The choices at a glance
France has every kind of lodging, from palace hotels to farm campsites, and the best choice changes with where you are. In Paris and the big cities, a small hotel in a good neighborhood usually beats a cheaper one far out. In the countryside, the best stays are often B&Bs (chambres d'hôtes), rental cottages (gîtes) and family-run inns, which you won't find through the big chains.
The biggest adjustment for Americans is size. Rooms are smaller, beds are narrower, elevators are tiny and air conditioning isn't a given. None of this is a problem once you know to expect it and book for it. This page explains each type of lodging, what it costs, and how to book well. For neighborhoods in the capital, see Paris; for regions, start at Regions of France.
Hotels and the star system
French hotel stars, from one to five, are awarded by Atout France, the national tourism agency, after an inspection against a long checklist. Classification is voluntary and lasts five years. Stars measure facilities and services (room size, reception hours, languages spoken, elevator, breakfast, room service) more than charm or location, so a two-star hotel with a great owner can feel nicer than a dull four-star.
| Stars | What to expect |
|---|---|
| 1–2 stars | Basic, clean rooms, often small. Reception may close at night. Elevator and AC not guaranteed. Can be excellent value in small towns. |
| 3 stars | The most common level. Private bathroom, TV, Wi-Fi, usually an elevator in larger buildings. AC is common in newer or renovated hotels in the south and in Paris, but check. |
| 4 stars | Larger rooms, 24-hour reception, AC, often a bar and room service, staff who speak English. Many boutique hotels sit here. |
| 5 stars | Full luxury service: concierge, spa, restaurant, generous rooms. |
| Palace | A special distinction above five stars, held by a few dozen hotels in Paris, on the Riviera, in the Alps and elsewhere, for historic character and exceptional service. |
The Palace label is France's own top tier. It's given to five-star hotels with exceptional heritage, location and service, and is reviewed regularly. In Paris it includes landmarks such as the Plaza Athénée, Le Bristol, Le Meurice and the Four Seasons George V; outside Paris, hotels in Courchevel, Cap d'Antibes, Saint-Tropez and Biarritz. Rates start well above €1,000 (about $1,120) a night.
Boutique hotels
Many of France's best mid-range hotels are small independent properties, often with 20 to 50 rooms, designed by well-known decorators and run with real personality. Paris has hundreds, especially in the Marais, Saint-Germain, the 9th and the 11th. Rooms can be tiny but well designed. Look for recent reviews mentioning noise, elevator size and AC.
Chains and points
France's own Accor group dominates, with brands for every budget: ibis budget, ibis and ibis Styles; Mercure and Novotel; Pullman, MGallery and Sofitel at the top, plus lifestyle brands like Mama Shelter. Other French chains include B&B Hotels, Campanile and Kyriad (budget, often near highways), and Logis Hôtels, a large network of independent hotel-restaurants (more below).
US chains are present but thinner on the ground than at home, mostly in Paris, Nice, Cannes and Lyon. Marriott has the widest reach in France through its Autograph Collection, Luxury Collection, Renaissance, Courtyard and Moxy brands. Hilton, Hyatt and IHG (InterContinental, Holiday Inn) have a handful of properties each, including some grand ones in Paris. Best Western's French hotels are mostly independent properties under its umbrella.
Apartments and vacation rentals
Renting an apartment (in French, a meublé de tourisme) gives you a kitchen, a washing machine and more space, which is a big plus for families and stays of a week or more. Airbnb, Vrbo, Booking.com and local agencies all list them.
The rules in Paris and other cities
Paris has some of the strictest short-term rental rules anywhere, and France tightened the national rules with the Le Meur law of November 2024. What this means for you as a guest:
- Every legal listing has a registration number. Since May 2026, owners everywhere in France must register a tourist rental with the town hall and show the 13-character number on every listing. A whole-apartment listing in Paris with no number is a red flag.
- Owners in Paris can rent out their own home for only 90 nights a year. The Le Meur law let cities lower the national cap of 120 nights, and Paris did so starting in 2025. Late in the year, some legal listings simply stop taking bookings.
- Second homes are mostly off-limits in Paris. Renting a non-primary apartment to tourists requires a change-of-use permit that, in practice, means buying commercial rights, so legal full-time rentals are relatively rare and usually run by professionals.
- Apartment buildings can ban rentals. Since late 2024, building bylaws must say whether tourist rentals are allowed, and owners must tell the building manager.
- One guest, 90 days max. A tourist rental can't be let to the same guest for more than 90 consecutive days a year. For longer stays, see Long stays.
Other cities have their own rules. Marseille, Nice, Lyon, Bordeaux, Annecy and the Basque coast have all tightened up, and enforcement is getting serious. If a host cancels on you because of a crackdown, platforms usually refund you, but you'll be hunting for a last-minute room in high season. Booking a listing with a visible registration number, plenty of recent reviews and a professional manager lowers that risk.
Watch out
Never pay for a rental by bank wire, Western Union, gift card or crypto, and never move a conversation off the platform to "save fees". Fake listings with stolen photos are common in Paris and on the Riviera. If a central apartment in high season is far cheaper than everything around it, it's probably a scam.
What to check before booking a rental
- Floor and elevator: a fifth floor without an elevator is common in Paris. French floors start at 0, so the "1st floor" is the American second.
- Air conditioning, or at least fans, for June to September.
- Bed sizes and how many are real beds versus sofa beds.
- Whether linens, towels and final cleaning are included or extra.
- Check-in method: key box, code or in person, and what happens if your flight is late.
- The security deposit and how it's returned.
Chambres d'hôtes and gîtes
Chambres d'hôtes (B&Bs)
A French chambre d'hôtes is a room in a private home, with the owner living on site and breakfast included. By law it has no more than five rooms and 15 guests, which keeps it personal. Many are in farmhouses, manor houses or village homes, and owners are often the best source of local advice. Some offer a table d'hôtes, a set dinner with the hosts and other guests, usually booked a day ahead. It's one of the best ways to meet French people and eat home cooking, and you should be ready to try your French. See Useful phrases.
Gîtes
A gîte is a self-catering house or cottage, usually rented by the week (Saturday to Saturday) in summer and for shorter stays off-season. Gîtes de France, the largest network, lists tens of thousands of rentals and B&Bs, mostly in the countryside, and rates them with one to five épis (ears of wheat) for comfort. Clévacances, a smaller network, uses keys. A gîte is ideal for a family or a group exploring a region by car, such as the Dordogne, Provence or Brittany. Expect to bring or rent sheets and towels at simpler properties, and to clean before you leave or pay a cleaning fee.
Insider tip
Rural B&Bs and gîtes often take bookings by email or phone, with a deposit (arrhes or acompte) by bank transfer and the balance on arrival, sometimes in cash. With a well-reviewed property on Gîtes de France or a tourist-office site, that's normal practice; with a stranger on social media, it isn't.
Château hotels and country inns
Staying in a château sounds like a splurge, and sometimes it is, but many smaller ones cost less than a four-star hotel in Paris. Options range from grand hotels with Michelin-starred restaurants to family-owned castles offering a few B&B rooms.
- Relais & Châteaux: an association founded in France in 1954, with luxury hotels and restaurants chosen for character and food. France has more than 150 members, nearly a quarter of the worldwide total.
- Teritoria (formerly Châteaux & Hôtels Collection; the old website now redirects there): a French collection of independent hotels and restaurants, many in historic buildings, generally a step down in price from Relais & Châteaux.
- Logis Hôtels: Europe's largest group of independent hotel-restaurants, with about 2,000 properties, most in France. Typically 15 to 45 rooms, owner-run, with a restaurant cooking seasonal local food, in small towns and villages.
- Château B&Bs: owners of private châteaux, especially in the Loire Valley, Burgundy and Dordogne, often rent a few rooms. Expect grand spaces, uneven heating and owners happy to tell the family history.
Save money
Many country hotels sell a half-board package (demi-pension) with dinner and breakfast. In remote areas where restaurants close early or on Mondays, it's often the best deal and saves you a drive at night.
Campsites, hostels and monasteries
Campsites and glamping
Camping is huge in France, and campsites (campings) are rated one to five stars. Top-rated ones have pools, restaurants, kids' clubs and rental cabins or mobile homes, which is how most French families vacation. Glamping options include safari tents, treehouses and wooden cabins: Huttopia specializes in forest sites; chains like Yelloh! Village, Sandaya, Flower and Capfun run larger resorts. Most open from April to October and fill up in July and August. Wild camping is restricted or banned in many places, including national park cores and the coast.
Hostels
Hostels (auberges de jeunesse) have come a long way. HI France runs traditional hostels, and modern chains such as Generator, St Christopher's, Meininger, Les Piaules and Accor's Jo&Joe offer dorms plus private rooms, bars and good locations in Paris, Lyon, Bordeaux, Marseille and Nice. There's no upper age limit at most.
Monasteries and convents
Many abbeys and convents welcome guests (hôtellerie monastique) for a modest donation or fixed price, in places like Burgundy, Provence and Normandy. Rooms are simple and quiet, meals are often shared, and some expect guests to respect silence or the community's schedule. A few religious houses in Paris also take visitors. Book directly with the community.
What's different from US hotels
Room size
A standard double in a Paris three-star might be 130 to 160 sq ft (12 to 15 m²), roughly half the size of a typical US chain hotel room. Room size is usually listed on booking sites; aim for 215 sq ft (20 m²) or more if you have big suitcases.
Beds
A "double bed" (lit double) in older hotels may be just 55 in (140 cm) wide, close to a US full. A queen-size is 160 cm, and king-size beds are often two singles pushed together. "Twin" (lits jumeaux) means two separate beds; check before booking.
Air conditioning
Many older buildings and budget hotels have no AC, and where it exists it may be weaker than you're used to. Heat waves now hit Paris and the south most summers. If you're traveling June to September, filter for "air conditioning" and confirm.
Elevators and stairs
Elevators in historic buildings can fit one person and a suitcase. Some hotels have none. The ground floor is 0 (rez-de-chaussée), so the "4th floor" is the American fifth.
Bathrooms
Showers may have a half glass screen or a handheld head over a tub. Toilets are sometimes in a separate small room. Washcloths are rare, and so are full-size toiletries in budget hotels.
Breakfast
Usually not included and charged per person, from about €12 in a simple hotel to €40 or more in a luxury one. A café breakfast nearby is often cheaper and better: coffee and a croissant for a few euros.
No ice machines
Ice machines don't exist in French hotels. Ask the bar or reception for ice (des glaçons), and don't expect free coffee in the lobby either.
Keys and power
Some hotels still ask you to leave your key at reception when you go out. Room power often works only when your key card is in the slot by the door.
Tourist tax
Every French town can charge a tourist tax (taxe de séjour) per adult per night. Children under 18 are exempt. Hotels usually add it at checkout, and rental platforms such as Airbnb collect it in the total, but it's often missing from the room price shown on booking sites.
The rate depends on the hotel's star rating and the town. In most of France it runs from under €1 to about €3 per adult per night at typical hotels. Paris and the rest of the Île-de-France region charge far more since a large 2024 increase to fund public transport. These are the City of Paris rates for 2026, including all the regional and departmental add-ons. The city says the same grid will apply in 2027 unless the law changes.
| Paris lodging category | Per adult per night (€) | About ($) |
|---|---|---|
| Palace | 15.93 | 17.85 |
| 5-star hotel, residence or rated rental | 11.70 | 13.10 |
| 4-star | 8.45 | 9.45 |
| 3-star | 5.53 | 6.20 |
| 2-star | 3.25 | 3.65 |
| 1-star, chambres d'hôtes, hostels | 2.60 | 2.90 |
| Campsites (1 to 5 stars) | 0.65–1.95 | 0.75–2.20 |
| Unrated rentals, including most Airbnbs | About 16% of the per-person nightly price before VAT, capped at 15.93 | Up to 17.85 |
Hotels elsewhere in Île-de-France, such as Versailles or near Disneyland, add the same regional surcharges to their own town's rate, so they also charge far more than the rest of France. For two adults spending a week in a four-star Paris hotel, the tax alone comes to about €118 (about $132). Check the hotel's booking confirmation or ask at check-in. More on budgeting on Money.
What it costs
These are typical nightly rates for a double room for two, before tourist tax and breakfast. Prices swing by season and by day of the week, and big events (Fashion Week, trade fairs, the Cannes Film Festival, the Monaco Grand Prix) push them much higher.
| Type | Paris, low season (€) | Paris, high season (€) | Nice and Riviera, summer (€) | Regional cities (€) | Countryside (€) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hostel private room / budget chain | 80–120 | 100–170 | 90–160 | 60–100 | 55–90 |
| 2-star hotel | 110–170 | 150–230 | 120–200 | 70–120 | 65–110 |
| 3-star hotel | 150–250 | 220–350 | 180–300 | 100–170 | 90–150 |
| 4-star / boutique | 250–450 | 350–650 | 300–550 | 150–280 | 140–260 |
| 5-star | 600–1,200 | 900–2,000 | 600–1,500 | 300–600 | 300–700 |
| Chambre d'hôtes, breakfast included | 120–200 | 150–250 | 120–220 | 80–140 | 75–140 |
| Gîte, per week | n/a | n/a | 1,000–2,500 | n/a | 500–1,800 |
Using the site's price tiers: $ under €100, $$ €100–200, $$$ €200–400, $$$$ over €400 a night for two. Paris is $$ to $$$ for most visitors; the countryside is mostly $ to $$. Plan your total with our Budget planner.
Save money
In Paris, prices drop in January, February, early March, much of November and, surprisingly, parts of August, when business travel stops. On the coast, it's the opposite: August is the most expensive month. Sunday nights are often the cheapest night of the week in Paris and regional cities. See When to go.
How to book
Direct or through a booking site?
Booking.com dominates in France, followed by Expedia and Hotels.com. They're convenient and good for comparing. Since 2015, French law has let hotels offer lower prices on their own websites than on booking platforms, and many do, or add perks like breakfast, a better room or free cancellation for direct bookings. Check both before you pay.
- Compare the hotel's own site, Booking.com and Expedia for the same room and conditions.
- Read the cancellation deadline carefully. "Free cancellation" often ends several days before arrival, and the clock runs on French time.
- Non-refundable rates are typically 10 to 20 percent cheaper. Use them only for dates that won't change.
- Expect the hotel to take a card imprint or a deposit hold at check-in.
- Pay in euros if a card terminal offers dollars; the conversion rate is worse. See Money.
- Email the hotel after booking to confirm arrival time, bed type and any special requests.
Watch out
Phishing messages inside booking apps are a known problem: a criminal takes over a real hotel's account and messages guests asking them to "re-verify" a card through a link. Real hotels don't do this. If you get such a message, call the hotel directly using the number on its own website.
Using points
Marriott Bonvoy gives you the most choice in France, especially in Paris. World of Hyatt points can also be used at Small Luxury Hotels of the World properties, which include many French boutique and château hotels. Hilton Honors and IHG One Rewards work in Paris and the big Riviera cities. Accor's ALL program has the most hotels, but each point is worth a fixed amount off your bill, so there are no outsized free-night redemptions to hunt for. Free-night awards in Paris in summer can be excellent value, so book them early.
Families and accessibility
Traveling with kids
Standard French hotel rooms usually sleep two, sometimes three. Each room is licensed for a set number of people, so a family of four may need two rooms, a family room (chambre familiale) or connecting rooms. Novotel is popular with families because its rooms are larger than average and the chain has long let children stay free in their parents' room; check the current age limits and breakfast terms for your hotel when booking. For four or more, an apartment or gîte is often cheaper and more comfortable. Ask for a crib (lit bébé) when you book. More ideas on Paris with kids.
Accessibility
French law requires new and renovated hotels to have accessible rooms, but many older buildings in Paris and medieval towns have steps at the entrance, small elevators or none. Look for the "Tourisme & Handicap" label, which is awarded after inspection and indicates which disabilities a property is suited to. Always confirm details like door widths, roll-in showers and elevator size directly with the hotel. See Travel by interest for accessible travel more broadly.
Choosing where to base yourself
Location matters more than stars. In Paris, a small hotel near a Métro stop in a central neighborhood saves hours of travel each day. In the regions, decide whether you want a city base with day trips by train, or a countryside base with a car.
- Paris: the Marais, Saint-Germain, the Latin Quarter and the 7th are classic first-time bases; the 9th, 10th and 11th offer better value and more local life. Full breakdown on Paris.
- Day trips from a city base: Lyon, Bordeaux, Avignon, Strasbourg and Nice all work well by train. See Day trips and Trains in France.
- Countryside bases: stay three or four nights in one place rather than moving every night. Ideas by region: Normandy, Loire Valley, Provence, Dordogne, Alsace, Burgundy.
- Longer stays: for a month or more, look at furnished rentals under a bail mobilité lease, explained on Long stays.
If you'd rather have someone else match the hotel to your trip, our trip planning service can help, and the trip builder shows how many nights to give each place.
Add it to a route in the trip builder, or ask us to plan the hotels, trains and guides for you.