The hilltop village of Cordes-sur-Ciel, in the department of Tarn, Midi-Pyrénées, has been chosen by the French as their favourite village for 2014.

This is the third year of the competition «Village préféré des Français», an event which is organised by the French television channel France 2.

The competition is very popular, with around 5 million viewers who watch each of the programmes broadcast over several weeks.

Last year’s winner was the village of Eguisheim in the Haut-Rhin department of Alsace. In 2012 it was another village in the Midi-Pyrénées, Saint-Cirq-Lapopie that came top.

The basis of the selection for this competition is the charm, authenticity and beauty of the built environment.

The medieval village of Cordes-sur-Ciel, with around 1,000 habitants, seems to have that in spades, with a wonderful and substantial architectural heritage, in a magnificant setting, as a result of which it attracts many tourists each year.

The village gets its name from thelimestone plateauon which it sits, and which evokes the sea of clouds that can surround the plateau during the spring and autumn.

The list of the top ten finalists in 2014 were as follows:

1 - Cordes-sur-Ciel -Tarn - Midi-Pyrénées
2 - Andlau - Bas-Rhin - Alsace
3 - Chambon-sur-Voueize - Creuse - Limousin
4 - Sauzon - Morbihan - Bretagne
5 - Antraigues-sur-Volane - Ardèche - Rhone-Alpes
6 - Étretat - Seine-Maritime - Haute-Normandie
7 - Noyers-sur-Serein - Yonne - Bourgogne
8 - Vouvant - Vendée - Pays-de-la-Loire
9 - Gourdon - Alpes-Maritimes Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur
10 - Beuvron-en-Auge - Calvados - Basse-Normandie

This competition sits alongside other official and non-official labels that have emerged to promote French heritage - Les Plus Beaux Villages de France, Station Verte, Petite Cité de Caractère, Pays d'art et d'histoire and Concours des Villes et Villages Fleuris.