If you are interested in really getting into the cultural heart of your French destination, there are few more direct ways than staying in someone’s home, but this isn’t very practical or private, so the next best thing is hiring a gite on an estate where the family live. (Like ours!)
This way, you can dip in or out of local life when you please. Living alongside a local family in this way means you are more likely to experience the region as they do — shopping in local shops and markets, eating in small, independent restaurants, absorbing knowledge about nearby events and places that only they would know about.
Generally experiencing a community first hand, rather than simply ticking off the sights from an online guide. This way of holidaying enhances the experience of the trip and provides a more authentic insight into the true culture of the place.