- 6 days ago
- 3 min read
Updated: 4 days ago
Living the French Dream, 30 Glorious Airbnbs to Book Now
February 2026
As our nearest European neighbour, bar the Republic of Ireland, it feels almost criminal not to take advantage of how absurdly easy it is to get there. You can hop on a ferry for a hundred quid or even more exciting LeShuttle, avoid the joyless purgatory of airport life, and if you have children, I genuinely can’t fathom why you’d do anything else. The journey to France can be a holiday in itself: a gentle segue into Gallic life, complete with audiobooks, stops for cheese and the occasional well priced glass of wine.
I very much adore France. I know the stereotypes, sneering waiters, a national contempt for queuing, a zealous commitment to shrugging and a desdain for their European neighbours (or perhaps just the English) but I’ve never found them to be true. Every time I’ve been, I’ve met charming, endearing and people, who yes will start to speak to me in English as soon as start my pigeon French, but I understand my casual butchering of their language would be hard for anyone with a lyrical ear.
Sifting through French Airbnbs is also an exercise in pleasant surprise. Many are remarkably affordable, and the presence of a pool, so often elusive in Britain, transforms even the most questionable interiors into something entirely bearable. Eccentric interiors were certainly on the menu when looking through many of these houses. I will say that, for my taste, eccentricity wins out over genuine boredom, so if you think I have lost my head with some of the choices below, believe me there were plenty of insipid houses along the way.
