French Rural Retreats

A harmonious B&B in Chinon wine country. Home-cooked food, comfortable beds, easy conservations with your host and starry skies at night

Outside a perfect bastide village, an elegant manoir for lazy days in the Dordogne, fabulous dinners and glorious gardens

A fabulous Belle Epoque château with much wow factor set in vast grounds with lawns and lakes, circled by a dense forest

Come for authentic restoration, chic Savoyard décor, breathtaking views of the Portes du Soleil, and a chairlift a 7-minute drive

Deep in Calvados near vibrant Caen, a cider barn with stylish bedrooms, quirky objets, a bar in the salon. Charming hosts welcome families

A pretty cottage in the grounds of an 18th-century house in the heart of southern Burgundy, with stunning gardens and a shared pool

Come for the gloriously peaceful countryside and this 1700s house and garden, scrupulously renovated and with plenty of space

Come for serene countryside, walks through bird-filled woods and this lovely old house with gracious hosts and very beautiful bedrooms

Immerse yourself, luxuriously, in beautiful rural Picardy – mirabelle jam, peaceful parkland, walking in the hills – near historic Amiens

Well-positioned winery for the whole of the Bordeaux region. Or stay put and learn about the Duhamels’ super organic Cotes de Bourg wines

A spacious farmhouse with a pool in the grounds of a stately château. Wander the walled garden, explore the countryside and pretty villages

Enjoy a bucolic setting (hike, ride, cycle) near medieval Vannes, a short hop from the sea – and lively conversation with friendly hosts

A tucked-away and peaceful retreat from which to explore the beautiful Dordogne or simply to unwind and recharge

A grand, 16th-century Breton château complete with dovecote, turret and chapel surrounded by 50 acres of parkland, woods and small lake

Between Paris and Rouen, a handsome country house in Monet scenery. Cows graze, bedrooms soothe, friendships bud over bountiful breakfasts

For wine lovers and foodies discovering the 'Tuscany of Bordeaux'. Elegance, serenity, history, and a delightfully epicurean hostess

A working farm with well renovated ancient buildings among 200 acres of pastures and forest. It's quiet here in the glorious Périgord

A fine old stone mill, the river rushing by, kingfishers, kayaking, swimming: it’s a dream place with Provence and Cévennes at the door