Hi all,

We are traveling to France with our three kids (aged 9, 8 and 3) to France for 10 nights. We arrive on November 1 at 11 am and will be leaving on November 11 at 1 pm from Charles De Gaulle. We have a direct flight both ways from Washington DC. We are thinking of spending 3 nights in the Loire Valley and the rest of the 7 nights in Paris, but are open to going somewhere other than the Loire Valley. Would love your thoughts on the following:

1) Does it make sense to go to the Loire Valley the first week of November? Or is there somewhere else that we should go to?

2) Assuming we go to the Loire Valley, is it better to go there first? Or Paris first? I am thinking that the Loire Valley may make sense since we will be jet lagged and it seems to be slower paced. That being said, would the logistics of getting there from Charles De Gaulle be too difficult?

3) If we do go to the Loire Valley first, how do we get there? Should we take the train from Charles De Gaulle? How easy it is logistically? Or should we rent a car? How long is the drive?

4) I am thinking of staying in Amboise. Is there anywhere else we should consider? Any hotel recommendations?

Thank you all so much!

The Loire is over 1000 km long with lots to see. There is the Chateau area, then the military castles, abbey's, the troglodyte area, zoos, yet more castles. So it sort of depends. November should be quiet. I'd certainly catch the train to Amboise. There is a train line along the river if you want to use it while taxis are easy to use.

I might start by reading seat61. Com about French trains.

November may be cold, possibly misty in the morning but sunny in the afternoon.

Fontevraud Abbey might interest or Chinon castle. Then there are the pretty castles.

Have you been to France before and know how to behave or is this your first time. I ask because I've been 50 times plus and I still make faux pas.

I would spend the week in Paris and TGV to Bordeaux. In November, the castles would be very cold, and not much in bloom. More to see in Bordeaux, where you would not need a car, except if interested in the premier cru houses, then drive out to Paulliac or over the river to St. Emilion. Bordeaux is a lovely large city along the Garrone.
In Burgundy and in Champagne, you're past the harvest season, so not much activity there either. But you could take the train to Dijon, and base there, driving down a bit to Burgundy. Frankly, don't think the kids would have any interest after Paris, so would you consider Normandy? At least there's the beaches (Dieppe, Etretat) and you can drive westerly to Mont St. Michel which think they would love. Another option would be to TGV down to Provence (Avignon, Arles). We've been to France half a dozen times but never as late as November (though planning for this Christmas!)

Would your intended agenda in the Loire Valley appeal to the youngsters? Certainly I would want to expose them to life beyond what they know at home but after one chateau, well, I don’t know your children, but mine would not have been happy.

I wonder if the 8 and 9 year olds have some specific interests you might want to address. No, I don’t mean Disney. My daughter’s family travelled last year and managed to get to two professional soccer games. Grandsons were thrilled.

Food fans? You could go anywhere! The older grandson (at 16) enjoyed every new food preparation he encountered. The younger reported on the merits of each iteration of steak frites.

Do they know Joan of Arc? How about Rouen?

Do they know David Macaulay’s books Castle and Cathedral? There are many destinations in France to nurture their curiosity. Oops, maybe the Loire Valley is the right place! Maybe with a good mix of hikes and picnics and playgrounds and a hotel with a pool.

Fontevraud has kings and queens of England buried in it. ;-)

I would explore options beyond the Loire Valley.... it's easy to get burned out visiting castles, especially for the kids.

I would take no more than 5 days for Paris and five elsewhere. With a 3 year old, Paris can be frustrating. When my kids were that young, we rented a gite for a week at a time. That would be a good time of year to go to Provence.

School holidays for All Saints stretch from October 19-November 4, so if the Loire remains your destination you should definitely whisk down there first. Others can advise on direct trains from CDG.

A sample of festive options around the chateaux:
https://www.familiscope.fr/sorties-f...-la-loire-7008

Google Translate is your friend.

Thanks all! I am reconsidering the Loire Valley based on your responses. A few things:

1) My girls enjoying trying new foods, parks, going to museums, exploring etc. We have spent a week's time in New York and London and enjoy not rushing. Would Paris be different in that regard and should we shorten our time there? I figured if we ever get bored we could always take a day trip to Versailles, Giverny (which I have never seen so would love to go!) or both.

2) To respond to one of the questions above, I actually don't know what we would do in the Loire Valley Based on the minimal research I have done so far, I figured we could visit Chenonceau, Chambord, Bloise and Clos - Luce (or just stick to do of them if that's too much). Then we could see the different towns/villages in the area, like Blois and Amboise. Would three nights be too much you think? Should we do two nights instead or nix it completely? The main reason for going is that I haven't been lol so would love to see it! I figured they would enjoy playing in the gardens, seeing Da Vinci's home, and going through the maze in one of the castles that looked really cool. Perhaps we could go biking as well, as I know my kids would enjoy that Given how fast paced life is, I figured we could just take it slow

3) Should we go to Rouen instead? How many nights would we need to see it? Or alternatively do two nights in Rouen and two nights in the Loire Valley? (Could minus one night from Paris). Or alternatively nix the Loire Valley, do three or four nights in Rouen and then if there is time, use it as a base to do a day trip or two from? Seems like we could do Giverny, Honfleur, and/or Amiens. If we do both, would it make sense to go to go to Rouen first, Paris next, and Loire Valley in the end (or visa versa)? The positive about going to Rouen would be that my eldest is now doing a medieval history unit in school and has been enjoying it. She is just learning about William the Conqueror and it seems like Roen has a lot of medieval history. My 8 year old read a book about Joan of the Arc last year and still talks about her

4) Another option - two nights Rouen, two nights Bayeux, the rest of the time in Paris?

5) Bordeaux - I never considered it but considering it now. How many nights would you suggest? Keep in mind we want to minimize travel with the three year old. Seems like its 3.5 hours away?

Thank you all for your help!

Thank you! This is helpful.

Thank you! This is helpful!

Will look it up! Good to know!

I wouldn’t dash around too much with the three kids, but do try out these ideas on them. Rouen and maybe also Bayeux could be winners.

This might be too far out of your way and tight to squeeze in, but how about Guédelon, 2.5 hours from Amboise? Sadly only open till Nov 2, it’s a replica of a medieval castle under construction using traditional methods.

https://www.guedelon.fr/en/en-famille-ou-entre-amis/

I loved visiting the Loire valley châteaux as a child, especially places like Chambord and Chenonceau. And I wasn't even old enough to be fascinated by history -- I was just impressed by the massive size, the details, and the general architecture. When you can see them after dark and even just illuminated from the outside, they are even more magical. With kids, Amboise and Blois are excellent places to stay because you can walk around and do things. When my parents stayed in an isolated hotel in the countryside, it was a bit boring.

November weather isn't as bad as people seem to think it is. No guarantees, though. We just had the coldest mid-September in 20 years in northern France (and then it spread to the south, too, so going south will not always fix the problem). Now the temperature is back up to normal (22° in Paris) but weather predictions are becoming more and more unstable.

PErsonally, I can't imagine kids being particularly interested in Rouen or Bayeux. I can see the Loire with castles would be better and easier (not to mention weather in November, it doesn't get better going to Normandy). I don't think Bordeaux would be particularly interesting to kids, either.

I would go somewhere you can easily get to by direct train from CDG airport, which narrows it down. There are quite a few direct trains from CDG to St Pierre des Corps-Tours station. You can also go by train direct to Avignon in Provence which I think could be fun for kids. It's only 3 hrs, which is less time than you'd take to get to places like Bayeux from CDG. You can get to Strasbourg direct, also, in about 2 hrs. I think it would take you 5-6 hrs to get to Bayeux and probably two train changes. Rouen would be a shorter trip but you'd still have to go into Paris and get to gare St Lazare.

You have both convinced me. I am nixing the Normandy and Bordeaux idea. Now deciding between Avignon and the Loire Valley. For Avignon we would do four or five nights. With the Loire Valley we would stick to three nights. Would Avignon be ok to visit in November? I know its warmer than both Paris and the Loire Valley but can only imagine visiting it in the Spring/early summer. I also can't find the 3 hour GDG to Avignon train you are talking about. Hopefully its just my searching skills and not because it is seasonal!

https://www.sncf-connect.com definitely generated options for me on November 1. Both for Saint Pierre de Corps (the Tours TGV station) and Avignon, whether Avignon TGV or Avignon ville (which then showed a change at the TGV).

whereandwhen.net advises that the weather in Avignon in early November is “tolerable” while Amboise gets a “bad” rating. YMMV - read their details and see what you think. I do not know at what point the notorious Provence mistral wind becomes a risk. There will be slightly longer daylight hours further south.

The only French place I have visited in a November was Paris, and aside from the tasty roasted chestnuts everywhere, it was … challenging. Because back in the early 2000s, Parisians smoked indoors all. the. time.

Avignon is not my favorite place in Provence, though it is convenient. I recommend Aix. Kids might like Fondation Vasarely in Aix. The kid in me does. And I have heard people rave about Arles. For a big city, Marseilles is worth exploring, and you can always take a boat ride out to Chateu d'If. Though I don't know what the seasonal schedule is.

I've been throughout Provence mid-December to Christmas, and the weather was fine, though any one year could be different.

It's interesting that you mention the Loire Valley and also Versailles. Yet another opulent chateau (albeit the granddaddy). Personally I detest Versailles. Are you harping on chateaux because you don't know what else is around? Giverny is a small site that is unlikely to be interesting to kids. I spent a lot of time there because I was interested in recreating the photos of Jacques Lartigue, but otherwise it wouldn't take me more than a few minutes to see the place, Nearby, however, there is a troglodyte church and the village of La Roche Guyon, famous for its citadel built into the rock that was a Nazi HQ.

I think tourists are corralled into an itinerary. Best thing is to go beyond the obvious to think of what really interests you. I would explore Les Puces de St Ouen more readily than Versailles or Giverny. Same for Le Marché des Enfants Rouges. I also think the real monuments of France are served every day in patisseries, fromageries, tea shops, chocolateries, candy stores, boulangeries, traittuers, etc. There are food shopping streets in Paris like rue des Martyrs that are eye-popping and would be sure to delight kids. There are also depots-vents (consignment shops) tailored for kids.

Outside of Paris, consider visiitng a farm in any of the provinces. Many are set up to sell direct to visitors, though that can be seasonal.

Thanks all for the suggestions! Will need to sleep on it for a day or two to decide what's best. Responding to @shelemm 's question regarding Versailles, I have no interest in going lol. My husband, who has never been to France wants to visit and my girls (the two eldest) as well. I think that's fair, since it will be their first time and people here talk so much about it. I removed Giverny from the list because it is apparently closed in November. But it was there because I have never been We do enjoy eating and exploring neighborhoods which is why we don't want to be rushed in Paris. We definitely don't want to pack our visits with sights. Plus my 8 year old (who suggested Paris in the first place) told us she wants to go to Paris because they have the best croissants. Speaking of interests, believe it or not, my girls are obsessed with gourmet cheeses and enjoy going to our local cheese shop and trying different French, Italian, and Swiss cheeses. Even the 3 year old has developed a taste for gourmet cheeses So perhaps that is something I can look into as well. I somehow can't find any cheese making farms in the Loire Valley after doing a quick google search. But will research it more.

AFAIK Giverny (Monet's house and Gardens) isn't open in November -- at least it used to close at the end of October. Didn't check the website to see if that is still the case -- but even it were open, I wouldn't visit at that time of year.

Your actual usable time is Nov 2 through Nov 10 -- so 9 days free for seeing/doing. IMO 9 days is not too long for Paris - there is soooooo much to see and do for families. If the weather cooperates you could always do day trips to places such as Versailles, Chartres, Fontainebleau, Vincennes - or dare I say it - even Disneyland.

Visitng a fromagerie then is a must for you! La Ferme St Hubert might even be able to put together a tasting for you.

Also, Marriage Freres on r. Bourg Tibourg is a historic tea shop and a visual delight. It is a true salon de thé so there are tables and chairs inside.