This Medieval Village Of Half-Timbered Houses And A Gothic Abbey Was Voted France's Favorite Village Of 2025

Sometimes it's easy to forget that France is much more than sunny cities on the French Riviera and hip Parisian neighborhoods with their shops, restaurants, and bakeries. Given France's rich historical and cultural roots, there are tons of lesser-known villages outside the capital that hold snippets of living history vital to telling the story of France's heritage. The spotlight shone on one such village when a contest held by a French television channel voted Saint-Antoine-l'Abbaye as France's Favorite Village of 2025 (via En Vols). It joins 13 other notable, exceptional villages named by the program since it launched in 2012. It's also the first win for the Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes region, particularly its Isère department, which is known for being an attractive year-round destination for outdoor enthusiasts. 

Saint-Antoine-l'Abbaye is a small village that passes under the noses of most travelers in the region. Steeped in medieval charm, the village's most discernible landmark is an imposing Gothic abbey, an anchor around which cobblestone streets and half-timbered houses revolve. With a little more than 1,200 inhabitants, and with barely any changes made to its architectural landscape for centuries, the village appears suspended in time. But Saint-Antoine-l'Abbaye hasn't succumbed to the fate of other rural French villages that are stagnating under economic decline or the exodus of young people to bigger cities. In fact, its Favorite Village of 2025 victory has brought an uptick in visitors, prompting village mayor Maryline Longis to envision more parking spots and better town signage to cope with the increased tourism.

Being the town's crowning glory, the abbey of Saint-Antoine should be your first stop. Completed in 1490 after a period of four centuries, the abbey was named after the Egyptian monk, Saint Anthony. Almost 10 centuries following his death in 105 A.D., the Egyptian saint's remains were brought to France by a French knight in 1070. Believed to exude healing powers, Saint-Antoine-l'Abbaye became a pilgrimage spot for the sick and religious seeking a cure for a then-rampant disease that caused hallucinations and lesions in those affected. In 1297, the settling in of the religious organization, the Order of the Hospitallers of Saint-Antoine, turned the village into an important healing center with a complex of hospitals, monasteries, stables, and guesthouses.

As a classified Historic Monument since 1840, the abbey is free to visit. The Gothic abbey church features a shrine, wall paintings, walnut woodwork, and a 17th-century organ. The walls of the nave are punctuated with a striking display of glass windows — 45 of them in all. In its treasuries, a cache of sacred objects consisting of clothes, surgical instruments, and ivory Christ icons can be visited via guided tours that take place between April to September. To get to the church square, climb the 18th-century grand staircase past the arched entryway for an indulgent view of the abbey. The Museum of Saint-Antoine-l'Abbaye, spread across five locations, feature interactive exhibitions that delve into the abbey's and the Order of the Hospitallers of Saint Anthony's history. 

If the abbey is the heart of Saint-Antoine-l'Abbaye, the village streets are its veins, still bearing the architectural vestiges of its medieval roots. Typical of small French villages, the historic center houses squares and shops fitted with distinctive half-timber facades. Higher up, the houses lining the Grande Rue (the village's longest street) display greater elegance than those of the lower part of the village, having housed the nobles, doctors, and well-off personalities. 

Having personally been acquainted with tiny French villages with not a single bakery or restaurant to their name, Saint-Antoine-l'Abbaye is surprisingly well equipped for a village of its size. It has a school, a pharmacy, restaurants, guesthouses, medical offices, and even a co-working space. Along the Grande Cour (Great Courtyard) that precedes the abbey's entrance, pottery, sculpture, leather, and stone artisans practice their craft in their workshops. The highly rated restaurant Taverne du Bélier Rouge, which serves beef and pork dishes, is also found along the courtyard.

The airports near Saint-Antoine-l'Abbaye are Grenoble Alpes Isère Airport (about 30 minutes away) and Lyon's Saint-Exupéry Airport (a little over one hour away). The closest high-speed train station is Valence TGV; from here, catch a 30-minute regional SNCF train to Saint-Marcellin and book a taxi to Saint-Antoine-l'Abbaye. Renting a car is still the best way to get there, though. Follow Rick Steves' advice on choosing a car rental company when in Europe, and don't worry about parking spaces in Saint-Antoine-l'Abbaye: There are two parking areas at the village's entrance.