Accommodation in France

This page is a hub. Use the links below to discover the different types of holiday accommodation that are available in France - a wide choice that goes well beyond just staying in a hotel..

Other hotel and accommodation pages

The world's number one tourist destination, France is extremely well equipped in accommodation facilities; it has the largest number of hotels of any western country outside the  USA, and a range of hotels varying from the exclusive and expensive to the cheap and friendly....    even sometimes the cheap and unfriendly !
   France's Accor group is the largest hotel chain in Europe, and one of the largest in the world.
   But hotels are by no means the only option for finding accommodation in France. France also has plenty of backpacker hostels and youth hostels, as well as a good network of holiday villages - though these usually cater essentially to French tourists.
    In rural France, and to a lesser extent in French towns and cities, many local residents, including plenty of English-speaking expats, run friendly and attractive bed and breakfasts.  And throughout the French countryside, there are thousands of "gites", the French word used to describe holiday rental cottages. For hikers and cyclists in particular, there are also "gites d'étape", cheap and simple accommodation often fairly similar to the youth hostels of bygone years.
   France is also a camper's paradise, with thousands of campsites. These vary from luxury five-star campgrounds offering ready-equipped tents, chalets and even yourts, as well space for campers to pitch their own tent, RV or caravan, down to simple small "campings à la ferme" or farm camping, with no facilities beyond a friendly welcome and awashroom