Frequently Asked Questions

From Paris
By train SNCF to Carentan from Gare de St Lazare
or by car or blablacar

If you’re coming by train, the closest train station is Carentan, and from there you can either book a taxi or contact us to organise a transfer for a 20€ fee. Please note that we can only organise pick ups between 8:30 am and 10pm. If your train is earlier/later you can use taxi services.
By car, it takes around 3,5h and there’s lots of safe parking space on the property. We recommend the blablacar.com carpooling service which is very popular in France.

From the UK by ferry
There are several very convenient ferry lines, closest one is to Cherbourg (40min drive), then Caen (1 hour drive) or Le Havre (2 hours drive)

Closest airports: 
Caen (not to be be mistaken with Cannes!) 1h away  – direct flights from the south of France
Rennes 2 hours drive
Beauvais 3 hours drive – low cost international flights
Paris Orly or CDG – 3h and 30min drive – all international flights

Although a car is the only way to get to the château and we encourage colivers to come with cars whenever possible, you don’t necessarily need a car for the entire time of your stay – unless you’re planning to explore the region daily.

You can team up renting a car for the weekends with other colivers or join for trips those who came with cars.

We go grocery shopping on Monday and Thursday mornings, where you can either join us or order online for pick-up.

We also do pick ups and drop offs to Carentan train station (20e pp/ between 8:30 am and 10pm).

There are several car rental options around:

• Private people renting their own car on Oui car and Getaround 
• Supermarket Super U car rental service –choosing the shop of Saint Mere Eglise
• Supermarket Leclerc car rental service – choosing shop in Carentan les Marais
• Supermarket Carrefour car rental service – choosing shop in Carentan les Marais
• Renting from the known international car rental companies that you can find at the airports is of course also an option.

Before renting feel free to ask in our Slack channel if someone might want to share the rental with you.

Yes, there are some bicycles available for use, at no extra cost.

Please not we can’t garantee that you’ll find one that fits nor that they’re in working conditions (they might need air or small repair…). Help with this is greatly appreciated!

Yes, we do have 22kW electrical car chargers.

The rate for charging your car is 6 Euro per hour

Absolutely! There’s plenty of parking space here. You have the option to either book one of our rooms or use only the facilities you need (kitchen, bathroom, workspace) and still sleep in your van. You can book directly online a “van spot”, including all utilities, access to all common areas, and being part of the coliving.

We have a fully equipped kitchen with several cooking stations, two big ovens, several fridges, and freezers, we also have plenty of storage space for guests to cook their daily food – Of course, food sharing is at the core of every community, so we also organize a few shared meals per week.

• On Mondays we go supermarket shopping (you can join or place an online order to be picked up)
• On Thursdays we go to the local farmer’s market for some fresh produce followed by another supermarket trip/pick up. In the evening, we have family dinner, meaning that we all cook, eat and simply have a good time together and we split the grocery bill.

On Sundays we have French crêpes buffet included in your weekly rate!

We also organize weekly events such as outings to local bars and restaurants or food deliveries.

There are 2 supermarkets within 7-10 min by car from the castle.

Colivers are responsible for their own food, so different diets and preferences are not a problem. When it comes to the shared meals, please write us a note upon reservation to let us know your specific allergy/diet. We will do our best to adapt to it.

We have a boutique bar filled with a selection of soft drinks as well as biological and biodynamic red/ white wines. Apart from that, tea and freshly brewed coffee are free throughout the day.

While everyone is responsible for their own food, if you happen to arrive late or on a day when the shops are closed, we always have shared durable foods like rice, pasta and sometimes much more. We store it on our shared shelves for everyone to use. Also, we provide the main seasonings as well as olive oil, frying oil, and vinegar.

Pets are welcome in our Manor house located 1min from the castle for a fee of 150 euros/month to cover for the extra cleaning.

We ask anyone willing to join us with a pet to get in touch with us before booking.

We have a few rules to be followed to make sure you, the other guests, and your pet enjoy the most of the place. Please read and agree to our Pet Policy before confirming your booking.
To ensure the safety and comfort of all guests as well as the cleanliness of premises, the access to the main castle will be limited.
We reserve the right to charge a 250 Euro fee and/or terminate the stay with no refund for any pet owner who would not respect the pet policy.

Do not hesitate to reach out if you have any questions.

Yes, there is Internet in all the rooms of the building (common areas and private bedrooms). You can work anywhere in the castle, outside in the close vicinity of it and of course in the designated coworking space. Internet speed is between 100mbps and 250mbps.

Yes, every room is equipped with a desk or a table for work/studies and a chair.

Yes, we have a gym in the basement of the castle with the following equipment: weights, kettlebells, 2x barbells, squat rack, elliptical bike, crunch bench, bench press, pull-up bar, TRX, bands, and other equipment.

We have a spacious dedicated workspace for those who need to work in silence. In addition all common areas, including the dining and living room, hallways and nooks, including all bedrooms are convenient to work and to take calls from. There are also private call rooms in the workspace area and in the main castle.

Yes. We have both washing machines and a tumble dryer (3 Euro per load each) with laundry detergent included in the price. In addition, the laundry room is equipped with an iron and ironing board.

Yes, in all bathrooms!

You’ll have access to two kitchens, all the ground floor (living room, entrance and dining room), workspace, laundry and the outdoors. The main castle is a very spacious building and you can work in all common areas, whilst being respectful to other colivers. Also, the property has a total of 80 hectares of park, so plenty of outdoor space for workouts, walks, and other activities as well as a 50sq outdoor tent.

The workspace is available 24/7, you may use it regardless of the timezone you work in.

Please note the workspace is sometimes used for workouts or activities organized by the colivers, but don’t worry we plan this together during our weekly family meetings!

Sometimes colivers leave shampoos, sunscreen, toothpaste, and so forth here. We store these products in labeled boxes in the entrance room for other colivers to use.

We do have 2 large monitors 24′  for a monthly rental of 60 Euro per month on a first-come, first-served basis.

Yes, you can get things delivered at the chateau by Amazon or other online shops. Shipping address : Chateau de L’isle Marie, 50360 Picauville.

If a street number is required you can put 1. For additional info, you can indicate that it is a gated private property. If they require a French phone number, please ask for the number of the Château host that will be onsite for the month of your stay.

Normandy and the Manche department are rich in history and culture: You can go on hikes by the beach, visit museums and areas known for World War II events and/or check out medieval architecture in towns nearby. You can find some suggestions of places to go and activities to do on our Instagram Page (@chateaucoliving), on our blog here , or ask us when you come.

Upon reservation, you will receive access to our notion page where you will find all the best spots to visit, eat, hike, and have fun around the castle

Of course, it is possible to have a friend visiting you. As per our Guest Policy, we will calculate the price difference between the room price for a single person and the price for 2 people and multiply it by the time of stay of your friend. This can be paid upon checkout.

For guests staying in our 17th Century Manor House’s private apartments, guests visits are free of charge.

To protect the comfort and safety of the community:

• please make sure to let the group know that someone will be visiting at least 24h prior to them coming to the chateau. You can do so by introducing your guest on slack in the home channel.
• limit visits to a maximum of 4 nights

Not at all. The main language we speak in the house is English. Our residents are also always keen to connect and practice other languages they’re learning. A few basic sentences are good in interaction with locals, but don’t worry, you can absolutely go without speaking any French.

The maximum capacity of the castle is about 25 guests in 12 bedrooms and 9 bathrooms. In addition, we can host up to 12 more guests in the apartments of our Manor house, which is on the same property and has 4 private bedrooms and 5 bathrooms.

Not at all – private time is just as much appreciated as community time. You’re free to attend the events whenever you can or want.

Our events are powered and facilitated by our colivers. We value co-creation and take the time every Monday evenings to plan the coming week together during “Family Meeting”. Everyone is encourage to propose and organize events. Hosts on-site can help with suggestions, organization and also take the lead on events and activities they propose.

Depending on the interests we often have workouts, skillshares (hobbies/passions), workshops, mastermind sessions if anyone is encountering a challenge, dance nights, music evenings, karaoke, sharing circles, bonfires, stargazing, and many more. Our weekly activities include yoga sessions, games nights, and movie nights as well as deep discussions on topics of interest.

We encourage all colivers to be involved in the community and organization but nothing is mandatory, you don’t need to organize or join activities or events that don’t resonate with you.

Yes, we encourage that very much. Anything you’d like to share from cooking to business scaling or anything you’re willing to organise that could be fun or useful – share during Family meeting or let us know and we will schedule it in the weekly house agenda.

How exciting that you want to do something similar!
If you’re looking for tailored guidance and support, consider exploring our consulting page where you can learn more about Katia’s consultation packages and how they can benefit you

Yes, we do welcome nomadic families as well, because we believe that the more diverse our community is the more enriching the experience for everyone. Children under 12 years old are welcome in our apartments in the 17th-century Manor house, which is located just across the main castle. That gives plenty of privacy and still gives access to the community and, for the adults, to the workspace. We do have a few rules to make sure that the children are safe and cared for all the while preserving the harmony of the whole community. You can read our children’s policy in detail here.
Do not hesitate to get in touch if you have questions about that.

The deposit is non-refundable.

If the guest decides to leave earlier than scheduled, in case of a no-show, or if the guest cancels the booking 10 days or less prior to arrival, a full payment is required.

We know by experience that most people do end up staying an average of a month (usually extending their 2 weeks stay). We also know that shorter stays weaken the community and make it more difficult to maintain a sense of belonging and genuine connections. This is why we thought that making it official and putting in place a minimum stay of 28 nights within the same calendar month would enhance the community cohesion. The benefits of a four-week stay include everyone arriving and departing within a short timeframe, a stronger group dynamic with shared experiences, a more structured social program without repetition, the ability to plan activities in advance, deeper connections and skill exchanges among colivers, the opportunity to settle into routines, and a sense of the Chateau becoming a true home.

Yes, of course you can. If you don’t have your own car, we will help you organise pick up/drop off from the station in case we’re not available to do it during weekdays. Thank you for understanding that the night(s) of your booking not spent at the property will still be charged on a weekly basis, because of the reasons mentioned above.

All our rooms are different. They are all beautiful with their own special charm.

We have categorized them into Deluxe (private bathroom), Standard (shared bathroom with 1 other room, direct access), and Budget (top floor, shared bathroom in the hallway).

We have found that this is the best way for us to optimize our calendar in order to help us keep our pricing down and offer a Castle experience to different budgets!

We thank you for understand and guarantee you that the Chateau Coliving experience is about more than your wallpaper!

The deluxe rooms have private bathrooms
The standard rooms have a shared bathroom with 1 more room and have private access to it.
The Budget rooms are much smaller on the top floor, with shared bathroom with no private access

Longer term stays are generally possible in Manor house, since the main castle is often booked with themed coliving or retreats.
If you’re willing to stay with us for 3 months or longer, we’d be happy to have you and needless to say to give you the best possible rates!
Please drop us an email with your approximate timing and we will come back to you with some options according to what else is planned on the property at this time.
If the dates work we will invite you to an intro call where we can meet each other, discuss logistics and align expectations!