Itinerary help with teenager Paris and more

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!

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.

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.

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.

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.

The plans for our trip of 4 family members for Paris and Normandy in the week before Easter, 2026, are taking shape . ( yes, I know, this is the only week our son and granddaughter can travel).
Looking for specific hotel suggestions for both Paris ( prefer Left Bank), and for 2 nights in Bayeaux. The hotels can be 2 star and above if recommended by someone with recent experience , but we do need two rooms, each with twin beds.
Can anyone recommend hotels, to help us pare down the thousands of possibilities and reviews?
Thanks in advance.

When we visit Paris, we always stay at the Hôtel Lenox Montparnasse. We were just there in mid-September and will be there again next May.

Hotel Yllen Eiffel has many rooms that will suit your needs and has an amazing breakfast and is just a few meters from a metro stop.I always took students here and it was a highlight. They've since added a star to their classification, and I've not stayed since then.

This past June after Paris we went to the Loire Valley and stayed in a chateau in Montbazon. I've read that getting around the Loire is doable without a car though time-consuming, however we rented a car in Tours like a lot of people do. A chateau stay was very comfortable and relaxing.
Over Thanksgiving last month we wanted to get out of Paris though not go far, and this time we didn't want a car. We decided on Fontainebleau, another chateau stay. Far enough away from Paris to feel like you were in the country but only an hour by train from Gare de Lyon. It worked out wonderfully.
In Fontainebleau you of course have the royal chateau, worth a couple of hours time. And perhaps for warmer months of the year the forest of Fontainebleau, and the village of Samois where Django Reinhardt lived and died. The town has a gypsy jazz festival each June--I think.

For ease, in 3-4 days available, look at the fast trains, either South into Provence and the coast, or into Belgium or the Netherlands.

Amsterdam would offer a lot, as would Ghent, and both could be gotten to in less than 4 hours by train.

My memories of traveling with a 14 year old girl is that you need to find out if there is anything she is interested in, have her do some research, and be prepared for it to be perfectly mundane. I recall just "shopping", even just sitting in the hotel room watching TV or reading, maybe going to a movie, was fine. She still suggested flying home by herself after a week and a half. We tried, she liked art, we figured out what she liked and found museums. She liked the markets, she endured most of the popular sights (My wife and I had been to most of the places we went, so were flexible), but honestly, all the fantasies and dreams you have of travel...she is mostly oblivious to. I mean really, Disneyland France would probably excite her more than the Louvre and Notre Dame.

Having a parent along might help, they could go off, while you and your wife do something else, then switch off. Not sure of the family situation, but your son should have some paperwork allowing him to take her out of the country, either a notarized letter, or evidence of sole custody.

Oops sorry. Have your plans changed away from the Loire?
In Paris I can recommend Hotel le Jardin de Verre by Locke. The property is less than a year old, situated a half-block from the Jardin des Plantes in the 5th and accessible by metro lines 7 and 5. The hotel has family rooms that consist of two adjacent bedrooms connected by a private hallway. Rooms have basic kitchenettes and washing machines. On-site restaurant and cafe. A bit on the pricy side ($300+a night even in winter) but a stylish and comfortable property. We will look at staying again next time we travel to Paris.

I'm not sure of your budget for Paris hotels, but we have enjoyed several stays over the years, staying at 3* Hotel Le Regent, in the 6th. It's convenient to walking along the Seine, Notre Dame, the Louvre, and several metro stops. We have walked to the Musee d'Orsay from there, as well.

We lived in Germany for four years and traveled a lot with teenagers. We treated them like adults and focused on historic places, art, culture, etc. They loved it as much as we did.
They did really enjoy a Seine River cruise in Paris.

My wife and I later did a Loire Valley trip for 3 days. We took the train from Paris and stayed in a hotel close to the river in Blois.

We visited several chateaux. We didn't have a car but getting there was no problem. The area in NE France is great, the Alsace region. Love Strasbourg and that area. Still, that is a bit farther from Paris than the Loire.

Thank you to the several people who took the time to reply. I am looking into some of the Paris Hotel options., at least one of which is already booked.

Yes, as one person said, my original post above is misleading, as we have now all decided on a two night stay in Normandy. And are also seeking advice as to hotels in Bayeaux.
I will make a new posting to that effect.

I would consider Chartres, just an hour away. Charming walkable town, with the famous cathedral. At night, many buildings are illuminated with the "son et lumiere" lights.

Don't stay in Bayeux, stay in Rouen. Much better city; more to do, better cathedral and museums, and still very Norman. There's no reason to visit Bayeux if you're not interested in the WWII stuff, because the Tapestry is gone.

If you don't have to stay in France I'd recommend a serious look at Trier, Germany. Easy to reach by train, and you have the entire Mosel river valley to explore at one of the best times to be there. Trier was the largest Roman city north of Rome itself until 400 ad. and it's full of Roman history. And the Mosel is easy to visit by regional train a minimum expense (see the Deutschland Ticket), easy to rent and bike (very good paths on both sides of the river), and has castles, hiking, and beautiful small towns galore. And the spring flowers should be out with hillsides covered in them.