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2026 ranking · historic monuments

The towns in France with the most historic monuments

Paris has the most historic monuments in France: 1,893 monuments. Next come Bordeaux (Gironde, 385 monuments) and La Rochelle (Charente-Maritime, 294 monuments).

16,271 towns ranked out of 34,875

Paris, 1stThe next 19

The podium

  1. View of Paris 1stParis 1,893monuments Paris
  2. View of Bordeaux 2ndBordeaux 385monuments Gironde
  3. View of La Rochelle 3rdLa Rochelle 294monuments Charente-Maritime

Photos: © Remi Jouan, CC BY-SA 3.0

This ranking covers 16,271 of the 34,875 towns in France. Not ranked: towns with no historic monument. The table is split into pages of 100 towns. At the other end of the ranking, Louvemont-Côte-du-Poivre (Meuse) comes last with 1 monument.

In France, a commune is the smallest unit of local government, from large cities to tiny villages. Paris, Lyon and Marseille are ranked as whole communes: their arrondissements (districts) have no rank of their own.

The ranking: most historic monuments in France

Rank Town Department Historic monuments Proportional bar Population
1 Paris Paris (75) 1,893 2,119,412
2 Bordeaux Gironde (33) 385 271,552
3 La Rochelle Charente-Maritime (17) 294 81,843
4 Lyon Rhône (69) 260 525,314
5 Nancy Meurthe-et-Moselle (54) 259 104,988
6 Rouen Seine-Maritime (76) 234 119,165
7 Toulouse Haute-Garonne (31) 233 519,940
8 Strasbourg Bas-Rhin (67) 232 296,552
9 Arras Pas-de-Calais (62) 227 43,765
10 Dijon Côte-d'Or (21) 216 164,963
11 Lille Nord (59) 211 240,109
12 Besançon Doubs (25) 194 121,627
13 Clermont-Ferrand Puy-de-Dôme (63) 181 148,795
14 Orléans Loiret (45) 167 118,788
15 Avignon Vaucluse (84) 165 93,567
16 Aix-en-Provence Bouches-du-Rhône (13) 161 152,854
17 Tours Indre-et-Loire (37) 153 141,746
18 Nantes Loire-Atlantique (44) 130 332,515
19 tied Metz Moselle (57) 124 124,396
19 tied Versailles Yvelines (78) 124 85,750
21 Marseille Bouches-du-Rhône (13) 121 892,391
22 Montpellier Hérault (34) 119 313,712
23 Bourges Cher (18) 115 66,155
24 Angers Maine-et-Loire (49) 101 162,290
25 tied Rennes Ille-et-Vilaine (35) 98 234,950
25 tied Arles Bouches-du-Rhône (13) 98 52,515
27 Nîmes Gard (30) 96 154,017
28 Richelieu Indre-et-Loire (37) 93 1,619
29 Caen Calvados (14) 90 111,546
30 Saint-Malo Ille-et-Vilaine (35) 87 48,675
31 Le Puy-en-Velay Haute-Loire (43) 86 19,376
32 Poitiers Vienne (86) 85 92,187
33 Le Mans Sarthe (72) 84 148,876
34 Lons-le-Saunier Jura (39) 83 17,480
35 tied Nice Alpes-Maritimes (06) 81 360,710
35 tied Pérouges Ain (01) 81 1,419
37 Riom Puy-de-Dôme (63) 76 19,541
38 Dinan Côtes-d'Armor (22) 75 15,351
39 tied Vitré Ille-et-Vilaine (35) 74 19,938
39 tied Sarlat-la-Canéda Dordogne (24) 74 9,099
41 tied Laon Aisne (02) 72 24,809
41 tied Carnac Morbihan (56) 72 4,299
43 Blois Loir-et-Cher (41) 70 48,742
44 tied Reims Marne (51) 66 180,733
44 tied Saint-Denis Réunion (974) 66 157,142
44 tied Limoges Haute-Vienne (87) 66 131,817
47 Amiens Somme (80) 65 139,183
48 Narbonne Aude (11) 64 58,669
49 Charleville-Mézières Ardennes (08) 63 46,473
50 Le Mont-Saint-Michel Manche (50) 61 24
51 tied Nevers Nièvre (58) 59 34,018
51 tied Châteaudun Eure-et-Loir (28) 59 13,129
51 tied Honfleur Calvados (14) 59 6,824
51 tied Mirepoix Ariège (09) 59 3,331
51 tied Île-d'Aix Charente-Maritime (17) 59 188
56 tied Colmar Haut-Rhin (68) 58 68,013
56 tied Quimper Finistère (29) 58 66,579
58 tied Pont-à-Mousson Meurthe-et-Moselle (54) 55 14,470
58 tied Provins Seine-et-Marne (77) 55 11,911
60 Moulins Allier (03) 54 19,714
61 tied Pessac Gironde (33) 53 68,102
61 tied Châlons-en-Champagne Marne (51) 53 43,914
61 tied Toul Meurthe-et-Moselle (54) 53 15,955
64 tied Carcassonne Aude (11) 52 47,153
64 tied Beaucaire Gard (30) 52 15,883
66 Vichy Allier (03) 51 25,445
67 Dole Jura (39) 50 24,654
68 Autun Saône-et-Loire (71) 49 14,175
69 tied Compiègne Oise (60) 48 41,774
69 tied Langres Haute-Marne (52) 48 7,819
71 Saumur Maine-et-Loire (49) 47 27,096
72 tied Chalon-sur-Saône Saône-et-Loire (71) 46 46,481
72 tied Douai Nord (59) 46 41,108
74 tied Périgueux Dordogne (24) 45 30,496
74 tied Cahors Lot (46) 45 20,887
76 Fontainebleau Seine-et-Marne (77) 44 16,021
77 tied Montauban Tarn-et-Garonne (82) 43 64,523
77 tied Cayenne French Guiana (973) 43 62,951
79 tied Troyes Aube (10) 42 63,254
79 tied Uzès Gard (30) 42 8,851
81 Chartres Eure-et-Loir (28) 41 39,318
82 tied Saint-Étienne Loire (42) 40 174,698
82 tied Pézenas Hérault (34) 40 8,043
82 tied Riquewihr Haut-Rhin (68) 40 1,022
85 tied Roubaix Nord (59) 39 98,701
85 tied Hyères Var (83) 39 56,763
85 tied Vienne Isère (38) 39 32,216
85 tied Sens Yonne (89) 39 27,600
89 tied Laval Mayenne (53) 38 51,719
89 tied Angoulême Charente (16) 38 43,454
89 tied Phalsbourg Moselle (57) 38 4,903
92 tied Grenoble Isère (38) 37 158,303
92 tied Vannes Morbihan (56) 37 57,745
92 tied Albi Tarn (81) 37 52,783
92 tied Valenciennes Nord (59) 37 43,966
92 tied Auxerre Yonne (89) 37 36,245
92 tied Beaune Côte-d'Or (21) 37 20,999
92 tied Bar-le-Duc Meuse (55) 37 15,228
99 tied Perpignan Pyrénées-Orientales (66) 36 123,136
99 tied Béziers Hérault (34) 36 82,629

Source: French Ministry of Culture, Mérimée database (buildings protected as historic monuments); buildings classified or registered as historic monuments, in whole or in part. Not ranked: towns with no historic monument. Tied values share the same rank. Data sources.

FAQ

Most historic monuments in France: FAQ

Which town in France has the most historic monuments?

Paris has the most historic monuments in France: 1,893 monuments.

What are the 10 towns in France with the most historic monuments?

In order: Paris (1,893 monuments), Bordeaux (385 monuments), La Rochelle (294 monuments), Lyon (260 monuments), Nancy (259 monuments), Rouen (234 monuments), Toulouse (233 monuments), Strasbourg (232 monuments), Arras (227 monuments), and Dijon (216 monuments).

How many towns in France are ranked?

16,271 out of 34,875. Not ranked: towns with no historic monument.

What does this ranking count?

Each building protected as a historic monument (monument historique), whether classified or only registered, in whole or in part, counts as one, as listed in the Mérimée database of the French Ministry of Culture. A monument that spans several communes, such as an aqueduct or a city wall, counts in each of them. The total also depends on how protections were divided up: a group of buildings can count as one monument or as several.

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