Guides

French Country Cottages with Gites Are you looking to book a break in the glorious French countryside for yourself, your family, or you and your partner? Are you fed up with trawling through sites that offer only cheap, garden-variety package holidays in big cities? Gites.co.uk can help.   Click here for French cottages on Gites.co.uk . What is Gites.co.uk?   Gites.co.uk gives you access to a wide, searchable selection of rentable French properties, from distant farmhouses to seaview villas. We organise direct contact between holidaymakers and private owners looking to rent. We cut out the middleman and allow for the creation of bespoke packages. We specialise in ... Read more

Looking after your Gite, whether you manage it remotely or not, can be time consuming, especially throughout the busy summer season. Welcoming guests; conducting changeovers; managing the laundry, whilst also maintaining the gardens and possibly a pool as well, can all get a bit hectic at times! Mind My Maison is a property management company whose aim is to help you manage all the different aspects associated with letting your Gite throughout the year - whether you need help with the gardening on a regular basis, or maybe just a key holding service to help with the meeting & greeting of your clients, they can do it. Mind My Maison cover the three departments of Haute-Vie... Read more

Dreaming of a holiday in France to beat the post-Christmas blues? Check out this lovely piece by one of our owners, Chris Callaghan, to evoke images of rural France. More of Chris' published work can be viewed at  www.chriscalder.com . Tucked away down a side alley in a sleepy rural town quite near where I live in France, there is a small hardware emporium of the old-fashioned kind. Stock is displayed apparently randomly from floor to ceiling, with garden implements, tools, pots and pans and all manner of domestic paraphernalia jostling for space on the ancient wooden shelves. If you are British and of a certain age, you may know exactly what sort of retail store I me... Read more

One of the pleasures of visiting a gite or villa in France is the flexibility it offers. Rather than face the hassles of flying, you can pack as much as you like in the car and sail across to France.  And this means that, if you have a pet passport , your family dog doesn't need to miss out on the action! Here at Gites.co.uk we have loads of dog friendly gites and villas across France. Our owners are also pet owners so many of them are happy for you to bring along your pet dog. As always there may be some requests like not allowing pets on furniture, but with a little consideration there's no reason why you and your pets shouldn't all have a fabulous holiday in France. ... Read more

Looking for a villa or gite with a private pool? Well, we've got plenty to choose from, and some of them even have heated pools! Some holiday makers are just looking for the peace and tranquility of a rural gite, away from all the pressures of modern life. For many, however, a swimming pool is an essential! Many of our villas and gites have lovely pools - some of them are shared with several properties. But if you are looking for entirely your own space, why not book one of our gites with a private pool? For those on a bit more of a budget, there's no need to miss out on a pool. Take a look at our gites with a shared pool! A private pool is for your own exclusive use whilst ... Read more

In the heart of the beautiful Limousin countryside a rather unusual series of events has begun to unfold. The Limousin region of France is renowned for many things, prime amongst which are its deep connection with the porcelain industry, stunning natural lakes, Limousin beef, beautiful countryside and villages.       In the near future however, it is destined to become famous for something quite different, its elephants!    Yes, it does say elephants! In an area of outstanding natural beauty within the Perigord National Park approximately 70 acres of land have been purchased in order to provide the first Elephant Sanctuary in Europe.     The sanctuary will b... Read more

The Tuileries Gardens (Jardin des Tuileries) is ideally located in the centre of Paris between the Place de la Concorde and the Louvre and as such has long been one of the most popular of Paris's many public parks and gardens. A perfectly situated island of tranquillity for both native Parisians and tourists alike, it is certainly worth a gentle afternoon's stroll for anyone staying in gites in Ile de France. History In the fifteen hundreds the area where the park is now was a quarry from which the clay for roofing tiles was mined – which is where the park and the palace that once stood on the site got their name. Following the death of her husband, King Henri II in 1559, C... Read more

Situated in the Picardy region between Lille and Paris, Amiens is a picturesque historical city in the North of France. There is no shortage of things to do in the city with its three cinemas, four theatres, three museums and numerous concert venues. It also has its fair share of charming French pubs and hosts the largest Christmas market in the North of France. If you are spending your holiday in gites in Picardy, it is worth spending some time in this beautiful city. Top of your list of things to visit would have to be the Gothic Notre-Dame d'Amiens Cathedral. This is a Roman Catholic cathedral overlooking the river Somme. Built between 1220 and 1270, it is the tallest cathe... Read more

Bordered through the Pyrenean mountains, with Spain to the south and enjoying close access through neighboring Languedoc-Roussillon and Aquitaine, to both the Mediterranean Sea to the east and the Atlantic Ocean to the west, families and couples who opt for a stay in one of the region's many gites will certainly find plenty to see, do and experience in Midi-Pyrénées. But the one thing the region is particularly known for is its wide variety of mouthwatering dishes and fine aromatic wines. Wherever you choose to eat out while on a gites holiday - at one of the many Michelin-starred restaurants in the region, in a rustic, town-square café or even a homely farmhouse inn - as ... Read more

Nestled in the south-west of France, Dordogne is a region blessed with richness and variety, enjoying a colourful history and breathtaking natural beauty. Prehistoric cave paintings fight for the attention of those staying in gites in the area with breathtaking gardens from the seventeen hundreds. Worth mentioning also is the draw of the outdoors: meandering waterways, quaint copses and well preserved natural parks are in abundance. The chances to enjoy delicious wine and food endless. The opportunity to enjoy a gite holiday in Dordogne should not be missed. The Dordogne Flavour The region is a favoured holiday choice for both wine connoisseurs and history buffs. Dordogne's a... Read more