Family Friendly Castle Stays in France – 2026

The Napoleon III-era Château de Sacy is now a sophisticated boutique hotel near Reim in the heart of France’s Champagne region and just over an hour from Paris. With just 12 rooms and suites it is a homely, intimate place, which has friendly, helpful staff, an excellent restaurant, and sweeping views over the surrounding vineyards. The Rooms: Your choices are between classic, superior, and deluxe rooms and two lovely 50 m² suites. All are individually decorated, opulent, and chic, and get the balance just right between modern and period style. They are also spacious with even the most basic rooms; the classic rooms, covering a minimum of 23 m². Of… > See All the Details & Book

Château La Breteche is a rustic French chateau for rent near Orléans and the Loire Valley. It is a spacious and elegant five-bedroom property that can sleep up to fourteen guests comfortably and though fully renovated internally it retains an alluring sense of the past. The setting is idyllic and deeply rural; the chateau is hidden away between the woods and the meandering River Cosson and you don’t have to stray too far to find yourself immersed in the peace and tranquility of nature. The Rooms: There are five bedrooms at the chateau, five bathrooms, two large living rooms/dining rooms with satellite TV and a piano, a fully equipped kitchen,… > See All the Details & Book

Château de Bagnols, near Lyon, France, is a really quite magnificent 800-year-old Beaujolais château now serving as a 5-star luxury hotel. It has some terrifically opulent rooms and suites, beautiful gardens, top-of-the-range spa facilities, and terrific fine dining at a Michelin Star-awarded restaurant. Those factors alone would make it a wonderful place to stay but what makes Château de Bagnols extra special is its remarkably well-preserved castle structure and the extremely impressive interior design which weds perfectly the historical and the modern. It is without a doubt one of the most beautiful chateau hotels in France. The Rooms: They have a range of suites on offer, in the chateau itself… > See All the Details & Book

A former 12th-century Knights Templar castle, Château Saint Martin is now a magnificent, 5-star luxury hotel retreat set high in the hills above Saint Paul de Vence and the French Riviera. It has magnificent views, spacious, comfortable rooms and suites, over 30 acres of beautifully tended gardens which include a swimming pool and tennis courts. It can also boast a Michelin Star Restaurant, opulent spa facilities, and a dedicated staff team that is really second to none. To top it all Château Saint Martin also has an amazing array of art adorning its walls, art which includes works by such iconic figures as Picasso, Matisse, Renoir, and Chagall. The Rooms:… > See All the Details & Book

UK visitors may know Chateau Mareuil from the Channel 4 series, Escape to the Chateau DIY, which ended in 2021. It’s a very charming 15th-century chateau with a lovely setting overlooking the Asse valley in the Hautes Vienne region of France. It has, as fans of the series will know, been painstakingly restored and the result is a chateau guest house with an authentic look and feel. The environment is gorgeous too – the chateau’s flower gardens and lawns are flanked by a river, and surrounded on all sides by silent green fields in this deeply rural part of central France. The Accommodation: There are three guest suites in the… > See All the Details & Book

The 17th-century era Château de Tourreau is without doubt one of the finest châteaux for rent in Provence, and indeed one of Provence’s finest properties in general. It has been beautifully renovated in keeping with its historical spirit, but with 21st-century conveniences and facilities, and the interior design is immaculate at every turn. It also has 17 acres of private parkland which includes a historic consecrated chapel, meticulously designed gardens (with a large swimming pool and tennis courts), as well as woodlands, orchards, streams, and a small lake. The Accommodation: Note: There is a 3-night minimum stay at this property. The interiors cover at least 800 square metres, with nine… > See All the Details & Book

Known as one of the most beautiful chateaux in Deux-Sevres, Aquitaine, the majestic Château de Saint Loup was commissioned in 1609 to honour Good King Henry, Henri IV of France, and is now an intimate boutique hotel. The chateau is a stirring sight, it still has a wonderfully medieval atmosphere and, though you may be paying for the pleasure, it feels quite a privilege to stay there. Knowing that in times gone by such a property would have been out of bounds for all except the highest levels of French aristocracy. The Rooms: They have just nine spacious rooms to choose from; doubles, triples, and one larger ‘family room’ which… > See All the Details & Book

Most Notable Former Guest: Louis XIII of France. Château de Brissac, near Saumur and Angers, is one of the Loire Valley’s, and indeed France’s, best-known chateaux and sees many day visitors both French and international. With seven floors it is the country’s tallest, and its sheer scale alone makes it quite a jaw-dropping sight. It is also though an incredibly beautiful building, an elegant masterpiece of architecture that is still thankfully with us after over 400 years of service to the Dukes of Brissac, with the thirteenth Duke of Brissac being your welcoming host today. The chateau is the Duke and his family’s main home and so, despite the chateau’s… > See All the Details & Book

Château Marteret is a fairytale-like, luxury chateau for rent in the heart of Gascony, South West France, near both Bordeaux and the foothills of the Pyrenees. It has eight bedrooms and can sleep up to fourteen people very comfortably. The beautifully renovated interiors are minimalist and chic, maintaining loads of historical charm. Surrounding the chateau are over 400 acres of estate to be explored, including orchards, woodland, meadows, a lake, and a small herd of Meren horses. The Rooms: The chateau has a total of six spacious double bedrooms and one twin. It also has five very nice bathrooms some with romantic bathtubs, an elegant, French country-style kitchen (catering services… > See All the Details & Book

Near St Tropez and the Riviera, this 5 Star French château hotel is a slice of heaven in rural Provence, and guaranteed to please lovers of nature, wine, and food. The vast majority of the 1,235-acre estate is left to the supervision of Mother Nature and is a classic Provençal mix of garrigue and centuries-old trees. They have some charming gardens too, which include a swimming pool, and surrounding it 320 acres of vineyards. Their vineyards have been producing Provençal wines and rosés for over three hundred years, with their wines highly regarded. There are two fine restaurants at the hotel to enjoy too, one of which, Jardin de Benjamin,… > See All the Details & Book

The 4 Star Château de Labro is a luxury vineyard hotel & spa near the town of Rodez in central France’s Occitanie region, previously known as Midi-Pyrénées. The medieval château oozes old-world elegance and the grounds have charming gardens, a swimming pool, orchards, and vineyards. There is a very fine restaurant at the château and the food and wine are superb. For an extra novel stay, if a medieval château bedroom doesn’t appeal, you can also spend the night at the luxury treehouse in the gardens. The Rooms: The treehouse is a very popular choice so can get booked out months in advance. It is a fine piece of engineering,… > See All the Details & Book

Château de Bourron is a classy, boutique chateau hotel in Fontainebleau, near Paris. It has a moat, two small pavillons, 100-acre of wood and parkland, and has a history going back to at least the fourteenth century. The Accommodation: They have five entry-level double rooms in an adjacent building, Maison d’Artagnan, then some nicer rooms in the chateau itself, the latter being divided into superior, prestige, and deluxe categories with the deluxe being the largest and most expensive. It’s worth the extra to stay in the chateau itself we think, unless maybe you’re staying as a group or family and rent out all five bedrooms at Maison d’Artagnan, so you… > See All the Details & Book

Château de Fonscolombe is a magnificent 18th-century château built in the Italianate Quattrocento style, now a 5-star boutique hotel in Provence, France. It has wonderfully elegant accommodation, beautiful botanic gardens, a vineyard and winery, spa facilities, and an excellent restaurant. The Rooms: They have 50 B&B rooms and suites at the château, from doubles to quadruples, with the rooms being classed as Standard, Deluxe, and Superior, and the suites; Junior and Prestige. The Prestige Suites are the ultimate in style and class and a lavishly romantic feast for the senses, but even the most standard rooms at Château de Fonscolombe, though more minimalist, are also elegant and chic. The entire… > See All the Details & Book

Most Notable Former Guests: Grace Kelly, Jacques Chirac, Queen Elizabeth II… The magnificent walled city of Carcassonne, France, is certainly a wondrous sight. The words ‘walled city’ can be used to refer to a huge number of cities around the world but in Carcassonne’s case the ‘walls’ are more castle ramparts than walls and so, rather excitingly, it could be said that Carcassonne is a city within a castle. So popular is it though that the hordes of tourists that descend on it every summer can take somewhat from the experience that such a stirring sight can promise. The walled city of Carcassonne has a, not so little, secret that… > See All the Details & Book

The four-star 19th century Château Hotel Grand Barrail lies among some beautiful countryside near Bordeaux and nearer still to Saint-Emilion in the heart of South West France’s Aquitaine Dordogne. The estate is surrounded by beautifully tended gardens and acres of vineyards. It is particularly known for two things: its kitchen, run by Chef Romain Gondras, serves up some of the most innovative cuisine in the region, and its extensive spa has two hammams, two saunas, a hot tub, various treatment and fitness rooms, and a wide choice of Cinq Mondes body treatments. The Rooms: Between the château and its three neighbouring annexes, there is a choice of over 40 rooms… > See All the Details & Book

The 4 Star Château de la Caze is a very romantic, Renaissance-era chateau hotel with a fairy tale-like setting in the Gorges du Tarn near Rodez, a canyon gorge that is one of this area of France’s most well-known natural wonders. The chateau has an intimate, boutique hotel feel and a peaceful, relaxed atmosphere. It also has some lovely gardens, a heated outdoor swimming pool, a spa bath, a gym, and an excellent gastronomic restaurant amongst other things. The Rooms: They have a choice of rooms and suites available from standard double rooms to 40 m² suites. Most of them are in the chateau itself with some suites also to… > See All the Details & Book

Chateau de Chantore is a truly gorgeous 18th-century era Norman chateau B&B, with a view of Mont-Saint-Michel, and surrounded by nearly fifty acres of peaceful woods and parkland which includes a lake. It has a selection of tremendously elegant rooms and suites that really are a treat for the eyes and, though modern with some touches, they are so in keeping with the historical fabric that you’d be forgiven for a waking dream that Louis XV is still on the throne. The eye for design – the attention to historical detail in particular – is very impressive indeed. There are no duvets – only traditional linens and wool blankets on… > See All the Details & Book

Tiara Chateau Hotel Mont Royal Chantilly, to give it its full title, is a lavishly beautiful, 5-star chateau hotel near Paris, France with a sublime hilltop setting overlooking the ancient royal hunting grounds of Chantilly Forest. The chateau is quite a sight from the outside and was certainly built to impress. It is towering and commanding and yet elegant and refined. The interiors are more simple and understated than you might expect for such a lavish building but have oodles of old style, Belle Epoque charm. Their rooms and suites are suitably luxurious and elegant, and the hotel has superb facilities including a fine dining restaurant, a spa, a swimming… > See All the Details & Book