Best french regions

Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes leads the most beautiful Metropolitan Region in France ranking with 1310 ELO points over 90 duels, ahead of Bretagne and Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur.

The podium reflects a tight race at the top. Only 12 ELO points separate Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes from Bretagne, both winning 62% of their duels. Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur sits third with 1277 points, establishing a Mediterranean presence in an otherwise Alpine and Atlantic top three. The sharpest divide appears lower down: 32 ELO points separate Occitanie from Nouvelle-Aquitaine at ranks 4 and 5, the biggest gap in the ranking. At the bottom, the results tell a different story. Île-de-France ranks 12th with 1139 points, a stark reminder that beauty contests favor nature over density and urban sprawl. Hauts-de-France closes the ranking at 1011 points, winning just 25% of its 72 duels, suggesting voters privilege dramatic coastlines and mountain ranges over industrial heritage.

This ranking draws on 2075 duels judged by 64 players across 13 Metropolitan Regions, updated on 11 October 2026. The data captures a collective preference for mountainous and coastal landscapes, though regional pride and personal attachment likely shape individual votes. Each duel pits two regions head-to-head, with players choosing the one they find more beautiful. The accumulated results produce the ELO scores that determine the final order. Visit VAINKEURZ to cast your own judgment, challenge the current standings, and see how your choices compare to the broader community.

Updated on October 11, 2026

How this ranking is computed

Every duel won lifts a contender and every loss drops them, by an amount that depends on the opponent's strength: beating the leader is worth more than beating the last. It is an ELO, the same principle as in chess. Duels are not drawn at random — an adaptive entropy sort puts the least predictable match-ups first, which settles the ranking far faster than a full round robin. A worldwide ranking is only published past 30 completed plays. Known limit: a contender who has faced few opponents keeps an approximate score, and the bottom of the table moves more than the podium.

How our rankings are made →