France's hotels and lodging options go well beyond the chains. There are unique lodging options like gites, logis de France and chambres d'hotes. You can stay on a farm, rent an RV or sleep on a houseboat. You can save money by camping or splurge euros on a castle stay. Find out about the various categories of accommodations and hotels in France, and how to book them.
Most of the organizations below publish books listing their accommodations. Although sometimes they are in French, they can still be useful as they are filled with pictures, rates and easy-to-understand symbols. Here is a description of each type, including details about the accomodation style.
Gîtes de France
Gîtes de France provide an inexpensive option and these stays can actually be better than a traditional hotel. Gîtes can be self-catering stays in a villa or a bed-and-breakfast type of stay. Many times, they are in the more rural areas of France.The gîtes category encompasses many lodging styles, including chambres d'hotes (bed and breakfast), children's gîtes which host kids for stays in France, and more. To be considered a gîte, an accommodation must be approved, meet criteria and be inspected by the organization. The organization provides a corn-stalk rating from one to four stalks.
Logis de France
Logis de France is a chain of smaller hotels, mostly akin to an American inn, which are almost always connected to a fine restaurant. Sometimes dinner for two can actually cost as much as the room (but it's almost always worth it).
