These hotels are among the best in the French countryside, offering everything from a natural hideaway in the Loire Valley to an immersive experience in wine country.
There’s nothing quite like the French countryside in spring and summer.
Whether you enjoy picnics in meadows, want to eat the best cuisine the nation has to offer, or are waiting down the days until you can stroll through lavender fields, a trip to bucolic France is always worthwhile.
With the vacation season approaching, Euronews Travel has compiled a list of the most unusual and unique places to visit in France’s stunning countryside in 2024.
1. Loire Valley Lodges
Loire Valley Lodges, a modern boutique hotel in Esvres with 300 hectares of private forest, has been awarded a Michelin Key.
It’s an especially important distinction because the Michelin Guide has just recently begun grading hotels and selects only the best to receive the honour.
It’s only a one-hour TGV journey from Paris and offers a welcome respite from the city’s bustling pace.
Loire Valley cabins, located in the famed ‘Valley of the Kings’, consist of 18 individual cabins nestled deep in the forest. To make things even more unique, each dwelling is designed as a treehouse, putting you right in the heart of the surrounding natural beauties.
Perfect for art aficionados, each lodge houses a collection of work from current artists, and there is also a sculpture trail on offer.
Fans of the outdoors will like the forest bathing experiences. Two of the treehouses have private saunas, and all guests can participate in sound bath and meditation workshops, which are new this season.
Loire Valley Lodges offer nightly prices starting at €440, which includes breakfast.
2. Domaine de Prestal
The Paris Olympics are quickly approaching, and naturally, the athletes are training. The world’s greatest equestrians are sharpening their skills at Haras du Pin, a stud farm in the Pays Bocage region west of Paris, and you can join them this year.
Domaine de Prestal is a vintage five-bedroom guest house located near to the stud farm.
Horse enthusiasts can explore the stables, tack rooms, and museum, as well as watch weekly equestrian parades set to music on the property. During the summer, they expand their offers with a special children’s programme.
The rooms are unique and unforgettable; one in particular is set in a 17th-century dovecote, which serves as a guard tower at the property’s entrance and has a spectacular spherical bed.
In addition, the home offers guests cocktails and a selection of local cold cuts and tartines in a private boudoir.
Domaine de Prestal’s nightly rates start at €95 per night for two people sharing, with a minimum two-night stay.
3. Le Château de Candie
Le Château de Candie exemplifies the connection between France and high-quality wine.
This four-star hotel, located just five kilometers from the center of Chambéry, an Alpine town near the Swiss border, combines the past and current and even has its own vineyard for guests to explore.
Accommodation options include spacious rooms and a tower suite, which is excellent for a romantic getaway. Most offer views of the neighboring valley and a beautiful outdoor pool.
The vineyard, however, is the main lure for wine aficionados.
For hundreds of years, the 14th-century castle has grown grapes and sold wine, producing approximately 3,000 bottles every year.
The vines were re-established in 2009 after being wiped out by disease in the late 1800s. The manufacturers chose to cultivate the Viognier grape.
In addition to witnessing the vineyards in action, visitors may sample the wines on-site and at a variety of local restaurants showcasing the best of Alpine cuisine.
Le Château de Candie offers a week-long stay starting at €1,470 for two people sharing a Classic Room, which includes breakfast.
4. Domaine des étangs
Domaine des Etangs offers the opportunity to live like king, even if only momentarily.
A hotel in a spectacular 13th-century lakefront château located just outside the picturesque town of Massignac in the Charente region, set on 2,500 acres of preserved environment.
The main château has seven outstanding rooms and suites, as well as six big Farmhouse Cottages and The Longère, or ‘longhouse’, which has four multi-story junior suites that are ideal for families.
A heated outdoor swimming pool is accessible from May to September, and guests may enjoy a children’s play area year-round, which includes three in-ground trampolines, a 50-foot zipline, and a playscape with swings, slides, climbing platforms, and a gigantic chessboard.
More than six miles of walking and bicycling paths await visitors of all ages, as do farm tours, rowboating on the pond, catch-and-release fishing, and horseback riding.
A floating tennis court is also accessible on-site for those who prefer to be active.
It’s also an ideal destination for foodies. Matthieu Pasgrimaud, formerly of the famous Le 1825, has taken over as chief chef of the hotel’s restaurant, Dyades, and the Smoking Lounge, an art-filled lounge that offers cognac and cigars.
A one-night stay at the Domaine des Etangs starts at €215 for two guests.
5. Le château du Gué aux Biches
Bagnoles de l’Orne, a spa town in Normandy, is known for its Belle Époque architecture. The Château du Gué aux Biches hotel is a prime example.
It was once the residence of Albert Christophle, Bagnoles’ founding father and architect, and has lately been given a Scandi-inspired renovation.
Danish couple Klaus and Soren purchased Le Château du Gué aux Biches in 2017 and spent four years painstakingly repairing it before opening five traditional but light and spacious guest rooms in 2021.
This season, the owners have erected a separate two-bedroom gite in the grounds (the former gardener’s house) for complete isolation.
They’re also attempting to make the place more sustainable. Guests who arrive by train at the hotel will be rewarded with complimentary transportation and shuttles into town for nights out.
A stay at Le Château du Gué aux Biches starts at €150 per night for two persons sharing.
6. Troplong Mondot
Saint-Émilion, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, is widely regarded as one of the world’s most famous wine destinations.
If you enjoy wine, Château Troplong Mondot, a fairy-tale French refuge, could be the perfect getaway.
The famed Premier Grand Cru Classé 19th century wine estate in Bordeaux, which overlooks Saint-Émilion, will open a boutique hotel, The Keys of Troplong Mondot, in 2020.
Since then, it has grown steadily and has just launched the rustic Vineyard House, a two-bedroom house nestled among the estate’s vineyards.
All château visitors will enjoy amazing views of the Dordogne Valley and have the opportunity to learn about the estate during a private vineyard tour, followed by a wine tasting.
For true wine aficionados, a visit to Saint-Émilion is a necessity, and it’s only a 20-minute walk from the property.
Electric bikes can also be used to explore nearby chateaux and wineries.
Since then, it has grown steadily and has just launched the rustic Vineyard House, a two-bedroom house nestled among the estate’s vineyards.
All château visitors will enjoy amazing views of the Dordogne Valley and have the opportunity to learn about the estate during a private vineyard tour, followed by a wine tasting.
For true wine aficionados, a visit to Saint-Émilion is a necessity, and it’s only a 20-minute walk from the property.
Electric bikes can also be used to explore nearby chateaux and wineries.