How to choose the right chateau for a weekend getaway

A Long Weekend in a Château: Two or Three Nights of Family Life

What could be more agreeable than abandoning, for a few days, the familiar furniture of everyday life and installing the family in a château, an abbey, a manor house, a longère, or some ancient fortified farm? Two or three nights are quite sufficient to produce that agreeable illusion that holidays have begun. One need not wait for August, nor undertake an expedition worthy of a Victorian explorer. A long weekend will do.

The houses offered through Chateaux-France vary, naturally, as houses of character should. There are rooms in châteaux, country cottages, guest houses, holiday homes and entire estates available for private occupation. Some are admirably suited to large families and those agreeable gatherings in which three generations discover, with varying degrees of astonishment, that they have much in common. Others offer several independent lodgings, spacious communal rooms, or gardens in which children may expend their inexhaustible supply of energy.

A House in Which Everyone Finds His Pleasure

The charm of a long weekend lies partly in its lack of ambition. One arrives, unpacks, and discovers that there is no pressing reason to do anything at all.

After breakfast, one may wander through the grounds; after lunch, sit beneath a lime tree; in the evening, gather round a great table or, if the weather is unkind, beside a fire. Swimming pools, gardens and parks, games rooms, libraries, sporting grounds, bicycles and fishing may, according to the house, be available. Some establishments offer a sauna, hammam, fitness room or other facilities; others provide breakfast, a table d’hôte or additional household services.

For children, the house itself is frequently entertainment enough. A courtyard becomes a playground, a park an unexplored continent, an old stable a subject for speculation, and a gravel path the beginning of a heroic expedition. The adults, meanwhile, may rediscover the comparatively sophisticated pleasures of conversation and sitting down.

What Lies Beyond the Gates

A château, however charming, need not imprison its guests in its own perfection. The surrounding country usually offers a second programme, which may be considerably less formal.

Chateaux-France can help identify nearby castles and monuments, historic villages, gardens, museums, markets, local producers, walking and cycling routes, equestrian activities, water sports and family amusements. Thus each member of the party may find something to his taste without requiring the entire family to march obediently from one attraction to the next.

The art lies in moderation. A morning visit, a leisurely lunch, a walk, perhaps an afternoon excursion: this is generally preferable to the sort of itinerary which leaves everyone exhausted and causes the children to regard culture as a form of punishment.

Chateaux-France Helps Find the Right House

Choosing a historic property for a family requires rather more discrimination than choosing a hotel room. One must consider the number and arrangement of bedrooms, bathrooms, kitchens, communal rooms, sleeping capacity, children’s facilities, accessibility, gardens, swimming pool and proximity to activities.

Chateaux-France assists with this search, taking into account the particular character of each project. Some explicitly offer stays of at least two nights, while others open their doors for a long weekend or exclusive rental.

Whether the requirement is a chateau for several generations, a house with numerous independent bedrooms, a country estate with a swimming pool, or a fortified farm lost agreeably in the countryside, the aim is to direct guests towards establishments whose accommodation and surroundings genuinely suit them. Chateaux-France can help guide your search toward the most suitable locations and services.

Two or Three Nights — and a Memory

On Friday evening, one arrives still carrying the week upon one’s shoulders. By Saturday morning, it has mysteriously disappeared. By Sunday, the house has acquired the pleasant familiarity of somewhere one has known for years. And then, rather inconveniently, comes the moment of departure.

A long weekend in a historic house is therefore more than accommodation. It is a change of scenery, a shared experience, and an opportunity to make ordinary family pleasures appear, for a little while, rather splendid.

Whether it be a château, abbey, manor house, longère or fortified farm, Chateaux-France helps you find the place, the accommodation and the activities capable of turning two or three nights into a memorable family escape.