Family Friendly Castle Stays in France – 2026

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… > Read More

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… > Read More

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… > Read More

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… > Read More

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… > Read More

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… > Read More

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… > Read More

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… > Read More

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… > Read More

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,… > Read More

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… > Read More

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… > Read More

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… > Read More

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… > Read More

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… > Read More

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… > Read More

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,… > Read More

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… > Read More