France: advice on where to go with young kids
 

My husband and I are planning 6 days of family vacation before we have to be in Italy for a wedding (with an additional week of travel with family in Italy).

We fly into Paris arriving at 8:30am and basically have that day plus 5 more in France. We are at a loss as to where to go since everyone keeps telling us amazing things about basically everywhere in France (Provence comes up a lot). Neither of us have ever spent much time in France but we got great mileage tickets to Paris and our son has spent his first year in French Immersion Kindergarten and asked to go so we said why not?

Our kids are 6 and 2.5 and are very well travelled. Having done a lot of international travel with young kids our preference is at least 2 nights (ideally more) in one spot and not being in big cities (we are leaning towards NOT spending anytime in Paris).

So basically our two questions are 1) where to go (yes, I realize this is a big question!) and 2) how to get there. We are already at CDG in Paris so perhaps flying to Marseille (for example) is not a bad idea? Also open to trains but would rather not spend our entire first day driving a rental car (we will be pretty tired upon arrival).

Thanks in advance!!

We are already at CDG in Paris so perhaps flying to Marseille (for example) is not a bad idea?>

Or take a TGV train from CDG to Avignon, the heart of tourist Provence in about 3 hours - stay in a smaller town like St-Remy and chill - do lots of easy excursions by car to nearby places like the Pont du Gard, Les Baux, the Camargue (can ride ponies into the wilds on organized jaunts) or go to the seaside.

Never been to Paris and not interested? OK but going up the Eiffel Tower, taking boats on the Seine, etc can be great family stuff.And you could take an overnight train from Paris to Italy - not sure where you are going but that could be fun too for the kids - get a private compartment and bring any food or drink on board.

For lots on trains and night trains check www.budgeteuropetravel.com; www.ricksteves.com and www.seat61.com. The train ride could be fun too for the kids - one of the world's fastest trains.

If flying to Marseille you could easily drive to the French Riviera where there is so so much to see and do (but in July and August it is a complete zoo) and fly from Nice to wherever you are going in Italy - if close to Milan take the train from Nice (www.thello.com or www.trenitalia.com).

if you decide to nix Paris [and with kids that may not be a bad idea] i agree with Pal that the best idea would be to get the TGV to Avignon, perhaps spend a night or two there, then rent a car and find a place somewhere smaller with a pool.

Then perhaps drive to somewhere in France where you can return the car and either get the train or fly to Italy, depending on where you are heading for in Italy.

Our kids loved Paris. Eiffel Tower, going to the top of the Arc de Triomphe, boat ride on the Seine, Luxembourg gardens, macarons, ice cream, and yes, even exploring the museums and art galleries. My youngest was 5 when we first visited. If your son would like to visit France, he's likely thinking of Paris.

When I read "young kids" I immediately think of the Dordogne. Castles to explore on your own, caves with stalactites & mites, rivers, birds of prey shows, knights in shining armor & jousting shows, cute villages, caves with pre-historic paintings, outside dining, villages along the river, canoes, gardens high above the river with "kids stuff" to explore.

Stu Dudley

This is all great advice! Thanks!

We have decided on taking the TGV from Paris to Avignon immediately upon arrival. Then we will rent a car and spend 3 nights in the Provence region (all 3 nights at one location)...this is where I'm having difficulty. We have been reading the forums and there are so many different views on where to stay. AirBnB offers great rentals for the 5 of us but narrowing down the location is so hard. Should we stay in a small town where parking and driving may be easier and we can also afford a slightly larger abode with perhaps even a pool for afternoon relaxation? Or stay in teh heart of a larger city like Avignon or Arle?

We will then drive to Nice (rental still TBD but we have a reservation at the Meridien) and spend 3 nights before flying to Venice for the Italian portion of our trip. (driving was way too expensive for the fee to drop the car in a different country).

Having been in France with my grandchildren three times now, I would stay in a small town and rent a place with a pool. I think Uzès, just over the border from Provence in Languedoc is a wonderful small town. It's about 45 min. by car from Avignon, about 20 min. from the Pont du Gard, where you could picnic, and the children could wade in the river below the aqueduct.
In Provence you have many small towns to choose among that are less than an hour away from Avignon. St. Remy and l'isle-sur-la-Sorgue come to mind immediately.
Enjoy!

Yeah I think grandmere has 3 great places in mind. I think Avignon and Arles aren't all that easy with kids-a bit too large. My favorite of the the 3 is Uzes, it is bid enough to have some choices of restaurants a nice market and super scenic.

St-Remy near Avignon is a nice low-key base too.

about 20 min. from the Pont du Gard, where you could picnic, and the children could wade in the river below the aqueduct. >>

We were at the Pont du Gard last week and amazingly you can do all that for free, plus there is a fun film to watch, a museum, bars and cafes, plentiful loos - and that view.

Neither Arles nor Avignon, which we also visited, struck me as that large but I haven't been to Uzes so can't comment on its qualities as a base. There was certainly a lot of traffic wherever we went in Provence, and that was in the middle of May.

annhig - you can still climb up on the Pont du Gard and walk over the aqueduct, right - a highlight for me and my then young son.

annhig - you can still climb up on the Pont du Gard and walk over the aqueduct, right - a highlight for me and my then young son.>>

Pal - We were told that it's no longer open to the general public - you have to be accompanied by a guide which is limited to certain days and times, due to the suicide risk so I climbed up a path to the side and took pictures from a vantage point above the Pont.

Paris Disney. End of discussion.

I cannot imagine why anyone from North America would waste precious time in Europe at Paris Disney.

I think this review and link to the gite sounds ideal-

http://www.slowtrav.com/france/vr/review.asp?n=4877

The location is very good for exploring the Luberon villages and countryside. The nearby town of Bonnieux is lovely and easy to park and explore.

Our kids (9 and 12 at the time) enjoyed St Remy. There is a bus from Avignon (about 40 minutes) if needed. The reality is that with kids it's what you do rather than where you do it.

If you visit Les Baux, there was a 'treasure hunt' for kids where you mark off each found item but be very careful with the kids as there are some areas with long drops and not much in the way of guard rails. Also we found that Nice beach had a strong undercurrent but can't tell you whether that's normal for there or not.

"I cannot imagine why anyone from North America would waste precious time in Europe at Paris Disney."

Because it's fun. That's the whole point of vacation - fun. Not every minute in Europe needs to be spent drinking over-rated wine and staring at over-rated art.

I guess the original comment was more along the lines of 'why do things in Europe that you can do at home'. There are heaps of fun, interesting things to do in Europe other than Disney (or wine or art for that matter).

there are several theme park type fun things for kids to do in France which don't involve Disney:

Parc Asterix [which is near Paris] https://www.parcasterix.fr/en

The Puy de fou in the western Loire near Cholet: http://www.puydufou.com/en/

and Futuroscope at Poitiers: http://en.futuroscope.com

I can recommend them all, particularly the Puy de Fou which is outstanding.

Kids of all ages will enjoy one of France's premier water parks in Paris itself -not far from the Eiffel Tower:

http://en.parisinfo.com/paris-museum...evard-de-Paris