Les Plus Beaux Villages de France: Marcolès, Cantal—Part 3/4

Betty Carlson takes you on an enchanted visit to one of the most recently labeled “Most Beautiful Villages of France”, or Les Plus Beaux Villages de France: Marcolès, Cantal

Jan 30, 2025

In the third of a four-part series, Betty Carlson takes you on an enchanted visit to one of the most recently labeled “Most Beautiful Villages of France”, or Les Plus Beaux Villages de France: Marcolès, Cantal

From here, you can navigate easily to read the entire series:

Les Plus Beaux Villages de France: What’s behind the precious title—Part 1/4
Les Plus Beaux Villages de France: Villeneuve—Part 2/4
Les Plus Beaux Villages de France: Marcolès—Part 3/4 (this one)
Part 4/4

Streets, stones, and spirit

Welcome to Marcolès, Cantal

To land the prestigious “Les Plus Beaux Villages de France” label, a village has to tick a lot of boxes: 32 to be exact. Yet visitors will likely be struck by just a few elements:

the overall atmosphere;
the historic architecture;
the stunning setting.

But if you’re lucky, you’ll get a glimpse into the village’s spirit –and I was extremely lucky in Marcolès.

Street scenes

Situated in the southwest of the little-traveled Cantal department (Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes) and home to 590 Marcolésiens and Marcolésiennes, the village is remarkably well-preserved even by stringent LPBVF standards. A bastide, or fortified town, in the Middle Ages Marcolès was accessible only through its two gateways: Le Portail-Haut and Le Portail-Bas. Cross through them today, and one steps into a car-free world where time is no longer frantically flying by but flowing along gently.

Porte du village de Marcolès – Credit image: Betty Carlson/ author

The compact village offers just a handful of streets to explore, but the variety of architecture and atmosphere, combined with the excellent signage – if you read French – will keep a curious traveler busy for quite some time. Narrow medieval streets, known locally as carriérons, offer a trip far back in time.

Carrieron – Credit image: Betty Carlson/ author

The striking Maison Carrée, or square house, was built on the foundations of a 13th-century defense tower and happened to be for sale at the time of my visit, at an asking price of 96,000 euros.

Maison Carrée – Credit image: Betty Carlson/ author

Marcolès came into its own in the 15th century as a bustling trade hub between the Quercy and Auvergne regions. Many buildings along the main street, la Rue Longue, possess vaulted cellars, used long ago as depots for products such as cheese, leather, and chestnuts. The village has opened one of them to the public, and visiting it, especially alone, is a deliciously mysterious experience.

Vaulted Cellar – image credit: Betty Carlson / author

L’Eglise Saint Martin

The village’s central attraction, this church’s stark façade and unadorned bell tower led me to expect a dim and austere interior.

L’Eglise Saint Martin – Image credit: Betty Carlson / author

I was mistaken, and quickly fell in love with this 15th-century church that not only holds unexpected treasures but benefits from surprising luminosity.

L’Eglise Saint Martin, interior – Image credit: Betty Carlson / author

Color is everywhere, from polychrome statues….

Polychrome Statue – Image credit: Betty Carlson / author

…to bright ceiling detail.

Ceiling detail collage – Image credit: Betty Carlson / author

For armchair travelers, head to the site Belles Eglises for a complete and worthwhile visit in French.

Marcolès encounters: pottery artisan Emmanuelle Moulin

France’s beautiful villages are often home to local craftspeople. I was fortunate enough to interview Emmanuelle Moulin, a pottery artist who has recently set up shop in Marcolès.

A graduate of the CEPV Ecole Supérieure d’Arts Appliqués in Switzerland, Emmanuelle honed her pottery skills at the Ecole de Céramique de Provence. Some may think of pottery as a craft that would be fairly simple to set up, but Emmanuelle emphasized the long process: first training; then purchasing a potter’s wheel and kiln; next, years of experimentation; finally — and especially — finding an appropriate and viable shop and workshop. Emmanuelle found hers in Marcolès.

Image credit: Betty Carlson

Setting up shop in a village that attracts plenty of tourists can be a shrewd business choice, but Emmanuelle chose the space, not the place. This self-proclaimed passionnée d’atelier, or workshop enthusiast, was keen to find a well-lit workspace where she could live on-site and also open up a boutique. Rue Longue, Marcolès, Cantal turned out to be a perfect choice, with the LPBVF label just the icing on the cake.

Emmanuelle Moulin et Atelier – Image credit: Betty Carlson / author

Although she creates artistic works, or artisanat d’art, Emmanuelle also offers a range of handmade products for all budgets. She was visibly touched by a recent sale to a village boy who was able to afford a handmade Christmas gift for his mother for only 12 euros – just one example of the warmth I found prevalent in Marcolès.

The village spirit

Emmanuelle soon had to run off to help set up a Marché d’art et d’artisanat. I imagined a small-scale crafts market – it was November, after all — but later learned that the event was such a success that the streets were packed.

Indeed, from May to November, Marcolès is one busy place. I have no idea how 590 inhabitants put together 13 special events in six months, but Emma emphasized the high level of community involvement, boosted by enthusiasm over the newly acquired LPBVF label.

With six days of art and theater events, an international bike criterium race, and a two-day “bicycle festival”, all in July and August, Marcolès would certainly be a good place to take the advice from my first article about LPBVF and “lean into liveliness” by planning a visit including a local festivity.

Marcolès pairings

Marcolès boasts an elegant auberge with both a Michelin 1-star restaurant and a more affordable bistrot, so a quiet stay right on site could be enticing.

Auberge – Image credit: Betty Carlson / author

But you may want to combine a visit to Marcolès with:

Conques, Aveyron: One of the better-known LPBVF, Conques can be reached in 40 minutes. More
Aurillac, Cantal: The préfecture of the Cantal department, population 25,815, is the nearest full-out town. Only a half hour’s drive away, it would make a perfect base for exploring this scenic area. More

Have you ever been to Marcolès, Cantal or other villages in that area? Please share in the comments below.