HI all, staying up late watching the Tour de France, we are getting so very excited about our wonderful trip to France. We have now booked accommodation in St. Remy as a base for 10 days for Christmas and New Years. We may get some criticm for this length in St. Remy, but with 4 kids we really wanted to relax and enjoy the festive season. We have made enquiries at the Hotel Albert 1er for 3 nights although we will be a late arrival on the 1st day due to the drive from St. Remy. We have decided that we would have seen a lot of churches, chateau's etc so have decided that Carcassonne might be a day trip rather than an overnighter. We have then booked Sarlat for 5 days. This takes us through to 9/1 and we fly back to Australia on the 14/1

Do we have time to do a bit of Spain? Or, do we head back to Paris via the Loire. Another thought - where would you suggest finding some snow from our itinerary?

Have sent a message to Stu but I think he is away. Your helpful thoughts would be appreciated....

In deciding whether to go to Spain or not, apart from obviously considering where you'd go and what you'd see, also take into account the fact that there'll be a new language to manage and a new culture. That can be both good or bad but something to consider. And you have to get back to Paris to fly home.

With kids, I'd be tempted to stay in France and visit somewhere that gives you a different feel from the south, such as the Loire Valley or Strasbourg area. Ten days in St Remy sounds good to me. Are you staying in Paris immediately prior to flying home (didn't understand this bit)?

We spent 5 nights in St Remy last month and loved it. Market day (wednesday) was busy but otherwise it was very peaceful. I think you made an excellent choice there.

From there, we took the TGV direct from Avignon to Tours (St Pierre des Corps) in the Loire valley. The trip was 4 1/2 hours and our first class prems tickets were only 38€.

We stayed in Chenonceaux which has a beautiful chateau. Nearby Amboise reminded me of St Remy. We were there on a Sunday evening and again on Monday and there were few other tourists; apparently it is often overrun with tourists, but perhaps it wouldn't be in January.

From Tours, it is one hour to Paris by TGV (17€) or you could drive and turn your rental car in at CDG.

Thanks dreamon and artdithl - At this stage, from Sarlat on the 9/1 we now think it a little ambititious to attempt Spain and we seem to be moving in a logical movement back towards Paris. Considering basing ourselves in Bordeaux and do some day trips to St. Emilion (any other day trips welcomed) and then TGV to Paris for an overnight stay before flying out at 1pm on the 14/1/12. Although we have frends who have a beautiful home at Maine-et-Loire holiday cottage in Montguillon but we are wondering whether this is out of the way OR should we shorten our time in Bordeaux and head, as you suggested dreamon, via this quaint holiday cottage...

Nearly there and so much to do before our first OS trip with our 4 kids (12,11,8 & 6)

We hope that that kids will get a real sense of French life as we are travelling around for around 4 weeks. All of our acccommodation is booked now so here it is,noting that we have hired a car for around 21 days so using these destinations as a base. Thank you for all of your amazing knowledge. It is quite overwhelming. My eldest and hubby (with me in earshot) have had about 8 weeks of lessons. Not a lot, but hoping that our attempts to communicate in French may give us some brownie points!

London 7/12 - 12/12
Paris 12/12 - 18/12
Beaune 18/12 - 22/12
St. Remy 22/12 - 1/1
Limoux 1/1 - 5/1
Toulouse 5/1 - 8/1
Sarlat 8/1 - 13/1 and then to Paris again as we fly out on the 14/1 back to Brisbane, Australia.

A mistake that we have made is the arrival day being on a Sunday in some places (knowing now that everything is pretty dead on a Monday)

Any last minute "must see's" or advice would be warmly received.

well, you have sensibly booked accommodation in some quite large places where you have the best chance of finding things to do, even on a slow Monday.

I would suggest that you start to research things you definitely want to do and the days they shut, which may be more numerous in the winter. eg - I'm thinking particularly about Sarlat and attractions such as Lascaux ll and the gouffre de Padirac. also in Paris the Louvre and the Musee D'Orsay have different opening and closing days.

similarly if you want to book ahead for the ceremony of the Keys at the Tower of London, now would be the time to do it:

http://www.hrp.org.uk/TowerOfLondon/...emonyofthekeys

have a wonderful trip!

Another city that is interesting for a day trip is Reims. You could visit Reims on one of your travel days to or from Paris.

When in Limoux :
The Cathar Castles of Puilaurens, Queribus and Peyrepertuse.
Dinosaur Museum and Hat Museum in Esperaza (might interest your children) : http://www.dinosauria.org/
Rennes-le-Chateau
Prehistoric Museum in Tautavel : http://www.tautavel.com/
Carcassonnewww.
African park in Sigean between Narbonne and Perpignan : reserveafricainesigean.fr
Abbey of Fontfroide between Narbonne and Lezignan : http://www.fontfroide.comhttp://pers...desainthilaire
The castle of CIllerouge-Termenès

I have absolutely nothing of value to offer ;o) but just wanted to say Safe Travels & Have Fun! What a special trip for your family. Your kids will never forget it! Please report back with your impressions. I am researching a trip to France for our family.

As above, I have nothing of value to offer. If any of our adult children are reading this, they are saying 'why did we never do this!!' We are also Aussies and can realise what a big deal this is. My wish for you is that you have a fabulous trip and you and your very lucky children come home loving France and begin planning your next trip. You will have a great time and I look forward to hearing all about it.

Thank you so much for the vote of confidence. Not sure if I will be knowledgeable enough to write a trip report but because of the invaluable information that i have received I might give it a go!Travelling in France in the Winter with 4 children aged 12,11,8.5 and 6.5 will obviously have its stories! Wish me luck!

Hi Our family rented a farmhouse for 7 days w/another famly (5 kids total) in Provence. Had a great time. We contacted Marlene Boyer of "Experience Provence" who hooked us up with many child oriented activities. We made chocolate truffles in Chateau neuf du pape, went horseback riding in the Camargue and on a treasure hunt in Les Baux which is a medieval castle town complete with ancient restored military catapults and trebuchets that the kids loved! Not sure about what's available in winter but we found plenty to keep our families busy in Oct. Have a great time!

Don't undrestimate the time it takes for those day trips to Eastern provence towns. We were exhausted on those roads returning to St Remy, after a few 3 hour round trips. We stayed in St Remy for a week at a gite, but if i were doing it over, I'd have divided it up with half there, and half further east in Provence.
Haveing a bse for a week is fine, but with 4 kids, do you want to be in the car for a huge chunk of precious time? Nexgt trip, i have swonr that there will be no day trips from any base, anywhere, that are more than 1 hour away by navigator (which will inevitably take longer with those winding country roads and speeding French country road drivers). The need for cautious driving was greater in the Dordogne, where Sarlat was our base, but there was more of interest closer to our base.
I would give Sarlat a bit more than 5 days, and give Vaison la Romaine waaaayyy less than ten days.
Near Sarlat, DO NOT miss la Rogue St Christophe, a place you AND your kids will love. My forever thanks tp St Cirq for telling me and daughter about this place--one of THE highlights of our trip last June.

Apologies, ottster. I missed your more recent post prior to writing the above. For near Sarlat, don't miss Chateau de Beynac. You can drive right to the top if you dont feel like walking up (we sure didnt in the heat--which you will not have!)

Your kids will love it. It has an eerie, mysterious feel which will appeal to them. And, as noted above, they and you will enjoy La Rogue St Chrstophe. And of couse, at least one of the caves with prehistoric paintings will be fun for them--if not for the art, for the cave itself!!

Good luck with French attempts. Good for your son and hubby!! I find the Parisians MUCH friendlier than folks in the provinces (I speak fluent French and still get snooty , fake-smile looks at times).And for heaven's sake, be careful driving on those country roads after sunset!
You'll love Sarlat at night, with the gas lamps illuminating the alleys. The Wednesday market there is terrific. The local people say it is "small" but if that is small, i wonder what "big" is !like!!!

I never eat at McDonald's at home (USA) but got a kick out of it in France. It is guaranteed place for wi-fi, and watching the French families was great fun! Ah, the universalities of family life!!

In Sarlat, at the north end of the city (north of the "historic center" is a McDonald's and across from the same parking lot is Carrefour, huge store with all sorts of clothes, appliances, groceries- in the USA the equivalent is Target, not sure of what you have in Australia.

As noted above by Annhig, Ceremony of the Keys is IMHO must-do (along with stowe of London and loads of other sites in wonderful London). But it'll b bloody cold by the Thames--dress warm!!!!

Have a wonderful trip!!!

We enjoyed La Roque Christophe. We visited on a rainy day, and DH was very disappointed when taking photos from the site to the river because of the mist. But when we looked at the photos that night , they are fabulous - so atmospheric.

Dordogne is a lovely area. We have had two weeks in different parts, so even at this time you should have a great time.

Carrefour [ not everywhere] are huge supermarkets with everything. Think Woolies, BigW, Target in one store. In fact French supermarkets [ look for Intermarche, SuperU, Eleclerc ] are great. Check out the cheese and charcuterie sections. Terrific. Learn some simple French - a slice [une tranche] of this cheese with some gestures to indicate size.

Hope you have a wonderful time. We are off in Spring 2012 and cannot wait. best wishes.

In Arles, which would be an easy day trip from St. Remy, stop by the visitors center and pick up the map of spots in the city where Vincent Van Gogh painted. At each spot that he painted, there is a post showing the painting in the very setting that he painted as it exists today. Following the map and finding the posts with the paintings scattered around town is like a scavenger hunt which may be fun for the kids as they learn a little about art at the same time. Have a wonderful trip.