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France Tourism: The Best Historic Places to Stay

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The Best Historic Places to Stay

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Hôtel Trianon Palace (Versailles, Ile de France; tel. 800/228-3000 in the U.S. and Canada, or 01-30-84-50-00; www.westin.com): Louis XIV nearly bankrupted France during the construction of his nearby palace, but this hotel overlooking its gardens might have been even more influential. In 1919, the Versailles Peace Treaty was ratified by delegates who stayed in the same rooms that house guests today. You'll be pampered at this plush, elegant hotel, which boasts its own spa.

Château de Locguénolé (Hennebont, Brittany; tel. 02-97-76-76-76; www.chateau-de-locguenole.com): No professional decorator could accumulate the array of furnishings and artifacts that grace this Breton manor house after 500 years' occupancy by the same family. Some visitors think it's the most charming hotel in southern Brittany; you may agree.

Manoir du Stang (La Forêt-Fouesnant, Brittany; tel. 02-98-56-97-37): Even the ivy that twines across the facade of this 16th-century Breton manor house looks as though it was planted by someone very important, very long ago. Formal gardens segue into forested parkland; modern amenities are juxtaposed with enviable antiques -- the place is a gem that happens to be a glamorous hotel.

Château de Rochegude (Rochegude, Provence; tel. 04-75-97-21-10; www.chateauderochegude.com): During the thousand years of this château's existence, its owners have included popes, dauphins, and less prominent aristocrats who showered it with taste and money. Today each room is outfitted in a style inspired by a specific emperor or king. The setting is 10 hectares (25 acres) of parkland adjacent to the Rhône, outside Orange.

Château de Roussan (St-Rémy-de-Provence, Provence; tel. 04-90-92-11-63; www.chateau-de-roussan.com): One of this château's outbuildings was the home of the psychic Nostradamus, and its main building, sheltered by a stone neoclassical facade erected in 1701, is among the most beautiful in Provence. The château evokes another time, with none of the artificiality of the nearby Côte d'Azur.

Château des Alpilles (St-Rémy-de-Provence, Provence; tel. 04-90-92-03-33): The Pichot family built this château in 1827, and it has housed many famous personages, including Chateaubriand. The luxurious hotel, modestly referred to as "a house for paying friends," is a showcase of luxury, refinement, and taste.

Château de la Vallée Bleue (La Châtre, Massif Central; tel. 02-54-31-01-91; www.chateauvalleebleue.com): If your room is named for Liszt, Chopin, Flaubert, or Delacroix, it's probably because they slept in the same spot. The château was built by a doctor committed to the well-being of his nearby patient George Sand, the author and feminist trendsetter whose masquerades as a man still provoke curiosity in this part of France.

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Country Guide

France Tourism: The Best Historic Places to Stay

The Best Historic Places to Stay

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