French Town in 'The Hundred-Foot Journey'

August 9, 2014

The movie 'The Hundred-Foot Journey' is a fable of an Indian family who joins heritage and history to heart and flavor with the owner of a competing restaurant and eventually an entire town.

The real town where the movie was shot is the French medieval village of Saint-Antonin-Noble-Val in Tarn-et-Garonne in the Midi-Pyrénées region of France.

This picturesque region located in the Alps in the southwest area of France is not as heavily visited by tourists as some of the other regions, which makes it a perfect travel destination.

Here, among the rolling hills, where the Aveyron and the Bonnette rivers meet, life moves slowly.

You can start your day in Saint-Antonin-Noble-Val at a café and people-watch in front of the Place de la Halle, the medieval covered market square (shown in 'The Hundred-Foot Journey'). Fresh produce handpicked from surrounding farms is available in the market with several specialities found only in the area.

The 12th-century town hall, said to be the oldest one in France, figures prominently in the square. Today it's a museum.

Also in Saint-Antonin-Noble-Val, stroll through the cobblestone streets to see the medieval, half-timbered houses and visit other historic sites such as King's House (Maison du Roy), an 8th century Benedictine Monastery; Maison de l'Amour; the Maison de l'Ave Maria; and the 14th century tannery.

Restaurants Shown in the Movie

For the movie, the restaurant exteriors were filmed in the neaby village of Carlus. Production crews for 'The Hundred-Foot Journey' built a new facade for the restaurant Le Saule Pleureur, while an existing farmhouse was used for the Maison Mumbai exteriors. Chateau de la Durantie near Toulouse served as the interior of Le Saule Pleureur.

Getting There

To get to the region, take the train from Paris or arrive by air into Toulouse, the capital of the region, and drive to the towns of the Midi-Pyrénées.

If Paris is included in your travel itinerary for France, note that in the movie, Hassan works as the lead chef in an actual restaurant named Le Gorges, which offers diners the same stunning views of the city you see in the movie.