Association
Care and respect for our heritage
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The Most Beautiful Villages in Spain was born of the desire to tell everybody all about the wonderful villages dotted around our beautiful country. Places of great beauty, rich in both history and culture, whose traditions envelop the traveller as they mix with the locals to become part of this unique setting even if only for a few moments.
Through this website, we aim to promote rural areas and small municipalities, along with the different initiatives undertaken by the association, also employing the internet, press or other means of communication.
The Most Beautiful Villages in Spain Association does not have or seek any political interest. It will however lobby for the involvement of the different administrations in supporting, caring for and respecting our heritage, as well as promoting cultural events associated with our villages.
Based on the above, it is clear that on this website you will find a selection of villages and small towns that stand out in terms of their quality, excellence and - of course - beauty. We would like to encourage you to visit the selected villages, but also to actively participate in this website with your opinions and ideas, so that we can continue to build on this project and feed back to the villages through our contacts in the local councils.
village certification criteria
The best selection
Population below 15,000 inhabitants
Certified architectural or natural heritage
Preservation of facades Limited circulation of vehicles
Care of flowers and green areas Cleaning and maintenance
Brand and Logo of the Association
The brand name The Most Beautiful Villages in Spain is a seal of quality, representing a prestigious national and international benchmark for rural tourism and heritage conservation. Possession of the label means that the Village in question meets criteria regarding quality, beauty and tourist accessibility that are sure to satisfy even the most demanding visitor.
Use of The Most Beautiful Villages in Spain trademark is governed by regulations. Any use of the trademark that falls outside the parameters established in the regulations of use may result in legal consequences for those responsible. The logotype and brand name of The Most Beautiful Villages in Spain constitute a Registered Trademark whose copy, use or reproduction in any physical or digital medium without the prior written authorisation of its owners is totally prohibited.
Criteria for Village Selection
The criteria for the admission of a new village are set out in the association's quality charter. In order to join the association, the village must first seek the agreement of the municipal authorities or local governing body. Once the request has been received by the association, the application process is set in motion, taking into account the following criteria:
– Villages must have a population of less than 15,000 inhabitants (villages with a population greater than 5,000 inhabitants, will only be considered if their historic centre is in perfect condition)
– They must also have a certified architectural or natural heritage.
– They must also have a certified architectural or natural heritage.
If these two criteria are fulfilled, the village is inspected by the association's quality commission to assess the various aspects specified in the Quality Charter. It will be necessary to exceed the minimum quality criteria for cleanliness, conservation of the facades, traffic circulation, parking arrangements, flowers and green areas, presentation of advertising and posters, etc.
The inspection results in a verdict which may be positive, positive conditional on improvements to certain important aspects, or negative. If the verdict is positive, the village will be labelled at its corresponding entry points as "One of the Most Beautiful in Spain" together with the association logo, and from that moment on it will have the right to use the seal "The Most Beautiful Villages in Spain" in accordance with the values of the association.
A village may be re-inspected in the years following its accession so as to verify that it continues to honour values such as the preservation and promotion of its heritage and refurbishment of facades, etc. A village can lose the "One of the Most Beautiful Villages in Spain" label if it stops complying with the initial values of the association or its quality charter.
The Most Beautiful Villages in Spain Association at the international level
In 1982, the Les Plus Beaux Villages de France association was born in France - the first network of its kind in the world. Currently the French association has 157 members.
Following the success of this initiative, further networks began to establish themselves in other countries, with French-speaking countries or regions being the first to follow in the original association's footsteps.
In 1994, the Most Beautiful Villages in Wallonia (Belgium) was born
In 2001, the Most Beautiful Villages in Italy
In 2005 the Most Beautiful Villages in Japan
In 2010 the Most Beautiful Villages in Romania
In 2011 the Most Beautiful Villages in Saxony (Germany)
In 2001, the Most Beautiful Villages in Italy
In 2005 the Most Beautiful Villages in Japan
In 2010 the Most Beautiful Villages in Romania
In 2011 the Most Beautiful Villages in Saxony (Germany)
On 8 July 2012, the International Federation of the Most Beautiful Villages Associations was created in Gordes (France). This federation is called Les plus beaux villages de la Terre (The Most Beautiful Villages on Earth), and consists of the associations of France, Italy, Wallonia and Japan. Their statutes allow for new national associations to be integrated into the federation automatically once they have been in operation for five years.
In 2018, the members of the Federation chose Spain to take up the two-year presidency of the Most Beautiful Villages on Earth.
Local councils
Information on the significance of becoming one of The Most Beautiful Villages in Spain
The association The Most Beautiful Villages in Spain was created in March 2011, inspired by the success of similar associations already in existence worldwide. Examples of this include the pioneering French association, Les plus beaux villages de la France, its Italian counterpart, il Borghi più belli d'Italia, and the Canadian and Wallonian associations.
Here in Spain we are creating a network of enchanting villages in order to unite the most beautiful villages in Spain under the same seal of quality.
All these villages come together under the umbrella brand, "The Most Beautiful Villages in Spain," whose quality charter governs and supports the choice of the villages that form part of the network.
Only 20% of the villages that apply for membership ultimately pass the inspection, going on to obtain the seal and sign featuring the title “One of the Most Beautiful Villages in Spain”.
Obtaining the label The Most Beautiful Villages in Spain means:
Benefitting from our infrastructure for the organisation of training and the spread of national and rural heritage values.
Possession and use of the registered trademark "The Most Beautiful Villages in Spain" as specified in the regulations for use of the trademark, entailing:
.The placing of a standardised panel featuring the "The Most Beautiful Villages of Spain" logo at the various entry points to the Village.
.The use - both by the Village itself and the non-profit associations of which it is a member (Tourist Office, festival committee, etc.) - of this title and logo in all communications: municipal bulletins, manifestos, letterheads, etc.
The organisation of cultural activities related to the heritage and history of the member Villages.
Promotion of training in matters of heritage awareness, management and preservation.
Promotion of the Village both nationally and internationally through the Association's website, its Smartphone Application and any other initiatives that the Association decides to undertake for this purpose.
The publication of the Village's festivals and events on the Association's website and social networks, Facebook and Twitter, to attract tourism
Feedback from visitors to the Village via the comments section of our website.
Access to a channel of communication and advice in order to improve and preserve the Village's traditions and heritage.
The management of public subsidies for Official Villages, and the support and recognition of the European Union, State and Autonomous Communities.
How to become one of The Most Beautiful Villages in Spain:
1 – The local council must send a written request for membership (downloadable under point "c") to the association accompanied by:
- a) Record of the deliberation in plenary session by the municipal authorities or local governing body of the request to seek membership of “The Most Beautiful Villages in Spain”;
- b) Certification of compliance with the admission criteria (not exceeding 15,000 inhabitants; possessing properly certified architectural and/or natural heritage with relevant documentation held by the local council). The accreditation process is not initiated if these two requirements are not met.
- c) Download and complete the Quality Charter, and send it to: C/ Romaní, nº 21, Polinyà 08213 (Barcelona) Spain or to the email [email protected]
2– An assessment visit is conducted by representatives of the brand in order to evaluate which admission criteria are satisfactorily met. Photographs and video footage will be taken, and an interview arranged with a councillor or the mayor of the candidate village.
3 – Once the appraisal of the village has been completed, the report is sent to the Association's quality commission for deliberation, evaluation and final decision making.
4 – Notification of the decision taken by the quality commission will be sent by letter to the candidate village. In all cases, the Commission will inform the candidate village of the reasons for the admission or rejection of their candidacy.
Documentation
Quality Committee Regulations
The Quality Committee is the independent body that will make the final decision as to whether the criteria listed in our Quality Charter have been met by the Candidate Village.
Statutes of the Most Beautiful Villages in SpainThe Bylaws of the Association
Quality CharterDiscover the criteria assessed by the Association when inspecting Villages, and to which the associated villages are committed to maintaining and improving
Team
Association
equipo
Quality Committee
available online
New Official Guide
Get your Official Guide to the Most Beautiful Villages in Spain here
plan your routes
Village Card
Download the app and discover the new way to travel to your favourite villages by geolocation
available online
New Official Guide
Get your Official Guide to the Most Beautiful Villages in Spain here
plan your routes
Village Card
Download the app and discover the new way to travel to your favourite villages by geolocation
