“Cocorico” France shines internationally! The town of Gordes, located in the Luberon, was elected “the most beautiful village in the world” according to the American magazine Travel Leisure. Among a list of 23 small towns selected in this ranking, this pretty Provençal hamlet won ahead of Shirakawago (Japan) and Giethoorn (in the Netherlands).

Perched in the heart of the Provence-Alpes-Côte d’Azur region, at more than 350 meters above sea level, Gordes was home to 1,670 inhabitants on its land in 2019. This village has many assets to attract French and foreign tourists who come venturing in the Vaucluse in the summer. The opportunity for them to discover an incredible panorama and medieval sites in this Provençal landscape.

“Gordes tends to be teeming with tourists during the summer months. But can we really blame visitors for wanting to soak up the magic of one of the most beautiful villages in France, if not the world?” the American magazine on its site. “It’s a must-see destination with cobbled lanes, churches and a monastery punctuated by fields of lavender that look like they’ve been ripped from the pages of a storybook.”

In 2016, Gordes was notably one of the finalists of the fifth edition of the Favorite Village of the French, ranking seventh. No wonder foreign visitors are seduced by the charm of the town. As indicated by our colleagues from France Bleu on their site, Gordes also served as the setting for the filming of season 3 of Emily in Paris in 2022, with Lily Collins and Philippine Leroy-Beaulieu.

The Provençal village of Gordes has also hosted several former French heads of state. From François Mitterrand to Nicolas Sarkozy, the latter had the opportunity to attend the wedding of his son Louis (born from his relationship with Cécilia Attias) and his wife Natali Husic on September 24th. To mark the event, Planet reveals images of the most beautiful village in the world through our slideshow.