The most memorable journeys to France begin not with a flight, but with anticipation building mile by mile. Whether threading through Champagne by car or watching the countryside unfold from a train window, overland travel sets a different rhythm that mirrors the unhurried pace you’ll discover at your destination. The private villas and estates we’ve selected are not just extraordinary places to stay; they are invitations to experience France as locals do, with the luxury of time, space, and authentic regional charm. This is your guide to getting there as beautifully as you’ll live once you arrive.
Getting to Your Villa in France: Premium Transport Options
Your French journey begins with the crossing itself, a gentle transition between worlds. The Eurotunnel provides the quickest route, taking just 35 minutes from Folkestone to Calais with departures every quarter hour during peak times. For those preferring the rhythm of a sea crossing, P&O Ferries runs up to 23 daily sailings on the same route, offering 90 minutes to watch the English coast recede.
Calais serves as your gateway to the south, perfectly positioned for drives toward Provence, the Côte d’Azur, or Biarritz. DFDS provides additional flexibility with 15 daily crossings to Calais, plus alternative routes to Dunkerque (2 hours) and Dieppe from Newhaven (4 hours), each offering different onward possibilities.
Once on French soil, your destination awaits. Provence and the Côte d’Azur lie 11 to 12 hours south, while Biarritz is 10 to 11 hours away through France’s varied countryside. These drives become part of the experience itself, carrying you through landscapes that shift with each mile toward your private retreat.
Direct Routes vs Scenic Alternatives
For travelers heading to our Biarritz properties, the overnight Portsmouth to Santander route with Brittany Ferries offers an elegant alternative to the Calais crossing, reducing your drive to under three hours once in Spain. This route transforms what might feel like a long journey into a restful overnight passage, arriving refreshed and ready to enjoy your coastal retreat.
Brittany Ferries also provides crossings from Portsmouth, Plymouth, or Poole to French destinations including Cherbourg, St Malo, Caen, Le Havre, and Roscoff. Each route offers its own character and advantages, whether you prefer the shorter crossing times or the specific regional access these northern French ports provide for your onward journey to villas in France.
Alternative Routes to Your Villa in France: Expert Options
If you’re heading to one of our villas in France along the Atlantic coast, the overnight Brittany Ferries crossing from Portsmouth to Santander offers an elegant alternative, arriving refreshed and within three hours of Biarritz. For other destinations, Brittany Ferries operates sailings from Portsmouth, Plymouth, and Poole to French ports including Cherbourg, St Malo, Caen, Le Havre, and Roscoff, each providing distinctive regional access to your chosen retreat.
Those preferring to avoid initial driving can take the Eurostar to Paris and stay in one of our luxury apartments in the city centre. From there, hire a car or continue south by train, transforming Paris from mere transit into a sophisticated opening chapter of your French experience.
For car travellers, whatever route you select, plan to break the journey overnight. This approach transforms necessity into opportunity—time to discover medieval villages, sample regional wines, and experience the historic sites that make the drive to our luxury villa and apartment rentals as memorable as the destination itself.
If you’re driving to Provence or the Côte d’Azur, a scenic route adds richness to the journey, offering discovery and relaxation before you even arrive at your luxury villa in France.
Begin in the Champagne region, stopping in Reims to admire the cathedral where French kings were crowned for nearly a thousand years. It’s a grand start to your drive south, especially if you’re headed to the Côte d’Azur.
From Reims, travel two and a half hours to Auxerre, a historic town on the River Yonne. Wander its old marine quarter with timber-framed houses, explore quiet pedestrian lanes, and see the fifteenth-century Tour de l’Horloge.
Next, continue two hours to Beaune, at the heart of Burgundy’s famed Côte d’Or wine region. Surrounded by vineyards, this town offers exceptional wine tastings, local cuisine, and medieval landmarks. Don’t miss the colourful tiled roof and museum of the Hôtel-Dieu.
From Beaune, drive 1 hour 45 minutes to Lyon. Spend a night enjoying riverside dining and world-renowned gastronomy. Then, after another two and a half hours, arrive in Aix-en-Provence, your gateway to Provençal charm, hilltop villages, and the Cézanne Museum in the artist’s original studio. Speak with our travel experts.
Provence Villa Collection: Historic Estates & Vineyard Retreats
Just 20 minutes northwest of Aix en Provence, Villa Baulieu is an exceptional château set within parkland on a working vineyard estate. With 11 bedrooms, full hotel style service, and award winning wines, it is a perfect setting for weddings, extended family gatherings, or luxurious getaways. Nearby, in a quieter corner of the estate, Villa Berengere offers a more intimate option: a restored four bedroom Provençal bastide with private grounds and a swimming pool. Both feature in our Experiential Stay Collection of handpicked villas in France.
For those seeking refined tranquillity further afield, drive one and a half hours east of Aix to Villa Terre Blanche, a striking example of French neoclassical elegance, set near the Riviera yet surrounded by peaceful countryside.
In the heart of the Luberon region, you will find more of our standout luxury rentals. Exit the motorway at Cavaillon to reach St Rémy de Provence (approximately 25 minutes) and Eygalières (15 minutes). Villa St Rémy, just 1 kilometre from the centre of the historic village, offers stunning Alpilles mountain views, while Villa Eygalières, also just 1 kilometre from its namesake village, provides a lush garden retreat with effortless access to local markets, vineyards, and the rhythm of Provençal life.
Luxury Beachside Escapes: Côte d’Azur & Atlantic Coast Villas
From Aix en Provence, it is a one hour and forty five minute drive to Cannes, following sunlit motorways that wind towards the Riviera. Hidden in the hills of Super Cannes, our private villa offers seclusion, sea views, and every modern comfort, a serene retreat just 15 minutes from the centre of Cannes.
Further along the coast, La Garde Freinet sits just 15 minutes inland from Saint Tropez. This impressive estate includes dedicated staff and even helicopter access, making it ideal for group holidays or special celebrations. Close by, Villa Mistral blends historic charm with modern amenities and is perfectly positioned just minutes from the beaches of Saint Tropez. For contemporary living by the sea, our Pampelonne Beach villa offers direct access to the shoreline, just steps from the iconic Club 55.
Villas in Biarritz and the Atlantic Coast
If you are heading west to Biarritz, the most direct driving route takes you through the Loire Valley cities of Orléans and Tours, then via Poitiers and Bordeaux, a scenic journey of around seven and a half hours. We recommend stopping overnight in Bordeaux, one of our favourite French cities for wine, culture, and cuisine.
Just forty five minutes south of Bordeaux, our eight bedroom villa on the Bassin d’Arcachon offers a luxurious base with private beach access and panoramic views over the bay. It is the perfect introduction to the relaxed charm of France’s Atlantic coast before continuing on to your villa in Biarritz, where elegance meets the ocean.
Last, but not least, we are offering a number of coastal (and much more budget-friendly) two and three bedroom apartments to rent in the resort town of Biarritz on the Côte Basque. The town’s fame dates from the mid 19th century, when Empress Eugenie (wife of Napoleon III) arranged to have a palace built by the beach (now the famous Hotel du Palais where many European royalty, including Queen Victoria, were invited to stay regularly as guests). Biarritz is a vibrant, cosmopolitan town, popular for its beaches, golf courses and restaurants – ideal for a family holiday.
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