Le Charisto

Aix En Provence, Provence Alpes Cote Dazur · 17 mi / 27 km

Meow Cats Café is the first cat cafe in Aix-en-Provence, open since February 2019 on Rue Fonderie in the old town, close to Place des Prêcheurs. Six resident cats, all from rescue associations, make up the house 'Meow Gang': Dexter, Kida, Olympe, Opium, Fripouille and Oni. They roam the cafe freely and often nap among the tables. There is no entry fee; guests order from a homemade, vegan-friendly menu of onigiri, sando sandwiches, pastries such as chocolate fondant and cat-shaped panna cotta, milkshakes, matcha lattes and other hot and cold drinks, with brunch on Saturdays. Lunch tables and the Saturday brunch can be booked by Instagram message for groups of up to six; from 2 PM visits are walk-in only. Children under 10 are not admitted, for the cats' wellbeing. The cafe also sells its own merchandise.

• Booking recommended

Toulon, Provence Alpes Cote Dazur · 52 mi / 83 km

Papa Chat Café is the first cat cafe in Toulon, opened in April 2026 on Rue de Pomet in the old town, a short walk from Place Puget. Founder Julien Telmat runs it as a cosy home for about eight cats, all rescued and adopted from animal protection associations; they live at the cafe permanently and are not offered for adoption. Access to the cat room is charged by the hour on top of what you order, with a lower rate for children. Children under 6 are not admitted. The menu offers hot and cold drinks, homemade pastries and cookies and savoury snacks for lunch. Visitors disinfect their hands on arrival and are asked not to pick up, wake or feed the cats, not to use flash and to keep their voices low. The cafe also sells its own branded goodies such as T-shirts and mugs.

• Booking recommended

Hyeres, Provence Alpes Cote Dazur · 60 mi / 96 km

L'instant chat is a cat cafe and tea room on Avenue Paul Bourget in Hyères, near the train station. Open since 2017, it acts as a foster home for regional animal protection associations, so every cat in the cafe is available for adoption and the group changes as cats find new homes. The cats move freely through the room and have their own retreat they can withdraw to at any time, and the number of guests is limited to keep things calm. There is no entry fee; visitors order from the menu, which includes salads, toasted sandwiches with meat and vegetarian fillings, cookies, muffins, Liège waffles, organic ice cream and a list of about fifteen organic teas. The entrance has a double-door airlock, and guests disinfect their hands and are asked not to wake, pick up or feed the cats. Children must stay under their parents' supervision.

• Adoptable cats

Ales, Occitanie · 64 mi / 103 km

Le Tchatons is a bar à chats and salon de thé run as an association bar on Place du Général Leclerc in the centre of Alès, a few steps from the town hall. Its almost 200 square metres are arranged as a calm space for around five resident cats. The cats were originally offered for adoption, but the owners grew too attached during the Covid lockdowns and kept them; the team still points visitors to local associations with cats to rehome. Guests order affordable drinks, crêpes and homemade desserts, and can use the free Wi-Fi, a library of cat books and board games. The café regularly hosts cat yoga, workshops and themed evenings with local associations, and visitors can join the association as members or volunteers.

Mouans Sartoux, Provence Alpes Cote Dazur · 92 mi / 149 km

Mouan's Chatoux is a small cat cafe on Avenue de Cannes in Mouans-Sartoux, between Cannes and Grasse. Five resident cats, including Moon and Tango, live in the cafe and wander among the tables, and the owner is happy to tell visitors about each of them. Guests order a drink or a meal and spend time with the cats, or sit on the terrace. The kitchen serves continuously from late morning, with lunch dishes such as savoury crêpes, homemade cakes like brownies and carrot cake, tea and hot chocolate for the afternoon. The entrance has a doorbell and a door that must be closed behind you to keep the cats inside. Families with children are welcome as long as the cats are left to come to visitors on their own.

Valence, Auvergne Rhone Alpes · 94 mi / 151 km

Le Chat L'Heureux is a restaurant and cat cafe on Rue d'Arménie in the centre of Valence, the first in the city and in the Drôme and Ardèche. It opened in August 2026 in partnership with the École du Chat de Valence, a cat welfare association founded in 2001, and around fifteen rescued or abandoned cats live there while they wait for adoption. The cats roam the dining room and a cosy lounge and have their own 25-square-metre room, reached through a cat flap, where they can retreat at any time. Visitors pass through an entrance airlock, disinfect their hands and are asked to respect the cats' calm. Weekday lunches offer traditional homemade dishes, afternoons work as a coffee shop with waffles, smoothies and bubble tea, and Saturdays are for brunch. Because of demand, visits are by phone reservation. Unlike many cat cafes, it welcomes children who respect the cats.

• Adoptable cats