Photo: The breakfast terrace of a friend’s gîte in a nearby village.
When we first started traveling to France, I kept hearing about staying in a gîte. I couldn’t quite get my head around this strange word. Was it a rental house for a big group? Was it a bed and breakfast?
Actually gîtes are neither. They are particularly French. Since we learned about them, we’ve stayed in many gîtes. They are a great way to experience the countryside and the culture, though they can be found in towns as well.
French country houses often have outbuildings of one sort or another: barns, stables, small dependencies. And many of these have been transformed into little rental houses called gîtes ruraux. By definition the owner lives elsewhere on the property, where they are available to answer questions, offer travel tips, and give other assistance. Sometimes one shares a pool or other amenities with the owner (If the accommodations are actually bedrooms within the owner’s home, it’s a chambres d’hotes instead. If it’s a simply a rental house, it’s called une maison de location).
Staying in gîtes has almost always been a pleasant experience for us. Many are basic, but they can be quite charming as well. There is an intimacy about them, since the owners are close by and generally very welcoming. Our only bad experience was in the Dordgne. The living area was nice, but the bedroom was in the basement, and the ceiling was only six feet high! After my tall husband hit his head on the stone headers twice, we decided we’d better high-tail it out of there before he ended up with a serious head injury.
We have several friends with gîtes, but our favorite and the one closest to us belongs to our neighbors and good friends, Sabine and Gerard. They have fashioned the chicest little gîtes you can imagine out of two dependencies on their property, each perfect for one couple. The setting and views are fabulous. Each has its own flowery private terrace, a shared pool, and the benefit of having two exceptional hosts. Sabine, who is German, is a tour guide, and Gerard is a cheerfully irreverent Frenchman. (For more photos and info, click here).
Photo above: 'La Pomme' is the more traditional of the two gîtes. Below, the sleek living room of 'Le Lapin', the more contemporary gîte.
If you want to search for a gîte, there is an official website called Gîtes de France with many choices (you can choose your language on the site). So, haven’t you been dreaming of a trip to France? And did I mention that gîtes are some of the most reasonably priced places to stay that you’ll find?
If you’ve had experiences with French gîtes, please share!
In the COMMENTS: Merci for the vegetarian plat ideas, I will try them all!
13 thoughts on “The French Traveler’s Treasure: Les Gîtes Ruraux”
You just make me want to travel through France more than I do. Alas, my husband goes there to work and it’s so hard to tear him away for more than a day. So I’m storing all your handy hints for the future.
Sur la terrasse . . . . . un café noir avec un croissant chocolat, S’il vous plait !
Beautiful settings and photos, Lynn
That first photo looks the perfect place for a relaxing lunch
We leave next Friday for a month in a very reasonably priced gite just outside the walled town of Monpazier near the Lot. Our hosts have been so helpful, even saying that they will bring dinner since all the restaurants will be closed when we arrive on Sunday night. We chose the gite because it is all on the ground floor, unlike some which have the bedrooms up and the bath down! Lynn, if you will email me in June, I will give a further wrap-up review for others.
We too have stayed in many a gîte and always had a wonderful experience. I agree it is one of the very best ways to really, truly be in France!
Wow,Lynn,these are nothing short of a slice of heaven!
I was not aware of their charm.
Thank you for sharing them with us!
Very tempting! Les gites ruraux are perfect. Reading your blog at Mayo and you’re filling our day with French sunshine. xoxo
What a wonderful slice of heaven Lynn! I’ve never heard of a gîte. This one looks so inviting & delightful. How I’d love to stay there for a spell.
We have stayed in gîtes many times throughout France. When we first started, the internet didn’t exist and you had to write for catalogs from the départements that interested you. It’s now easier with the internet. Our first gîte was in the Dordogne and was perfect. In many cases the owners did not live on the property but their was always some one you could call. Although we never had a bad experience with a gîte, some of our French friends have–dirty on a noisy road. Gîtes are rated by wheat stalks–one wheat stalk means something pretty basic and four wheat stalks mean the most luxurious accommodations. Don’t be scared off by a “one wheat stalk” property. I’ve had friends stay in one in the Pyrenees and it was the best vacation they ever had.
I’ve stayed in gites in several parts of rural France. The only time I spent any time with the owners was in Brittany where the gite was a sort of garage apartment. The owners were lovely but very worried as their daughter was going to Los Angeles with her high school class. I reassured them that it wasn’t all riots and danger, and they made me crepes. Win win (and mmmm!).
All other times, the gites I stayed in were not attached to the owner’s home, and a few times they were owned by an entire village who split the profits. Very French thinking. I must say, though, that in my experience, in the Pyrenees villages the gites always seem to be right next to the church. Central yes, but you may hear the bells toll every hour (and quarter-hour and half-hour…) of the night. Yawn 😉 We always brought our own sheets and towels, but all kitchen supplies and everything else necessary was supplied.
Every gite I’ve ever stayed in was “impec” with amenities exactly as stated. Brilliant system. Oh and we were always expected to clean up (with all cleaning supplies supplied by the gite) before leaving, no housekeeping services and you’ll want your deposit back. (Maybe that’s a feature of a “one wheat stalk” gite?) Oh now I want to go back!!!
Great post. I’ve seen advertisements for gites while traveling in the country-side, but have never stayed in one. Do most expect you to bring your own bed linens, towels, etc? We pack very light when going to France, so this could be an issue.
I promised in the reply above to report in on the gite we rented for the month of May in Monpazier FR, in the Dordogne/Lot region. It was beyond our expectations! It can be found as the only 1 bedroom gite on the most popular “home” rental website, all on the ground floor. The owner provided sheets which she had professionally ironed. She knew we were accustomed to a king bed and had ordered king sheets and pushed the twin beds together. They provided us with a continuous supply of firewood and we built a fire each morning for coffee time. They even provided a full snack supper since we were arriving on Sunday night when all restaurants are closed. There was a washer so we travelled with the minimum clothing in an overhead bin bag. My full review is on their site.
We stayed in the beautiful, very modern, comfortable, and stylish gîte within walking distance of Lynn’s village (last photo) at Lynn’s recommendation – what a find! and reasonable, too. Loved the inquisitive Charolais across the lane, who seemed to enjoy staring into the kitchen window.