How France's 34,742 Communes Are Organized
Every square meter of France belongs to one of 34,742 'communes'—from Paris and Marseille down to fortified alpine hamlets and medieval Luberon hilltop villages—grouped across 13 metropolitan regions and 96 departments. Over 175 rural communes hold the prestigious 'Les Plus Beaux Villages de France' designation (such as Gordes, Roussillon, Eguisheim, Riquewihr, Conques, Rocamadour, and Beynac-et-Cazenac).
Using Our 34,742-Commune Directory & GeoNames Data
Our interactive France Cities & Communes directory covers every single French municipality with exact elevation in meters, nearest SNCF train station and distance in km, local historic monuments, village quartiers, regional AOC culinary specialties, and the 5 closest neighboring communes so you can chain together authentic rural loops.
Official sources & further reading
Rules, prices and schedules change. Confirm details here before you travel: