Archive for 'Pretty Views in France'

You know Sleeping Beauty's castle from the Disney logo, the one that appears at the beginning of all of those iconic films that so defined many of our childhoods? Well, it actually exists in real life and is perhaps even more beautiful in person. If you want to bring a slice of fairytale magic into your own life and your next holiday and to see this impossibly pretty architectural gem with your own eyes, then start browsing our vacation rentals in France...

In the most scenic and magical of settings that one could possibly imagine, the Château de Menthon-Saint-Bernard is perched 200m above the lovely Lake Annecy on a rocky outcrop, offering commanding views over the surrounding landscape and framed picturesquely by hills, snow-capped Alpine peaks, and woods. On misty mornings as the cream-coloured walls and pretty pointed turrets are shyly revealed, the approach to the castle seems like a road right out of our own world and onto the pages of a storybook. Discover our holiday rentals in Annecy now and get planning your trip to this mesmerising corner of the globe.

The Marqueyssac Gardens were opened to the public in the 1990s after an extensive program of restoration and are now undeniably one of the most beautiful outdoor spaces in France. Magical and perfectly manicured, these gardens surround the 17th century Château de Marqueyssac and are the epitome of the kind of incredible creation that can come about when man grooms his natural surroundings. Located at Vézac, in the Dordogne Department of France, this exceptionally beautiful garden is a must-see if you have browsed our stunning villas in Aquitaine and are looking for things to see and do in the area.

Perched on a rocky outcrop that overlooks the valley of Dordogne, the Marqueyssac Gardens, or Jardin de Marqueyssac (often known as the Overhanging Gardens of Marqueyssac), was built at the end of the 17th century by Bertrand Vernet de Marqueyssac, Counselor to Louis XIV. The original grounds were organised in the garden à la française style and their design has been attributed to a pupil of the landscape architect André Le Nôtre. This garden was made up of terraces, alleys, and a kitchen garden surrounding the chateau, though it has been altered in the centuries since it was first begun.

If you are visiting France, you will no doubt end up going to see a historical monument or two during your holiday and there are lots of incredible gems from the rich and complex past of the nation that are located all over the country. From the castles of the Loire Valley, to the stunning cathedrals dotted throughout the cities of France, from impossibly famous monuments like the Eiffel Tower and Arc de Triomphe to the Catacombs beneath Paris, from Roman aqueducts to whole preserved towns bombed during WWII, there are all sorts of incredible historical attractions to visit in France. However, if you are slightly more interested in a time further back, in prehistory, then you are also in luck. Lascaux Cave, or the Grotte de Lascaux, is a complex of caves near the village of Montignac that is covered in prehistoric drawings. While the original caves themselves cannot actually be visited anymore due to their deteriorating condition, there are full-scale replicas located in museums nearby that visitors can go to observe. So, if you have found a vacation rental in Montignac be sure to go and check them out!

This incredibly striking beauty is Verdon Gorge, one of the finest natural attractions in all of France and part of the hilly, or Alpine, portion of the region of Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur. Beyond the perfect beaches and glamorous seaside towns of the Riviera and the lavender fields, olive groves, and vineyards of Provence you will find a landscape that is a little wilder, more rugged, less pastoral but no less stunning. Head north of Nice or East from Avignon and you're going to quickly move from fields to hilly landscapes to the limestone massifs of the Alpine foothills, where rivers flowing down from the peaks of the Alps have carved deep and impressive valleys into the land over millions of years.

Cue the Verdon Gorge, created by the Verdon running from its source near the Italian border south to Castellane and then west to meet with the Durance, near Manosque. Between these two towns of Castellane and Manosque, we find the most exceptionally picturesque creation of the Verdon, a deep canyon that is considered the second largest in the world after America's iconic Grand Canyon and which attracts thousands of visitors annually who come to enjoy various leisure pursuits and to simply enjoy the view. If you have found a vacation rental in Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur and are a nature-lover enjoying the wonderful scenery of the region, be sure to pull yourself away from the softer, picture-perfect landscapes of lavender fields and beaches and come discover the more dramatic and breath-taking panoramas of this part of France.

Montmartre is, without a doubt, the most famous Parisian district. This completely picturesque neighbourhood is now a household name and was famously home to many of the world's most beloved and best-known artists throughout the past couple of hundred years. While it has, undeniably, suffered from its own fame and mass-tourism, making the area less authentic in some ways and making it so expensive that the culture of young artists occupying the area that propelled its reputation is no longer financially viable for said young artists, there is still much to love about the area. You might just have to ignore the gaudier tat on sale in some shop windows and try and avoid times and places that attract the most oppressive tourist crowds. However, if you have found a vacation rental in Paris and you are looking for somewhere to wander around pretty streets and lush green spaces, to grab a bite, to go and take in some of the city's most famous sights, to soak up the unique atmosphere of Paris, and more, then Montmartre is not to be missed!

Located on the Butte (hill) Montmartre, the district of Montmartre was once marked by the dozen or so windmills that were visible atop the hill. Today, only a few remain; that of the Moulin Radet, the Moulin de la Galette, and the incredibly famous Moulin Rouge. An area that excavations have shown has been occupied since at least Roman-Gallo times, it was once known as “Mont de Mars,” or Mount Mars, and then became “Mont des Martyrs”, after Saint Denis, a Christian bishop, was decapitated on the hilltop in 250AD for preaching the Christian faith to the Gallo-Roman inhabitants the city. All of which eventually led to the current name of Montmartre. Until 1860, the neighbourhood was actually located just outside the city limits of Paris but it was annexed to the city that year along with other surrounding communities and became part of the 18th arrondissement of Paris, as it is today.