modeb

Hi,
I need some help in planning an 8 day trip early May for our family with 2 children (8 and 12) and would really appreciate any kind of suggestions to improve/change the itinerary, suggest stay-options etc. We would like to tour some of the scenic places in France which would also be of interest to our children.
Plan is to start from Paris and fly to Geneva and then drive to Chamonix region for 2-3 days. Would there be enough interesting things for our children in Chamonix like snow-activities/games as found in Mt Titlis or visiting scenic parks/natural-reserves?

Then proceed to Auvergne where would like to show them the Volcanos, go to Pu Mary top and Vulcania amusement park. Is this all possible within 2 days and is the place very beautiful and of interest to kids?

Finally proceed to either Cote D Azur or the Riviera and stay for 2-3 days at a quaint place like Eze or maybe the more popular Nice or Monaco. I am not too keen on staying in Nice/Monaco coz they seem too modern/touristy and would rather stay at a quieter/charming place. Again, would be interested in visiting scenic places but intersperse with interesting options for kids like the Maritime Acquairium in Monaco etc. Any suggestions of places to visit in this region or town/village to stay at?

Since I havent yet gone through the logistics of travel, would request any frank feedback on if all of this is possible within 8 days or if not what should we drop or reduce? How best to travel to save on travel time? Any chance of staying at a vineyard or experiencing wine country along any of these routes?

Thanks a lot!

MyLittleNomads

I highly recommend slowing down, doing less and seeing more. You could easily spend a week in Paris and not get bored. It's a great city for kids.

I always advise people to depart from a different city than you arrived. So maybe fly into Paris and out of Geneva with a brief stop in-between if you take the train.

The Geneva region is also great for kids though it's probably too early to do any swimming. Lots to do though.

David Robert Hogg,
Publisher of My Little Nomads - the travel with kids website

greg

Regarding your côte d'Azur question, Eze is also touristy during the day. It is also so small, so there is no place to escape the tourists during the day and also I wonder what might interest all of you for more than a day.

Nice, on the other hand, is well connected to all the places you mentioned. It is a large city, so while it is not quaint, you are not surrounded only by tourists as is the case for Eze or Monaco unless you chose to base yourself around Promenade des Anglais in Nice.

I found the transportation information useful at this site:
http://www.allaboutnice.com/index.html

modeb

Thanks everyone! No, we've already been to Paris, so want to skip the city alltogether. We'll be arriving into France from London actually. So someone suggested flying to Geneva since Chamonix is much closer. I was also keen on Auvergne because of the Vulcania amusement park and the stunning lunar/volcanic landscape of the region. But all that travel as you say seems very impractical. Any tips on Chamonix and places to vist for kids in early May?

Thanks Greg for the tip about not staying in Eze and sticking to Nice. And the website is really very informative. Will checkout.

modeb

Hi MyLittelNomads! Since you mentioned Geneva region....would you suggest we stay there for 1-2 days; maybe in Vevey or Montreaux? Saw from their website that there are quite a few things of interest for kids from Vevey like SWISS MINATURE TRAIN PARK, Servion Zoo, Chillon castle, panoramic train rides to vineyard slopes, Swiss Museum of games...Do you think any of these places are worth visiting and is Vevey/Montreaux a scenic place? So we can instead drop Auvergne and do 2 days Vevey, 3 days Chamonix and 3 days Nice. Does it sound practical?
Thanks!

StuDudley

You didn't mention where you live - but Chamonix/Mt Blanc is farther north than Montreal Canada. The weather can be very "iffy" in early May. If you are from England, then you most likely have a pretty good idea what the weather might be like in the Alps in early May. IMO, Chamonix itself has no appeal at all - it's Mt Blanc & the Alps that's the main attraction. If the weather is not good - there won't be much to do & see. Same with the rest of the Alps. Somewhat risky.

The first time we visit the Auvergne/Puy Mary was in early Sept in '04 - and Puy Mary was totally fogged in. In '09, we stayed in the region for a week in July, so we re-visited Puy Mary & other valcano sites & they were spectacular. Lots of private castles in the region - but they will not be open in May. Salers is an interesting village.

Cote d'Azur & the Riviera are the same place. We have vacationed for 16 weeks in that region. I would never choose to stay in Eze for the same reasons greg mentioned. I would stay in Nice - not Monaco or Cannes. I think your kids would really love Old Nice and the Promanade des Anglais. You are likely to get better weather in Nice than in almost anywhere else in France in May (watch out for the French May hoidays).

Eight days is a very short amount of time to try to see much in France. I would only try 2 destinations, that are close together. I would fly to Nice & visit the Cote d'Azur for 4 days and then head directly west and explore the eastern Languedoc and all the caves with stalactites & mites, the unusualy rock formations, cute villages, and the spectacular Gorges du Tarn. Last full day there, visit Aigues Mortes in the afternoon and fly home from Montpellier. You could also substitute Provence for the Languedoc & fly home from Marseille.

Stu Dudley