Small French Villages
 

Several years ago we rented a cottage in a small village (pop.less than 100) in Normandy and used it for a base. We would like to do this again, but in another French region. We love being a part of village life, so prefer out-of-the way, non-touristy spots. Anyone have any places to share?

Not sure what you would call touristy but in May I spent a few days in Amboise in the Loire River Valley and loved it. You can of course visit many chateaus from here including the chateau at Amboise, Chenanceau, Chambord, Villandry, Blois etc etc etc.
Nice people, nice restaurants, cheap but very nice hotels, river activities etc.

Larry J

I wish I could remember where I saw this, but in a recent trip report someone talked about looking out at their village and saying, "There are a lot of tourists today."

I think one thought is that if you go to a popular area, there will be tourists, but you make it your own. We stayed at a wonderful place in Brittany (from an LA Times article), but the little town nearby was, I swear, a ghost town. Every time we drove through, all was closed! So the nearest center to buy things was 10-15 miles away.

I would much to prefer to be within walking distance of a small center, and maybe that's what you should look for?

We found a great place in l'Isle Sur la Sorgue in Provence that we went back to again and again. Maybe others have their suggestions, too.

Try the Dordogne. There are loads of places to rent in hamlets that time has passed by. Who knows? You might even discover a prehistoric cave!

I agree with St Sirq. Several years ago we rented a house in Tremolat for a week and a week in a "Pigeonier" in Beynac. We loved both experiences and had a great time.Later, we found that "pigeonier" in French basically means uninhabitable (or below standard). But it is the tower below the castle in all of the photos of Beynac. The bakery was just below it and the view of the castle and river were great. It was definitely basic but had a table outside where we ate most of our meals when we were home. It was great for day trips and Beynac is very special. CJ

we often go to a small village in the south of france in the Var region...it is called Collobrieres...it is about 45 minutes north of st tropez in the maures (hills or mountains)...it is very isolated and just lovely...there are 2 small hotels and several house or apartment rentals available....we have never seen another american there, but often there are quite a few brits---in fact we rent our house from some british friends...
the town is all about chestnuts....everything you can imagine about chestnuts is made there....lots of wine in the area as well....its lovely and quiet....there are some good restaurants and 2 +/- bars, one or two shops and a couple of small grocery stores (limited goods)
you would need a car there i should think, but it is not mandatory...i do not know of any public transportation available.....
roughly it is half way between the airports in nice and marsailles and to the north a bit
Pier-feu is the nearest town (i may have spelled this incorrectly)

CarolJean:

Actually, "pigeonnier" just means a place where carrier pigeons were housed and sent off from. It's not a pejorative term at all. Some pigeonniers have been turned into small residences, as in the place you stayed in Beynac. They can be quite charming.

LOL,, not used, you only see them built in the old houses but the standing, seperate, structures that were built are very attracive to snap a photo .

A few years ago we stayed with some friends who have a villa in St. Paul de Vance. The tiny village was beautiful, up on a cliff, over looking the ocean. We had the most relaxing holiday there. We have often thought of finding something small to rent on our own. Definately worth checking out! Monet and Manet lived in the village and their art work is casually desplayed in some of the restaurants.

And let me add, through the many years, I have never seen pidgeons in the pidgeiniers. I bought a book once in France hoping to see these birds entering and leaving. I had more LUCK
seeing the pink flamingoes( Which is a garden joke here)


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To see the charming post LVSue referred to, search KathyO. She stayed in Menerbes, which is in Provence.

I am spending a lot of time near a small town called Trie-sur-Baise in the Hautes Pyrenes. It's about an hour from Toulouse, and hour and a half from the Med, the same from the Atlantic, 40 minutes from the mountains and has all the attributes you mention. Give it a go.

Endorsement for the Dordogne! Of course it depends on what you like. I just returned from a trip which included a week at a charming cottage in the Dordogne, near Montignac and Lascaux II. On either side of our cottage stay, we stayed in small Loire Valley towns. All wonderful, but for me the Dordogne was the most wonderful for sense of history and nature. The caves, the sense of ancient history, archeological and geological offerings appeal to me. Also, there are castles and Troglodyte villages. If you prefer to tour chateaus, try Loire Valley, which seems somehow more civilized.--I know I may invite dissenting comments on that topic!
Next trip I may try the areas south of there, as Sheila suggests. But I cannot imagine skipping the Dordogne.

CarolJean,

I notice that you rented a cottage in Tremolat and you had made some suggestions to me earlier about cottages. One of the cottages we are considering is in Tremolat. Would you mind providing a little information on what the village is like please? cafes, restaurants, shops, market, etc. Thanks so much.

Robyn France

Hi Robyn Tremolat is very small. We enjoyed the peaceful countryside and outdoor dining at our cottage but did not "hang around" Tremolat. There is a good hotel with an excellent (so we were told) restaurant, a small restaurant across from it (called En Face - go figure). We ate at En Face several times and enjoyed it. Don't expect to eat there on Sun. (without reservations) because it is full of locals. There is another cafe with outdoor seating (didn't eat there.) There is a small grocery store out a ways, near the (non-existant) train station. (That's another story.) We went to the bakery regularly and there were a few shops. Basically though, it is a good location for day trips. There is no market. The market in Le Bugue is wonderful. Le Bugue is an old market town and has several restaurants. If you do go, I will look for the name of one restaurant there which is inexpensive and very good. On most of our excursions we were thru Limeuil, which has a nice park at the river (maybe a confluence of 2 rivers.) There is a park for watersports in Tremolat. If you have any other questions, please ask. I will try to answer. We were there in 2000. I don't remember when you are going but we were there in Sept. and the cepes (mushrooms) were in the market and they were great. Have a great time. CJ

Montauroux, near Grasse.

Best wishes,

Rex

In case anyone is interested in restaurants in Le Bugue, they are:

Les Fontenilles (limited, seasonal menu, but OH! what a bargain for the quality)
La Pergola - mediocre Italian food
Le Colibrou - local specialties, small unpretentious place, good food, low prices
L'Aubrevoir - a bit overpriced for the region, but very good local specialties
Maxim's (which may have been renamed in the past year - it's opposite La Pergola) - decent local specialties at good prices - family type of place
Le Cygne - wonderful food but slow service
Le Pha - Dordogne interpretations of Vietnamese food - curious, but every once in a while something is really tasty
Café de Paris - sandwiches and salads
Le Bar Aux Sports - sandwiches and salads
Le Celtic - don't know. Hardly anyone goes there.
There are a couple of other bar/café-type places as well, and Fauché, a tea room with really good ice cream concoctions. And down by the aquarium along the river are a few outdoor café places that serve sandwiches and panini and such.

Trémolat IS very quiet. The Vieux Logis is the main attraction there - a lovely hotel and restaurant that are both very expensive for the Dordogne, but have their regular patrons. Then there is the church, which was renovated a few years ago, the tourist office, a salon, the two restaurant/cafés already mentioned, a municipal park by the river, and that's about it. The "cingle de Trémolat" is a nice sight ("cingle" is a hairpin turn in a river, where it turns back on itself) that attracts a lot of people, but Trémolat itself is pretty sleepy. It doesn't matter, though, because you can get into Le Bugue or Lalinde or other places where there is more commerce easily. I would say its only detracting feature is that it is a bit west of where "the action," such as it is, is in the Dordogne.

St Cirq I'm curious, is there still a small restaurant across the bridge from the market in Le Bugue called "Relais Bugoise? We enjoyed it when we were there 3 yrs. ago. Thanks, CJ

My mother-in-law's favorite town in France is Carcasson. She rents the same villa year after year and drives as far as Haute Provence and parts of northern Spain on her journeys.

Her villa is cheap...only about $100 Australian per night for 3 bedrooms. I can get the info for you if you'd like.

St Paul De Vence is just great. Really pretty, artisan, full of great resturants, nice and quiet in the evenings too.
Also, in a very good location for travelling down the coast.
Four of us rented a house for the cost of £10 each per night.