Sleep in a castle: the most beautiful hotels in France

Sleep in a castle in the Loire Valley

Les Hauts de Loire | Castle life two hours from Paris

In its 70-hectare park not far from Blois a stone's throw from the Chateaux de la Loire, this former hunting lodge built in the 19th century has been awarded the Relais & Châteaux label, offering a country setting with lush green avenues and ponds where swans and mallard ducks cohabit all year round. Decorated with modern comforts in mind, the house retains its original atmosphere, with herringbone parquet flooring, gilded mirrors and antique furniture. The family home houses 31 attic rooms and suites, most of which overlook the park. A tennis court, swimming pool, spa and Michelin-starred restaurant complete the castle experience.

Good to know? The castle houses a Clarins spa with three treatment rooms, a sauna, a hammam and a relaxation room overlooking the garden.

Les Hauts de Loire
From €350 per night
79 Rue Gilbert Navard, 41150 Veuzain-sur-Loire

Château de l'Épinay | In Anjou

The Loire Valley is the region of châteaux par excellence, and is brimming with jewels such as Château de l'Épinay, our favorite. Near Angers, this 18th-century pearl, parts of which date back to the 15th century, has been completely renovated into a 4-star hotel, set in 25 hectares of parkland. A member of the Hôtels & Préférence collection, the 23 rooms and suites feature exposed beams, tufa stone fireplaces, parquet flooring and period tapestries inspired by the Romantic era, while others are located in the attic space, giving them an incomparable cachet.
With its spa, its magnificent ecological swimming pool where the water is treated thanks to the filtering action of plants, or the hammocks that dot the grounds, this castle will appeal to those who yearn for calm and rejuvenation. After a game of tennis, a fitness session, a game of billiards or a yoga or sophrology class, enjoy lunch on the terrace, featuring vegetables from the château's permaculture vegetable garden or delicious Italian specialties prepared by the young Italian chef. One of the finest hotels in the Loire Valley, without a doubt.

What do we love?
- The gentle lifestyle that permeates the atmosphere, from the spa to the spacious rooms and outdoor areas (terraces, fitness center, Jacuzzi...);
- The many activities on offer: tennis, pétanque, cycling or hiking, yoga classes on the grass, canoeing on the estate's private pond, billiards or a cinema room - there's something for everyone;
- The beautiful grounds: French garden, horses, rose garden, hammocks and swings and even lavender fields!
- Environmental commitment: natural swimming pool, permaculture organic vegetable garden, zero waste approach...
- The luxury philosophy embodied by the château: accessible without ostentation.

Good to know? While staying at Château de l'Épinay, take the opportunity to visit the prestigious neighbouring appellations of Savennières and Côteaux du Layon.

Château de l'Épinay
23 rooms and suites. From €160 per night
Lieu dit L'Épinay, 49170 Saint-Georges-sur-Loire

Sleeping in a castle in Brittany

Hôtel Le Nessay | A family home on the Breton coast

Proudly anchored on a tiny peninsula in Saint-Briac-sur-Mer, this 19th-century castle is one of the most charming hotels on the Emerald Coast. Surrounded by the waves of the English Channel, the former family home, with its pastel colors and Renaissance-style turrets, houses 11 rooms, including two in an annex and four in the posterns. Tastefully decorated, most rooms open onto the ocean horizon and the Emerald Coast. The castle's table offers a wide variety of seafood, fish and vegetable dishes. Just below the hotel, you'll find the iconic Les Salinettes beach for an invigorating swim and a breath of sea air!

Hôtel Le Nessay
From €250 per night
Boulevard du Bechay, 35800 Saint-Briac-sur-Mer

Sleep in a castle in Champagne

Domaine Les Crayères | A legendary hotel in Champagne

At the gateway to the Cité des Sacres very next to the Reims Champagne cellars, the historic Domaine Les Crayères is housed in a 1904 Belle Époque château. Set in seven hectares of verdant parkland, the 5-star Relais & Châteaux has been decorated in pure French style by interior designer Pierre Yves Rochon, a leading specialist in palaces and the world's finest hotels. Wood panelling, wall hangings, paintings, mouldings: classicism rubs shoulders in the winter garden, an Art Deco marvel, and in the two Michelin stars restaurant Le Parc, with its period wood panelling. Chef Christophe Moret is a master at revisiting noble products (lobster, langoustine, foie gras, turbot). The hotel has just 20 traditionally luxurious rooms and a cottage.

Good to know? Every Friday and Saturday, the luxury hotel offers gourmet dishes to enjoy in your room or to take away!

Domaine Les Crayères
20 keys, from €490 per night
64 Boulevard Henry Vasnier, 51100 Reims

Sleeping in a castle in Provence

Château de Fonscolombe | Near Aix-en-Provence

This 18th-century residence in the heart of Provence, listed as a Monument Historique, belonged first to the Marquis Boyer de Fonscolombe and then to the Marquis de Saporta, humanists, doctors and botanists. The 50 rooms and suites at Château de Fonscolombe, a 5 star Relais & Châteaux member, have been refurbished with period furniture, and the extraordinary salons offer a journey back in time. The immense park features a cedar tree donated by Queen Elizabeth II, who once stayed here with bicycles loan for guests. For a gourmet's delight, this hotel has 2 tables : La Table de l'Orangerie - Michelin-starred table since 2014 - for an unforgettable gastronomic experience, and Le Temps Suspendu, with a menu combining simplicity and authenticity.

We love: The calm and elegant atmosphere of a "family home" at this hotel in Provence. But also the 180-species planted park and the private chapel.

Good to know? The swimming pool, built in an old purified water basin, has retained its stonework, which has been classified as a historic monument!

Château de Fonscolombe
50 rooms and suites. From 300€ per night
Route de Saint-Canadet 13610 Le Puy-Sainte-Réparade

Sleeping in a castle in the Bordeaux region

Château Lafaurie-Peyraguey | A few kilometers from Sauternes

Third opus in the Lalique collection, after Villa Lalique and Château Hochberg in Alsace, Château Lafaurie-Peyraguey was inaugurated in 2018. Set in the heart of a 35-hectare vineyard designated 1er Grand Cru Classé de Sauternes, this 400-year-old building houses 10 rooms and 3 suites, all different from each other, and a gourmet restaurant. The interior decor features dark red and leafy green tones, a nod to the world of wine. The Lalique identity is very present: armchairs adorned with crystal cabochons, bathroom faucets bearing a crystal bunch of grapes... A choice destination for wine tourism aficionados. 

We love: The contemporary touch provided by architect Mario Botta, who adorned one facade with a glass passageway and installed a huge glass roof overlooking the vines on the first floor.

Good to know? The restaurant's menu is the work of chef Jérôme Schilling, a young Alsatian who trained with Robuchon and Marx... the promise of a memorable meal!

Château Lafaurie-Peyraguey
13 rooms and suites. From €250 per night
Lieu-dit, Peyraguey, 33210 Bommes

Sleep in a castle on the Côte d'Azur

Airelles Saint-Tropez, Château de la Messardière | On the heights of Saint-Tropez

This 19th-century mansion, which became a 5 star hotel in 2012, is a veritable institution in Saint-Tropez, just a few minutes from the village and the legendary Pampelonne beach. Set on a hill, it overlooks the Gulf of Saint-Tropez, the Pampelonne beach and the vineyards of Ramatuelle. Most of the 64 suites and 44 rooms offer a view of one of these magnificent landscapes, a major asset. A 1.000 m² wellness area with a Valmont spa, the prestigious Swiss brand, an indoor pool, a hammam and a fitness room complete the offer of this unique place, one of the most beautiful hotels in Saint-Tropez.

We love: the excellent Matsuhisa restaurant, featuring the best of Japanese-Peruvian cuisine by Nobu and a terrace with an exceptional view of Pampelonne beach.

Good to know? The ten-hectare park is classified as a bird sanctuary by the Ligue de Protection des Oiseaux, a guarantee of tranquillity!

Airelles Saint-Tropez, Château de la Messardière
108 rooms and suites. From €600 per night
2 Route de Tahiti, 83990 Saint-Tropez

Sleep in a castle near Paris

Intercontinental Chantilly Château Hôtel Mont Royal 

This former 18th-century hunting lodge, now a 5 star hotel, is nestled in the heart of the Chantilly forest. 100 rooms and suites combine French classicism with contemporary details. The rooftop suite with its 60 m² terrace deserves a special mention! L'Opéra restaurant, named after the château's former ballroom, offers a refined menu based on the most luxurious products (blue lobster, osciètre caviar, foie gras, Bavarian beef, etc.). The Stradivarius boasts a British ambience, with a collection of antique books and wood panelling, while cocktails and the chef's specialities are served in the spa, decorated in the colors of Carita and Decléor. An ideal address for a weekend close to Paris.

We love: the indoor pool lined with large white curtains and topped by a black chandelier, very "grand siècle"!

Good to know? The hotel is an ideal base from which to enjoy the Chantilly Vineuil golf course. Compared with the "big boys", it's rumored to be the only French golf course that's good enough for the Scots!

Intercontinental Chantilly Château Hôtel Mont Royal 
100 bedrooms and suites. From €250 per night
Allée des Marronniers, 60520 La Chapelle-en-Serval

Sleeping in a castle in Normandy

Château d'Audrieu | Near the D-Day beaches

In the heart of the Normandy countryside, on a 25-hectare estate not far from the D-Day beaches and Bayeux, Château d'Audrieu, a Relais & Châteaux member hotel, is part of the new2L Collection hotel group (Château de Fonscolombe in Provence, Le Cinq Codet in Paris). It took two years of work to bring it up to 5-star standard. It boasts thirty rooms and suites, each with its own classical charm: period furniture, wood panelling and parquet flooring, re-editions of Frey or Canovas fabrics, toile de Jouy, not to mention a restaurant with top-class cuisine and a large swimming pool.

We love: the three gardens, one with white roses, the other in the French style, and the kitchen garden that produces organic cider.

Good to know? the hotel offers a treehouse perched 7 meters high with private terrace and bathroom.

Château d'Audrieu
29 bedrooms and suites, 1 treehouse. From 260€ per night
14250 Audrieu (20 min from Caen)