It is often much more fun and cheaper to rent a villa, country house, house or even a castle in France than to stay in a hotel. It gives you more flexibility and the opportunity to shop at local markets and then cook those wonderful produce on a barbecue by the pool. The properties sleep from 2 to 30 and it is worth considering going as a group with friends or as a couple. Many of the companies offer flexible stays of anything from one night to weeks. Here is a list of good companies that will rent you that hideaway in Provence, an elegant apartment in Paris, or a cabin in the Normandy countryside.
You can get all the information you need on any property through their excellent websites that provide complete details and maps, and often information on the owners. Prices include the house and amenities. There may be separate charges for bedding, cleaning supplies, or pets. All of this is clearly stated on the websites.
You will need a car. For car rental for periods longer than a week, I recommend Renault Eurodrive’s buyback car leasing scheme.
If you are driving from the UK, check the ferry crossing guide.
All of the following property rental companies have been in business for years, researching their properties and knowing the market.
Far from home
HomeAway has 97,725 properties in 22 regions, from Brittany to Corsica, Aquitaine and the Côte d’Azur in all sorts of sizes and price ranges. You book directly with the owners.
HomeAway website
Test: The Villa in Saumane-de-Vaucluse, Luberon, Provence
Live the life of those Provencal novels in the Luberon. This charming stone house is located near Isle-sur-la-Sorgue, famous for its antiques and antique markets, and the pretty village of Gordes. Sleeping up to 10 people with 5 bedrooms, the home has tile floors, a large open kitchen, wood-beamed ceilings, and an under-eaves room ideal for kids. It is completely private with a heated pool in the garden.
The minimum stay is from 2 to 7 nights and the price is € 129 per night depending on the time of year. Book directly with the owners, Fabrice and Isabelle Barotte, who have been with HomeAway.com since 2007 and speak French, English and Italian.
Why choose the Luberon?
The Luberon is in eastern Provence, near the city of Avignon and the Roman cities of Orange, Nimes and Arles. It is a wonderful part of France with attractions from abbeys to hilltop villages, local markets, and great restaurants.
More about the region and its attractions
- L’Isle-sur-la-Sorgue
- Avignon
- Travel to avignon
- The best Mediterranean cities in the south of France
- The best beaches in the region
- Senanque Abbey and other attractions in the region
French country houses
French Country Cottages is a large company with properties including apartments of all sizes throughout France. They have a flexible booking policy with good deals at certain times, like Easter. Book through the company’s website.
Sitio web de French Country Cottages
Test: Lou Nidou, Cantaron, Nice, Cote d’Azur
This small village is located in the hills of Nice. The property is 8 kms (5 miles) from the city, so you can get in and out of Nice without the crowds. You can see Nice and the sparkling Mediterranean beyond from the outdoor pool and garden to the front and the spectacular mountains of the Alpes-Maritimes from the back. Built on one level, there is a fireplace in the living room and a terrace. It has two bedrooms with capacity for 4 and is ideal for couples.
Price: The cost per week is £ 799 to £ 1,820.
Why choose Nice?
Nice is the Queen of the Côte d’Azur, a wonderful sweeping area in the south of France that runs from St-Raphael to the Italian coast. There is a lot to do in this part of the world. You can explore Nice, while nearby Antibes is a lovely place to visit, as is Juan-les-Pins with its famous summer jazz festival. You are close to the pretty villages of the Alpes-Maritimes and an hour’s drive from the glories of the Var and towns like Moustier-Sainte-Marie in northern Provence.
More about the region and its attractions
- Nice for food lovers
- Six artist museums in and around Nice (and restaurant suggestions)
- Antibes guide
- Top six things to do in Antibes
- The fortified hilltop village of Seillans in the Var
The great domain
As the name implies, this company offers large properties throughout France, making it the contact for you if you have a very large family or many friends who want to share a property.
The Big Domain website
Test: La Germainiere, Guehebert, Manche, Normandy
The quiet 300-year-old stone house is just what you would expect from a French country mansion. On a private half-mile driveway, the home has old wooden beams, stone walls, and a large fireplace in the great room. There is a breakfast area off the main kitchen and a dining room with a table large enough to seat 12 people. There are bicycles for the day and table tennis for the evening, as well as a heated outdoor pool and a south-facing terrace where you can dine under a canopy of vines. Booking the property also gives you a 20% discount with Brittany Ferries crossings.
Why choose La Germaniere?
The house is located in the deepest rural area of Normandy, on the west side of the Cotentin peninsula. It’s close to some glorious beaches and pretty Granville with its Christian Dior Museum and the popular September seafood festival. From here it is a short drive to Avranches and Mont-St-Michel.
To the northeast are the Normandy D-Day landing beaches with all their major events around the 7th anniversary of the D-Day landings. You’re also close enough to Caen and Bayeux for some great day trips.
Prices: low season from £ 875 per week; Easter holidays from £ 1,195 per week.
High season from £ 2,600 per week; Christmas and New Years from £ 1,450 per week.
More about the region
- Best Normandy D-Day Landing Beaches
- Top events at the Normandy D-Day Festival from June to August 2014
- Mont-St-Michel abbey
- How to get to Mon-St-Michel from Paris and the UK
- Avranches, near Mont-St-Michel
More about Caen and Bayeux
- Plan a visit to Caen
- Guide of Bayeux
- The Bayeux Tapestry
Quality villas
Quality Villas has a wide range of properties in France, particularly on the luxury end. The company is family-owned and started 28 years ago.
Quality Villas website
Prueba: Château des Perdrix, Millencay, Loire
Those with aspirations for a real lifestyle may want to rent the Château des Perdrix. Within a 500 acre estate, the original castle dates from the 15th century . It’s more of a hunting lodge, but hunting lodges can be quite grand, as Louis XIV demonstrated at Chambord. There is a private heated pool and tennis court, barbecue and a barn designed to be a play area. The house has two wings with 10 rooms in total that can accommodate 14 so two families could easily share without tripping. Inside it is decorated with tapestries and wood paneling, has fireplaces and antlers, pool tables, pianos and all the accessories of elegant castle life.
Prices: Weekly costs range from £ 4,420 to £ 6,050.
Why choose the Loire Valley?
The wide and majestic Loire Valley was the playground of the French kings and their aristocratic friends (and enemies). Castles line the river like jewels with gardens to match. It is one of the most popular regions in France and gets very crowded in the summer. It is in the Sologne region, south of Orleans and in an area of forests and lakes, where wild boar and deer live. There are excellent walking and cycling on the Loire à Velo route.
The castle is near the village of Millancay (which has an annual pumpkin festival in early autumn), and 11 km from Romorantin-Lanthenay. Blois is 35 miles away.
More about the region
- The best castles to visit
- Top 10 attractions in the Loire Valley
- Visit Blois
- Visit the castle of Blois
- Gardens to visit in the Loire Valley
- The Loire a Velo cycle route
