We two grandparents are going with our son and granddaughter, age 14, next year at Spring break, around March 30 to April 7. We are planning on Paris for about 4 nights, and trying to decide another location for about 3 of the 7 nights, not too far away from Paris. Not interested in Normandy, been there, same with Giverny. We were wondering about the Loire Valley. We would prefer not to drive, so would like to go by train or possibly a private driver, which may be exorbitant. The idea is for some variety instead of spending all the 7 nights in Paris, which of course we could do with plenty to occupy ourselves. With our teenager, we are not interested in a focus on food and wine, but on culture, some walking, light hiking or biking, in a pretty village . We would appreciate any ideas for itinerary.
Thanks in advance.
Posted by
Denver
842 posts
I assume that you mean all four of you have already been to Normandy and Giverny, and do not want to go again. Have you had a group conversation on what your son and granddaughter are interested in? The first time we took one daughter to France, we spent half our time in Paris and half our time (with a rental car) in the Loire Valley. It worked very well for us, as all of us enjoy castles, and provided time in the countryside, in addition to our time in Paris. We made sure to include visits to older, more defensive castles, not only the pleasure chateaux. Our daughter was interested in da Vinci's inventions, so staying in Amboise was ideal. Our daughter enjoys art, so we spent a lot of time at the Louvre and Musee d'Orsay. We had both read Victor Hugo's Hunchback of Notre Dame, so she loved going to the top of the towers and visiting Hugo's tomb at the Pantheon.
We did want our daughter to experience staying in a chateau, so we stayed outside of Amboise. It was kind of interesting, but I think we would have preferred staying IN Amboise and being able to walk around there.
Watch some French films with your son and granddaughter, to help prepare for the trip, or have lunch or dinner at a French restaurant where you live. And, I would argue, food in France is part of the culture!
Posted by
San Diego, California
6539 posts
Is there anyway you can avoid Easter- the crowds will be crazy the week before and week after .
In either case, make great family memories.
Posted by
OP
81 posts
Thank you for the replies. Unfortunately we have no flexibility as to dates because of our granddaughter’s school schedule. On previous trips to Rome and Venice also at Easter week, also Greece, we surprisingly did not find the crowds too bad. So we hope for the best.
I appreciate the information re the Loire Valley. We really hope to get along without a renting a car so that limits our choices somewhat. We are hoping to find a pretty small town, much research needed for this, where we can arrive by train and get around mostly on foot or brief cab rides.
I agree the ideal is to prepare all this with very active participation of our grandchild, but on 4 previous grandchild trips with kids this age (. 13-14), we found they were so busy and distracted with their many teenager activities etc, that they really started to tune in about a day before, or in one instance, on the plane! So we do a lot of early prep and allow so time for spontaneous stuff where practical. Our granddaughter has said for years that her pick is Paris, so we are on the right track.
Thanks again for taking time to respond.
Posted by
Washington DC
88 posts
We stayed in Amboise with our teenager (then 16) and really enjoyed it. We took the TGV to Saint Pierre des Corps and rented a car there (Amboise is ~20 minutes away), but if you don't want to rent a car at all, there are other options to get to town. Once there, there are various tours that could take you to some of the chateaux.
Posted by
1297 posts
First I would have a family get together to discuss where everyone wants to go and see.
Many on the forum like to take the TGV to Strasbourg/Colmar and spend a few days and Lyon.
How special for you, your son and granddaughter.
Posted by
Chicago
1673 posts
If you like the Loire idea, there is enough in Amboise for a very full day or longer - Chateau Royale, DaVinci Château du Clos Lucé, Chateau Gallard, the town itself. Blois is easily reached by train- chateau is unlike those in Amboise. Town is also interesting to explore. Chenonceau can also be reached easily by train. Chambord by train and bus or taxi or Uber.
There is a bike rental place right on the river in central Amboise. I did see a serious bike accident there last fall….
There are also day tours that pick up in Amboise going to multiple spots. Take a look at Acc-Dispo.
Tours is also a great spot for exploring the chateaux I mentioned above. Same train lines as Amboise or even more direct. Acco-Dispo operates out of Tours also.