B&B and self-catering
France > Basics > Hotels > Bed and breakfast and self-catering
In country areas, in addition to standard hotels, you will come across chambres d'hôtes, bed-and-breakfast accommodation in someone's house, Château or farm. Though the quality varies widely, on the whole standards have improved dramatically in recent years and the best can offer more character and greater value for money than an equivalently priced hotel. If you're lucky, they may also be good sources of traditional home-cooking and French company. On average prices range between €40 and €70 for two people including breakfast; payment is almost always expected in cash. Some offer meals on request (tables d'hôtes), usually evenings only. Tourist offices will have lists of chambres d'hôtes in their area.If you're planning to stay a week or more in any one place it might be worth considering renting self-catering accommodation. You can do this by checking adverts on the Internet (www.frenchconnections.co.uk and www.bvdirect.co.uk are well established sites, or try one of the agents listed on the Maison de la France website, www.franceguide.com) and in British Sunday newspapers (Observer and Sunday Times, mainly) offering foreign-owned private homes, or by trying one of the holiday firms that market accommodation/travel packages. Alternatively, contact Gîtes de France, 59 rue St-Lazare, Paris 75439 (Mon–Fri 10am–6.30pm, Sat 10am–1pm & 2–6.30pm; tel 01.49.70.75.75, www.gites-de-france.fr), a government-funded agency which promotes and manages a range of chambres d'hôtes and self-contained country cottages, known as gîtes or gîtes ruraux. Further details can be found in their very useful national guides, including Nouveaux Gîtes Ruraux, listing new addresses, Chambres et Tables d'Hôtes and Chambres d'Hôtes de Charme (all €20). Since the national guides are not exhaustive, for complete Listings (with photos) you need to buy the relevant departmental guide (around €4.50–12). All these guides are available from the Paris headquarters and departmental offices of Gîtes de France, as well as from local bookstores and tourist offices.
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