Les Plus Beaux Détours de France

Les Plus Beaux Détours de France ("The Most Beautiful Detours of France") is a French association and tourism label that brings together small towns of touristic interest located away from the country's main roads. It was founded at the end of 1998 on the initiative of Jean-Jacques Descamps, a former Secretary of State for Tourism and mayor of Loches, together with the town of Loches. The aim was to build a coherent tourism offering that would reveal the diversity of the French territory, particularly outside the most heavily visited areas, which concentrate nearly 80% of visitors. The network began with 25 members at its creation, growing to 32 the following year. By 1 January 2023 it counted 108 member communes spread across all French regions and 70 departments; the official website now presents the network as comprising 104 communes and describes its guide as covering "the 100 most beautiful detours of France." Members must meet a specific set of criteria and undergo periodic evaluation audits. More than a label, the "Plus Beaux Détours" brand is presented as a kind of controlled appellation designed to guarantee visitors that the detour is worthwhile. Member towns are diverse in what they offer, but share common characteristics: a population of between 2,000 and 20,000 inhabitants, architectural and intangible heritage of interest, an active town life, artisanal and gastronomic identity, accommodation capacity, development and planning momentum, and a pleasant atmosphere in the town and its historic or commercial centre. The association publishes an annual guide, printed in 150,000 to 200,000 copies (over 200,000 according to Wikipedia), distributed free of charge in the tourist offices of the member towns. It has been supported by Michelin since its creation and counts as partners the Uni-VDL union (leisure vehicles), La Poste and Enedis. The association is chaired by Hervé Mariton. Since 2005 its president has been an ex-officio member of the French National Tourism Council as a representative of tourism promotion bodies. It is also part of the shared banner "France. Patrimoines & Territoires d'exception," which groups seven networks of heritage, rural and urban towns and territories to strengthen and coordinate promotion of heritage and art-of-living labels. The website offers an interactive "Cicerone" guide to help travellers identify the detours best suited to their desires, organised around themes such as gastronomy, crafts, heritage, sport, nature and unusual experiences.

Les Plus Beaux Détours de France was created at the end of 1998 on the initiative of Jean-Jacques Descamps, a former Secretary of State for Tourism in the Chirac government (1986–1988) and mayor of Loches, together with the town of Loches. The association was intended to highlight towns with significant tourism and cultural potential that was underexploited because of their distance from the usual main roads — hence the name "Détours" (detours). Its purpose was to diversify the French tourism offering in the face of much more heavily visited sites, some of which had reached visitor saturation, and to offer a quality alternative. The network counted only 25 members at its creation, then 32 the following year. It grew steadily over the following decades, reaching 108 members as of 1 January 2023, with the most recent additions being Aups and Lescar. The official website now presents the network as comprising 104 communes spread across all French regions and 70 departments, and describes its guide as covering "the 100 most beautiful detours of France." Since 2005, the association's president has been an ex-officio member of the French National Tourism Council (Conseil national du tourisme), as a representative of tourism promotion and territorial enhancement bodies. The association is chaired by Hervé Mariton. The guide published by the association has been printed in 150,000 to 200,000 copies annually according to the official website, and in more than 200,000 copies according to Wikipedia; it is distributed free of charge in the tourist offices of the member towns. Since its creation the association has been supported by Michelin, and it counts as partners the Uni-VDL union (leisure vehicles), La Poste and Enedis. The association is also part of the shared banner "France. Patrimoines & Territoires d'exception," which groups seven networks of heritage, rural and urban towns and territories to strengthen and coordinate promotion actions for labels relating to heritage and art of living. The seven networks are: the Fédération des Parcs naturels régionaux de France, Les Plus Beaux Détours de France, Les Plus Beaux Villages de France, Petites Cités de Caractère de France, the network of Grands Sites de France, Sites et Cités remarquables de France, and Ville et Métiers d'Art. Membership criteria are strict. Towns must have between 2,000 and 20,000 inhabitants and be towns rather than villages; be located away from main roads, justifying the generic name "detour"; appear in at least two tourist guides; possess monumental heritage and buildings listed or registered as historic monuments; develop a policy of enhancing and promoting their heritage; have equipped festive venues; organise original quality events; have cultural and sports facilities; have permanent hotel accommodation capacity; house a tourist office open all year round offering guided tours; implement directional and informative signage; benefit from an interesting tourist environment justifying a stay of at least three days; and have a regularly updated website. All member communes must obey a specific set of specifications and are subject to periodic evaluation audits. More than a label, the "Plus Beaux Détours" brand is therefore to be considered a controlled appellation that strives to guarantee the visitor that the detour is worth it.

• 2023

  The network reaches 108 member communes as of 1 January, with Aups and Lescar the most recent additions.

• 2005

  The association's president becomes an ex-officio member of the French National Tourism Council.

• 1999

  Membership grows to 32 towns.

• 1998

  Association founded at the initiative of Jean-Jacques Descamps and the town of Loches, with 25 founding members.

A controlled-appellation tourism label and network promoting small heritage towns off the main tourist routes, offering an alternative to saturated destinations.

• Annual guide to the Plus Beaux Détours de France

  Printed in 150,000–200,000 copies (over 200,000 per Wikipedia) and distributed free in member towns' tourist offices.

• Interactive "Cicerone" guide

  An online tool to help travellers identify the detours best matching their desires.

• Thematic itineraries

  Routes organised around gastronomy, crafts, heritage, sport, nature and unusual experiences.

1. 1Les Plus Beaux Détours de France, découvrez les 100 plus beaux détours de Franceplusbeauxdetours.com
2. 2À propos - Les Plus Beaux Détours de Franceplusbeauxdetours.com
3. 3Week-end histoire - Les Plus Beaux Détours de Franceplusbeauxdetours.com
4. 4法国最美小城 - Wikidatawikidata.org
5. 5Les Plus Beaux Détours de France - Wikipédiafr.wikipedia.org