Luxury Villa and Chalet Rentals in France

Christmas and New Year go first, with the February school holidays in the Alps. July and August on the coast follow, with two events close behind: the Cannes Film Festival, 11 to 22 May 2027, and the Monaco Grand Prix, 4 to 6 June 2027. Peak weeks are commonly let Saturday to Saturday with a minimum stay, and festive stays may ask for longer. Each home sets its own terms, so ask our team.

It depends entirely on the home. Some include daily housekeeping and a house manager. Others can offer a chef, butler, chauffeur or extra security at additional cost, while some are let on a simpler basis. In the Alps, a chalet may be fully catered or self-catered. Before you commit, ask our team to confirm in writing exactly what is included for your dates.

On a clear road, allow around an hour and a half from Nice airport. In July and August, traffic can stretch that to two or three hours. Many guests take a helicopter from Nice instead, roughly 20 to 30 minutes, landing at La Môle. Smaller private jets use La Môle too, but only in daylight, as its 1,180 m runway has no lights. Larger aircraft land at Nice or Toulon-Hyères. Ask our team.

Not by jet. Courchevel's altiport is a short, steep mountain strip used by propeller aircraft and helicopters, and flying depends on the weather. Most private jets land at Chambéry, around an hour and a half from Courchevel by road. Helicopter operators quote about 25 minutes. Geneva is the other main choice and also serves Megève, Chamonix and Les Gets, while Lyon is a further option. Ask our team.

Some chalets sit right on the piste. Others are a short drive or shuttle from the nearest lift, so confirm the exact distance for each chalet. Lift passes are usually separate from the rental. Ski schools take children from about three years old, and instructors are in high demand at Christmas, New Year and the February holidays, so lessons are best reserved early. Ask our team for advice.

Terms are set home by home. A deposit secures your dates, with the balance due before arrival, and most homes also hold a refundable security deposit, returned after departure. The French tourist tax, the taxe de séjour, is set locally by the commune or group of communes. It is usually charged per adult per night. Under-18s are exempt by law, and the tax is often shown separately from the rental price. Ask our team.

Privacy varies by property. Some homes sit behind gates within guarded private estates, while others stand in their own grounds, well away from neighbours. On pools, French law requires private in-ground pools let to holidaymakers to have a safety device, such as a barrier, alarm, cover or shelter. None of these replaces adult supervision. Ask our team which device the home you like uses.

It takes planning. In high season, the most sought-after tables around Saint-Tropez can be reserved weeks, sometimes months, ahead, and long beach lunches are often the hardest to secure. Plenty of guests are happy to spend summer evenings at home, on their own terrace. Some homes can offer a private chef by arrangement. Ask our team which homes do.

Yes, and it is one of the great pleasures of the French Riviera, from the bay of Pampelonne to the quieter coves towards Cap Camarat. Boats are chartered separately from the home, and the best July and August dates go early. Larger yachts must use set anchoring zones and may not anchor on protected seagrass. A strong mistral can change plans at short notice. Ask our team.

That depends on how you like to travel. An apartment gives you space, a kitchen and the feeling of living in the city, which suits families and longer stays. There is no front desk, so arrivals are met by appointment, and many period buildings have compact lifts or none at all. Paris requires a registration number for furnished tourist lets and limits primary-residence lets to 90 nights a year. Choose a properly registered home. Ask our team.

Corsica has four airports: Ajaccio, Bastia, Calvi and Figari. Figari is about 25 minutes from Porto-Vecchio and well used by private aviation. Flights from Nice take under an hour. Car ferries sail from Nice, Toulon and Marseille. The fastest crossings take about 5h30 by day, and overnight sailings can take twelve hours or more. Some routes from Nice run only in summer, and summer sailings fill early. Ask our team.

Yes, though most châteaux receive visitors by appointment only, and the most celebrated estates rarely accept walk-ins. Requests are best made weeks or months ahead. The busiest times are the harvest and the en primeur tastings in April. The harvest now often begins in late August and runs into October; in 2026 it began in August, the earliest on record. A home among the vines in Saint-Émilion or the Médoc makes an easy base. Ask our team.