L'atelier The atelier
The Invitation
A Retreat With a Purpose
Three nights at the château to discover the romance of the French brocante, where forgotten treasures, beautiful objects and stories from the past wait to be found. Across the villages and valleys of the Pyrénées you wander through antique markets, hidden antique shops and vide-greniers, in search of pieces that carry the character, craftsmanship and history of another time. More than an antiquing journey, it is an invitation to slow down and enjoy the pleasure of discovery, with a cooking class at the château, and dinner and French cinema beneath the stars. Nothing on the itinerary is compulsory, and every meal and every drink, alcoholic or not, is included.
In Short
Antique & French Finds, at a Glance
- Length
- 3 nights / 4 days
- Price
- €2,800 per person, sharing a room; all meals, wine, the activities and the transfers included
- Experience needed
- None. Most people who come have never done it before
- Where you sleep
- In the château itself — bedrooms, not a nearby hotel
- Meals
- A traditional French breakfast, luncheon and dinner each day, with desserts, prepared by the château’s chefs
- Drinks
- A private selection of wines, sparkling wines, apéritifs and spirits with every meal, and the château’s own botanical syrups
- Evenings
- Apéritifs, dinner by candle and lamplight, and a film night with the projector if you would like one
- Laundry
- Laundry and ironing facilities for guests
- Transfers
- From Toulouse on the first day, and back on the last
- To hold a place
- A deposit. The balance is taken closer to the date
- Not included
- Flights, and anything you buy at the brocantes
En images In pictures
Antique & French Finds, in Pictures
Through the grounds together 
On the terrace 
Teacups from the brocante 
A painted plate 
Porcelain set out 
Silver on the table 
A salon of old things 
Plasterwork over a door 
From the market 
A tart and tomatoes 
At the table together 
Flowers on the hand-painted basin 
Candelabras on the marble 
Candelabra and green glasses at each place 
Shelves of old china 
The gilded salon 
A window, crystal on the table 
Shelves of china, pink and white 
The green dresser, vegetables on the table 
A table under an iron chandelier
Dates
Choose Your Stay
Le déroulé des journées The shape of the days
The Experience, Day by Day
Three Nights at Gudanes
It is a retreat, so every activity on it is optional: join what you like, and leave what you do not. The rest of the time is free time, and it is yours.
Le temps libre Free time
Free time is yours to spend as you choose: relaxing with a glass of local wine on the terraces, a swim in the pool, a game of tennis or table tennis, or nothing at all.
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Premier jour
Day 1: L’arrivée Arrival
We meet in Toulouse and travel up into the Pyrénées together. Then the gates, the drive, and the château at the end of it: welcome drinks, luncheon, your room, and a first walk through the grounds or a game of pétanque on the lawn. In the evening, château-style apéritifs on the front terrace with the Pyrénées in view, a garden-inspired welcome dinner in the Salon de Printemps, and after it a French film beneath the stars, with popcorn.
- Après-midi Welcome drinks, luncheon, and pétanque on the lawn
- Soir Apéritifs on the terrace, and the welcome dinner, then a French film beneath the stars, with popcorn
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Deuxième jour
Day 2: Le château et la cuisine The château and the kitchen
Crêpes for breakfast, then yoga for anyone who would like it and a tour of the château in the morning, then a cooking class in the château kitchen and, for anyone with a competitive streak, the table tennis tournament. Before dinner, a tasting of French wines in the medieval kitchen, beside the cellar, then dinner at Maison Beaucoup in Les Cabannes, a nineteenth-century presbytery restored by friends of the château, where the menu follows the seasons.
- Matin A crêpe breakfast, yoga (optional), and the tour
- Après-midi The cooking class, then the table tennis tournament
- Soir A wine tasting in the medieval kitchen, by the cellar, then dinner at Maison Beaucoup, in Les Cabannes
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Troisième jour
Day 3: À Mirepoix Market day at Mirepoix
Out to Mirepoix for its Monday market, one of the finest in the region, spread beneath the timbered arcades of a medieval square, then the brocantes and antique dealers of the valley on the way back, where the bargaining is half the pleasure. Back in time for a swim and a tasting of Ariège cheeses from the market, and in the evening cocktail hour with the château’s own botanical syrups, then an eighteenth-century banquet in the Salon de Musique, by candlelight, and dancing after.
- Matin The Monday market at Mirepoix
- Après-midi The brocantes, then Ariège cheeses from the market
- Soir Cocktail hour, with the château’s botanical syrups, then a banquet in the Salon de Musique, and dancing
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Quatrième jour
Day 4: Le départ Departure
A last petit-déjeuner, a last look at the château, and back to Toulouse together, leaving at eleven: to the airport, the station or the centre of the city, as you prefer.
- Matin A last French breakfast, and back to Toulouse at eleven
Les divertissements Also on the programme
The Château’s Own Entertainments
All included in the retreat, and every one of them optional. The classes, tastings and evenings are for workshop guests: they are not part of a nightly stay.
- Le ciné-clubFrench film nightBeneath the stars, with popcorn
- Le barbecueA barbecue on the terraceWeather permitting
- La dégustationA wine tastingIn the medieval kitchen, beside the cellar
- Les fromagesAriège cheesesFrom the market at Mirepoix
- L’heure du cocktailCocktail hourWith the château’s own botanical syrups
- La pâtisserieA patisserie classIn the château’s pastry kitchen
- Le chocolatChocolate makingWith the château’s chefs
- Les crêpesA crêpe breakfastOne morning, before the day begins
- Le tournoiThe table tennis tournamentFor anyone with a competitive streak
- La pétanquePétanque on the lawnThe game of the south of France
- Le tennisTennis and pickleballRacquets provided
- Les jeuxBoard games and cardsIn the lounge, after dinner
A typical shape, and every activity on it optional. The order of the days is set for each workshop and sent to you before you arrive; outdoor plans follow the season and the weather. Itineraries are subject to change.
Pour qui ? Who for?
Who Comes
Is It for You?
If you love old houses, good food and the French way of taking time over things, yes. Nobody needs to know how; the experience is made for curiosity, not expertise.
Couples, friends travelling together and those who come alone are all equally at home. The group is small, the days are unhurried, and no other guests share the château.
Included
What Is Included
The full experience, at one price: a night's stay is a room and breakfast, a workshop is everything below.
- Every meal, prepared by the château’s chefs: a traditional French breakfast, luncheon, dinner and desserts, from local and seasonal produce
- A private selection of wines, sparkling wines, apéritifs and spirits with every meal, soft drinks, and the château’s own botanical syrups
- Your room in the château, with three bathrooms on the ground floor shared between the group
- The activities: cooking classes, bargaining at the brocantes, morning yoga, kayaking or hiking, and a barbecue in the grounds, all optional
- The excursions, and everything on the itinerary, materials included
- A formal dinner in the Salon de Musique, by candlelight
- Dinner at Maison Beaucoup, in Les Cabannes
- A tour of the château and its restoration
- The transfers from central Toulouse, there and back
- Free time with the pool, the tennis court, the gardens, table tennis, the lounge and the terraces
Prices are per person, sharing a room.
Guest Quarters
Les Chambres
The three bathrooms on the ground floor are shared between the workshop guests; each room has lamps and power points. Prices are per person, sharing a room. Coming alone, you can share a room with another guest travelling solo, or have a room to yourself for €1,400 more; tell us when you register.
Reserving
How It Works
A 10% deposit reserves your place; the balance is due thirty days before the stay, or in full if you are booking within thirty days of it.
Your place is confirmed as you register, and held from that moment. You will receive a reference code and a link to manage your registration and payment.
The walls of the room you work in are protected — conserved, never replaced. The bed you sleep in, the linen on it and the bathroom on the ground floor are not. The imperfection is deliberate. It is also what the restoration mornings are spent on.
Hold your place
Your place is confirmed as you register, and held from that moment.
Monument Historique · Classé A Class I Historic Monument, restored under French heritage law since 2013