Domaine d’Apremont: A Weekend Getaway Just Two Hours from Paris
One of the things we love most about France is how many different versions of it exist. You can spend a weekend in Paris surrounded by grand architecture, fashion and busy cafés, then find yourself a few days later in a sleepy village where the loudest sound is birdsong and church bells.
While most visitors head towards Paris, Provence or the French Riviera, some of our favourite places in France have been the ones we had barely heard of before arriving. Domaine d’Apremont is one of them.
Located around two hours from Paris, this tiny village was named one of the most beautiful villages in France, and after spending a few days here, it’s easy to understand why. It’s not the sort of place packed with attractions or endless things to do. In fact, there isn’t much to “do” at all, and that’s exactly the point. The village is small enough to explore on foot, but it never feels empty. There is a château overlooking the village, a museum, a handful of independent shops, a guinguette where people gather throughout the day for drinks and simple food, and a brasserie that ended up being one of our favourite meals of the trip. We even came across a local artist selling his drawings, sitting quietly as people stopped to chat. Nothing feels staged, and that’s what makes it work.
Nothing here feels shaped around visitors. People talk, walk, and spend time in a way that isn’t adjusted for anyone passing through. You either slow down with it or you don’t.
Sleeping Beauty
Staying overnight is, in our opinion, the best way to experience the village.
Scattered around the estate are a number of cottages, some designed for couples and others for families or small groups. They are simple rather than polished, and if you’re expecting a hotel-style stay, this probably isn’t it. That’s also what makes it feel genuine. Wooden beams, traditional furniture, large beds and countryside views give them a sense of ease rather than presentation. It feels closer to staying in someone’s rural home than in accommodation designed for visitors.
Our advice would be to arrive by car and bring a few groceries with you. Breakfast is included and is one of the highlights of the stay: fresh croissants, bread, local jams, juice and everything laid out without fuss. It’s simple, but clearly sourced with care.
For lunch, we would recommend the La Brasserie du Lavoir, and in the evening La Terrasse Carpe Frite is where everything naturally gathers as the day slows down. Some of the best moments were spent back at the cottage, cooking simple meals with local ingredients and taking our time over them. There is something about knowing where the food comes from that makes even the simplest dinner feel more intentional.
Fresh bread in the morning, wooden interiors, quiet evenings… nothing is exaggerated here, but everything feels considered in its simplicity.
Le Parc Floral
A huge floral garden that feels carefully maintained without ever feeling over-designed. Winding paths lead you through ponds, trees and open spaces, and you naturally end up slowing down without really thinking about it. We kept thinking we’d walk for a few more minutes and then head back, but each turn led to another view worth stopping for.
One of the most special details is that guests staying on site are given access to the garden outside public opening hours. If you stay just outside the garden itself, you still receive a key, which means you can come and go as you please. That early morning access completely changes the experience. Walking through the garden before anyone else is there, with only the sound of water and birds, is something that stays with you long after.
Looking back, it wasn’t just the garden that stood out, but the way we were able to experience it. Plenty of places are beautiful in daylight when they are busy and open to everyone. It’s something else entirely to have access to a space like this when it is completely quiet.
Domaine d’Apremont doesn’t ask much of you. There is no list of things to do, no pressure to move quickly, and no sense that you are missing something if you simply sit still for a while.
We spent most days in a similar way: breakfast in the cottage, then a walk into the village, stopping wherever it made sense, the brasserie for lunch, sometimes the guinguette later on, then back towards the cottage or into the gardens again. Nothing really needed to be decided in advance because everything is close enough that you just end up going back and forth.
Being just under two hours from Paris makes it straightforward. You leave in the morning and arrive before the day has really started. It doesn’t feel like a long journey, which changes how you think about going there in the first place.
