U.S. family of 6 first Europe trip - 10 days in Paris, Provence, Paris - itinerary review?

Just two suggestions.

One, as you are staying near St Remy and plan to go to the market the day you have to go to Arles consider what most appeals to you there. If Roman ruins I might suggest you look into Glanum near St Remy, a whole city they have uncovered. It is about 1 mile south of SR. If Van Gogh I might suggest you look into the St Paul asylum he stayed in and painted from they have a room made up like his and other interesting things from his time there and the walk you can take from SR to there about 1 mile sign posted with plackards of his paintings showing where he painted them. Glanum is just next to St Paul. If you want to drive from SR you can park in a very large outdoor lot across the road from both.

Two, for what day to go to Les Baux you might watch their calendar as they do have on certain days demonstrations of things like catapult or things you can try yourself like cross bow.

Enjoy the planning!

There’s a direct train from CDG to Avignon Tgv (3h): https://www.sncf-connect.com/. From Avignon Tgv take a taxi to where you’re staying. Sleep in Paris at the end of your trip. This way you only have to settle in twice not three times which is never fun.

Overall looks good, and as a former boy myself I think they’ll have blast :)

I think some of your Provence sights should be rejiggered slightly:
I think your boys will find Les Baux immensely cool, and will want to take some time exploring. They did a full-size trebuchet demonstration when I was there, amazing.
Orange is just the theatre. Isle-Sur-Sorgue is simply a lovely little town. A full day planning for either of these is excessive.
Arles is a whole town with a lot to see. If you were going to plan a full day to a town in Provence, Arles is the one. Aside from the amphitheater and ruins, the Roman museum is quite good. The museum is right-sized, wonderfully air conditioned, and packed with dioramas. The French seem to excel at making things in miniature.

Back in Paris: The Champs-Elysees is big nothing. It’s a big, ugly, noisy street packed with chain stores and miserable tourists, and it goes on FOREVER. Stroll somewhere, anywhere else. Check museum hours for the Orsay. If it’s just as easy to see it on Monday versus Sunday then do that. The Louvre steals the “huge crowded museum” headline, but the Orsay is also huge and crowded. Both those museums can break you if you’re not careful. If you don’t have the appetite for that kind of intensity, the Orangerie is perfect. Small, amazing paintings, and often passed by the tourist hordes.

With all that, it feels like you’re not all that sure what to do on Sun/Mon. If the weather is nice, nothing beats Luxembourg Gardens, and exploring any of Paris’ parks is a great experience. There’s always cool architectural elements, mini gardens, or statues to find. Napoleon’s tomb and the Army Museum are another thing I think blow the kids’ minds. Maybe Pere Lachaise? Or just get out and explore Paris some more. I just hate the idea of you going back to the Eiffel Tower for lack of ideas.

Finally, I think you have to pick Versailles or Giverny. I think it would take some superhuman effort to see both on your last full day. I would pick Versailles without hesitation.

OuiOuiToParis,
One suggestion...on your Monday, after the Eiffel Tower, it is not too far a walk to the Invalides. Besides Napoleon's Tomb there, it is a military museum with lots of suits of armor and weapons, old and older. It should be a kick for the boys. And if you want to pick up or prepare a lunch, you could enjoy a picnic on the Champs de Mars after the Eiffel Tower and before the Invalides. Another memory for the family!

OuiOuiToParis,
awrzesinski's comments are spot on re. the Champs Elysee, Orange, Isle-sur-la-Sorgue and Arles. Also, trying to see Giverny and Versailles in one day is not worth it. You won't do justice to either. I, also, would pick Versailles. The boys will probably be wowed by all the gilt and gold. Our kids were when 8 and 10. Plus the grounds there are so impressive!

Thank you all so much for your input!

MaryPat - your suggestion is what I originally planned - hopping onto the TGV when we land at CDG. I switched it up because I was worried about such a long day of travel - but we’ve reviewed some options today, and I think it’s going to be better and more relaxing to spend days 1-5 in Provence and days 6-11 in Paris.

So I booked a new apartment in Marais for the Paris stint, and I’m reworking the itinerary now with these suggestions in mind. Will post a new one soon. Thank you again - my sons are super excited (as are the grown ups of course!)

OuiOuitoParis,

Ah, such an exciting trip! The kids will love it. We took our three boys (9, 7, 4) to Europe this summer and it was so fun to travel with them. One trick that made our days easier was to always have a pbj/granola bar/piece of chocolate at the ready because they NEVER failed to be hungry as we were headed somewhere new!

In Paris, a favorite place is Saint Chapelle. It is a beautiful chapel close to Notre Dame and not to be missed! Napoleon’s tomb and the military museum are very interesting as others have mentioned. The Cluny Museum has all kinds of interesting things to look at (statues unearthed from backyards, tapestries, cool architecture), and isn’t as overwhelming as the Louvre.

So I just returned from France yesterday. A week in Provence and a week in Paris going to the Olympics. I have boys aged 12 and 16. Here is what they loved:

Provence-
Swimming at the Pont du Gard. Take a picnic and a towel and wear your suit or change in the bathroom, which is part of the courtyard you walk through, no need to pay. Parking was 9 euros. We actually ended up skipping the museum and watched a video about the site on youtube on the drive over. Swimming with all the locals under the aqueduct was my favorite afternoon of the trip. You can do a one way kayak/canoe trip if you'd like.

LUMA art tower in Arles. Lots of interactive art installations and a slide!

Afternoons swimming in the giant pool at our B&B (Mas Petit Fourchon) followed by late dinners in Arles.

The arena in Nimes.

Paris-
E-Bike rentals. My 12 year old was ecstatic about this. He made us do it 3 times and he and my husband went all over town, including up to Montmartre.

Thrift shopping near the Marais. They loved looking through the racks and racks of European football jerseys.

Going to a football game (ok I realize it was the Olympics, but they would have wanted to go a club game if we were there at a different time)

Things they were said were "mid" (Their words,not mine)

Les Baux - Maybe because it was late in the day, or because we had been to the Luberon, but not a whole lot going on there.

Avignon - It was really hot that day so it didn't help, but it didn't seem as charming as the smaller towns or even Arles.

***I can tell you from just coming straight off this trip, you are doing a lot per day. I would plan one outing early and then leave time for swimming, relaxing with tablets/phones etc or you are going to see their enthusiasm lag. The perfect day for us was an outing after breakfast, rest/swim in the afternoon, and then back at it in the evening. We managed around 20k steps per day even with that.

I took my 12-year-old to Giverny in September and then to the Orangerie the following December. One ticket for both admissions. We sat in front of the Water Lilies and looked back at our photos from Giverny, which included one of my favorite photos of him (dappled light on his beautiful blue eyes). I think this made the art more meaningful for him. Both places are beautiful, calm places that we both enjoyed being in. I did not take him to the Louvre because OMG so many people.
We did a day trip to Arles from Avignon (where were "sur le pont" all alone for several minutes) and searched for the easels of Van Gogh paintings positioned by their subjects. Very cool.
One thing I regret missing in the South of France was the flamingos in the Camargue. We did see them from the train, but this is on my list for next time.
Go up the Montparnasse Tower for a great view of Paris (made better by the fact that it doesn't include the Montparnasse Tower, as they say).

I’m so grateful to everyone for your suggestions! I’ve done more research and made some changes. As I mentioned, I did tweak our trip AirBnB reservations based on initial suggestions. Here is where we are currently:

Day 1, Sunday: arrive CDG at 10 am, hop on TGV to Avignon, rent car, drive to villa in Noves, relax
Day 2, Monday: Arles, time for pool
Day 3, Tues: Pont du Gard, time for pool, private chef?
Day 4, Wed: St. Remy for market/sightseeing, possibly Les Baux
Day 5, Thurs: Avignon, time for pool, pack
Day 6, Fri: Drop car at Avignon TGV early AM, hop train to Paris, go to apartment in Marais (Rue du Perche near Picasso Museum) - I would love to do evening visit at Louvre (Google maps says 30 min walk, which is fine) *this is the part of our plan I’m most unsure of, but I really want to fit the Louvre in versus planning around it given the 4 young kids and our other plans, but I think evening visit may be our best bet).
Day 7, Sat: Versailles. We will pay for convenience here if possible.
Day 8, Sun: Pro photos at Eiffel Tower (friend referral, her photos were gorgeous), Orsay + Army Museum + Napoleon
Day 9, Mon: Opera Garnier + Orangerie
Day 10, Tues: Notre Dame, St. Chapelle (would love to see concert), Seine River cruise (is this waste of money with young kids/ a few picky eaters?)
Day 11: CDG airport 10 am, fly home

I would be so grateful for any other tips/thoughts. We’re excited!!

With your new plan, to me Day 8 is too much. Even if you do the Orsay first thing then have photos and then go to the Army Museum. I'd probably save the Orsay for another time. Both of these museums are huge. Orsay is pretty crowded, the Army Museum is not. IF you wanted a smaller museum along with the Army Museum, consider the Rodin Museum which is right across the street from the Army Museum. His huge works including the Thinker are positioned in the garden and just lovely. They also have a little ice cream kiosk so you can sit in the garden with something cool.

As you walk from the Eiffel Tower to the Army Museum, walk the whole length of the Champs de Mars to Avenue de la Motte-Picquet, then take a left on Motte-Picquet to the entrance of the Army Museum - main gate is facing North where I've got it marked on here.

https://maps.app.goo.gl/czQW7iJwoktQY14q9

On the way you can see:
- The Champ de Mars where French military held drills.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Champ_de_Mars
-The Ecole Militaire where Napoleon was a cadet in 1784.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/%C3%89cole_militaire
- Cafe Max (on the left almost to the end of the street - Interesting connection to WWII as it was situated between the Ecole Militaire and Les Invalides both of which had German troops billeted in them.

https://www.sortiraparis.com/en/where-to-eat-in-paris/restaurant/articles/282172-cafe-max-generous-french-cuisine-in-this-resistance-stronghold

To me this short walk epitomizes what Paris is about....layers of history hidden under buildings and spaces that are current in their usage!

If you want to stop for picnic sandwiches, I like the bakery/patisserie on Avenue de la Motte-Picquet called Bretteau Sebastien. There is a small park on the edge of Les Invalides just where Avenue Motte-P ends. Not the park where the Metro entrances are, but across the street and right beside the wall to Les Invalides. There are also tons of restaurants if you want a sit down lunch.

Lots of great input from others already, especially the guidance to go right from cdg. We did a week in Provence when our kids were 5 and 9. Biggest hits were the art cave in Les Baux, the bull games in Arles and the Ochre trails walk in Roussillon.

Least liked was the Roman ruins at Vaison la Romain.

Only other advice is to be aware that there’s mosquitoes. Our house rental (Tarascon) was unbearable to be outside in July because of them.

I want to say thank you to Oui Oui for the question and all of your tips! I plan to be in Paris in May.
Is there a way (a button I don't see) that I can be sure to see all posts on this thread?

I’m glad this thread is helping others too!

We had an opportunity to cancel our initial flights (with one connection) and rebook a direct option with Air France from Orlando to CDG, so we made slight tweaks:

Day 1 is now Saturday, 5/31 - we arrive around 1:30 pm. We are planning to take the RER train into Paris that afternoon, to a station as close as we can get to Boulevard de Sebastopol in Le Marais (suggestions here would be much appreciated, I haven’t figured out our best option yet). We’ve booked one night at an Airbnb so we can get our bearings, possibly hop a Batobus to see some sights, and generally stay awake until 8 pm or so. I want to avoid jet lag being an ongoing issue for my crew as much as possible.

Day 2 (Sunday, 6/1) - TGV train from Gare de Lyon to Avignon leaving around 12:30 pm. Will need to check out of our place by 11, so maybe we will try out a cafe or bakery that morning, but otherwise, we’re headed to the train station. Is Le Train Bleu worth it or a tourist trap? It does look beautiful and would be a nice stopping point before we board the train, but not sure if it makes sense. We will get into Avignon around 3:15 - rent a car, drive to Noves (Google maps says about 20 minutes), and just get settled in and enjoy the pool.

Day 3 (Monday, 6/2) - Arles. We will get a Pass Liberté and follow Rick Steves self guided walk. I think a stop at LUMA would be worthwhile. Relax later in the day.

Day 4 (Tuesday 6/3) - Pont du Gard. Swim, lunch, explore. Relax later in the day. Maybe get a private chef at the house? I’m a bit worried about dinners at this villa - I think the boys might be surviving on chips and snacks the first few days!

Day 5 (Wednesday, 6/4) - St. Rémy & Les Baux. I want to see the market and enjoy the little towns, and hopefully catch a cool demonstration and/or check out the museum. Again, pool later in the day (Provence has a theme). Someone else mentioned mosquitos - are they awful in early June? I thought Florida was bad for bugs - is it going to be… worse?

Day 6 (Thursday, 6/5) - Avignon. I hear there is a cool Pokemon Go-type game at the Palace of the Popes for kids. I’m just here to see the palace and stroll the town at this point. Relax and pack up in the afternoon and evening.

Day 7 (Friday, 6/6) - Avignon TGV to Gare de Lyon Paris. Train leaves at 12:30 and arrives at 3:20. Metro to our Airbnb on Rue de Perche in Le Marais. Explore Marais in the afternoon and evening. I considered a Louvre evening tour but I’m rethinking it now.

Day 8 (Saturday, 6/7) - Versailles. We’ve booked a small group (18 pp max) full day tour with Paris Webservices. Pickup around 8:45, “home” by 5. Super excited about this.

Day 9 (Sunday, 6/8) - Strolling. Opera Garnier, Orangerie, Tuileries. Maybe rent bikes?

Day 10 (Monday, 6/9) - Super early AM photos at Eiffel Tower, then strolling Rue Cler and visiting Napoleon’s Tomb, Army Museum, and Luxembourg Garden.

Day 11 (Tuesday, 6/10) - Notre Dame, Sainte-Chapelle, strolling, and maybe a Seine River cruise.

Day 12 (Wednesday, 6/11) - travel day. Checkout by 11, flight is 5 pm. Take RER after checkout to CDG and just get settled.

Open to any thoughts or suggestions again. Love this forum and it has been a wealth of knowledge while planning.

The science museums in france are amazing...for all ages. You could try this instead of the Lourvre or Orsay. https://www.cite-sciences.fr/en/home

Throwing this out there since you mentioned, Disney. Disney Paris is very manageable, affordable, and you don’t have to plan it in advance like you do in America. We literally bought tickets and showed up in the morning of and never waited in any line more than 20 minutes, about the same time of year you’ll be there. No need for obnoxious apps or fast passes or dining reservations or any of that crap. ;) The train from Central Paris deposits you literally at the park entrance. You could do it on Day 9 by moving Eiffel to day before and skipping Orsay (I think your boys will be bored by it, unless they are super knowledgeable about impressionism. Heck, my kids were bored by the Louvre at age 14/17.)

This sounds like a wonderful trip! You’ve had a lot of responses already, but here are a few thoughts:

There is a fantastic sandwich shop, Olga, across the street from Gare de Lyon. Highly recommend picking up lunch there to bring on the train with you. I think you’d be too rushed to enjoy Le Train Bleu, unless you were going for breakfast.

If you have time while in Arles, check out Les Alyscamps, just outside of the old walls. It’s not on Rick’s walking tour but is included with the tourist pass. Also, double check hours, as some things could be closed on a Monday.

Avignon has a great indoor market. If you go in the morning, you could shop for ingredients for a picnic lunch, and then take that with you to the papal gardens (there are gardens that require a ticket, and others that are free, I can never remember which are which).