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family trip in france: 2 options

Posted by (Montréal, Canada ) on

Hi !
We (2 adults and 2 kids of 8 ans 12 years old) will be in France from july 10 to august 11 (32 nights). We arrive in Paris and leave from Lyon.
There’s so much to see in France and its hard for us to make a choice ! It wont help much but we are looking to get a bit of everything : Architecture, cities, villages, beaches, places for kids (museum, theme or aquatic parks), naturals sights and goof food (I know, it’s everywhere).

We have two plans;

Plan A (all by car after Paris):
Paris 5 nights
Normandy 4 nights
Britanny 4 Nights
La Rochelle 1 night
Dordogne 5 nights
Carcassonne 1 night
Provence 6 nights
Alps 4 nights
Lyon 2 nights

That plan can be adjust (add a there there and remove a night somewhere else, stope elsewhere on the road).
+++ : Give us a good look of many places in France, no need to deal with 2 rental cars
- - - : long road to get to Dordogne (hence the stop in la Rochelle) and Carcasonne.

Plan B : make 2 trips in one
1) 13-16 nights for Paris, the Britanny and the Normandy (by car after paris)
2) Drop the car, take a train or a flight and get to Provence (marseille I guess).
3) 16-19 nights for Provence , Alps, Lyon an maybe another part of southern eastern France

+++ : No long drive , more time for those two big chunks of France
- - - : skipping Dordogne, La Rochelle and Carcassonne, Having to deal with 2 car rental, train and plane

What would be your choice ? Any iother ideas ?

Thanks !

Posted by
6901 posts

Bonjour !
Plan A is basically what you had in mind last month, correct? It is a solid plan, not too rushed, but it is a lot of driving with the kids. I would just say that nice as La Rochelle is, I'd rather drive straight from southern Brittany (e.g. Vannes) to Sarlat in one day. Distance is about the same as Montreal to Toronto, if that gives you an idea. The extra night would be very well spent in Brittany.

This said, I tend to prefer plan B, as it will give you a chance to explore the chosen areas quite thoroughly (and they are worth it!), and reduces driving distance A LOT. Some comments
- Dealing with two rentals is no hassle at all, especially since you speak French anyway.
- The drive from Paris to Brittany is long and boring. I'd take the train to Rennes and rent a car there.
- There is a daily morning train from Le Havre to Marseille via Rouen. I would use it, dropping the car in Rouen after Normandy (Rouen is very nice for a last night in the area).
- Missing Carcassonne and La Rochelle is fine in my book: they are beautiful, but once you've "seen" them there's not much to do there.

Hope it helps!

Posted by
6113 posts

La Rochelle has one of the best aquariums in the world, which the whole family will enjoy. I like the coast south of La Rochelle and the Dordogne in preference to Provence, particularly as you will be there peak season. Hire canoes in the Dordogne for a great slow paced day. I would go for option A.

Posted by
4101 posts

If those are the only 2 options then I choose A because I wouldn't want to miss Carcassonne and the Dordogne. Don't miss Lascaux Cave in the Dordogne. I also loved Beynac. There is a castle at the top of the town that Richard the Lionheart stayed for awhile during the hundred years war.

Loved loved loved Carcassone. However, anything you read about it being crowded and a tourist trap are true. If you go, it's worth staying overnight so you can have the place to yourselves after 8pm and first thing in the morning. If you're a morning person, get up before sunrise for a great photo-op at the front gate as the sun rises.

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