2026 ranking · historic monuments

The towns in Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur with the most historic monuments

Q: Which town in Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur has the most historic monuments?

Avignon (Vaucluse) has the most historic monuments in Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur: 165 monuments.

Avignon (Vaucluse) has the most historic monuments in Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur: 165 monuments. Next come Aix-en-Provence (Bouches-du-Rhône, 161 monuments) and Marseille (Bouches-du-Rhône, 121 monuments).

529 towns ranked out of 946

Avignon, 1^stThe next 19

The podium

Photos: © Jean-Marc Rosier, CC BY-SA 3.0

This ranking covers 529 of the 946 towns in Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur. Not ranked: towns with no historic monument. The table is split into pages of 100 towns. At the other end of the ranking, Étoile-Saint-Cyrice (Hautes-Alpes) 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 Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur

Rank	Town	Department	Historic monuments	Population
1	Avignon	Vaucluse (84)	165	93,567
2	Aix-en-Provence	Bouches-du-Rhône (13)	161	152,854
3	Marseille	Bouches-du-Rhône (13)	121	892,391
4	Arles	Bouches-du-Rhône (13)	98	52,515
5	Nice	Alpes-Maritimes (06)	81	360,710
6	Hyères	Var (83)	39	56,763
7	Fréjus	Var (83)	30	60,503
8	Tarascon	Bouches-du-Rhône (13)	28	15,526
9	Grasse	Alpes-Maritimes (06)	27	51,830
10 tied	Carpentras	Vaucluse (84)	26	32,388
10 tied	Pernes-les-Fontaines	Vaucluse (84)	26	10,735
12	Toulon	Var (83)	25	180,774
13 tied	Briançon	Hautes-Alpes (05)	22	11,744
13 tied	Les Baux-de-Provence	Bouches-du-Rhône (13)	22	267
15	Fontvieille	Bouches-du-Rhône (13)	21	3,673
16 tied	Cannes	Alpes-Maritimes (06)	19	75,105
16 tied	L'Isle-sur-la-Sorgue	Vaucluse (84)	19	20,755
16 tied	Saint-Rémy-de-Provence	Bouches-du-Rhône (13)	19	9,773
19	Menton	Alpes-Maritimes (06)	18	31,012
20	Sospel	Alpes-Maritimes (06)	17	3,879
21 tied	Antibes	Alpes-Maritimes (06)	16	78,612
21 tied	Orange	Vaucluse (84)	16	30,314
21 tied	Apt	Vaucluse (84)	16	10,359
24	Bollène	Vaucluse (84)	15	14,247
25 tied	Cavaillon	Vaucluse (84)	14	25,991
25 tied	Lambesc	Bouches-du-Rhône (13)	14	10,272
25 tied	Vaison-la-Romaine	Vaucluse (84)	14	6,199
28 tied	Manosque	Alpes-de-Haute-Provence (04)	13	23,349
28 tied	Saint-Tropez	Var (83)	13	3,649
30 tied	Vence	Alpes-Maritimes (06)	11	20,253
30 tied	Embrun	Hautes-Alpes (05)	11	6,757
30 tied	Riez	Alpes-de-Haute-Provence (04)	11	1,648
33 tied	Salon-de-Provence	Bouches-du-Rhône (13)	10	44,736
33 tied	La Ciotat	Bouches-du-Rhône (13)	10	38,868
33 tied	Brignoles	Var (83)	10	18,173
33 tied	Roquebrune-Cap-Martin	Alpes-Maritimes (06)	10	12,164
33 tied	Valréas	Vaucluse (84)	10	9,435
33 tied	Forcalquier	Alpes-de-Haute-Provence (04)	10	5,309
33 tied	La Turbie	Alpes-Maritimes (06)	10	3,113
40 tied	Draguignan	Var (83)	9	41,617
40 tied	Pertuis	Vaucluse (84)	9	19,817
40 tied	Sisteron	Alpes-de-Haute-Provence (04)	9	8,097
40 tied	Jouques	Bouches-du-Rhône (13)	9	4,628
40 tied	Breil-sur-Roya	Alpes-Maritimes (06)	9	2,422
40 tied	Saint-Jean-Cap-Ferrat	Alpes-Maritimes (06)	9	1,542
46 tied	Lançon-Provence	Bouches-du-Rhône (13)	8	10,048
46 tied	Tourves	Var (83)	8	5,287
46 tied	Saint-Saturnin-lès-Apt	Vaucluse (84)	8	3,078
46 tied	Gordes	Vaucluse (84)	8	1,693
50 tied	Martigues	Bouches-du-Rhône (13)	7	48,807
50 tied	Digne-les-Bains	Alpes-de-Haute-Provence (04)	7	18,764
50 tied	Saint-Maximin-la-Sainte-Baume	Var (83)	7	18,413
50 tied	Villefranche-sur-Mer	Alpes-Maritimes (06)	7	5,042
50 tied	Grimaud	Var (83)	7	4,651
50 tied	Saint-Paul-de-Vence	Alpes-Maritimes (06)	7	3,272
50 tied	Orgon	Bouches-du-Rhône (13)	7	2,794
50 tied	L'Argentière-la-Bessée	Hautes-Alpes (05)	7	2,356
50 tied	Boulbon	Bouches-du-Rhône (13)	7	1,567
50 tied	Castellane	Alpes-de-Haute-Provence (04)	7	1,503
50 tied	Saint-Étienne-de-Tinée	Alpes-Maritimes (06)	7	1,441
50 tied	Lourmarin	Vaucluse (84)	7	1,044
50 tied	La Brigue	Alpes-Maritimes (06)	7	777
50 tied	Château-Ville-Vieille	Hautes-Alpes (05)	7	314
64 tied	Istres	Bouches-du-Rhône (13)	6	44,953
64 tied	Gap	Hautes-Alpes (05)	6	42,685
64 tied	Saint-Raphaël	Var (83)	6	37,704
64 tied	Sorgues	Vaucluse (84)	6	19,227
64 tied	Pélissanne	Bouches-du-Rhône (13)	6	11,319
64 tied	Lorgues	Var (83)	6	10,141
64 tied	Eyguières	Bouches-du-Rhône (13)	6	7,254
64 tied	Saint-Mitre-les-Remparts	Bouches-du-Rhône (13)	6	6,291
64 tied	Saint-Cézaire-sur-Siagne	Alpes-Maritimes (06)	6	4,149
64 tied	Salernes	Var (83)	6	4,097
64 tied	Tende	Alpes-Maritimes (06)	6	1,821
64 tied	Eygalières	Bouches-du-Rhône (13)	6	1,805
64 tied	Mane	Alpes-de-Haute-Provence (04)	6	1,437
64 tied	Saint-Michel-l'Observatoire	Alpes-de-Haute-Provence (04)	6	1,344
64 tied	Lucéram	Alpes-Maritimes (06)	6	1,246
64 tied	Bonnieux	Vaucluse (84)	6	1,226
64 tied	Ménerbes	Vaucluse (84)	6	981
64 tied	Le Monêtier-les-Bains	Hautes-Alpes (05)	6	947
64 tied	Saorge	Alpes-Maritimes (06)	6	438
64 tied	Névache	Hautes-Alpes (05)	6	381
64 tied	Saint-Paul-sur-Ubaye	Alpes-de-Haute-Provence (04)	6	221
85 tied	Aubagne	Bouches-du-Rhône (13)	5	47,920
85 tied	Vallauris	Alpes-Maritimes (06)	5	29,509
85 tied	Le Thor	Vaucluse (84)	5	9,062
85 tied	Courthézon	Vaucluse (84)	5	6,499
85 tied	Peyrolles-en-Provence	Bouches-du-Rhône (13)	5	5,486
85 tied	Château-Arnoux-Saint-Auban	Alpes-de-Haute-Provence (04)	5	5,235
85 tied	Rognes	Bouches-du-Rhône (13)	5	4,801
85 tied	Plan-d'Aups-Sainte-Baume	Var (83)	5	2,570
85 tied	Aups	Var (83)	5	2,222
85 tied	Oppède	Vaucluse (84)	5	1,315
85 tied	Saint-Martin-de-Queyrières	Hautes-Alpes (05)	5	1,150
85 tied	La Salle-les-Alpes	Hautes-Alpes (05)	5	929
97 tied	La Seyne-sur-Mer	Var (83)	4	64,430
97 tied	Le Cannet	Alpes-Maritimes (06)	4	42,297
97 tied	Six-Fours-les-Plages	Var (83)	4	37,643
97 tied	Marignane	Bouches-du-Rhône (13)	4	33,957

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 Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur: FAQ

Which town in Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur has the most historic monuments?

Avignon (Vaucluse) has the most historic monuments in Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur: 165 monuments.

What are the 10 towns in Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur with the most historic monuments?

In order: Avignon (165 monuments), Aix-en-Provence (161 monuments), Marseille (121 monuments), Arles (98 monuments), Nice (81 monuments), Hyères (39 monuments), Fréjus (30 monuments), Tarascon (28 monuments), Grasse (27 monuments), and Carpentras (26 monuments).

How many towns in Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur are ranked?

529 out of 946. 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.