My wife, our girls (4yo and 2yo) and I are going to France for 8 days/nights in mid-October.
Our current itinerary options are:
- Paris -> Normandy -> Loire
- Paris -> Provence -> Paris
We'll drive if we stay up north, and ideally train/drive if we head south.
Our primary concern is the weather (rain mostly). The second is keeping the kids moving but not running them, or us, down. Any other ideas for a fun circular 5/6 day road trip from Paris?
When I did the northern route in mid-October two years ago, we had great weather in Paris and then a couple of partial days with rain. On the beaches of Normandy, the rain was not heavy but the wind was strong, so a rain/wind-proof jacket was more useful than an umbrella. It might have been raining in the whole country but I don't recall. The average number of days without rain in October (from p. 1120 of Rick's France) is 18 days in Paris and 23 in Nice.
I think Mont St Michel and the fairytale chateaux of the Loire would be more appealing for your 2 girls (princesses). The romance and food of Provence more appreciated by us 'oldies'.
Even though the weather might be cooler (but maybe not) I would opt for the north and keep the car with the kids. With trains you are on a schedule, and traveling with children it is often hard to keep to that. With the car, you can change your plans at the last moment, and stay someplace longer when the kids are entertained. I agree with the castles and Mt. St. Michel....
I had great weather in Normandy and Paris in Nov... just plan for variable temperatures.
Thanks for the great feedback, and the PM suggesting Burgundy as an option (neither of us has been).
We agree that the girls will probably eat up the Loire, it is our first pick. Normandy seems a bit more iffy with the weather in the fall, but it is great to hear the good reports. Provence does seem too far in our timeframe. Outside of some last minute terrible forecast I think we'll be doing the northern route!
Il faut nous souhiter "du courage" :)
Peace,
Tom
