GailHay

Hi All...Will be doing a trip starting June 28th in London, where my husband myself and our 4 children (ages 6, 10, 15 and 17) will spend 3 nights. We will leave London 1 July and head off to Euro disney for 3 nights and then into central Paris, where we will spend the night...before being joined the following morning by my mother and my husbands parents. We will spend a further 2 nights in Paris with the folks, before heading by train to Marseille, where we spend 2 nights before setting off on a Med Cruise.

Would like to try and find a self catering apartment in London...but nothing off the beaten track. Prefer something casual when only with the kids. Euro Disney is organised...and have booked Paris hotel...just need to organise Marseille..and what MUST DO in each place. HELP!!!

GailHay

sassy_cat

Tough to find an apartment for just 3 nights in peak season especially something central.
janis might be able to help!
You might have to consider squeezing into 2 or 3 hotel rooms.

Some Novotels have rooms for 3 and Travelodge has rooms for 3 or4 . The 17 would count as an adult in these hotels. Note in many London hotels children are considered 'adult' at 13+

jamikins

Your must dos depend on what you are interested in. I would get a good guidebook for each place (I like Michelin Green Guides and the Top 10 series) and see what you want to visit. Then we can provide advice on how to organize your days. With so limited time in each place keep your expectations reasonable and group what you want to see together geographically. Your kids are at the age where they can help with the research and I'd recommend getting them involved in picking out what they want to see.

With that many people in tow leave lots of time for transit and organisation.

jamikins

You might also try premier inn - there is one at London Bridge that is a good location and they may have family rooms.

GailHay

Thanks for the tips...will be checking out the Novotel and Premier Inn. Have also being looking at 15 Basil Street Apartments..opposite Harrods. Anyone know anything about it? Have bought loads of travel guides and spend hours in the evening on the internet....resulting in me being so confused. Had planned on spending 2 nights before the cruise and one night after, in Marseille...but have been reading so many negative comments about Marseille, that I really don't know if I'm doing the right thing. Have being pondering over maybe taking TGV from Paris to Avignon for 1 night, possibly 2 and hiring a car to allow us to explore the area and then drive to Marseille on the day of the cruise departute. We would then spend only 1 night in Marseille once we return from the cruise.

Our teenagers are looking forward to loads of markets and vibey spots, the younger children just want to have fun....grandparents obviusly will enjoy everything , as long as there is not too much walking involved. I love quaint little places, with cobbled streets, cafes etc. My husband will hopefully just fit in with all of us! Not too many museums and art galleries...as I'm sure we'll do plenty when stopping off in different ports on the cruise. Waiting for some nice tips....

Christina

I was in Marseille for about four days last summer, it is certainly worth seeing for one day, don't worry about that. It depends how hectic you want your schedule to be. There are some decent museums and sights in Marseille, and some portside cafes and restaurants, of course. It has an older section (which some museums in it). Then you can go up the hill to see the basilica which has a good view and is interesting as Romanesque-Byzantine architecture, it has some nice mosaics.

Marseille can actually be a fun place for young people, I had some fun in a cafe in a pedestrian area where they had a really good singer and band performing to the crowd for the night. I mean he was really good (a French guy). That was in an area just off the Vieux Port. Marseille has an interesting avant garde art and music scene.

YOur plans are ambitious with all those kids, etc., they exhaust me thinking about them, but if you'd rather go to Avignon for 1-2 nights and rent a car for that short time, Avignon is a fun city, also. It sounds precarious to me, driving to Marseille with a rental car the same date you plan to leave on the cruise. YOu know all that stuff can take a lot of time (jsut getting there, you never know about the traffic or weird one-way streets, as well as returning the rental car and then getting to the cruise).

GailHay

Yes...they exhaust me too. Thank you for your advice. Am now thinking we should rather stick to staying in Marseille, before and after the cruise and possibly take a train trip to Avignon on one of the days. Does this sound more sensible... and is there any other litle town which is nicer than Avignon and more worthwhile to visit?

Christina

yeah, that sounds like a good idea, get a convenient base and do day trips if you want. I like Avignon, I think it's very nice, so I couldn't think of one any nicer. But Avignon isn't little, if that's what you mean. It's not huge like Marseille, but it's no small town.

YOu can take the train to Cassis which is a small seaside village not very far at all which has boat cruises to see the calanques which is a special geographical feature on the coast. I did that when staying in Marseille, it is easy. It's only about a half hour train ride or something, and then when you get there, you can take a shuttle bus to village center (which is free, as I recall, but if not, cheap). Check out their tourism website http://www.ot-cassis.com/us/venir/acces/

that map shows you that you could go to Aix or Nimes easily from Marseille by train, also, they are just as close or closer than Avignon. I think Nimes is about the same size as Avignon and I'd probably view Avignon as more fun for kids.