Le Tchatons

Lancon Provence, Provence Alpes Cote Dazur · 64 mi / 103 km

Le Charisto is a cat cafe and luxury cat boarding house on the RN 113 in Lançon-Provence, between Salon-de-Provence and the Étang de Berre, opposite a Marie Blachère bakery. The cafe has sofas, cat trees, plants and hideouts, and its cats are the house's own sociable residents, sometimes joined by particularly friendly boarders; outside cats are not admitted. Each visitor orders at least one drink, or pays a small entry fee instead, and when the room is busy tables are shared on a rotation after 90 minutes. The menu includes lattes, hot drinks, crêpes, waffles and homemade ice cream, with lunch platters on some days and a Saturday brunch. Board games are available, and the cafe organises workshops and themed events. Children are welcome if they stay calm, do not pick up the cats and stay with their parents.

Valence, Auvergne Rhone Alpes · 69 mi / 111 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

Beziers, Occitanie · 69 mi / 111 km

Miaou Coffee is the first bar à chats in Béziers, on Rue du Chapeau Rouge at Place Pépézuc in the historic centre. Johanna Delauzun opened it in July 2024 in a former clothes shop that she converted with a purpose-built cat room and a pastry kitchen. Her resident cats include pedigree cats from LOOF-registered breeders, among them a Maine Coon, a Bengal and Orientals, and rescues from the SPA such as a Siamese and a European shorthair. They are used to children and spend nights at the owner's home. There is no entry fee; visitors order from a salon de thé menu of coffee, cappuccino, iced teas, milkshakes and mostly homemade pastries. The café pitches itself as a calm place to unwind, students come to work there on weekdays, and it has hosted cat yoga with a teacher from across the square.

Aix En Provence, Provence Alpes Cote Dazur · 80 mi / 129 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

Saint Etienne, Auvergne Rhone Alpes · 92 mi / 148 km

La Patte de Velours is a cat cafe and tea room on Rue de la République in the centre of Saint-Étienne. Opened in March 2020 by Bénédicte Marabita, it was the city's first bar à chats. Up to a dozen cats live in the cafe, most of them rescued from refuges, associations or the street after being abandoned or mistreated, and some are offered for adoption; dozens have found homes since the opening. Visitors enter through an airlock with house rules and are asked to let the cats come to them. Every guest orders something, including children. The owner cooks everything in house: tarts, wraps, salads and poke bowls at lunch, and cakes such as walnut tart and honey cake in the afternoon, with ice creams and drinks from local producers. Children are welcome when supervised.

• Adoptable cats

Albi, Occitanie · 97 mi / 156 km

Mon Chat Pitre Albi is a general bookshop with resident cats on Rue Timbal in the historic centre of Albi, in a former clothing shop. It opened in June 2026 as part of the Mon Chat Pitre ronron-librairie network that started in Aix-en-Provence in 2021, and it is run by owner Emmanuelle with bookseller Assia. Around five or six cats, adopted from shelters and foster families, live in the shop permanently and are not offered for adoption; they move freely among some 8,000 books, including novels, comics, children's books, art books and essays. Visitors can browse and spend time with the cats free of charge, and the shop also sells cat-themed accessories, stationery and gifts. Writing workshops are held in the shop with the cats around.