219 Best Hotels in France

"Quaint" is the word that springs to mind at this well-located hotel, bedecked with faux-marble trompe-l'oeil, Renoiresque murals on walls and ceilings, and all those cozy details that remind you of a classic Parisian living room. Wi-Fi is available in each room, about half of which have tiny step-out balconies that give a glimpse of Notre-Dame and the Panthéon. A Montmartre cabaret atmosphere enlivens the breakfast room.

The location on the exceptionally charming Île St-Louis is the real draw of this five-story hotel, which retains many of its original 17th-century stone walls and wooden beams. Tiny balconies on the upper levels have views of the Seine. Corner rooms are brighter and have more spacious bathrooms. Breakfast is served in the vaulted stone cellar. Satellite TV, free Internet, and air-conditioning are welcome amenities. A major plus is the hotel's reasonably priced airport shuttle service—book an airport pickup when you reserve your room.

The "seven" may refer to the level of heaven you'll find at this boutique hotel, but most likely it means the seven suites, where a team of designers and artists were let loose to riff on themes like Music Lovers, Cinephilia, and Spirituality. These suites break the rules with Plexiglas bathrooms and furnishings, "levitating" beds, and ceilings embedded with fiber-optic lights that make even the smallest rooms seem, well, heavenly. The wine bar has an interesting cocktail selection at night.

Set at one of the Haut Marais's trendiest crossroads, this vintage-theme and jazz-inspired newcomer (its name comes from a tune by guitarist Grant Green) fits perfectly into the beating heart of the neighborhood. You'll feel right at home in the warm and welcoming interiors—highlighting noble materials, plush designer furnishings, and original artworks—from the stylish common areas to the cozy guest quarters. Beautiful jewel colors and lively touches punctuate the spaces, but the overall feeling is a poised tranquillity that feels both relaxing and fun. The coffee shop downstairs has become a neighborhood favorite for its delicious, healthy all-day brunch menu and fine coffees.

This hotel in a traditional 1873 palace overlooking La Pantiéro and the Old Port offers contemporary creature comforts, up-to-date bathrooms, and freshly decorated rooms—small doubles facing the sea are a good choice if you covet a waterfront position but can't afford the grand hotels on La Croisette. Some first-floor rooms have terraces.

Dramatic views over Carnac and Quiberon Bay, coupled with a prime location just beneath the famous Tumulus de St-Michel, have been big draws for this modest, family-run hotel from its inception in the 1930s. Many of the comfortable, well-equipped rooms have views to the bay, and those in back overlook the Tumulus chapel. A small spa offers a surprising number of treatments—from thalassotherapy to seaweed wraps and massage—with good-value packages available. Weary travelers can steep in the outdoor hot tub or take an invigorating swim in the pool. An airy dining room with lovely views offers excellent fare (including reasonable prix-fixe menus, replete with fresh seafood) and a sophisticated wine list.

A 10-minute walk from the historic center, this boutique hotel makes an attractive base for sightseeing. The decor throughout the building and rooms is nouveau-chic, with warm accents of powder blue, grey, and mustard. Aim for the top floor's upscale rooms, which have private terraces and old-town views.

Consisting of three 17th-century buildings that were restored and combined, this hotel is a stone’s throw from the port and the picturesque old town and within walking distance of most sights. Some rooms have lovely views of the bay (best seen from fourth-floor balconies), old town, and Mont Faron; all rooms are spare and functional, with a maritime design theme featuring uplifting shades of blue and white and spotless white-tiled bathrooms. The in-hotel restaurant, L’Équerre, is a popular neighborhood choice for a classic bistronomic meal or a cocktail. The tiny rooftop pool offers stellar views of the bay and cool respite on a hot summer’s day.

Across the lake from the town center, Annecy's leading hotel has spacious, high-ceilinged guest rooms in subdued contemporary colors behind its Belle Époque exterior. The hotel has been undergoing extensive renovations, which will eventually include the lobby, casino, and restaurant, and see the addition of a new spa. Ask for a room facing the public gardens on the lake; if you have one of those rooms, waking up to breakfast on the terrace is a great way to start the day. Fine cuisine is served in La Voile and the stylish new La Brasserie, with a lovely outdoor terrace facing the lake. The luxurious new Hip Bar offers an extensive list of cocktails and Champagnes, and live lounge music evenings Tuesday to Saturday.

Whether on or off the Lavender Route, arriving by car or by bicycle—as many do—a warm welcome awaits you at this reasonably priced bed-and-breakfast set in a series of 18th-century stone mas (farmhouses) in the midst of lavender fields near Sault. Spotless rooms evoke a Provençal ambience with contemporary touches, and the spacious pool is appreciated on hot summer days. Four independent stone houses, including a 1,500 square-foot farm house with its own private pool, and a picturesque stone cottage adjoining the hotel offer a touch more privacy. If you’re booking for lavender season (mid-June to mid-July) reserve at least six months ahead.

You can unwind in total comfort at this retreat near the village and amid the Luberon Natural Park, where each contemporary villa is done in earth tones and has a private terrace. Take advantage of the indoor or outdoor pools and spa (with a steam room and whirlpool tub), which are set among gnarled olive trees and pretty gardens. Overlooking the hotel's sun-drenched grounds, the Casa Gia restaurant (open for lunch and dinner) serves Mediterranean specialties and seafood.

A mere 2 km (1 mile) from Pont du Gard, a 17th-century coach house on 30 acres of greenery has been lovingly converted into this boutique hotel and gourmet restaurant. The interior is modern, which contrasts nicely with the old stone walls of the exterior. Rooms have all the modern conveniences, including Wi-Fi access, satellite TV, and room service. The restaurant is as contemporary as the rest of the place, and the set menus are reasonably priced. There's an outdoor swimming pool, a river to dip into (just a short walk away), and electric bike rentals for exploring the nearby paths.

It's worth driving south to Vinay to stay at this luxurious manor, which has modern accommodations, wonderful gardens, an indoor pool, and a well-equipped spa; it also makes an ideal base to discover the region's Champagne houses. The guest rooms are individually decorated in soft and soothing tones of forest green, beige and white; ask for one overlooking the extensive gardens. There is a bright, light-filled dining room serving bistronomic dishes at lunchtime (closed Saturday and Sunday) and an upscale gourmet menu for dinner (closed Monday and Tuesday). Chef Nawal Rezagui takes classic French dishes and adds a Moroccan twist.

With a gorgeous Art Deco–style façade, this hotel (part of Marriott's Autograph Collection) fuses historical architecture and modern design to create a chic city center hotel. Once the city's firehouse, the building now has contemporary rooms decked out in Champagne-inspired splashes of gold, beige, and deep forest green; the striped patterns on the carpets represent an aerial view of the vineyards, and all rooms come with high-end comforts. Top-notch \"Skyline\" rooms have balconies and views of the cathedral; rooms at the rear of the building overlook the Museum of Fine Arts while those facing the inner courtyard look onto the imposing \"drying tower\" (where firemen dried out their hoses). Both on-site eateries, the gastronomic Grande Georgette and the Little Georgette bistro, have tables on the sidewalk facing the cathedral.

Spread out over whitewashed terraces at the edge of the Golfe d'Ajaccio, this hotel is known for its sea views, and also for its restaurant, which ranks as one of the island's better establishments for its stylish interpretations of traditional Corsican dishes. Rooms are less exciting, although they are comfortable and have been jazzed up with some modern furnishings. There are three apartments available as well.

Fifty meters from the waterfront and the Negresco, this immaculate, modern hotel on a bustling shopping street offers a friendly welcome from its house-proud owners—for a reasonable price. Rooms are small but comfortable, with pops of color, freshly tiled bathrooms, and a coffee corner with a kettle and mug. Breakfast is served in a pretty little courtyard.

Set on a riverside canal quay, this imposing 17th-century stone building once home to the Gendarmerie Nationale now houses a modern luxury hotel with smart guest rooms decked out in soothing grays, greens, and beiges. In contrast, the bathrooms have bold black marble walls and floors. Opt for a room overlooking the courtyard as those at the back face the walls of adjacent buildings. The cocktail bar is a great place to chill out after a day's sightseeing, perhaps with a glass of the local bubbly.

Northwest of the city center, the street-front door of this inconspicuous boutique hotel opens onto a quiet courtyard that once served as a relay stable for carriages and today provides a welcome respite for modern travelers seeking urban tranquility. Inside the 18th-century building, antique tiles and well-worn parquet floors contrast nicely with the ultramodern style of the lounge and dining room; in the guest rooms, however, the minimalist modern theme feels a tad too minimal.

A (relatively) low-cost, low-calorie alternative to famed Les Prés d'Eugénie, Michel and Christine Guérard's \"Pink House\" spa beckons with a renovated, super-stylish, 18th-century farmhouse adorned with old paintings, rustic antiques, and Pays Basque handicrafts. It's the kind of retreat that would have delighted Louis XIV's sober Madame de Maintenon, assuming she had wanted to lose weight. This is, indeed, a serious spa, complete with slimming cures and the most stylish relaxation room in France. There's no room service—everyone eats in the main dining room, a two-story, wood-beam-ceiling delight. The kitchen's touch remains an inventive benediction to local produce.

Mont-St-Michel’s most famous hostelry can be tough to book: after all, its historic restaurant is the birthplace of Mère Poulard’s legendary soufflé-like omelet. Set in adjoining houses, the hotel itself is linked by three steep and narrow stairways. La Mère Poulard's location, right by the main gateway, is very convenient—just don’t come expecting any views.

Just two blocks from the Canal St-Martin, and within walking distance of shopping, restaurants, and both the Gare du Nord and the Gare du l'Est, lies this pretty, little hotel full of vintage charm that's also easy on the wallet. Classy touches such as plush velvet easy chairs, throw pillows, and headboards in romantic colors, plus trendy vintage touches, a charming skylit dining area, cozy library, a small garden terrace, and attentive service, lend a sophisticated air to what is essentially a semi-budget hotel.

Set in a historic mansion on the town’s main street, this bed-and-breakfast has four loft-like rooms with soaring ceilings, contemporary furnishings, ample marble baths, and lovely garden or historic center views. Two of the four rooms can accommodate people with mobility issues, a rarity in historic hotels. Breakfasts are served in the onsite restaurant and tea salon, L’Heure Bleue, or in the greenery-filled garden.

In a large park filled with olive and cypress trees, this hotel-restaurant complex prepares some of the region's best meals in one of the calmest settings just outside the city center. Rooms are split across two low-rise villa-style buildings, all with balconies or terraces overlooking the park or the patio. The gastronomic restaurant, popular with haute Perpignan, serves light Mediterranean specialties around the pool. A spa using Nuxe products offers a hammam, sauna, and treatment rooms; access to the wellness areas (without a treatment) is €15.

If you're wondering why horses are grazing outside your window, it's because this chic pastoral getaway is set on a horse farm deep in the beautiful Rambouillet countryside. Three contemporary chalets clustered around a lovely pond offer spacious rooms and private balconies, and the property is equipped for hiking, cycling (regular and electric), horseback riding, golf, ping-pong, volleyball, or just relaxing with a book. There's a small spa and a spacious verrière restaurant serving delicious gourmet fare sourced from the kitchen garden. The hotel provides transport from three local train stations.

This unconventional countryside lodging puts a cheeky spin on the traditional chateau hotel. Eccentric layouts in the two contemporary pavilions—some with in-room sinks, ladders to loft rooms, and outside bedrooms (yes, you read that right)—add a frisson of surprise. Lovely grounds and a spacious wooden terrace permit plenty of lounging and outdoor dining, and the hotel’s proximity to the Château de Chaumont, a ten-minute walk away, is a bonus. All the amenities are of a high quality, and the top-notch Le Grand Chaume restaurant, in a dome-topped hut, never disappoints.

Set in a 150-year-old mansion in the heart of Annecy, this charmer of a hotel features stunning views of the lake, castle, and mountains on one side and a peaceful garden on the other. Between those two vistas, a dozen bright and spacious guestrooms, each with its own original theme (Green Forest, New York, Moody Blue, Oscar Wilde, etc.) are done up with a pleasing whimsy in the utmost taste. The cozy library is a delight on cooler days and the breakfast room is the perfect spot to linger over fresh croissants with delicious homemade jams.

This hotel just steps from the Théâtre Antique lacks nothing in the way of charm or service—indeed, it would be hard to find a more welcoming staff. Rooms are basic and range from small and serviceable to comfortably spacious. Some have tremendous views over the Roman amphitheater, and all have bright if small bathrooms. The steam room and whirlpool in the basement spa are welcome perks after a day on foot. The hotel has a café, and the garden and small terrace are pleasant places to enjoy lunch, dinner, or just a cup of tea or a glass of wine.

Lovingly restored by friendly owners Christine and Guy Welter, the giddily opulent former residence of Lord Cavendish and a listed Belle Époque building is a true delight, blending a contemporary palette of "wintergarden" greens and "incensed" reds with 19th-century elegance. It's on one of the city's busiest streets, but double windows block out noise. Breakfast is free when you book through the hotel's website. 

Tucked away on a pretty old town side street, this intimate, vine-clad hotel received a makeover by Parisian interiors star India Mahdavi, who preserved the elegant bones of the grand medieval building—once the home for the provost of the Cloisters—but added vivid fabrics and rattan or burnished-wood furniture that contrast with limestone walls and other original details like arches or fireplaces. The cool courtyard restaurant, which is open for lunch daily and dinner on the weekends, serves Arlesian specialties. You can sip a drink under a towering century-old tree or enjoy a coffee in the cozy library. Prices are gentle, but that may be because the hotel does not have air-conditioning, which can be inconvenient during the heat of the Provençal summer.

At this Gîtes de France B&B, guest rooms have carefully chosen antiques and lovely tiled baths, and public spaces feel homey with scrubbed floorboards, a fireplace, and exposed stone. The hotel has a pool and a pretty garden, and it overlooks the valley from the village center.