Tracy

Hi<BR>I'm going to a wedding in Quiberon, Brittany 1st June, so thought I would take the opportunity to extend the trip and see some sights in France, but don't know where to start. <BR><BR>I'm thinking of spending two weeks in France, but also, my sister and her husband will have their 11 month old baby with them so driving for hours on end probably isn't too practical. Does anyone have any ideas on where we should start, which areas are best etc?<BR><BR>Many thanks<BR>

Keith Legg

You could just stay in Brittany or in Normandy. To be honest, NW France is about the one area I've never visited, but it is very popular with British tourists - especially families - so it must have something going for it!

kk

Tracy- Keith is right- Since you don't want to spend hours driving, tour around Brittany and Normandy. The coastal villages in Brittany- St. Malo, Dinan are so charming. Mont St. Michel is not to be missed. The area is home to crepes and galettes- yummy. Of course the Normandy battlefields are well worth it, as is the Normandy countryside with its rolling hills and country charm. The 2 regions are my favorite also because you truly get a feel for the French way of life. Enjoy!

David

I was going to spend some time this May in Brittany/Normandy, but my vacation was pushed back into late June. I opted for Scandinavia instead. I did do some research on the area though.<BR><BR>I agree completely with the previous posters. There's plenty to do in there. <BR><BR>I have traveled with a couple of friends who have a 3 & 1 year old. I'd really recommend trying to rent an apartment or house in France. Most of the hotel rooms are small and I think I'd go bonkers stuck in a tiny hotel room with my wife and 11 month old. Especially since most of the television is in French. (After 30 minutes CNN Headline gets old and how much MTV can a non-teen really watch?) You never know when a baby is going to feel ill and someone will have to stay with him for the day. It's also easier to have snacks, formula, etc. with a refrigerator.<BR><BR>I've never used these people, put I've looked around their site. It's been mentioned by other posters here too:<BR><BR>http://www.gites-de-france.fr/eng/index.htm<BR><BR>You can use mappy.com or shellgeostar.com or some other mapping website to find out how far it is to drive in the area. You'll find that many things will be within a two hour drive of where you stay. Especially if you split the two weeks between two locations. You'll be packing and unpacking less and that's a huge plus with a baby. <BR><BR>

Betty

I wholeheartedly agree with David. I traveled in France in the fall of 2000 with several friends that included a young couple and their 1-year-old son. We rented houses in Alsace (actually the Vosges), Normandy and Provence - a week to 2 weeks in each place. The baby did great! and kept of all entertained. Renting a "gite" allows for extra room, more comfort, cooking facilities (can save a lot of money vs. eating out all the time, which can be difficult with a little one.)<BR>I also agree that you would find plenty to see and do if you stuck around Brittany for a week and then moved on to Normandy. If you stay in the Calvados department of Normandy you can easily visit the D-Day beaches, Bayeux, Honfleur, etc. We rented 2 houses in Normandy, one of them through the Gites de France organization and were very pleased. Unfortunately, both were probably larger than you would want for just 4 people. There is also a site that has lots of listings in both Brittany and Normandy - www.lfv.fr This site as well as the Gites site are only partially in English. If you need it, I would be glad to help with the French. Gites usually rent for a minimum of a week Sat.-Sat., but some can be had for a week-end or mid-week (Mon.-Fri.) if that would suit your schedule better. Some are baby-friendly, i.e. they are equipped with baby beds, high chairs, etc.<BR>A couple of other things your sister might want to know - baby food and disposable diapers are readily available in French supermarkets. Having a lightweight stroller and/or backpack style carrier for the baby makes traveling a lot easier. And, assuming you are renting a car, you will need to bring a baby car seat or get one from the car rental company. Please let me know if I can help you further. If you like, you can e-mail me. Just substitute charter.net for home.com in the address above. I wish you a wonderful stay in France!