The Château de Berne, in Flayosc in the Var, offers twelve venues for seminars: ranging from a 35 m² meeting room for twelve people to a 288 m² glass-roofed hall that can accommodate 120 guests for a banquet. Package rates start at €83 per person for a half-day and €98 for a full day, including lunch.
Twelve areas within the same estate
The benefit of a an estate covering more than 500 hectares, for an organiser, it all comes down to one thing: everything can be done without the group having to move from one place to another. The morning meeting, lunch, the afternoon workshop and dinner can all take place in four different venues without the need for any transport whatsoever.
The estate is laid out like a Provençal village, centred around a main square and its fountain. The workrooms, restaurants, the spa, the cellar and the sports grounds are within walking distance of one another.
Table of venues: floor areas and capacity
| Space | Area | Banquet | Cocktail | Theatre | U-shaped table | Meeting |
| Jasmine Garden (glasshouse) | 288 m² | 120 | 120 | — | — | — |
| Portrait Gallery | 66 m² | 40 | 50 | 35 | 25 | 20 |
| Salle des Vignes | 35 m² | — | — | — | — | 12 |
| The Stables | — | — | — | — | — | 14 |
| Cookery school | — | — | 20 | — | — | 16 |
| Le Jardin de Berne | — | 80 | 90 | — | — | — |
| L’Olivier de Berne | — | 70 | 90 | — | — | — |
| Le Bistrot | — | 80 | — | — | — | — |
| Amphitheatre | — | — | 120 | — | — | — |
| Village square | — | — | 120 | — | — | — |
| French-style gardens* | — | — | 120 | — | — | — |
| Scene on the water | — | — | — | 50 | — | — |
* Only in the case of a private hire, subject to an additional charge.
Which room for which type of meeting?
A small group, comprising between 12 and 20 people. The Salle des Vignes, measuring 35 m², can accommodate twelve participants for a meeting. The Écuries can accommodate up to fourteen. For twenty people seated around a table, the Salle des Portraits remains the best choice.
Working meeting, for 20 to 40 people. The Portrait Room, measuring 66 m², is suitable for most set-ups: 20 for meetings, 25 for a U-shaped layout, 35 for theatre-style seating, 40 for banquets and 50 for cocktail receptions. It is the most versatile room on the estate.
Plenary session and reception, for up to 120 people. Le Jardin du Jasmin, a 288 m² glass-roofed venue set amongst the vineyards, can accommodate 120 people for both banquets and cocktail receptions. For outdoor events, the stone amphitheatre and the village square can also accommodate up to 120 people for cocktail receptions.
Workshop or team dinner. The cookery school It can accommodate sixteen people for a meeting and twenty for a cocktail reception. This is the layout that transitions most naturally from a working session to a social gathering.
The audiovisual equipment available
The meeting rooms — the Salle des Portraits and the Salle des Vignes — are equipped with a flipchart and an LED TV, VGA cables, HDMI and DVI-D cables, an Icon 400 videoconferencing system, a telephone, Wi-Fi, a stereo mini-jack input and a ClickShare video projection system.
Le Jardin du Jasmin is equipped with a flipchart, a video projector with a freestanding screen, a stereo mini-jack socket and Wi-Fi. Le Jardin de Berne is equipped with a flipchart, a mini-jack socket and Wi-Fi.
One thing to bear in mind when it comes to large spaces: depending on the layout chosen, you may need to hire additional furniture. The cost of this will be included in the quote, based on the chosen layout.
What is included in a seminar package
The range is organised into two packages.
Half-day tour, from €83 per person : morning coffee break, half-day venue hire, lunch at the Bistrot.
A full day, from €98 per person : morning coffee break, day-rate venue hire, lunch at the Bistrot, afternoon coffee break.
Additional coffee breaks are charged at €15 per person: coffee, tea, fruit juice, pastries or the cake of the day, and fresh and dried fruit.
For the reception, the pre-dinner drinks package is €30 per person — eight savoury canapés, a glass of champagne, mineral water and soft drinks — whilst the gourmet cocktail reception costs €83 per person, for 30 to 120 guests, featuring fifteen savoury canapés, five sweet canapés, sparkling wine and the estate’s «Terres de Berne» wine.
For sit-down meals, there are three group set menus: the ‘Bistrot’ at €50 per person, the ‘Group’ menu at €75 for groups of 35 or more, and the ‘L’Olivier de Berne’ menu at €85, all served with wine from the estate. The gourmet dinner at the Garden of Berne, the Michelin-starred restaurant, offers a five-course menu for €160 or a seven-course menu for €200. Lunch can be enjoyed at the Bistrot or, in the summer, at L’Olivier in Berne. A single set menu must be chosen for all participants.
Organising a team to visit the Château de Berne
The estate is situated on Chemin des Imberts, between Lorgues and Flayosc. The Arcs-Draguignan TGV station is 25 minutes away, with a transfer service available from €80 for one to six passengers. Aix-en-Provence TGV station is an hour away, with transfers from €300.
As for airports: Toulon is one hour away, Nice is 1 hour 15 minutes away with a transfer from €240, and Marseille is 1 hour 30 minutes away from €350. The estate also has a helipad, a fifteen-minute flight from Saint-Tropez.
For accommodation, the five-star Relais & Châteaux hotel boasts 34 rooms and suites, supplemented by six private villas with a swimming pool and butler service, and by the castle itself — 1,000 m², seven bedrooms, a cinema, a swimming pool with a pool house and French-style gardens — available for exclusive use.
Follow up the meeting with an activity
The activities are all on site, which makes it much easier to put together a programme.
As for the wine, There are several formats available around the vineyard : a one-hour tour of the cellars with a tasting of three wines, from €20 per person for 2 to 25 participants; a two-hour tour of the vineyard and cellars featuring six wines; and a VIP Tour limited to ten people, at €200 per person, which offers access to the owner’s private cellar.
In the kitchen: the cookery school runs a class on Thursdays at 10.00 am, for up to ten people, at €170 per person, centred around produce from the estate’s vegetable gardens.
When it comes to relaxation and sport : an 800 m² spa with an indoor swimming pool, hot tubs, a sauna and a steam room, three swimming pools, a gym, two tennis courts, a padel court, a pétanque court, mountain biking, yoga and 100 km of walking trails. The estate also features a range of’activities designed for groups. Details of the areas can be found in the seminars brochure, and requests for quotes are made via the contact form.
Frequently Asked Questions
Which is the largest room in Bern Castle?
Le Jardin du Jasmin, a 288 m² glass-roofed venue that can accommodate 120 people for both banquets and cocktail receptions.
What outdoor spaces does the estate offer for a cocktail party?
The stone amphitheatre, the village square and the French-style gardens, each accommodating up to 120 people for a cocktail reception — the gardens only when booked for private hire.
How much does a seminar at the Château de Berne cost?
From €83 per person for a half-day session and €98 for a full day, including the venue, coffee breaks and lunch at the Bistrot.
Are the rooms equipped for video conferencing?
Yes. The Portrait Room and the Vineyard Room are equipped with an Icon 400 videoconferencing system, a ClickShare video projection system, an LED TV, Wi-Fi, and VGA, HDMI and DVI-D cables.
How many people can the estate accommodate?
The hotel has 34 rooms and suites, in addition to six private villas and the château, which can be hired in its entirety with its seven rooms.
How do I get to the estate from a railway station or an airport?
Les Arcs-Draguignan station is 25 minutes away, Toulon Airport is one hour away, Nice is 1 hour 15 minutes away and Marseille is 1 hour 30 minutes away. Transfers are available, and a helipad allows guests to reach the estate from Saint-Tropez in fifteen minutes.
