Hello,
I am new to this forum but not to Rick Steves guides. I first went to Cinque Terre in '95 based on his guide's rec. I am now planning a trip with my husband and two kids (who will be ages 9 & 5 on our trip). We will be in Europe mid-June to early July. After being in Ireland for a week, we will fly to France for 10 nights. We will fly home from Brussels (staying there 2-3 nights). I think we will skip Paris on this trip, since I've been there a few times and want to see more of the countryside. So far, I've booked 3 nights in an airbnb in Antibes. Plan to do the Picasso Museum, Villefranche Sur Mer, Èze, and relax on the beach after a week tooling around Ireland. We will fly into Nice. Any other must sees? I've already been to and plan to skip Cannes, Nice and Monaco. Thinking we'll rent our car in Antibes or Nice at the end of that 3 night stay. Then we are on to Provence. Tentatively thinking Saint Remy for our base. I'd like to see Gordes, Nimes, Rousillion, Lourmarin, Pont du Gard... That's a lot to see, but is there anything you'd add or skip? If you had to choose one, would you choose Nimes or Arles with kids? Trying to keep the kids entertained and I'm sure they'll get road weary. Thinking 5 nights for Provence. Then on to Alsace for 3 nights (since we need to make our way up to Brussels) and then Brussels for 2 nights (maybe Bruges but I've been there 3 times so we can skip if tired from all the travel) and fly home. Is there a well-located hotel, airbnb or house rental (with pool) in Provence that anyone would recommend?
Posted by
San Carlos, CA, USA
393 posts
Sorry, I'm not really answering your questions, but if you do stay in St. Remy, you should go eat at a place called La Gousse d'Ail. It has good food but it's the decor that your kids will like. It is a in an old house and garage and is decorated with vintage toys and other oddities. Definitely quirky, but entertaining and the food is very good. No website, but here is a TripAdvisor link:
https://www.tripadvisor.com/Restaurant_Review-g187256-d1140711-Reviews-La_gousse_d_ail-Saint_Remy_de_Provence_Bouches_du_Rhone_Provence_Alpes_Cote_d_Azu.html
Posted by
OP
7 posts
Thanks for the restaurant rec, Kathy! That sounds fun.
Posted by
San Carlos, CA, USA
393 posts
Sorry, I guess I didn't read all the way to the end of your post where you asked for hotel recs. We stayed at Hotel Sous les Figuiers in St. Remy and loved it. It is a few blocks from the town center and is in a lovely, shady setting with a pool and plenty of secured parking. There is a shady fig garden in the back, which you would enjoy in July! The breakfasts are wonderful with homemade breads and jams, etc. Very friendly owners who speak English. We would stay there again if we go back. I checked the website and looks like they are not taking reservations for next year at this time--too early.
http://www.hotelsouslesfiguiers.com/home/
St. Remy has a great market day on Wednesdays and, I think also on Saturdays.
Good Luck!
Posted by
OP
7 posts
Thanks for the helpful info! Do you think four nights will be enough for seeing Gordes, St. Remy, Nimes and Pont du Gard? I suspect we will need to spend some time playing in the pool with the kids, too. Any other towns you'd highly recommend?
Posted by
OP
7 posts
Also plan to see Les Baux
Posted by
Portsmouth
5542 posts
We spent 10 days just outside of Nice this summer in an AirBnB three bedroomed house with a pool. We have two boys, 12 and 10, both of whom loved having the pool (we all did because it was so hot in August). Our eldest is very interested in history so he enjoyed walking around the old towns but my youngest felt quite bored. Art galleries were definitely out and I suspect your kids will view them with the same contempt that ours do.
South of France in the summer with two young children and particularly after a visit to Ireland definitely requires a lot of water time whether it's the sea or a pool however the sea will still be on the chilly side at that time of the year.
Posted by
Somerville, MA
653 posts
I spent 7 nights in Provence with my 5 and 9 year old in 2015. They enjoyed it, but not as much as other french regions. I can send you more info if you like.
. Matt
Posted by
Los Angeles
1825 posts
Have bathing suits and towels when you visit the Pont du Gard. With the museum and beach, it will take a good part of the day.
Posted by
Myrtle Beach, USA
12315 posts
I stayed in Arles after looking at St. Remy. I found better options in Arles for Airbnb apartments. After visiting the two, I liked Arles much better - both the town and the sights. I thought St. Remy would be more central, but they're all fairly convenient.
Nimes is a nice visit (also more to see than St. Remy even if Glanum is included as part of St. Remy). I didn't think it had enough, for me, to make it a base.
Posted by
OP
7 posts
Thank you for all your tips! Matt, what regions did your kids prefer? I thought Provence would be interesting because of all the Roman history. After 4 or 5 nights in Provence, I've been debating between Paris and the Alsace region for the next 3-4 nights. I do love Paris but I've been there a few times. Alsace, with the cute towns and canals and the museum in Colmar, looks appealing. But after touring Ireland, Antibes and Provence, will we be happier in a large city for a few days? I really wanted to do Dordogne, but it's just too far for us, given our flight home from Brussels. Annecy also looks gorgeous but is too far.
Posted by
Somerville, MA
653 posts
Hi - below are the trip reports from our 2, 3.5 week trips in 2015 (when my girls were 5 and 9) and 2017 (7 and 11):
My daughters preferred places where they could swim, explore caves, and be on mountains. Below are their regional rankings. We had a pool in Provence and they enjoyed going to Stes Maries and the Carriers Lumieres but found the Roman towns/sites boring. Ditto for Druid sites.
- Dordogne (Beynac)
- Alps (Annecy and Chamonix)
- Catalonia (Collioure)
- Northern Brittany (Dinan)
- Loire (Farm near Amboise)
- Foix/Pyrennees (Foix)
- Provence (Tarascon, which is near St Remy)
- Southern Brittany (Baden)
-Matt
Posted by
OP
7 posts
Hi Matt! Thank you for sharing your trip reports and rankings! That's very helpful. I do wish we could do the Dordogne. I guess that will be on our next trip. The flying home from Brussels makes it more challenging to do that more remote area. Plus, my five year old freaked out last time we tried to take her into a cave, so not sure that would be her thing. We wanted to also go to Annecy, but decided that, since we live in Colorado, mountain activities aren't as high on our list. Since South of France is high on my husband's list, Provence just makes more sense. Now I just need to decide between Paris or Alsace (Colmar and the nearby towns) for 3 or 4 nights. I keep going back and forth on that. Thinking we might be ready for a big city after all the small town touring. But Alsace looks so charming.