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Château Workshops

Ariège · Small Groups

Workshop Retreats

The full Gudanes experience, as a small-group retreat.

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A few days inside a château under restoration, with every meal and drink, and the château around you. Most of all it is a retreat: the pool, good food and wine, and the château shared with a small group. Every workshop mixes the brocantes, the kitchen and the restoration; the length sets which leads.

A workshop is the full experience: every meal, alcoholic and non-alcoholic drinks, the activities and the château itself, with excursions and transfers from Toulouse except on the workshops spent at the château.

L'essentiel The full experience, at a glance

Everything a Retreat Gives You

How long

Three to seven nights

Three for the brocantes, five for the kitchen, seven for the restoration, and four at the château in autumn and at Noël.

Included

Every meal and drink

Local wine and drinks, the activities and the château itself; the transfers from Toulouse and the excursions on the three-, five- and seven-night workshops.

Who it is for

Anyone curious

No experience needed, and every activity is optional.

Les activités The activities

  • Cooking classes
  • Bargaining at the brocantes
  • Morning yoga
  • Kayaking on the river
  • Hiking in the mountains
  • A barbecue in the grounds
  • A formal dinner in the Salon de Musique, by candlelight
  • The pool and the tennis court

Every activity is optional. Outdoor activities follow the season and the weather, and the four-night workshops stay at the château.

Une journée A day, from waking

  1. Morning Yoga, then a class or an outing: the kitchen, the brocantes or the restoration
  2. Afternoon Free time: a glass of local wine on the terraces, the pool, a game of tennis
  3. Evening Dinner together, and one night a formal dinner in the Salon de Musique, by candlelight

See the dates Ask about a private group

The Retreats

The length sets the emphasis; the château and the table are the same on every one.

Immersive Artisan Workshops

4 nights / 5 days

Immersive Artisan Workshops

23 October 2026

Spent at the château

Four nights spent at the château, with the brocantes, the kitchen and the restoration all in the mix, and nothing to plan around.

€2,600 per person · all meals and drinks

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Noël at Gudanes

4 nights / 5 days

Noël at Gudanes

5 December 2026

Spent at the château

Four nights spent at the château, with the brocantes, the kitchen and the restoration all in the mix, and nothing to plan around.

€3,200 per person · all meals and drinks

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Cooking in the Cuisine

5 nights / 6 days

Cooking in the Cuisine

25 June 2027

Transfers and excursions included

Five nights for the kitchen: French cooking at the château, and long dinners together, with the brocantes and the restoration around it.

€3,800 per person · all meals and drinks

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Antique & French Finds

3 nights / 4 days

Antique & French Finds

3 July 2027

Transfers and excursions included

Three nights for the brocantes: the hunt through the antique fairs of the valley, and whatever you carry home, with the kitchen and the restoration around it.

€2,800 per person · all meals and drinks

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Seven Starry Nights

7 nights / 8 days

Seven Starry Nights

10 July 2027

Transfers and excursions included

Seven nights for the restoration: the château up close as it comes back to life, with the brocantes and the kitchen around it.

€4,800 per person · all meals and drinks

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Prices are charged in euros; other currencies shown are approximate.

Les ateliers The workshop retreats

Why a Retreat

The Best Way to Experience Gudanes

A night here gives you the château for an evening. A workshop retreat gives you the whole experience: the table every day, the run of the château with a small group, and the pace of château life for long enough to feel it.

It is a small group, and it is unhurried: a retreat, not a course. The sessions give the days their shape; the rest is the pool, the grounds, good food and wine, and conversation that runs on long after dinner.

Nobody arrives knowing how, and nobody needs to. The experience is made for curiosity, not expertise.

You are not only a guest here: every retreat is part of how the château comes back to life.

La durée The length

Three to Seven Nights

Choose Your Experience

Every retreat mixes the same three threads; the length decides which one leads.

  • Three nights

    La Brocante

    The brocantes at the centre: the antique fairs and the bargaining, with the kitchen and the restoration around them.

    See the dates
  • Four nights

    Au château

    A retreat spent at the château, with all three threads in the mix and nothing to plan around.

    See the dates
  • Five nights

    La Cuisine

    The kitchen at the centre: cooking classes at the château, and long dinners together.

    See the dates
  • Seven nights

    La Restauration

    The restoration at the centre: the château up close as it comes back to life.

    See the dates

Entre amis Among friends

The Company and the Château

A Small Group, the Run of the Château

Who Comes

People who love France, old houses and a good table. Couples, friends travelling together, and those who come alone and leave having met everyone. A retreat for people who would rather live in a place than pass through it.

The Château, Shared by a Few

While a retreat runs, the château is given over to it: no other guests, and no strangers at the next table. For a few days it is your château, and the people around you are the rest of the group.

When You Can Come

Every date across the year, in one place. Choose a workshop above to narrow it.

Places are shown live. When a session reads as full, it is full — we do not overbook a château this size.

2 places left Immersive Artisan Workshops

Immersive Artisan Workshops

23 – 27 October 2026

4 nights / 5 days

€2,600 per person · all meals and drinks

Book these dates
Fully booked Noël at Gudanes

Noël at Gudanes

5 – 9 December 2026

4 nights / 5 days

€3,200 per person · all meals and drinks

Join the waitlist
Cooking in the Cuisine

Cooking in the Cuisine

25 – 30 June 2027

5 nights / 6 days

€3,800 per person · all meals and drinks

Book these dates
Antique & French Finds

Antique & French Finds

3 – 6 July 2027

3 nights / 4 days

€2,800 per person · all meals and drinks

Book these dates
Seven Starry Nights

Seven Starry Nights

10 – 17 July 2027

7 nights / 8 days

€4,800 per person · all meals and drinks

Book these dates

Side by side

A Night, or the Full Experience

A night's stay gives you a room in the château. A workshop gives you the château: the table, the fairs, the restoration and the valley.

What a night's stay and a workshop each include
Stay the NightRoom and breakfast A WorkshopThe full experience
Your room in the châteauIncludedIncluded
BreakfastIncludedIncluded
Lunch and dinnerNot includedIncluded Every meal
Drinks, alcoholic and non-alcoholicNot includedIncluded
A tour of the château and its restorationAn extra, €50 per bookingIncluded
The activities: cooking classes, the brocantes, yoga, kayaking, hiking, a barbecueNot includedIncluded All optional
A formal dinner in the Salon de Musique, by candlelightNot includedIncluded
ExcursionsBooked separatelyOn the three-, five- and seven-night workshops
Transfers from ToulouseBooked separatelyOn the three-, five- and seven-night workshops
The pool, the tennis court, the gardensIncludedIncluded
The lounge, board games, the terraces, the barbecue area and the groundsIncludedIncluded
Wi-Fi, in a common area of the châteauIncludedIncluded
Only the group in residenceNot includedIncluded No other guests while it runs
LengthFrom one nightThree to seven nights
PricePer room, per nightPer person, all meals and drinks
See the rooms See the dates
Spring vegetables, platedIn the salon, flowers on the tableMarket produce on the tableFresh bread in a basketFlowers and candles on the table

Practical

Key Information

Rooms

Three bathrooms on the ground floor, shared between the group. Prices are per person, sharing a room

To reserve

10% to reserve; the balance 30 days before. Booking inside 30 days? The whole amount is due then, not a deposit.

The stairs

No lift: the bedrooms are reached by the original staircase. Pack lightly

Children

Eight and over

Heating

An electric blanket and a space heater in every room

Animals

Bruce, a French bulldog, and four cats live here. Tell us of any allergy when you register

Wi-Fi

In a common area of the château

Getting here

Toulouse-Blagnac is an hour and three quarters away

Groups

Groups and institutions can take a whole session for themselves. Ask us.

atelier

a·te·lier · /at(ə)ˈljeɪ/ noun, French
A workshop — but properly, the room where a craft is practised and taught.

Before You Register

The Questions That Come Up

Are meals and drinks included?

Yes: every meal, and alcoholic and non-alcoholic drinks throughout, mostly local.

Is everything included?

All meals and drinks, the activities (cooking classes, the brocantes and yoga, with kayaking, hiking and a barbecue on the outings), a formal dinner in the Salon de Musique, a tour of the château, a film night with the projector if you would like one, and laundry and ironing facilities. Excursions and transfers from Toulouse are included too, except on the workshops spent at the château. Every activity is optional.

Can I come on my own?

Yes. Write to us about a room.

What if I need to change my dates?

Write to us; we can sometimes move you to another date.

How fit do I need to be?

Fit enough for the original staircase: there is no lift.

The Journal

Follow the Restoration

What comes out from under the plaster, which room opens next, and when the workshop dates are released. Sent when there is something worth sending.

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Château de Gudanes

Take a few days of it

Each workshop is small, dated, and lived in the château itself.

Monument Historique · Classé A Class I Historic Monument, restored under French heritage law since 2013

Workshops & Retreats Château de Gudanes See dates