Has anyone stayed for a week or so in a favourite French village? Just wandering about, sitting watching the world (or a few locals) go by without any particuloar list of "musts" to do or see. I am aware of a French website listing villages but it seems a bit organised. Or maybe just pick a name on a map and get a train there and see what happens? It's more about just being there for a short while, other than a specific travel agenda. Wouldl also like to do the same in a couple of other European countries, but I'll post on their pages if there's any response here first. Thanks in advance for any comments.
1
enna17462
I really like Orange.The centre is pedestrainised so people watching is easy and pleasant.
2
timandkaren
Hmm, lots to choose from, but Chinon for a week last year was great. You have some vineyards, a picturesque castle, a hermits grotto, forest with little auberges scattered through it, a good Saturday market, Fontevraud abbey, Saumur, the Loire(you can hire canoes and potter about) & of course, you're handy to some spectacular chateaux. Plenty of gites to choose from too. A short bus or train ride from Tours using public transport.
3
thestens
Not sure if the above mentioned are actually villages. If I could I would go to my favourite spot in the whole of France - Olargues in Languedoc. It is beautiful and one day approx 8 years time when I retire I will have a house in the area.
4
bjoern
Trains do not stop in villages (those with 100-500 inhabitants - a bar (maybe) and MAYBE a hotel). The places above are fine towns.
And I guess that there are 10.000s villages in france - well maybe 100.000 - much easier to visit 8and get on) if you travel by car!
5
normandie
salut mon ami
close your eyes , put your finger on a france map and ... here's your village !!!
basically any small town on a sunny day would fit you
it's the same in bolivia - zaire or india ...
or if you want to escape the tourist trail , take any bus till the end of the line and mixt with the locals
janick
amuses-toi bien
6
ferweg_
There are thousands of little guesthouses around France. Many in very tiny villages.
Pick an area you like and contact a few to see how you can reach them.
We stayed at Raviere, a tiny town (15 people) in Burgundy in a Chambres d'Hotes.
They have a huge garden to sit and relax. Walk through the 4 streets of the town, or walk to the next town 1 mile up the road to get a coffee. Walk to a little church in the area. Its quiet and remote, but if you do want to see someting it is never more than half an hours drive away. The owners will cook for you some nights of the week.
Very luxurious feeling for about 50 Euros a night for a double room with nice breakfast.
They also have a gites, which is like a small vacationhouse, with a kitchen and complete bathroom, for about the same price.
Search the web for Chambres d'hotes or Gites.
Raviere has a website too.
Ferdinand
7
baz_faz
Interesting that Thestens loves Olargues so much. We live a couple of kilometres up into the hills from there. I would say that Olargues is indeed a fine place to live in. It is pretty, has doctors, dentist, bank, post office, a couple of shops, bakers, butcher, shoemender. I would say the only thing it lacks (important for a visitor for a week) is a good, inexpensive restaurant. There is the bar that serves a limited menu, the Hotel Laissac whose restaurant I find gloomy and menu dull, and the Fleurs d'Olargues with a great position on the river but a wildly overpriced menu. Also to reach Olargues you would have to take the train to either Montpellier or Bedarieux and then catch a bus.
When I lived in the Dordogne Iwas in a hamlet not far from Belves. Belves has a couple of hotels (Le Home is cheap) and they serve decent if not fabulous meals. It is on a railway line though the town (pop about 1000) is a bit of a climb above the atation.
8
tony_b
I certainly wouldn't count Orange and Chinon as villages - they're decent-sized towns. Orange's council is controlled by the Front National which tells you something a lot about the voting habits of a significant proportion of the town's population. It wouldn't be my choice for a lengthy stay.
9
big_iain
I have taken many visitors up to Olargues, mainly to see the famous old bridge there, so I would agree with whats been said earlier. Olargues is a pretty good call for your week. There is a decent sized town of St Pons de T just along the road if you have a car and wish to go further afield. In the same part of the world, Pezenas is a fantastic small town with plenty of choice on the eating and drinking front but would HAVE to be avoided during July/August time due to tourist overload. Sticking a pin or a finger on to a map can be a bit too random and I would hate you to end up somewhere that did not meet expectations, but I would suggest that you can get away with it down here in Languedoc as most villages are interesting places to people watch and experience.
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