Le Perche France is one of the most beautiful and least-known corners of Normandy — a gentle landscape of green hills, ancient forests, stone manor houses and dreamy villages, just two hours from Paris. Leaving the city behind me, I found myself a peaceful countryside where time feels different. The perfect place to slow down.
My wishes for this trip were quite simple. I was looking for a nice escape in nature, a place where me and my family could go for long walks with our dog, pick up fresh croissants from the local bakery, and just breathe. In this guide, I’m sharing everything: where to stay in Le Perche, the best villages to wander through, where to eat in Le Perche (including my favourite bakeries), and honest tips for visiting Le Perche with kids — because that’s exactly how I experienced it.
- Why Le Perche France stole my heart
- Where to stay in Le Perche Normandy
- The most charming villages in Le Perche France
- Where to eat in Le Perche: my favourite restaurants and bakeries
- Le Perche with kids
- Brocante and local festivals in Le Perche France
- Best time to visit Le Perche France
- How to get to Le Perche France
- My French playlist for the drive
- FAQ — Le Perche France travel guide
- On the move to Le Perche France
Why Le Perche France stole my heart
When I moved from city life to the hills of Le Perche France for a week, everything shifted. The house we rented got everything we needed. Comfortable beds, a nice spacious kitchen, a living area with a wood-burning stove and on top of it — the thing that made me fall in love with this place — large bay windows with wonderful views of the rolling hills. To me, used to city life, a view like this felt majestic. No matter the weather, this was a place where we really could enjoy the French countryside. Indoors or outdoors. Plus, the house got a nice, private, outdoor area with plenty of space to play.
Driving up the hill, towards our holiday home, feels a little bit like going back in time, with old, picturesque houses. The place we booked, The Architect’s House, is the last building at the end of the street, which makes it feel secluded. The street ends up as a dirt road, surrounded by trees and grassland. This dirt road went on along open meadows with grazing cows, woodlands and great views on the hills, which turned out as the perfect starting point for walking our dog. I’m sure he had a great time in Le Perche, running around at the grass field in front of the Airbnb, being outside almost the whole day.
A bath with a view
Taking it easy is not always my specialty. Especially when I’m at a new place where there is much to do and to see. Do you recognise that feeling? That you wake up extra early because you’re in a new environment. I do have that. I want to open the curtains and see the view, go outside, smell the air.
Well, I still had that the first day, but this time I decided to take the opportunity to really slow down and prepared myself a nice bath in our Airbnb. Like the rest of the house, the bathroom got large windows, with a great view on the hill. So, while taking a bath, I could watch the birds flying by. From one tree to another. Life could be this simple.
I visited Le Perche in the spring holiday, in the last week of February. I packed sweaters, wool layers and a single t-shirt. It turned out I could also easily bring a skirt and some flip-flops, because it was a lot warmer than expected. I was drinking coffee outside in the sun, and the temperature went up to above 20 degrees Celsius at some point. So, so good to finally feel the sun on my skin.
Where to stay in Le Perche Normandy
Finding the right place to stay in Le Perche sets the tone for your entire trip. If you’re visiting Le Perche with kids and a dog like we did, a self-catering house with outdoor space makes all the difference. Here are my recommendations — from the Airbnb where I stayed to some beautiful hotels and guesthouses in the region.
The Architect’s House — my Airbnb in Moutiers-au-Perche
This is where we stayed for our family trip to Le Perche. Located at the top of the hill in Moutiers-au-Perche, the house has large bay windows with sweeping views of the countryside, a wood-burning stove, and a spacious private garden. The street ends as a dirt road into open meadows — perfect for morning dog walks. Pets are welcome.
D’un Île, Rémalard
From the same team as Septime in Paris. If you’re not staying here, you could also just go for dinner at D’un Île. Just make sure you make a reservation at www.duneile.com. They have a swimming pool outside and a sauna on top of the hill. Pets are not allowed on the premises.
Hôtel Restaurant Les Prés, Saint-Hilaire-le-Châtel
The estate offers nine elegant rooms with generous proportions. Outside there is a heated pool. They also have a restaurant in the hotel where you can eat, even when you’re not staying in the hotel. The restaurant is open for dinner from Wednesday to Saturday and for lunch on Sunday. Pets are not allowed.
La Planque en Perche, Bellou-le-Trichard
A great place to come to rest and to eat. Like the other two places above, this venue also has a restaurant. You can make an online reservation at www.laplanqueenperche.com. The rooms have large windows with beautiful views of the landscape. You can enjoy the views endlessly, like a film without an end. Pets are not allowed.
Perche Effect — pet-friendly Airbnb in Val-au-Perche
The owners live on the same terrain, and you’re allowed to take your pet. A cosy option if you’re visiting Le Perche with kids and a dog, like we did. Find it on Airbnb.
♥ Looking for a luxury stay near Le Perche? Read about our Les Sources de Cheverny experience in the Loire Valley — just a few hours further south and one of France’s most beautiful vineyard hotels.
The most charming villages in Le Perche France
Le Perche is dotted with small, character-filled villages that are best discovered at a slow pace. Here are the ones I visited and loved.
Bellême
Bellême was the more lively village that I loved the most. There were some nice shops to visit, like La Savonnerie de la Chapelle, a shop with natural soaps, living store CHEZ les VOISINS with linen bags, cushions and aprons, and a clothing store on Place de la République. If you’re wondering where to eat in Le Perche, Bellême is a great starting point: you can try fine dining restaurant Paysages or go for a coffee with fresh baked madeleines like we did at Les Gourmandises de Jeannine. Good to know on forehand — one portion of madeleines might not be enough. The forest next to Bellême is perfect for hiking
La Perrière
A small village with bohemian vibes. The village is known for net lace embroidery. Back in time, between WOI and WOII, great Paris fashion houses sought their supplies from La Perrière. One of the places I had in mind to visit was Comptoir Général, a general store where you can pick up ciders and fruit juices. They also have dishes for take-away. Café La Perrière, from the same owner, is the place to be for coffee, cakes and homemade meals. The menu changes every day, and pets are welcome. Every May, there is an arts and crafts market in La Perrière.
Mortagne-au-Perche
A small medieval town with narrow streets and quite some historical buildings, like the Église Notre-Dame and the Porte Saint-Denis. Among food lovers, the city is known for its blood sausages. Noiram Café is a good one to go for a take-away coffee. Another one that’s worth a visit is Jambon Beurre, a place with some Spanish vibes and a lovely cheesecake. Wine lovers could enjoy a glass at the terrace of La Vie en Rouge.
Nogent-le-Rotrou
The main city of Le Perche France, with an impressive medieval castle, Château Saint-Jean. Every Saturday, there’s a market on the Place Saint-Pol and the Place du 11 Août, with fresh food and manufactured products. During Pentecost, there’s the Percheval, a medieval festival that honours the Percheron — the famous horses of Le Perche.
Moutiers-au-Perche
The place where I stayed during our trip, and a charming little town. It’s one of the oldest villages in Le Perche and you can find some nice hikes around the village. The local bakery Aux Délices de Moutiers is just down the hill — and very much worth the walk back up.
Where to eat in Le Perche: my favourite restaurants and bakeries
One of the things that surprised me most about Le Perche France is how good the food is. Not fancy or pretentious — just honest, seasonal cooking with local ingredients. Here’s where to eat in Le Perche if you’re looking for genuine recommendations.
My favourite restaurants in Le Perche
Oiseau Oiseau, in Perche en Nocé. A gourmet restaurant with a wine bar. I went here for a lunch with my family. We ordered risotto with shiitake and a Vietnamese wrap with pork and fresh herbs like Thai basil and mint. This last dish was delicious and inspired me to make it at home as well — using fresh lettuce to wrap it all in, pork meat, slices of carrot and celeriac, hoisin sauce and fresh herbs.
Du Peps, in Nogent-le-Rotrou, is a restaurant and wine bar that serves a selection of natural wines. The menu is simple but good, like osso buco with ramen or a salad with quinoa and feta, all made from seasonal, organic products.
Les Pieds dans l’Eau, in Saint-Langis-lès-Mortagne, is a restaurant located in an old mill, next to a pond. They also have a terrace outside with views on the fields. What to expect? A modern twist on classic French cuisine, all made from fresh, locally sourced ingredients.
Brasserie du Perche is situated on a little lake. It’s a local artisanal brewery, located in a 17th-century mill, with a terrace along the lake. We went for a walk on the property. They also have pedal boats over here — ask at the bar for using them. There’s also the possibility to go fishing.
Other great places to eat in Le Perche are D’un Île, Restaurant Les Prés and La Planque en Perche (all mentioned in the accommodation section above).
The bakeries of Le Perche | where to eat in Le Perche
Actually, it’s almost impossible to pick a wrong bakery in France. Somehow the bread always tastes better here. My hometown has a great offer of local bakeries, but nothing beats le pain d’amande that I bought in France, at Aux Délices de Moutiers. Walking towards the local bakery in Moutiers-au-Perche, just going down the hill, feels like a luxury. Way up feels way different and is more like a little workout, but hey, I already carry the reward with me. A bag with fresh baguettes and croissants.
Les Pains de Saint-Hilaire has several addresses in the region, in Mortagne-au-Perche, in Bellême and in La Perrière. It’s a bakery with sourdough bread, my favourite kind of bread. They also sell bread on the market in Le Mans, on the Place des Jacobins.
Boulangerie le Maître Des Pains, in Val-au-Perche, is a small bakery with a nice selection of bread and cakes.
♥ Travel tip: please check the opening hours of the bakery you want to go to. The bakery in Moutiers-au-Perche opens at 7.45 AM and closes at 12.15 PM. So, if you want some extra bread for lunch, pick it up during the morning.
Picnic spots in Le Perche | where to eat in Le Perche
When you think about where to eat in Le Perche, don’t forget the simplest option: a picnic. Le Perche offers plenty of great spots for a picnic. The French even have a sign for it. I spotted one sign in Moutiers-au-Perche along the river La Corbionne. So, pick up some baguettes from a bakery, a few croissants or a pain d’amande, add some cheese and fruit, drinks, and you have the basic ingredients for a great picnic. Luckily, the weather was great when we went in February, so we had a little picnic in the garden of our Airbnb.
Le Perche with kids
One of the best tips I can give you as a parent is, don’t plan too much and lower your expectations. For children, it’s soon enough, and you won’t want to drag them from one place to another. On this trip to Le Perche, we planned to visit some D-Day beaches and visited the World War II Museum in Caen, situated in the northern part of Normandy. That was quite a drive from the place where we stayed, in total, back and forth, almost five hours. That day was quite busy, so the next day, we took it easy. Something also our dog could appreciate.
I knew on forehand that it would be quite a drive to the D-Day beaches. I was thinking about going to sleep at a different place for several nights, closer to the beach. That could be nice, but at the same time it would be more packing, with just a week for the whole trip. So, I went for the more relaxed option. Staying at one place.
Leave room for suggesions
Another tip I would like to give while travelling with your family, is the next one – give your children room for suggestions. What would they like to do? In that way you make them seen and you’re able to see the holiday trough their perspective. It’s not that you have to offer them big entertainment, like amusement parks. Most of the time, that’s so overwhelming and exhausting. For the whole family. Small things can be enough, like playing a game, making a fire in the stove or playing badminton together. A family holiday is spending time together, making memories along the way.
Eating out with kids in Le Perche
To be honest, what works best for us as a family, is a holiday home with a kitchen. In that way we’re able to prepare our own food and we can make sure that the children eat healthy food, like we’re used to at home. For me personally, it’s not a bad thing to go to foreign supermarkets. I love to discover different flavours and local specialties, and I like to check the corner with foreign magazines.
We do eat outside though, mostly during lunch. It’s a nice way to connect to the local community and it’s also good to be free of duty, not preparing food for the whole family. So, before I go, I always make a list of some spots I would love to go and save them on Google Maps. My full restaurant list is in the section above — all of them are family-friendly.
Brocante and local festivals in Le Perche France
Flea markets and antique shopping
Le Perche is a region with a lot of flea markets and antique shops. Brocabrac.fr is a great website to check flea markets in France. A piece of shabby chic could be a great souvenir to bring home. Another way to discover local flea markets is to look at the advertisement board in the local supermarket.
Local festivals
On the local supermarket in Rémalard I spotted an announcement for un fête de la poterie at the Écomusée du Perche, in Sainte-Gauburge. I have a weakness for ceramics, so we decided to give it a go. It turned out to be a small market with a demonstration of Japanese Raku. The Écomusée itself might be a good one when you want to have an insight into the old farm life in Le Perche France. You can find more information about local festivals at the website of Parc Naturel Régional du Perche.
During Pentecost in Nogent-le-Rotrou, there’s the Percheval — a medieval festival that honours the Percheron, the famous horses of Le Perche.
Best time to visit Le Perche France
You can visit Le Perche year-round. Every season brings something else. I went in wintertime, and the big plus is: there are almost no other tourists. Le Perche felt like a sleeping beauty. There was just a couple from Great Britain sitting next to me in Le Café du Commerce, in Longny les Villages, and I was happily surprised.
When it’s colder, you can go for long walks, cosy up inside by the fire with a warm cup of tea, read a book, light some candles and make yourself a nice meal or go out for dinner. But I can also imagine that spring and summer must be a great time — renting a pedal boat on the lake, having lunch and dinner outside. Or autumn, when the region will surprise you with the most beautiful colours.
For families visiting Le Perche with kids, I’d suggest the spring or early autumn school holidays. Warm enough for outdoor adventures, but quiet enough to feel like you have the region to yourself.
How to get to Le Perche France
The easiest way to reach Le Perche is by car. From Paris, it’s about a two-hour drive — head southwest and you’ll see the landscape start to change as you leave the autoroute behind.
By train, you can take the regional line from Paris Montparnasse to Nogent-le-Rotrou. From there, you’ll need a car to properly explore the villages and countryside, as Le Perche is a rural region with limited public transport.
From the Netherlands or Belgium, the drive to Le Perche takes around five to six hours. You could also take the Thalys to Paris (3 hours 15 minutes from Amsterdam) and rent a car from there. If you have a bit more time, an overnight stop in Paris makes for a beautiful slow travel route — check our 48 Hours in Paris guide or our guide to where to eat and drink in Paris to make the most of it.
My French playlist for the drive
Some of the things I love to do is make a playlist for our get-away. In my opinion it will give an extra dimension while travelling, and besides that it’s also nice to have a holiday playlist when you come home. Like a souvenir. It keeps me in the mood for a while.
Some of my favourite French songs to play en route:
- Paradis bleu, Revers Gagnant
- Voilà, Barbara Pravi
- Je veux, Zaz
- Le vent nous portera, Noir Désir
- Laisse-moi t’aimer, Laurie Darmon
- Femme Like U, Emma Peters
- Love on Demand, Malo
- Le temps est bon, Bon Entendeur
- Soleil Blue, Blue Soleil
- Flou, Angèle
FAQ — Le Perche France travel guide
Absolutely. It’s one of France’s best-kept countryside secrets — beloved by Parisians who escape here on weekends but almost unknown to international travellers. If you value slow travel, local food and quiet beauty, Le Perche is unmissable.
Very. The open meadows, forest trails and dirt roads are perfect for walking with dogs. Some accommodations welcome pets (The Architect’s House and Perche Effect both allow dogs), though several hotels in Le Perche don’t — check before booking.
Yes. Le Perche with kids works beautifully because the region is calm, safe and full of simple outdoor activities. Children love the open spaces, pedal boats, and bakery runs. My advice: keep planning light and let the countryside do the entertaining.
On the move to Le Perche France
When I close my eyes and think of Le Perche, I see the rolling hills from our bay windows. I hear the silence of that first morning. I feel the warmth of unexpected February sun and the weight of a paper bag filled with fresh baguettes as I walked back up the hill.
Le Perche France isn’t a destination you visit for the highlights. There are no must-see monuments, no bucket-list attractions, no queues to join. And that’s exactly why it’s so special. It’s a place where the bakery run becomes the highlight of your morning.
If you’re looking for a place that reminds you what travel can feel like when you stop rushing — this is it.
Read more about France:
- On the move to the Atlantic Coast of France
- Our slow travel guide
- 48 Hours in Paris: Hidden Gems Guide
- Where to Eat and Drink in Paris
Lotte is a journalist, storyteller and our newest writer at Dutchbloggeronthemove. She’s been curious about the world since childhood — long before social media, she was sending letters to pen pals across the globe. What drives her travels today is the same thing that drove those letters: a genuine curiosity about people, places and the stories behind them. She travels with her family and their golden retriever Oscar, always at a slow pace, always with room for detours. For Lotte, the best travel moments aren’t planned — they’re the stars you watch from a terrace, the bakery you stumble upon, the conversation that changes your perspective.
