From turreted fortresses once stalked by Templar knights to to grand halls that sheltered runaway princes and decorated war heroes, France’s châteaux market is positively dripping with gossip-worthy stonework this month. We’ve sifted through the moats, musket holes and marble mantelpieces to present fifteen irresistible piles where history is definitely not stuck in a museum—it’s baked into every stone.
Expect mullioned windows framed by wisteria thicker than Louis XIV’s wig, ballrooms that still echo with cavalry boots, and secret staircases perfect for plotting your own revolution—or at least hiding the good claret. Sceptre optional; a robust sense of humour and a chequebook decidedly required. Ready to choose your crown and postcode this Bastille Day, dear reader?
Approach via a regal avenue of chestnut trees and step into your very own page of Alexandre Dumas; this 17th-century château delivers four grand yet manageable bedrooms, soaring reception rooms and 19 verdant acres begging for horses, hobby vineyards or enthusiastic dachshunds. A forlorn cottage lurks in the grounds, ready for B&B glory.
Price: €695,000 Location:Civray, Vienne, Poitou-Charentes Special features: Chestnut-tree avenue, 7.7 ha attached land, additional woodland, equestrian potential, cottage to renovate, two reception rooms, 17th-century pedigree Close to: Poitiers-Biard Airport 55 km/≈45 min; Poitiers TGV 52 km; Angoulême 62 km/≈53 min; shops, cafés and weekly market in Civray
Once home to Béarn blue-bloods with Louis XIV connections (google them - you won't be disappointed!), this Templar-born, Renaissance-robed pile flaunts vaulted stone ceilings, mullioned windows and a chorus line of marble fireplaces across 23 rooms. Six rolling acres, fortified farm, orangery and rentable guest cottages practically print money for weddings or retreats while 18 hearths keep the legends warm.
Price: €699,000 Location:Orthez, Pyrénées-Atlantiques, Aquitaine Special features: 10 bedrooms, 23 rooms, vaulted ceilings, mullioned windows, 18 fireplaces, fortified farm, orangery, two guest houses, holiday-let annex, six acres of parkland Close to: Orthez TGV 12 min; Pau 25 min; Basque coast 50 min; Spanish ski slopes 80 min
Lift the drawbridge and revel in a thousand years of intrigue: this 14th-century castle, moated, portcullised and fresco-clad, offers vast vaulted kitchens, a muralled banquet hall and spiral stone stairs to four lofty bedrooms. Nearly three hectares of woodland shield you from peasants, yet Périgueux’s cafés beckon a short canter away.
Price: €890,000 Location: Périgueux, Dordogne Special features: Working drawbridge & portcullis, dry moat, 16th-century frescoed hall, spiral stone stair, harrow mechanism room, vaulted kitchens, French historic-monument status, 2.9 ha estate bordered by state forest Close to: Bergerac Airport 52 km / ≈45 min; Bordeaux Airport 139 km / ≈1 h 30 min; Périgueux–Bordeaux train from 1 h 10 min
Once the childhood seat of political sage Étienne de La Boétie, this late-16th-century Périgord Noir gem pairs scholarly gravitas with six-bedroom gracious living. Stone-mullioned windows flood high-ceilinged salons, spiral stairs climb twin round towers and a doves’ cote surveys 5 ha of meadows ripe for picnics, philosophy or profitable barn conversions.
Price: €995,000 Location:Sarlat-la-Canéda, Dordogne Special features: six bedrooms, stone spiral staircase, twin round towers, vast fireplaces, mullioned windows, gas central heating, stone barn & dovecote, 5.1 ha parkland Close to: Brive-Souillac Airport 45 min; Bergerac Airport ≈1 h 5 min; Toulouse-Blagnac Airport ≈2 h 10 min; medieval Sarlat markets 10 min
Slip through a gated arch, past centuries-old plane trees, and find a storybook pile where a stone spiral staircase corkscrews to six dreamy bedrooms. Feast beside 400-year-old fireplaces, chill your Syrah in the vaulted cellar, then cannon-ball into the infinity pool as the Tarn countryside applauds.
Price: €875,000 Location:Alos, Tarn, Occitanie Special features: Stone spiral stair & staff stair, infinity pool with travertine terrace, Cornue range kitchen, vaulted wine cellar, beamed ceilings, outbuildings & garages, 2 ha grounds, oil heating, new septic system Close to: Cordes-sur-Ciel 8 km; Gaillac wine region 25 min; Toulouse-Blagnac Airport ≈1 hour; village cafés and weekly market in Alos
Sashay through the oak door into a banquet hall ablaze with a 15th-century hearth, then drift to a sun-drenched salon and terrace gazing at one of only three surviving medieval towers in the Lot. Eight guest-perfect bedrooms, bread-oven barn and eco-friendly wood-chip heating make this turnkey mini-château ready to mint chambre-d’hôtes gold.
Price: €1,266,000 Location:Cajarc, Lot, Occitanie Special features: 15th-c origins, rare medieval tower, eight en-suite bedrooms (two in barn conversion), working bread oven for alfresco feasts, wood-chip central & under-floor heating, stables with two boxes, 1.27 ha grounds Close to: Figeac 25 km/≈30 min bus or car; Rodez–Marcillac Airport 67 km/≈1 h drive; Toulouse-Blagnac Airport 141 km/≈1 h 40 min drive; Causses du Quercy Regional Park trails nearby
Towering above a postcard Gascon ring-village famed for its flower market, the Renaissance Château de Fourcès rolls out two wings, twin towers and an original stone stairway – plus 13 guest-ready suites, a 2020-renewed roof and its own tapas bar “Chez Boubou”. Gate-crash the brocante, then saunter home across the bridge.
Price: €1,365,000 Location:Fourcès, Gers, Occitanie Special features: 13 bedrooms, 10 bathrooms, round & square towers, original stone staircase, roof restored 2020, bar/tapas venue, guest apartments, 0.88 ha riverside grounds Close to: Agen La Garenne Airport 35 km/≈35 min; Pau Pyrénées Airport 86 km/≈1 h; Bordeaux Airport 136 km/≈1 h 50 min; Toulouse 132 km/≈1 h 45 min
Belgian royals once dodged invaders here—now it’s your turn, peril optional. This turret-topped estate parades a grand oak staircase, portrait-lined library, secret tunnel panel, 12 ensuite chambers, three rentable gîtes, lake, orchard and barn. Weddings, B&B guests, even football squads all fit inside the moat-free magic.
Special features: 13th-century origins, Belgium-royal WWII hideout, secret panel/tunnel, library & music room, 12 château bedrooms + 3 gîtes, barn with new roof, orchard, fishing lake, pellet/oil/wood heating, wedding & events pedigree Close to: Lagraulière village 5 min; Seilhac 10 min; Uzerche (TGV) 15 min; Brive–Vallée de la Dordogne Airport 40 min; Limoges Airport 1 h 15 min
Symmetry rules at this 18th-century château, its pedimented façade framing postcard Pyrenees while marbled halls, parquet saloons and a private chapel whisper of Louis-XV leisure. Host soirées in the orangery, maze through boxwood parterres, then toast beneath the stone bridge where the moat once lapped.
Price: €1,890,000 Location: Near Pau, Pyrénées-Atlantiques Special features: 11th-century origins, marquetry & terracotta floors, five grand salons, library, chapel, orangery, tack room, French formal garden with labyrinth, event-ready outbuildings, 1.5 ha grounds, panoramic Pyrenees view Close to: Pau Airport 20 min; Lourdes Airport 25 min; Marciac Jazz Festival 40 min; Basque Coast 75 min
Survey 14 rolling acres from a three-winged pile where Renaissance bones meet designer comforts: think fireplace-flanked salons, a tower guest suite, professional kitchen and heat-pumped east wing. Ten luxurious bedrooms (and counting) ring a sun-warmed courtyard, while twin turrets guard a heated pool begging for sunset cannon-balls.
Price: €2,100,000 Location:Monflanquin, Lot-et-Garonne Special features: Ten en-suite bedrooms, three wings around courtyard, original fireplaces & beams, air-con suites, pro kitchen, under-floor heating via heat pump, heated 9 × 5 m pool between twin towers, barn, guardian’s house, orchard & raised veg beds on 5.4 ha Close to: Bastide town of Monflanquin 5 min; Bergerac Airport ≈45 min; Agen TGV ≈50 min for fast Paris links
Half an hour from Aix, 170 pine-scented acres cradle a 19th-century château grafted onto an original Templar watch-tower. Grand banquet halls, soaring ceilings and a roof-top belvedere beg for a lavish revival, while a six-suite farmhouse and studio wait in the wings—raw stone, terracotta tiles and Provençal potential in heroic quantities.
Price: €2,105,000 Location: Near Aix-en-Provence, Bouches-du-Rhône, Provence-Alpes-Côte d’Azur Special features: 70-ha forest estate, Templar-era tower, rooftop terrace with panoramic views, monumental fireplace banquet hall, six en-suite bedrooms (farmhouse & studio), additional outbuildings to convert, total restoration canvas Close to: Aix-en-Provence 30 min; Marseille-Provence Airport 45 min; Mediterranean beaches ≈1 h; hill-top Luberon villages 45 min
Once the Marquis de Lafayette’s moated playground, this Renaissance-gallery showpiece marries medieval bones to salon-worthy stone fireplaces and 16 ensuite chambers. Three immaculate guest houses, twin swimming pools, a dovecote and 13-bay garage sit amid five hectares of chestnut-lined grandeur—perfect for staging your own (tennis) court intrigue.
Price: €2,350,000 Location: Near Tours, Indre-et-Loire, Centre-Val de Loire Special features: Lafayette lineage, 16 bedrooms, 3 rentable residences, 16th-c gallery, chestnut avenue, two pools, tennis & pétanque courts, dovecote, 13-car garaging, 5 ha parkland Close to: Tours Val de Loire Airport 10 min/≈6 km; TGV Paris – Tours from 54 min; Amboise 21 km/≈13 min by train; Château de Chenonceau 28 km/≈25 min by
Perched since 1547 against a prehistoric limestone wall, this south-facing pile gazes over the Agen skyline while serving five-star comfort behind its swaggering façade. Ten bedrooms, lofty salons and energy-class-C efficiency prove history needn’t be draughty, and the pool, chapel and tower give Instagram more angles than a Velázquez court scene.
Price: €2,368,420 Location: Near Agen, Lot-et-Garonne Special features: Prehistoric cliff backdrop, 10 bedrooms, modernised interiors, fireplaces, chapel, tower, heated pool, B&B pedigree, 4.9 ha park & woodland, energy rating C Close to: Agen centre & TGV 15 min; Toulouse-Blagnac Airport ≈1 h; Bergerac Airport ≈1 h 15; Villeneuve-sur-Lot golf 30 min
Half an hour from Paris yet worlds away, this 18th-century stone pile presides over 14 hectares of parterre and woodland, crying out for reinvention as a five-star hide-out. Louis-XV salons, billiard room and vast library await revival - just add a dollop of Chantilly cream and a dash of daring.
Price: €2,490,000 Location:Chantilly, Oise, Hauts-de-France Special features: 14 ha estate, French formal garden, grand banquet hall, library, 14 bedrooms across three apartments, caretaker’s house, garages, alarm system Close to: Paris 27 km; Roissy-CDG Airport ≈18 min; Chantilly-Gouvieux RER 4 km; Château de Chantilly & racecourse 3 km
Owned by the same clan since 1803, this 1649-built jewel crowns a gentle ridge, its U-shaped wings and wine cellars clasping a sun-drenched courtyard. Eleven lofty bedrooms, barn-sized outbuildings and 8.7 ha of vines-ready land beg to host weddings, seminars or your own musketeer re-enactments—cape and Armagnac obligatory.
Price: €2,600,000 Location:Valence-sur-Baïse, Gers Special features: 17th-century Gascon architecture, central courtyard plan, panoramic hill-top views, family-owned since 1803, wine cellar & sheds, multiple event venues, 8.7 ha grounds Close to: Agen-La Garenne Airport 36 km/≈30 min; Toulouse-Blagnac 91 km/≈1 h 15; Pau-Pyrénées 85 km/≈1 h 20
Cradled by 18 ha of parkland, this thousand-year stronghold—once a bed-and-board for Richard I and later the mighty Nicolaï clan—unfurls 25 chambers, gallery-lined salons and a chapel tucked in a turret. Stables, a pocket theatre and an 8-bed gîte add revenue muscle, while the terrace drinks in Loire sunsets (Sauvignon compulsory).
Price: €8,600,000 Location: Near Sancerre, Cher, Centre-Val de Loire Special features: 25 bedrooms across 72 rooms, Renaissance panelled ballroom, chapel, terrace with village views, outbuildings (stables, 8-bed gîte, theatre), roofs recently renewed, 18 ha parkland Close to: Bourges 45 km/≈50 min; Paris 200 km/≈2 h 5 min drive; Magny-Cours circuit 66 km/≈1 h
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