Your must see in France ?

My suggestion would be Brittany and Normandy. WWII history (beyond the usually recommended, I love Arromanches for the nice beach with views of the remnants of the artificial harbor and the small, easily accessible museum right next to it), quaint and medieval villages and towns (Dinan, Honfleur, Dinard, Locronan, Saint Malo), Beaches, stunning scenery (Etretat etc.). I would also try to get to Giverny if you haven't done it. Kids would love it.

Caveat: I do not have children.

Since this is a summer trip, I'd tilt heavily toward Normandy and Brittany. And I think Nantes' Machines de l'Ile would be very appealing. The far south (most certainly including Toulouse and the nearby Albi) can be very, very hot. I think Lyon might also be quite warm.

I have not researched midsummer weather in the Dordogne. During my visit (early June) it was rather overcast and rainy, and not particularly hot. If the weather stats seem not too bad, I'd recommend spending part of your time down there. The area has a lot that I think would appeal to a family with a car--prehistoric caves, canoeing, walking.

Make sure you include a visit to Nantes; it really is fun and perfect for kids:
https://janettravels.wordpress.com/2019/09/13/les-machines-de-lile-nantes/
Be sure to book the elephant ride tickets in advance if you want to do that; you can actually appreciate it better from the ground, but it is sort of cool to also make the trip on the elephant. The Carrousel is amazing. We hope to bring our granddaughter in the spring. Nantes also has a Jules Verne Museum and is a nice little town with free access to the ramparts of the castle and an interesting Cathedral and compact town square.

The Dordogne with kayaking the Dordogne river past chateaux and towns is pretty amazing. The neolithic monuments at Carnac are also something to include if you decide on Brittany.

I would recommend the Dordogne for kids. Has a lot of interesting caves and castles along with magnificent scenery. You can fly into Bordeaux and be in the Dordogne in a couple of hours. This area has a mix of cities, towns and villages. I would suggest researching the Dordogne on the internet and you will see many options of sites.

Depending on where you wind up going, if you can fit in Guedelon in going or coming I think this would be fun for the kids. I really enjoyed my visit here on an RS tour a few years ago and thought at the time it would be perfect for kiddos.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gu%C3%A9delon_Castle

I agree with the suggestions above as well - loved Brittany, especially the Alignments at Carnac. Also enjoyed Pointe du Raz with all the local signs saying "last stop before Canada", lol. Saint-Malo was quite interesting. The tidal changes were fascinating to me altho it might not be much if you've seen them at Fundy. It also was the home port for Jacques Cartier. His father and maybe uncles were fishermen who used to travel to the Grand Banks to fish. Unbelievable to me how they traveled that distance in small fishing boats. Samuel Champlain is connected to Honfleur (Normandy) which is a cute small port town and of course the Canadian landing beaches near Arromanches.

Oh yes, didn't make the connection! Arromanches is the "Canadian", Gold Beach.

EDITED TO ADD: We went to Brittany and Normandy via Chartres. We took a train and then picked up the car in Chartres. The cathedral is stunning and there is a light show on many of the buildings in the town including the Cathedral. I think kids would love that I also thought the little town was cute, especially along the river below the cathedral.

If you want a palace type experience while in Paris, consider Fontainbleu over insanely busy Versailles.

I'll second the Dordogne. The Prehistoric Caves, canoeing on the Dordogne and some of the castles.

I would suggest some time perhaps in Lille, or Arras which could have some trips to include Vimy Ridge and some of the Somme.

With Vimy being so important to Canadian and Quebec history, I would think some time in those towns would be wonderful for your kids. You could even pop over to Ypres, or drive up to Dunkirk and Calais.

I am jealous for your kids and this opportunity! We are heading to see Vimy in a few weeks, and I have heard that the memorial and the museum that Canada has created there is top-notch. I grew up in the Eastern Townships, and WWI took the lives of so many Quebecois--English and French. Being able to see Canada's first monument that didn't have to be approved by England is very important.

Have a great trip!

Have to say that I have it from hearing it seems that Puy du Fou is one of the best and most popular themeparks in France (still on my list for a visit). There are all kinds of historical shows, Roman, Viking, medieval and so on, to see them all you have to arrive early. The park is an hour driving south-east of Nantes. https://www.puydufou.com/en?language_content_entity=en

July and August, especially the latter means high season in France and if you visit Nantes for Les Machines de l’Île you can stay also in La Baule-Escoublac, one of the best beaches along the Atlantic Coast. Nearby Guérande is a lovely historical place still having it’s medieval walls and Le Croisic is well-known for it’s seafood restaurants, so good surroundings for relaxing. As already said it will be high season so book a place there as early as possible, especially in August. Be aware it can be really hot that time of the year, especially more inland so it will make sense including places to stay along the coast in your planning.

Definitely consider Annecy in your plans - you will not be disappointed.

I would do Annecy and Chamonix,great scenery and gondola at Chamonix,the best that I have been on.The Lake and towns surrounding the lake at Annecy.
Mike

Seeing as you are from Montreal I am thinking your ancestry is probably from the southern Normandie/Perche area. In the village of Tourloure, there is a couple of museums. One I believe (I am just planning my trip for November) is the sister to the one in Quebec Province for the founders of Canada. My ancestors were married in La Ventrouze and the church is still there. We are staying at the Chateau de Blavou for a couple nights were we are having a chef made dinner and I'm taking a cooking course on making bread...he offers other classes as well.

I just returned from three weeks in France. Here’s my trip report if you would like to see details:

https://community.ricksteves.com/travel-forum/trip-reports/our-combined-solo-couple-vacation-in-france-2019

Other locations we’ve enjoyed are Lyon ( kids would probably like the funicular, traboules and Roman Gallo museum), Annecy (we rented a boat and bikes), Avignon with Pont du Gard (rent canoes!) and Nimes, Carcassone and Normandy Beach.

Hi !
thanks to everyone for those ideas/answers/suggestions !

Many people seem to think that Dordogne is great with kids but we cant see why. Beside renting a canoe we dont see what is special for the family there.

I dont think we will go as far as the Somme this time even if everything linked to history od Canada is a big draw fore me (i'm an history teacher)

We are now thinking of leaving mountain for another trip, tough choices. Maybe, in 32 days, we could do Paris, Normandy, Brittany, Nantes, Dordogne, Auvergne and Provence (4-5 days each region).

Have you watched the Rick Steves videos? You can find the tv shows right here on the website. He does have one that covers Dordogne. It might be fun for you and the kids to watch some of the shows to see what sparks the kids' interest. I love France and have been a few times, I think from my visits and my knowledge from travel research, that you've discovered and people have directed you to places that you and your kids will absolutely love.

Since you are from Canada, visit Juno Beach, which was the Canadian beach. Also, there is a Commonwealth cemetery in Reviers named Beny Sur Mer that has mostly Canadian graves. I was there recently and the most common age I found on the grave markers was 19. The beach and cemetery would be an excellent educational experience for the kids.

For the quaint village, Bayeux fits the bill. It is one of my favorite towns in the world.

Dordogne....prehistoric caves, river kayaking, lots of castles, flocks of geese crossing the small roads (they are a hoot!), cliffs and valleys, hot air balloon rides.....there is a lot to do in the Dordogne region/Perigord Noir. We plan on taking our kids and grandkids for a week there (renting a gite with a pool) in June 2021 to celebrate our 50th wedding anniversary. Our grandkids will be 7 and 10 by then and they will enjoy all the battle stories and castles and cave explorations, plus the beautiful rivers. I love it there. Golden Sarlat-le-Caneda, rose-red Albi, Cahors, Beynac are just a few of the beautiful towns to explore. The tastiness of the food of that region goes without saying.

Normandy and Brittany would be good. Bretagne has the dolmen and standing stones, the colorful culture and language of the Bretons (similar to Welsh, Irish and Scots), sweeping sea views and a maritime culture. The battles of WW II and all the history available in Normandy speak for themselves.
Just don't shortchange the kids by doing things you can do at home. At 8 and 11 (the age we first took our own children to France), we were pleasantly surprised by how much they enjoyed France, even the museums! (Of course, we didn't overdo the art museums). They also liked seeing how the everyday things of life were somewhat different than at home, and still talk about that trip 30 years later. They have been back since, more than once and I like to think that first trip whetted their appetite for further exploration of France!

Amusez-vous bien et bon voyage!