, harvested by hand, and fermented using methods not far removed from those the monks once used.

The Côte de Nuits and Côte de Beaune are the most famous sub-regions, home to some of the world’s most prized Pinot Noir and Chardonnay. However, family-run domaines have been working with the same vines for generations. These are places where the winemaker still drives the tractor, greets you at the cellar door, and pours a glass for you to taste.

Albi: The Red City

Albi sits on the banks of the Tarn River in southern France and gets its nickname from the red brick used to build almost the entire city. That brick came from the riverbanks and shaped everything from houses to cathedrals. Its skyline is dominated by the massive Sainte-Cécile Cathedral, the largest brick cathedral in the world, built in response to the Cathar heresy that spread through the region in the 13th century.

It was a statement. After the Albigensian Crusade, the Church needed to reassert control. They did so with stone and scale. The cathedral looks more like a fortress than a place of worship, with walls up to 18 feet thick in places. Inside, though, it’s richly decorated, with one of the oldest and most complete examples of a Last Judgment fresco still in place.

Nearby is the Palais de la Berbie, once the bishop’s palace and now home to the Toulouse-Lautrec Museum. Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec, the painter known for his posters of Parisian cabarets, was born in Albi. The museum holds the largest collection of his works anywhere in the world.

The Remote Beauty of Auvergne

Auvergne is tucked away in central France, where volcanoes once shaped the land. It’s remote, sparsely populated, and deeply tied to its natural surroundings. The area is home to the Chaîne des Puys, a chain of over 80 dormant volcanoes that stretch across the landscape like giant earthworks. This volcanic soil made the region ideal for livestock, especially Salers cattle, and for producing rich cheeses like Saint-Nectaire and Bleu d’Auvergne.

In the early Middle Ages, Auvergne was a center of monastic life. Monks founded abbeys across the region, often in hard-to-reach places. One of the most striking is the Romanesque church of Saint-Austremoine in Issoire, built in the 12th century from local lava stone. The carved capitals inside show scenes from scripture mixed with rural life, a rare glimpse into the blend of faith and farming that defined the region.

During World War II, its forests and isolation made it a key stronghold for the Maquis, rural resistance fighters who used the land’s natural cover to hide from German forces. Some remote villages still preserve underground shelters and makeshift radio stations used to communicate with the Allies.

Conques and its Pilgrim Soul

Conques is a village hidden away in the Aveyron hills. Built from dark stone, it clings to a steep valley like it’s part of the landscape. It sits on one of the oldest pilgrimage routes to Santiago de Compostela, and it holds a relic few expect to find in such a remote spot: the remains of Saint Faith.

The Abbey Church of Sainte-Foy dominates the village. Its Romanesque architecture is remarkably intact, with carved columns, rounded arches, and a massive tympanum over the doorway showing the Last Judgment in striking detail. 

It was built in the 11th century to house Saint Faith’s relics, which were stolen from a nearby monastery in what was called a “holy theft,” a common practice at the time, seen as justified if it brought greater reverence and protection to the saint. Inside, the treasury holds one of the rarest medieval objects in France: a golden reliquary statue of Saint Faith, covered in gemstones, some of which were donated by pilgrims along the route. 

Conques remains a stopping point for modern pilgrims. The GR65 walking trail passes through the village, and many still arrive on foot. In the evenings, the monks chant vespers beneath the high stone arches.