France in Late May

Golly, Darren, I don't know where I got 8 years from. I did read your post before answering it, I swear! I take back any age-related suggestions. You know, you could spend a million dollars to rent the Chateau of Chambord for a day, complete with costumed period enactors, and the highlight for your two-year-old might be playing with the white gravel that lines the paths. I hope you have a great trip.

I think most posters will say, wait till you get to Honfleur before you rent a car; use Rick Steves guidebook to guide you.

That was our original plan, but we intend to stop at giverny enroute. Car seats are also more available in CDG.

That was our original plan, but we intend to stop at giverny enroute. Car seats are also more available in CDG.

Darren, I think you have the right idea. And, a great time of year to go! So here are some ideas. Amboise makes a nice base to see Loire chateaux, assuming that is your plan. Your 8 year old might enjoy the Clos Luce there. But there are other options as well. I just wouldn't base myself any further west, as that will add to your already lengthy trip to Burgundy. Enroute to the Loire from MSM, Fougeres makes a nice stop for lunch, and gives you a taste of a much older castle (a ruin) than the famous Loire chateaux. Gallettes and cider nearby. In Burgundy, I like Vezeley and imagine an 8 year old might too. It's a really stunning walled hill town with a famous cathedral. A stretch, but you might be able to make it there in 1 day with a stop at Guedelon. If so, sleep there and see it the next day. Spend the next 2 nights someplace else though, probably Beaune. In Provence pick a smaller town, definitely not Avignon. St. Remy is mentioned here a lot and it's very nice, but you have a lot of options with a car. So many things to see and do in Provence I can't really advise you better than you could plan for yourself. Will you be in Provence for Transhumance? The smaller towns do a sort of running-of-the-sheep thing that is a lot of fun. It's around May 25 this year.

'I think most posters will say, wait till you get to Honfleur before you rent a car' I think most posters would laugh their tails off at that idea. The cloesest major rental places are across the creek in Le Havre and getting to Honfleur from CDC by public transportation would be a really mean rer/train/bus combination since Honfleur doesn't have a train station. Get the car at the airport. It'll take you right at an hour to get to Vernon/ Girveny. It's freeway until the Vernon/Bonnieres exit and you'll pass well north of the Paris traffic. Honfleur is another hour and a half up the road and, again, it's all freeway except for the last couple of miles. You'll have tolls coming out your ears on the freeways. Have cash, a good bit. It's going to be about twenty-five bucks for that first day alone. I've had a couple of days when it almost hit a hundred.

Thanks for the replies, everyone. Adam, To clarify, I have a 2 year old and a 9 month old (she will be then, anyway), but no 8 year old.
St. Remy is where I'm leaning for now, but that's still open.

I also agree to get the car in Paris and just head out. I used my GPS as well as just followed my map and the signs. So much easier than fooling around getting to another town. Tolls were expensive, and there was a good part of it that I was able to use my amex... then other parts where it had to be visa or mc and I think maybe one part where I needed euros. But, the roads are good and signage was easy enough. As far as Provence... St. Remy is my favorite home base and would be great with kids. Very walkable and lots of shopping, restaurants, and a great market. Also a wonderful walk out of town to the hospital where VanGogh stayed. Easy drive from there to a ton of wonderful villages for day trips. Lovely town.

That's a lot of driving, but if you're used to doing a lot of driving, it could work, I guess. Is the 2yo potty-trained? Bathrooms can be few and far-betwen on the highways, and some are still turkish toilets (holes in the ground). I'd suggest getting maps and/or GPS that show rest stops/gas stations, etc. Unless you speak French or are extremely interested in Guedelon, I'm not sure I'd recommend going out of the way to stop there. My family (kids are much older than yours) loved it, but you won't be able to take a stroller around (unless it hasn't rained in weeks - highly unlikely in May). They only have one little brochure in English, and it doesn't provide much information. Don't forget to plan in some time for doing laundry. As for home bases, I'd recommend staying in cities where possible. That way you or your wife can go out on foot and explore while one of you stays in with napping or sleeping children. Amboise for the Loire and Beaune for Burgundy would work well.

Hey Folks, Well, we've booked a few more places. Amboise in the Loire, Meursault in Burgundy, and St. Remy in Provence. Knowing this, what may any of you advise for the locales? We have quite a bit of ideas, but I've never been let down by this board's recs over the years, so we'll take them. We're quite active people, and the kids generally go where ever we go (in a backpack or in a bike trailer, for instance), we're huge wine folks, and we will hit the first cafe that appears when both kids fall asleep. Architecture is a huge draw for me, as well, as is history.
Thanks.

Be sure to check out the Luberon before setting your Provence plans in stone. For us, it's the best area in Provence. The link is to a commercial website which gives a fine overview of the Luberon

Amen to what Tex said. I don't know why it never comes up around here except for Gordes and Saint Remy once in a blue moon. Has Mr. Steves not covered it or something? Too hard to get to? Beats me.

Yes, I agree, the Luberon is awesome. We've stayed in there several times before, so we thought that we'd try somewhere different this time. We'll still drive to the Luberon, just staying elsewhere. Thanks.

I am thinking that good sights for a young family include lots of outdoors and can be seen at your own pace. Fortunately there are a lot of options on your route. In the Loire every chateau has gardens and grounds. Meursault is right next to Beaune with its fine ramparts and friendly walkable old town. Carousel in the main square. The Chateau la Rochepot is a small pretty pre - Ancient Regime castle that I actually prefer to the poofy extravagances on the Loire. There is a tour to see the rooms but it is short. St. Remy is central to many wonderful antiquities and other sights, all outdoors. These include the antiquities in Arles, the theater in Orange, the Pont du Gard, and Les Baux. There's also Glanum right outside of St. Remy and a boat ride on the Petit Rhone at Sts. Maries de la Mere. I consider Avignon to be miss-able for a trip like yours but of you go visit the park at the top of the town. See any of these at your own pace.

Thank you for the advice, Adam. You're right, we have lots of outdoors planned for this trip. Much of your advice was also on our radar (except for La Rochepot, which I'll look into...).
Having been to Avignon before, we're planning to skip except for the TGV departure. Too much concrete...

Hi Darren, my 8 year old son and I spent 4 days in amboise in 2008. there is a great zoo and minature world of all the Loire castles in addition to all the castles. He really enjoyed the zoo it is huge and has a great falconry show. Nice market down by the river. it was a lovely place to visit enjoy Kelly