Photos: These five small towns in France top new  ranking of Wikipedia visits

The cliffs of Étretat in Normandy may be popular with real-life visitors, but they also do well online, a new ranking shows, with Étretat topping a new ranking of towns by Wikipedia page visits.

The listing ranks the small towns in France by the number of visits to their Wikipedia pages, in relation to their population. 

Étretat (Seine-Maritime) came in first place followed by hilltop medieval gem Cordes-sur-Ciel (Tarn) in second. Three ski resorts rounded out the top five.

Solid digital strategy

Ranking by Wikipedia page visits is more important than it might first appear, says the strategy and rural territory agency Nouvelles Marges, which organised the ranking, with many towns now turning their tourism efforts towards building a solid digital strategy. For many, the Wikipedia page of a  place is often its first point of contact with internet users. 

The agency reviewed the Wikipedia pages of 1,600 small French towns over a two-year period to create the ranking of those that attract the most interest, relative to their number of inhabitants.

It found that the pages of small towns analysed were consulted on average 6.4 times for each inhabitant, compared with 2.5 times for each resident of the 22 larger cities. 

This shows a growing need for good-quality information about small towns in France, it  said.

Of the 30 small towns that attract the most visitors, 80% stand out for their tourist reputation, and almost half have benefited from media coverage. Some benefit from having a famous ‘name effect’, such as the town of Laguiole, which is known for its high-quality knives.

The top five ranking

1. Étretat (Seine-Maritime)

With 1,300 inhabitants, the village is famous for its cliffs, which have been immortalised by painters including Monet, Pissarro and Boudin. There is also the Clos Arsène Lupin museum, dedicated to the famous thief in the Maurice Leblanc books. The town also has the Nungesser and Coli monument, which pays tribute to two aviators who made a first attempt to cross the Atlantic Ocean on May 8, 1927.

See the Étretat Wikipedia page here.

2. Cordes-sur-Ciel (Tarn)

Not only is this medieval town a famous landmark in the Tarn landscape, it also owes much of its online popularity due to Japanese film director Hayao Miyazaki (Studio Ghibli) having said that he drew inspiration from the village for his film Howl’s Moving Castle. 

The village was voted France's favourite village (le village préféré des Français) in 2014, in the annual programme of the same name presented by Stéphane Bern. 

The town is renowned for its medieval streets, artisanal shops, and many museums, including the Sugar and Chocolate Museum.

See the Cordes-sur-Ciel Wikipedia page here.

3. Cauterets (Hautes-Pyrénées)

This popular spa and ski resort came in third place. It is known for its spa attractions, including the Pont d'Espagne and Lac de Gaube, as well as its reliable snowfall in winter.

See the Cauterets Wikipedia page here.

4. Saint-Lary-Soulan (Hautes-Pyrénées)

This ski resort and sports station came in fourth place. Travellers appear to appreciate its open spaces, and hiking trails. It is also in an ideal location for those who wish to use it as a base to explore the whole region.

See the Saint-Lary-Soulan Wikipedia page here.

5. Mont-Dore (Puy-de-Dôme)

Another sports resort and spa town rounds out the top five. The resort benefits from a wide range of sports options year-round, including skiing, hiking, cycling, trail running, via ferrata, and paragliding 

The town has also hosted a famous international motor racing event every year for the past five decades.

See the Mont-Dore Wikipedia page here.