My family and I are planning to go to France in mid June for 13 days. My husband and I will be traveling with my elderly fit mom and our 10 year old son. We will not be renting a car therefore we are limited to getting around by foot or public transportation. I have read that the train system is excellent.
Someone told me that Parc Asterix is designed for younger kids. Is that right?
My husband would like to visit Normandy and visit the historic D-Day beaches.
We will definitely go to the Eiffel Tower, Notre Dame, and Louvre. Any input on itinerary suggestions by public transport would be greatly appreciated. We would like to visit other cities. Merci
Posted by
35 posts
Any itinerary and suggestions will depend on your "elderly fit mom" and "10 year old son"'s interests and activity level. You have lots planned out already. Your son interested in Normandy and D-Day? Paris is easy to get around with public transport. Easy to navigate and learn how to go by Metro. When we traveled to Paris with my teenage daughter the Musee Rodin was a highlight and doable for her interest level. The Louvre was enormous to do in a day, obviously. The Jardin du Luxembourg was also a nice day near St. Germaine to spend time there.
When my daughter visited Paris as a teenager I did a scavenger hunt for the Louvre and the Rodin museum. Not too hard to find on line, but I made it myself with the major works of art. The museum website tells which room the artwork can be found(to give you hints) and a little history of the artist. We were able to hit the highlights without exhaustion. We also did a form of scavenger hunt like "challenge" to find the best crepe, best chocolate chaud. That might appeal if they have foodie/culinary interests.
Rick Steves website has great access to intineray ideas : https://www.ricksteves.com/europe/france/paris . Click the + Next to Ata Glance and Plan for great recommendations. Many YouTubers have Vlogs for getting into museums, etc. Your 10 yr.old can find it easily.
Posted by
France Southwest
2579 posts
Parc Asterix is a very popular amusement park in France with 3 million visitors in 2024, Asterix & Obelix are in France what Mickey & Donald are in the USA.
It is suitable for all generations, from children to grandmothers. I remember that my 75-year-old parents had as much fun as my 15-year-old son.
Posted by
Downingtown, USA
2506 posts
A trip to Bayeau for a Normandy visit is super easy by train and then you can take a tour from Bayeau to Normandy but I would check asap to see if any tours have opening as June is a busy time there. We did this trip.in 2023 and going again this April.all by public transport.
Posted by
Bellingham, WA
612 posts
I suggest going up the Montparnasse Tower instead of Eiffel. Better views of the city and (maybe) less crowded. Also, the combination of Giverny (very easy to do by train and bus) and the Orangerie is much more accessible for a tween than the Louvre.
Posted by
Chicago
8760 posts
What does the child dream of Paris. I'll bet it isn't going up the Montparnasse Tower 'for the view' -- the joy of the ET is being on the top when you are a kid. Took a 12 year old there a couple of years ago and it was the highlight of the trip -- that and our trip to Nantes to see ride the elephant and visit the Marine Carousel.
Posted by
OP
France
4 posts
The scavenger hunt is a great idea. I'll give that a try.
I would rather go to Parc Asterix not Disneyland. We are in France after all.
Thank you for the link on the Rick Steves' website - much appreciated.
Thank you everyone for all the suggestions and comments. All of us, inclusing my elderly fit mom and my 10 year old son, can walk at least 1 hour or more non stop.
Thank you and if you think of anything else please let me know.
Posted by
Boston
224 posts
I'm going to throw out a radical reply here: How about if Dad and son go to Normandy together and you and Mom do something the guys would have no interest in, for example: shopping, a cooking class or the Dior gallerie. The guys might even do an overnight to Normandy.
It would put some space in the 13 days of togetherness and everyone gets to do something they enjoy.
Posted by
Chicago
8760 posts
splitting up occasionally is a great idea.
When I took the 12 year old grandchild the absolute highlight of the trip was our day trip to Nantes. Pretty little city with good transport and restaurants and the amazing les Machine de Ile -- a workshop making automatons of animals, the marine carousel and the giant elephant. This was an earlier trip my husband and I took -- our grandchild saw this and asked to go and it was a magnificent day for the two of us:
https://janettravels.wordpress.com/2019/09/13/les-machines-de-lile-nantes/
If you do this be sure the carousel is running for riders (some times it is observation only) and that the elephant is scheduled to walk -- and get elephant tickets ahead of time. It does not run every day.
Lyon is an interesting nearby city and exploring the 'traboules' -- the covered passages and courtyards left from the days of the silk trade is fun.
But Paris has great transportation and a couple dozen great day trips -- you could get an apartment and base there and then do day trips to chateaux, medieval towns, Monet's gardens at Giverny, and so forth.
https://janettravels.wordpress.com/category/day-trips-from-paris/
Posted by
25 posts
This is easy: Puy du Fou theme Park. This rivals Disneyland Paris in size and quality. I spent a full day there in 2028 and loved it.
Since you are already headed to Normandy, this theme park is near the city of Nantes. Their website explains how to get nearby by TGV train then shuttle bus to the park.
https://www.puydufou.com/france/en/must-see-france
This park features huge outdoor shows but not amusement park rides. It takes 1 1/2 days to see everything. I would recommend staying in one of their hotels since the park is in a rural area.