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taking kids to france for first time next summer-help!

taking kids to france for first time next summer-help!

Old Mar 30th, 2015, 11:17 AM
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taking kids to france for first time next summer-help!

DH adn I have been to Paris 5 x and to Provence (mainly Luberon) once for a week. We love the country and food. Kids will be 12 and 14 next summer so think it is time to take them abroad. DD wants Paris and I am trying to fill in the blanks as to a second or third spot. Hope to use some ff miles so wlil have to book in a few months.

We could go early to mid June or July. DH and I go mid May to Paris but now we are on a school schedule. I know the earller the better for Paris and crowds not sure about these other areas.

The Dordogne looks amazing - outdoor hikes, castles, canoeing down the river, and Beynac looks like a good central spot. Thoughts? I was also looking at the Loire Valley. I have no sense of direction so not sure if this can all work.

Hope to have 2 weeks to do this so any and all ideas are appreciated.
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Old Mar 30th, 2015, 11:32 AM
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Paris, Loire & the Dordogne would be perfect for you & the kids. You could fly to Toulouse or Bordeaux (Toulouse preferred if you can get good flight connections), and then spend 5 nights in the Dordogne. Then drive to the Loire & spend 4 nights there. Then take the train from either Blois or St Pierre des Corps to Paris and spend your remaining time there. Very doable - we've done this itinerary (or something very similar to it) twice.

I think the Dordogne would be the area most "disrupted" by heavy crowds in July or very late June - so I would do it first instead of the reverse order. Paris can handle crowds better than the Dordogne, IMO. We've spend 10 weeks in the Dordogne - including late June.

Stu Dudley
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Old Mar 30th, 2015, 11:41 AM
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Normandy and Paris, in that order. Six days in Normandy, return car to Orly via Chartres.
The week in Paris could have a day trip to Versailles. Make an impression that will make them want to return on their own.
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Old Mar 30th, 2015, 12:15 PM
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Stu, I just sent you an email asking for your Dordogne info. You helped us so with our first Provence trip many moons ago.

Is there a way other than flying to get to the Dordogne? Or are the flights not super expensive?

Our schools get out early June so we could do it then. Is there a month you prefer?

I have not researched the Loire valley much. Is it similiar to the Dordogne? I know it is an hour from Paris, a plus. Biggest issue for us is making this trip enjoyable and memorable for kids.

Just started looking at vrbo for lodging and many require a week in Dordogne. Seems there is plenty to do in this area. Beynac looks lovely and a less touristy than Sarlat or should we stay in Sarlat?

Gretchen, have never done Normandy. Can't that be a day trip from Paris?
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Old Mar 30th, 2015, 12:35 PM
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Think outside of the traditional summer places and give places like Alsace or Brittany a chance.
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Old Mar 30th, 2015, 12:41 PM
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Do what Stu says, except 6 nights Dordogne and 3 nights Loire. I took my 7 and 12 year old grandchildren to Dordogne and they loved it. Dordogne is paradise for kids.

We flew in to Toulouse,rented a gite for a week near Sarlat(Dordogne), drove to Provence(1 night stop Carcassonne), and took the TGV from Avignon to Paris.If you wanted to do this you could substitute Uzes for Loire and take the kids to Pont du Gard,Le Baux, Camargue, Arles,and/or Avignon.

Some places to stay:

www.villaconsuls.fr apartment for 4

http://www.chateau-palaja.fr/ They have a family room, also see booking.com

http://www.maslaurent.com/en/ They have a family room.
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Old Mar 30th, 2015, 12:44 PM
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What do they want to see? Our 12 and 14 year old sons loved Normandy and all things World War 2 so we spent a week there. The older one loves tennis - we toured Roland Garros; both liked Versailles and specific works of art in the Louvre and Musee D'Orsay. We also did a segway tour in paris which was a blast. If this is their first trip, I'd focus on the things/sites that excite them and less on what you haven't seen or want to see. I"d ask them to do some research and write down 5 things they want to see or do - then they are involved and the trip will be personal for them as well.
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Old Mar 30th, 2015, 01:02 PM
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The Loire is all about Chateaux. IMO, the countryside is not as scenic as other places we've been to in France, and neither are the large cities or small towns. Chinon may be the exception for towns. Make sure your kids & you like chateaux before you go, however.

If you can only get flights to CDG, then take the TGV to Bordeaux to get to the Dordogne. OpenJaw flights into Toulouse & out of CDG are about the same cost as RT to CDG. Act soon, however.

We always stay in Gites in the Dordogne.

Stu Dudley
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Old Mar 30th, 2015, 01:15 PM
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All, alot of info to digest and many thanks. Think the Loire valley is out.
Normandy would appeal to my son-not sure about my daughter. Love the idea of having them do some research.
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Old Mar 30th, 2015, 02:55 PM
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Getting the kids involved is a good idea. But, IMO, only if they (and also you) are well informed about what different sites, events, activities, etc are available in various areas of France. If they only know "interests" like canoeing, art, churches, castles, mountains, biking, beach, Disneyland, etc - then someone "with knowledge" needs to "boil down" this info into what regions or combination of areas best match their & your interests. I guess this "boiling down" is what the Fodors Forum is here for.

You also don't want the dreaded "itinerary by committee", where people state where they want to go or specific things the want to see (like we did on our first trip), and then you end up going to Nice for the beach, Dordogne for the caves, Carcassonne for the fort, Provence for the lavender fields, Annecy for the mountains & lake, Normandy for the WWII stuff, Loire for the chateaux, and Disneyland for Micky. And try to accomplish this itinerary in 2 weeks - including Paris.

When I was 14, I had no idea what stuff there was to do in France. In fact, it wasn't until about our 5th trip to France that I discovered France wasn't just Chateaux of the Loire, Mt St Michel, Riveria, & WWII landing beaches.

Stu Dudley
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Old Mar 30th, 2015, 03:53 PM
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Stu, I am laughing bc I brought this up over dinner and got alot of generalities and blank stares so guess this will be me and my fodors buddies to plan this! I know them well enough to make sure everyone has a few great days, and that there will be compromises!

Isn't the weather in the Dordogne similar to the Luberon-still trying to figure out when best to go next summer.

Really, my biggest challenge is that I have no sense of direction so the logistics is the hardest. So if we landed at CdeG, we can take the train to Bordeaux, rent a car and go to the Dordogne, then how do we get to Normandy? WE can get a train from Normandy to Paris I know.

thanks again all. I am really open to any and all suggestions. I don't' know anything about Brittany so will look into that also.
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Old Mar 30th, 2015, 04:31 PM
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No you can't get to Normandy from Bordeaux and also have Paris in your plan.
And no, a day trip to Normandy from Paris is not a great idea. You say you've been to France before--take a look at a map and plan a worthwhile trip that will whet your children's appetites.
Don't drive to the Dordogne.
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Old Mar 30th, 2015, 05:14 PM
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We did a rushed 4 nights Dordogne (flew into Bordeaux), 3 nights Normandy, 4 nights Paris. We drove Dordogne to Caen a long day. Children 12-17 loved it all. Agree that Dordogne is heaven for children. Check out Grotte de Roufignac for prehistoric cave drawings. There are so many canoes in the river it may be possible to skip bank to bank and stay dry.

I think for children 4 days is enough Paris. Also agree Loire not the greatest unless seeing the chateaux will be a hit. Many children would be bored. But Loire and Dordogne very different, Dordogne is spectacular and sunny, Loire flat and many more people, and more in the cloudy zone.
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Old Mar 30th, 2015, 08:34 PM
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Our whole family (3 generations, including 4 grandchildren --4,6,8, and 11)) spent two weeks last summer in the Languedoc area. We rented a large house and did short day trips, and it was a marvelous time. We were there last two weeks of June, and although the weather was great for trips to the beach, we were ahead of the real tourist season--and that's a plus! We visited caves, medieval towns/villages, Roman ruins, zip line parks, etc. With your children's ages, I would vote for a few days in Normandy and the rest of the time somewhere in the south. I think the Loire chateau country could become a bit monotonous for kids of any age unless some special interest in that type of architecture, etc.
Have fun!
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Old Mar 30th, 2015, 08:36 PM
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Addendum to above reply: and of course, Paris--goes without saying!
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Old Mar 30th, 2015, 09:07 PM
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>>Isn't the weather in the Dordogne similar to the Luberon-still trying to figure out when best to go next summer.
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Old Mar 31st, 2015, 05:53 AM
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Wow-all thanks so much. Stu, please send me your info on how to rent a gite. Thanks
Grandmere, what house did you rent?
Stu, we can extend our time. I want to get agenda down so we can book flights and use ff miles if possible.
we need to fly american or us air.
thinking of last 2 weeks in june...our schools start late august.
Stu, if we did your agenda, I would try to fly to Bordeaux or Talousse and stay there for a night, rent car and drive to Dordogne, then fly back to Paris, stay there for 5 nights and then take train to Normandy for a few nights and then train back to Paris for departure. Is this correct?
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Old Mar 31st, 2015, 06:46 AM
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>>Stu, if we did your agenda, I would try to fly to Bordeaux or Talousse and stay there for a night, rent car and drive to Dordogne, then fly back to Paris, stay there for 5 nights and then take train to Normandy for a few nights and then train back to Paris for departure. Is this correct?
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Old Mar 31st, 2015, 07:38 AM
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For an American, the 6 or 7 hour drive to Normandy is not a big deal, and the first bit is quite scenic, mostly it is turnpike and then you arrive in Normandy with a car. Less hassle than backtracking to Bordeaux or Toulouse, flying, re-renting another car in Normandy, lay out the days and the hours for all those transitions, I don't think it is preferable.
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Old Mar 31st, 2015, 07:56 AM
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I always use www.viamichelin.com to determine driving times. It says that it is slightly less than 8 hrs from Roque Gageac to Bayeux. For that long of a distance, I usually add 10% or so to accommodate for back-ups at toll booths, pottie breaks, lunch, gas, and the unavoidable "deviation" where every car & truck on the autoroute is funneled into 1 lane and going no faster than the slowest truck for 5-10 K. Viamichelin indicates that the cost of the drive will be around $125

Nine hrs of driving on the autoroute with 2 kids in the back seat (are we there yet?) is not how I would want to spend my valuable vacation time.

Stu Dudley
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