A family château in Normandy
An American family of four, two boys of five and nine, a car hired in Paris, Disneyland still in their legs — and a stay here in October 2026. Their review is the finest anyone has left us. Here is what they found, and what you will find: a château where nobody tells the children to hush.
What one family said
We do not rewrite reviews. This one, left on Google in November 2026 after an October stay, says better than we could what the house is like with children. Here are four of its sentences; the rest is to be read where it was written.
“The pictures do not do this place justice! It is even more beautiful in person.”
“I was initially a little nervous about staying at a château with my two rambunctious boys (ages 5 and 9), but I quickly realized how family-friendly this property is.”
Nicole O., travelling as a family, October 2026 stay — the full review, on Google.
Outside: the grounds are theirs
Forty-two hectares, open all the time, with no map and no timetable. Children do here what children do: run, climb, look for animals.
- A trampoline, a swing set and a playground, outdoors, a few steps from the house.
- The ducks and carp of the pond, behind the house, let themselves be fed; the horses are in the meadow.
- In the orchard, the roe deer come at first light and at dusk — the photograph further down is proof. A hare, pheasants, and a raccoon that has no business being in Normandy.
- Five hundred and sixty metres of tree-lined drive to the gate, a kilometre there and back, on foot or by bike — mountain bikes can be hired.
- The night is truly dark: from the courtyard, you count the stars.
“What I loved most was that we could enjoy the beauty and peacefulness of a château without feeling like we had to constantly tell our children to sit still or be quiet. The kids had room to explore and enjoy themselves, while we got some much-needed relaxation.”
Inside: the house is yours
Only six rooms, and common rooms shared as if at home — that is what makes the place “homey”, to borrow the review's word.
- The family rooms: Glycine, 40 m², up to four; Camélia and Cornus, 44 m², up to five, under the roof timbers, with a balcony. A free cot in every room.
- Breakfast, 8 to 10 a.m., in the ground-floor dining room: home-made, the same for children — free up to 12, €8 from 13 to 17, €15 for adults.
- In the evening there is no restaurant — but the dining room, the crockery and the glasses are yours, at any hour. Bring dinner back from Villers-Bocage, ten minutes away, or from Bayeux, and eat it at the big table. The addresses are here.
- The ground-floor sitting room and dining room are open to guests, in the evening too: you walk in as into a house, not a hotel. And the estate's cats, born here, are as affectionate as dogs.
After Paris and Disneyland: breathe
This family arrived after several “busy, nonstop” days in Paris and at Disneyland. The château is three hours from Paris by motorway, three and a half from Disneyland — and once here, nothing is compulsory.
- The D-Day beaches, under an hour away: Arromanches and its artificial harbour, the sand of Omaha, the Pointe du Hoc — the day is mapped out here. A nine-year-old understands a great deal there.
- Bayeux, half an hour away: the Saturday morning market, the cathedral, an ice cream along the Aure. The Tapestry itself cannot be seen before October 2027 — its museum is being rebuilt.
- Outings for children, twenty minutes away: Jurques zoo, which closes for winter after its Christmas light evenings and reopens in February; the rail sledge and giant swing of the Souleuvre viaduct, February to November; the Souterroscope, a slate mine underground. The dates are their websites', checked in November 2026.
- Mont-Saint-Michel two hours away, Honfleur 1 h 15, Caen and its Memorial thirty minutes — five days already mapped out.
“If you're traveling through Normandy, especially with children, I highly recommend Château du Bû! This was easily one of our favorite stays during our European vacation!”
Getting here, booking
- By car: three hours from Paris, three and a half from Disneyland Paris; private, free parking in the courtyard. Arrival between 4 p.m. and 10 p.m.
- By train: Paris-Saint-Lazare to Caen in about two hours, then a taxi or ride-hail.
- Booking is done on this site: the card is held as a guarantee, nothing is charged before the stay; the “Free cancellation” rate can be cancelled free of charge up to two days before arrival.