annetteperkins

We are planning a last minute 2 week trip to Europe with our three sons (17, 18, 20).
our plan is to fly into Amsterdam on July 19th , drive to Normandy and spend 2 nights there.
1. Any suggestions on finding a guide to the DDay beaches at this late point? Would you book through viatour? That seemed to be the only thing I could find.

2. we are staying in Provence at a B and B for July 28-30. our plan is one week in Provence if I can find accommodation and some days in Paris.

3. We fly home to Dallas on aug 4th from Amsterdam

Do you suggest that we spend 4 days in Paris July 23-28 or in early August. We would like to extend our stay in Provence either before or after Paris.

Would you recommend including Eze or St Tropez? i am concerned about crowds and traffic. I think the kids may not enjoy it as much as the older generation.
any thoughts on fun activities for the boys? soccer - all my boys are soccer players and fans. It would be so much fun for them to find a park and other guys to play a pick up soccer game.

Thank you so much for any suggestions on the above !

Annette

nytraveler

IMHO these young men should be doing a good part of the planning and figuring out what THEY want to do. If they are not part of the process how will they ever know what they want?

(Our DDS, then 11 and 14 did a lot of the research the first time we took them to London and Paris and had very specific sights picked out that were their must sees - as well as a couple of restaurants they wanted to try. And had used street and metro maps to figure out how they would be getting around.)

I don;t mean to be critical but it seems like you are treating your sons as luggage rather than grown men responsible for identifying what they wan to do on this trip.

annetteperkins

I agree -even suggested that each boy handle a few days of the itinerary but in the end realized that it would not get done if I didnt do it myself. In all fairness -they are busy with college apps, jobs etc.
Thanks!

Lexma90

I would like to have my family members, also, sometimes be more involved in trip planning. But I have recognized that I'm more interested in planning and researching than they are. So I rely on knowing their interests, asking focused questions, and 10 minutes here and there of looking at websites or bouncing off ideas. (this includes DH as well as 18yo DS and 14yo DD)

Do your family members prefer urban or rural vacations? Culture, history or sitting in the sun? Hiking, biking or sitting at a cafe with a glass of wine (4 members of your family are legal to drink in France)? Would they be likely to want to spend some of the trip time doing young-people activities later in the evenings? Then make sure you're staying in places where they can get to bars, clubs, etc. Use knowledge like that to help plan your time. I know my 18-year-old DS, of the places you mentioned, would choose more time in Amsterdam and Paris (he's been to both places), and possibly the Roman sites in Provence. Eze or St. Tropez, no, but none of us in our family are beach or beach-town type people (though of course Eze is not on the water). On the other hand, they're young men, and I can imagine they might enjoy the beaches in Europe a great deal.

August is vacation time in France. I don't know for sure, but you may encounter fewer crowds if you schedule your time in Paris for the August dates, and Provence for the end of July.

annetteperkins

Thanks for your reply. Kids and husband are into relaxing, biking, hiking, exploring. Not into museums and ruins. All will enjoy glass of wine at outdoor cafe and good food. (15 year old daughter not able to join this trip so all the more reason to share a bottle of wine with boys.
They would enjoy the opportunity to hang out on their own a few nights. Also would love to find kids to play a pick up game of soccer with. Husband loves the beach and boys will enjoy the scene for a few days too.
Any area of Paris that you suggest booking hotel? A friend said Left Bank...Thanks

Lexma90

We very much like the St. Germain area of Paris (on the Left Bank, 6th arrondisement). Convenient to many other sights and sites, lots of cafes and restaurant. The Latin Quarter is just across the Blvd. Saint-Michel, and is more lively and louder later in the evenings. So you could spend evening time in either (or both) areas, but sleep in the quieter area. I don't know your price range, but we've often stayed at Hotel le Regent. If you're looking for a triple room, I know they have them, but that third bed is more of a cot, and I'm not sure how comfortable a full-height person would be. You could also check out Hotel Millesime; they have at least one triple, which includes a full-sized bed for the third person.

We haven't done any hiking or biking in Provence, so I can't help you there. But I'm sure it's available (though likely not in Eze or St. Tropez).

I'm not sure about pick-up games of soccer (futball); I can't say that I've ever seen anyone doing that in a city, even in a park. Not that it doesn't happen somewhere, I would suppose. I have seen people playing boules and basketball, though!

annetteperkins

Lexma90 Thanks for the recommendations. Will try and book a few nights in the St. Germain area. It is so helpful to get some specific Hotels - Le Regent looks nice . i will let you know how we make out!

Annette

kiminsea

Left a long reply at your first thread on Paris about bike tours/bicycling.

Check out my friend Nathalie's blog (Avignon in Photos http://avignon-in-photos.blogspot.com/). She has teens/young adults herself and you can contact her through her blog for ideas/advice for your fam in Provence.
-Kim

kiminsea

Oh, almost forgot: every summer the city of Paris hauls in tons of sand and plops it on the banks of the Seine. It's called Paris Plague (beach) and is very fun and popular. I'm not sure of the weeks this year, but you can find our through a search engine. Since your guys like the beach, it would be nice to enjoy it in Paris .
-Kim

kiminsea

That should read Plage. . .excuse me.