Every year, the 'Association of towns and villages with a great quality of life unveils its latest rankings. In 2026, the Southwest of France and Normandy continue to dominate the list, despite notable shifts within the top 500. Biarritz remains firmly in first place, followed by Annecy and Angers. The organization also notes significant climbs of over 50 places for several towns, including Ajaccio, Fréjus, Concarneau, Saint-Raphaël, Besançon, Mandelieu-la-Napoule, Orange, and Salon-de-Provence.
And in Île-de-France? There are noticeable increases in the number of cases in the towns of Montmorency and Pontoise in Val-d'Oise, as well as in Rambouillet, Maisons-Laffitte, and Chatou in the Yvelines department.
If you live in Essonne, you'll want to know that Évry-Courcouronnes ranks as the best place to live in the department in 2026. Massy secures second place in the departmental rankings, followed by Sainte-Geneviève-des-Bois. Among the top 10 cities celebrated for their quality of life in Essonne, you'll also find Palaiseau (4th), Savigny-sur-Orge (5th), and Longjumeau (6th). Juvisy-sur-Orge finishes 10th in the departmental standings and ranks 234th nationwide.
To compile this ranking, the association of towns and villages where life is best has analyzed all 34,727 municipalities across metropolitan France. They considered 197 criteria, grouped into 11 major categories, including quality of life, safety, health, transportation, community support, real estate appeal, environment, and local commerce and services.
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