Talmont-sur-Gironde: The Most Beautiful Villages in France

Picture this: a seaside village that seems to float over the waves, a fortified church at the tip of a promontory overlooking the estuary, white-washed houses with colorfully-painted doors, cobbled lanes covered with flowers... Welcome to Talmont-sur-Gironde, 12 kilometers south of Royan in the Charente-Maritime département. Of course a charming spot like this-- where visitors like me feel compelled to fill entire memory cards with photos on a walking tour-- has earned a coveted spot as one of the Les Plus Beaux Villages de France.

For the May 1 birthday festivities, guests were organized into teams for a scavenger hunt with clues assembled all over the village. And what a fine way to explore the town. We were sent to discover the village's namesake plant, the words painted on the bottom of a miniature ship hanging from the church nave, a mysterious clue hidden in the surrounding marsh. (Poor Pierre had to wade barefoot into the mud flats.) The packet of thorough instructions/clues even sent us to buy a wooden Christmas ornament from one of the boutiques.

Our teammates, a hip bilingual couple, bounced a baby on the hip while simultaneously camouflaging a clue-- hiding it from the competition under a pile of sand in a bucket at the bottom of a well. (Hahaha. Alas, we still came in last.) Another teammate turned to me and said, "Can you believe people actually live here! In the U.S., you'd only find this in Disney World!" (On the ride over to Talmont, we had discussed-- unfortunately-- his last family trip to the U.S. Where to? Orlando!) I didn't think I had the time to wax poetic about small-town America...

Curious about the history of Talmont-sur-Gironde? A stopping point for pilgrims on the road to Santiago de Compostela, the Romanesque church Sainte-Radegonde dates from the end of the 11th century. Edward I from England later built the fortified village, this ancient bastide, around the existing church in 1284. Here, the battles of the Hundred Years War raged.

Pictured: The wind-swept cemetery, full of flowers, next to the sea. An impressive display of wine at one of the village shops.