220 Best Hotels in France

This attractive 19th-century villa has well-priced, comfortable rooms and a lovely garden, where grand palms and pines shade a walk leading to the pretty little swimming pool. Four studios, equipped with kitchens and sleeping two to four guests, are behind the hotel and available for weekly rentals.

Built over the remains of ancient Roman cellars (which also can be visited) on a typically traffic-free street, this small hotel has few frills but a fascinating history. Rooms are compact but well-laid out while the Continental breakfast is more than adequate. Major sights are within walking distance, and there are lots of restaurants and cafés a few steps from the front door.

Don't be put off by the bland 1960s exterior: this easy-to-find hotel near the train station has a distinct sense of style. Public areas are decked out with eclectic artwork and assorted objets chosen by the cheerful owner. Each guest room has its own decor, some with parquet flooring and exposed wooden beams, others with colorful carpets and patterned wallpaper. All combine clean lines and crisp white linens with bold accents. 

This city-center boutique hotel is located in a converted Haussmann building, where guest rooms are decorated in a brash black-and-white color scheme. The rooms also offer suspended beds and high-end amenities such as Nespresso machines and giant TV screens equipped with mini-Macs. Posh cocktails are served up in the bar, which doubles as the breakfast room in the mornings.

This shiny hotel in an up-and-coming neighborhood close to Gare Saint-Jean offers flexible accommodations including bright, compact en-suite double rooms, family rooms sleeping up to four people, and beds and private pods in surprisingly upscale six-to-eight-person dorms. Complimentary self-serve coffee, water, and juice from counters on each floor is a plus, and the rooftop pool terrace (open April through September) is a fun addition. Downstairs, classy Italian restaurant Nonna's doubles as breakfast room in the morning, and on the hotel's doorstep the lively Ateliers des Citernes food hub offers a wide variety of eats.

In an old but thoroughly modernized building, this hotel attracts a varied foreign clientele, drawn by homey guest rooms that are clean, bright, and simple with budget prices. Frédéric Thébaud serves a traditional menu in the long-established Image Sainte-Anne restaurant, stylishly refurbished with plush red carpet, gold-and-red wallpaper, and round-back designer chairs. You can't go wrong with straightforward seasonal specialties like scallops à la Bretonne, grilled sole, and kidneys flambéed in Calvados.

A 16th-century presbytery with stone walls and beamed ceilings houses a charming little hotel and the acclaimed restaurant of the same name. Guest rooms are comfortable and stylish; four rooms and one suite have harbor views—the latter includes a sauna as well. The Classique-level rooms are small, but a bargain; those in search of picturesque timbered ceilings will be in heaven. The adjoining restaurant is a seafood lover's delight, with lobster in an herb butter sauce—and equally good if you prefer a steak tartare with frites. On sunny days request a table on the terrace. 

Dating from the 17th century and the only hotel set within Vence's old walls, this former stagecoach inn has been owned by the same family since 1919, and they still go out of their way to make your stay memorable. Upstairs, guest rooms are airy and bright, with drapes, bedspreads, and bureau runners in matching hues de Provence. Some rooms have great views, as does the breakfast terrace. Downstairs, the restaurant—all copper pots and wood trim—has a rustic, frozen-in-amber charm and specializes in roasted meat (the chicken prepared on a spit of vines instead of wood is magnifique); it's very popular, so book well in advance.

A terrace out front welcomes you to this rambling hotel, which features light, bright (if somewhat staid) rooms—most with private balconies. It has a top-notch restaurant that serves high-end cuisine and Burgundian classics.

At the base of the Cirque du Cambre d’Aze (an extra-impressive glacially formed peak) is an immaculately restored stone farmhouse turned eco-lodge that combines comfort and design. This affordable abode welcomes hikers, skiers, adventurers, and travelers seeking fresh mountain air. In the evenings, guests meet around the inn’s oak tables for meals entirely sourced by local farmers and organic producers. The inn offers several comfort levels from standard double-occupancy rooms (only available during summer) to custom-designed yurts (breakfast not included) with cloth walls and wood floors. 

Once an idyllic youth hostel, this old stone farmhouse with blue-shuttered windows is now an unpretentious but enchanting country inn set in a pine-shaded garden court. Its pretty rooms are done in stone, pine, and stucco, with bright, artisanal-tiled baths. Downstairs is a low-slung dining room with plank tables by a stone fireplace. Breakfast can be enjoyed on a sweet terrace, and the €28 dinner menu includes typical regional specialties such as garlic-roasted lamb, duck breast with honey and rosemary, and lavender-scented crème brûlée.

Partly built into a rock face on a bank of the Aven, this efficiently run hotel is a perfect blend of antique and modern—offering simple, clean rooms with 18th- and 19th-century-style touches. Choose from lodgings in two locations: the enchanting, 16th-century thatched \"chaumière\" house (three rooms) or the modern annex (10 rooms). Visitors can now have lunch in the hotel \"salon de thé,\" which serves afternoon tea, and in the bar that serves tapas and other light fare.

Originally part of the Vassy cement works, this elegant 19th-century manor offers comfortable guest rooms decorated with family heirlooms; even the bathrooms are inviting (the Hippolyte Room, for instance, has an open-plan bathroom with a freestanding tub near the fireplace). Generous breakfasts—including homemade jams, light-as-air pancakes, and fresh croissants—are served in the pretty conservatory at intimate individual tables; convivial evening meals (reservations essential) are served around a communal table.

In a quiet location just a few steps from the Place du Marché, this smart hotel balances old-fashioned coziness with up-to-date guest rooms that are both comfortable and stylish; some overlook the garden and ramparts. The hotel's gastronomic restaurant is one of the best in town. Other on-site amenities include a glitzy pool and spa.

Within walking distance of the cathedral, this centuries-old town house blends modern comforts with timbered ceilings, creaky stairs, and either wood or terra-cotta tile floors. The five comfortable rooms (one of which can sleep up to four people and one three people) come with a quirky sense of style and are filled with flea-market finds.

Just a short stroll from chez Monet, this beautifully refurbished 1880 manor house (the name means "Place to Idle") has reinvented itself as a more contemporary "hotel de charme." The cozy lobby, comfy spiffed-up guest rooms with views overlooking a leafy garden, and "bistronomic" restaurant make it a popular choice, so reserve in advance.

An antidote to historical overload, this contemporary, eight-story Best Western–branded property is 10 minutes on foot from the cathedral and has modern furnishings and dramatic artwork. Its color palette is up to date—think mustard, aubergine, pomegranate, and cocoa. A heated indoor pool with Jacuzzi and hammam can be found at the back of a pretty garden. The brasserie-style restaurant serves mainly grilled meats and seafood.

Sophisticated artistic touches make this 24-room boutique hotel set in a historic building a standout in the area. Bright, harmonious rooms, accented with winsome wallpapers and serene pastels, are simply appointed in a chic contemporary style, with up-to-date bathrooms (some with both shower and bath) and deliciously comfy beds. Tall ceilings are a plus in some rooms, but the best is the Loiseau suite with a spacious terrace and charming views over the town’s 15th-century buildings. To top it all off, the hotel’s restaurant—adorned with paintings that evoke Pont-Aven’s artistic heritage—is among the best in town.

Perched on a cliff top in the Old Town, this gracious grouping of 16th-century mansions comes together as a fine hotel, where an extravagant period salon leads to curving stone stairs that go up to sizable rooms with beamed ceilings and antiques. Corner rooms have wonderful views. By day you can take a dip in the courtyard pool. In season, have dinner on the walled-in terrace, where the sweeping view takes precedence over the decent if unexciting food. The restaurant is a good spot for children thanks to the adjoining garden equipped with a swing set.

After a day in the caves, you might enjoy an overnight or weekend stay at this bijoux of a hotel in the center of town with not one but two superb restaurants—a bistro and a cozy gastronomic dining room—set among a pretty park. Guest rooms, some with a terrace or a balcony overlooking a flowery garden, mix classic and modern in the most pleasing way, with dreamy beds, big bathrooms, and triple-glazed windows for quiet. The grounds comprise a garden, outdoor pool and sunning area, and a spacious terrace. But what really sparks life into the hotel is the warm welcome you receive whether staying or dining, or, with luck, both.

Bright, welcoming, and blissfully quiet, there's plenty to love about this bed-and-breakfast set in an 18th-century mansion on a lovely 22-acre wooded property a 20-minute drive from Rennes. Spacious, contemporary rooms are decorated with tasteful art (art collecting is the owners' passion) and a mix of modern and antique furniture. Bathrooms are roomy and the extensive gardens are lovely for a stroll or for enjoying a delicious breakfast. Home-cooked dinners (by reservation) mean you hardly need to leave the property, but there's plenty to see within an easy drive. A charming vine-clad rental cottage is also available at a steal for a larger family.

Built in 1676, this unpretentious option is in a corner of the market square, close to the château and strongly recommended if you plan to explore the town on foot. Some rooms around the old stable courtyard have their original wood beams; several have been brought up to date and redecorated in pastel colors (the most spacious, No. 108, is also one of the few rooms with a bath rather than just a shower).

Despite being in the heart of the city, this hotel, in a restored 12th-century priory, is surprisingly quiet; some of the smallish guest rooms have exposed beams, those overlooking the street are soundproof, and the ones in back look out on the courtyard. Service is friendly and efficient.

You can dream in the clouds with Toulouse's famous aviators in this 1930s hotel tucked into a corner of Place du Capitole—popular with pioneering pilots back in the glory days, it's been playfully retrofitted with a smart design that pays homage to Toulouse's high-flying heritage. Black-and-white portraits and archival footage of the brave early airmen ornament the walls, telling the tale of pilots like Antoine de St-Exupéry who holed up here. Aside from St-Exupéry’s original suite (which has been decorated to reflect his era), the sleek grayscale rooms have an edgy minimalist decor, industrial-style lighting, plus mod-cons like Wi-Fi and large flat-screen TVs.

Once a Catholic school, this ivy-clad 19th-century building—a 10-minute walk from the Château de Villandry—is now a charming boutique hotel. All 20 rooms are spacious and modern, with comfortable beds and all the amenities, though rooms in the main building tend to be on the larger side, with views of the park. Set on lovely grounds, there are plenty of scenic nooks for some lovely views of the countryside.

Up a storybook-perfect street lined with ancient half-timber houses, this fetching maison d'hôte dates to the 15th century and has been brought up-to-date in the best way, retaining much of its substantial character and charm. Each of five cozy guest rooms is done up in period antiques with botanical prints and matching fabrics. The Pastorale room, all in sky-blue toile, has Oriental rugs and a view over the pretty garden; the largest room, La Messidor, has a fireplace, rustic antiques, and a view through leaded-glass windows to the quiet street below. Breakfast (included) is served in a quaint dining room or outdoors in the garden with views of the medieval city.

For an overnight stay in Vitré’s old town, this contemporary lodging set in a period mansion delivers all you’ll need and more. Streamlined, serviceable rooms offer comfortable beds and spacious bathrooms with walk-in showers, plus kettles and coffeemakers in higher category rooms. In cold weather, cozy up to the fireplace in the sleek bar and lounge with a warm beverage and snack, or soak in the sunshine on the outdoor terrace in the summer. The indoor pool, sauna, and compact fitness room are just the thing after a day of touring the town.

Built in 1565 in the fortified walls that encircled the Vieille Ville, this romantic, riverside inn is made up of a series of Renaissance houses lavished with glossy rafters, rich brocades, four-poster beds, Jacuzzis, and other extravagant details. A vivid color scheme—scarlet, sapphire, candy pink—further enhances the Vermeer-like atmosphere. All in all, this is not a high-end luxury hotel; it's an endearing, quirky old place hanging over a Petite Venise canal. The hotel's restaurant, À l'Échevin, (closed Tuesday and Wednesday) offers top-notch cuisine. Dine in salons or on the terrace perched above the river.

This little hotel, one block back from the seafront, is cheerfully run by Patricia and Nicholas. The location is right at the center of things, midway between the D-Day museum and the Arromanches 360 movie theater. Guest rooms are prettily decorated and—with the exception of Rooms 4 and 5—quite small, but they’re impeccably clean and a good value overall. One family room can sleep four, plus a child under two. The restaurant serves up locally sourced seasonal dishes with a set menu that changes daily.