Gites de France network - no other way to book accommodation than thr the website?

You don’t have to limit yourself to Gites de France. You can also book Gites at OliversTravels.com or on the VRBO ( Vacation Rentals By Owner) or on Booking.com. Some Gites on VRBO allow you to cancel two weeks before the arrival date.

www.VRBO.com

www.OliversTravels.com

www.Booking.com

I have used gites-de-france many times through the years and have always done so through that website. I have been so very satisfied with all my experiences with them that I wouldn't dream of trying to circumvent their system, if that is even possible. I am aware that in the US sometimes renters get in touch with the owners through VRBO or AirBandB to save the cost of fees, but I don't think it is doable in France with gites-de-france. They have been around longer than AirBandB, and have an excellent reputation, and well-deserved. If you have found a place you really like, rent it through gites-de-france. I have had no anxiety about paying the deposit and rent a head of time. If you fear a possible change of plans, then I would book something through booking.com with their refundable and/or pay on arrival accomodations. They have always been very quick to cancel our reservations when we needed to.
Best of luck in finding a good accomodation.

Fyi,
A gite is a furnished rental property, usually self-catering. And yes, you can find a gite through more than one platform or website. Don't confuse "gite" (general) with "gites-de-france" (a specific platform).

Same as Judy, I have used Gites de France numerous times without incident
As do hundreds od thousands of French people annually.

@Kenko @Judy @Kim

Thank you! @Kenko - yap I wanted some flexibility but unfortunately cant find this gite that I wanted on Booking or Agoda. Tried the other places you suggested and couldnt find it too

Thanks @Judy @Kim - thats helpful to know. Not sure how you deal with changes in travel dates as it didnt seem Gites de France allows (but perhaps it could if I buy their insurance?)

For those curious - this is the gite that I was looking at!
https://www.gites-de-france.com/fr/grand-est/haut-rhin/les-trois-bruants-h68g022253

Here are some huge differences with Booking.com or VRBO.
Gîtes de France predates the internet by a long shot. 1955 to be exact. We used to get paper catalogs and call the office to reserve.
Every offering is inspected by a Gîtes de France employee and rated. That’s what the three wheat shafts are in the upper left.
It has offices in every region that will intervene in case of a problem.
It follows the French laws, no wiggle room. This is an extremely valid company, and I’ve always been pleased with my stays. And as Kim said, it’s used by hundreds of thousand of French people annually.
Your choice puts you into a suburban area in an impeccably clean and fairly new house with the owners next door. Living like a local. Bravo.

@Elizabeth - thanks! I wasnt certain of whether Gites de France bookings allow changes in dates eg shift 1 day later but still 5 days booking for instance

Gîtes de France are the most popular accommodations in France for people who want to avoid hotels and have a more local experience. As Elizabeth said, they were created a long time ago in rural areas to allow visitors to discover country life at a low price. I used to go to them as a child with my parents when we traveled in France. We just had to look for the small signs along the roads.

https://www.gites-de-france.com/themes/custom/g2f/build/img/gites-de-france.png

There was no need to book in advance. It was also the best way to get recommendations for good restaurants in the area.

To have your accommodation listed on Gîtes de France, you have to meet a lot of quality and service criteria, without which you can't be registered (I saw that they also check the quality of the fruit juices served at breakfast – homemade or not). These criteria are regularly checked on-site by the organization.

I did a quick search on the one you want to book; I found the address, the owners' names, and even their mobile number.

and I found that they speak French and German, only.

@JoLui @Nigel
Yes I did find their facebook and email address too but as they didnt reply, didnt know what to expect

You can't really shift dates around with gites - just as with any other single rental property. They will book other clients for the dates you don't need - so you need to be sure of your dates and do not count on shifting by a day or two or three . . .

@Kim Ok then I can only book it after my travel dates are pretty certain. Was concerned that the house is booked since we are looling at end June to early July 2026

I wouldn’t be concerned about dates with that part of France in a fairly new house before school is out for the summer.

I also would stay on the Gites platform and not contact them directly. French people have a large sense of privacy until you are introduced.

You should know that sometimes the Gites de France properties are one week rentals Saturday to Saturday during July and August. Some have minimum stays. They aren’t exactly like Airbnb or a hotel.

@Elizabeth thanks! Yap we dont mind using a platform to book, though probably was used to Agoda/ booking which allows change in dates. We will decide the date and come back to Gites de France to do the booking. Our dates happen to be just before 4 July 2026 when school holiday starts! So hopefully once we sort out our leave application, we can confirm via the platform.

I'm not sure if you are looking for an actual gite or a B&B. Gites de France offers two types of lodging: gites, which you rent by the week usually from Saturday to Saturday, and chambres d'hotes, which are like B&Bs which you can rent for a night or two or more, depending on availability. B&Bs include breakfast and often conversation with other guests at the table. At gites, all meals are up to you.

Any good B&B or gite is going to be pretty well booked up, often long in advance, so you need to be sure of your dates before you reserve.

We used to be able to call a new-to-us B&B a day in advance and get a room for one night, no deposit requested even though they didn't know us from Adam. If we liked the B&B we'd ask to stay another night.

No-shows used to be common, hence the need for a deposit these days. Even some places that know us require a deposit.

FYI we have stayed in Gîtes de France rentals for less than a week, but in May and September, never July or August. I agree that it's not like a hotel where people come and go.

It's important for the owners, whether it's a Gîtes de France property or another type of accommodation, to know their booking schedule. If all the guests change their dates, it becomes unmanageable, especially for stays of several days. Whether or not to rent by the week depends on the owner. Renting from Saturday to Saturday has become less common in recent years as travelers' habits have changed. That said, they still tend to prefer weekly rentals, especially during peak season or school holidays.

For anything related to modifications, cancellations, or insurance, an FAQ in English is available on the Gîtes de France website.

https://www.gites-de-france-eure.com/foire-aux-questions.html

Yeah we do want to confirm our dates and we are able once our leave application goes through. So its a matter of now till then. Hence if the gite is on agoda/ booking, it is less stressful that we can book and change dates if need be

Both the host and the guest (us) would want certainty of the stay dates! (:

And yes we were told 5 days work. In fact, Gites de France booking manager advised us twice not to book with our preferred gite as she said the bus service is inconvenient. I managed to find out the bus schedule (thanks to this forum which I had another post) and of which while there arent many buses each day, it seems to work for us. Hence while she advised us to stay in Colmar city, we preferred our choice (;