Hi, everyone. I wonder if you might have recommendations on where to go / what to do with my two teenage sons (ages 14 and 17) if I have 3-4 days with them in France (or in a country nearby).
Basically, the situation is this: We're in London for a few days to see a few things and connect with friends, and then we have 3-4 days to "kill" between July 9 or 10 and July 13, when we need to arrive in Paris for a work arrangement that I have for several weeks.
So, we'll see plenty of Paris, and we'll also get an opportunity to see Normandy as part of my work trip.
But is there a region of France where it would be good to spend 3-4 days with my boys? On a previous trip, we spent some time in Aix-en-Provence and saw Pont du Gard, Arles, and Les Baux (all wonderful!). I'm interested in having us explore a different part.
Of note: we don't necessarily need to go from London to France — we could fly to Portugal or Switzerland or somewhere else instead — but, with only 3-4 days, it seems like a low-cost flight to France makes the most sense. We would rent a car for a few days, then take a train to Paris on July 13.
Some of my ideas thus far:
go to the World War I trenches and related sites in that area
find castles to visit (recommendations on particular sites and regions?)
go to Nice for the sun and sand for a few days, and a chance to see Monaco as well (though is that area too pricey?)
go to Carcassonne to see the castle and explore that region
Thanks for whatever recommendations you might have!