France in November with kids

I think Carcasonne is pretty far south to go in France, only then to double-back to Paris. I might discard the trip down to Carcasonne as too ambitious for such a short trip (it's not just next door to Normandy). And only one night in Paris??? That's fine, if you don't plan on seeing anything and are just there to fly out of the airport. But I'd try not to cover so much distance and to get more out of the places you do see around Normandy, the Dordogne and Paris- they're beautiful areas all unto themselves. And I see no reason that D-Day sites would be inappropriate for kids- quite the opposite, if they're 10 years old.

Karen - first of all, you need to get a map/google directions for the places you are suggesting. It is 7 hours from Bayeux to the Dordogne and 7 hours from Carcassone to Paris - in other words you drive for an entire day in order to stay for just 1 or 2 nights, NOT a good idea for anyone much less your children! We were in France with our kids when my son was 11. He loved the D-Day sights - besides the museum at Caen where we stayed for 4 hours and wished we could stay longer, the other things are out of doors - the American and German cemetary, Pont D'Hoc, etc. So they were VERY appropriate for my son. Of course November might be too cool to spend lots of time outside, but we really enjoyed the whole Normandy region. Loved Bayeux as a town and seeing the tapestry. Mont St. Michel was only so-so - probably will be better in fall with less crowds. And yes, we were in the Dordogne for a week and did the caves and canoes. But looking at averages for Sarlat in November - there are highs of only 54 - doesn't seem like canoeing weather to me! So with only 1 week in France, go to Normandy & Paris, maybe the Loire if you can fit it in. That will be plenty and you won't spend your time in a car.

Hi Karen, I think this is way to much moving around in such a short time period. I would pick Normandy or the Dordogne. I'm not sure if its worth going to the Dordogne for just three full days (it will take you the better part of a day to get there from Normandy). If it were me, I would go to Normandy since you are coming from London and also want to visit Paris. I think that kids would find the D-Day sights very interesting. Consider spending three nights in Bayeux (a lovely little town) and spending one full day visiting the D-Day sights and another day visiting Mont St Michel as a day trip. Also, one last thing, you say you want to take the eurostar from London to Caen. Note that this is not a direct train. Trains from London arrive at Gare du Nord, and the train to Caen leaves out of St-Lazare. This means that you will have to change train stations in Paris. And as another poster said, you won't really be able to do much in Paris if you're just there one night. If you actually want to do stuff in Paris, you'll need a minimum of three nights (2 full days)-and that's just to get a taste of the city. But I'm not sure what you're looking to do in Paris (if its your first time, etc).

We went to France when my son was 8 and he loved Paris. We went for 6 nights. Two nights in Paris and then two in Bayeux and then back to Paris for two nights. We had planned to go to Mont St Michel but decided it was too far. We enjoyed Normandy - went to Omaha Beach and the museum (movie) in Arromaches. Definitely appropriate for 10 year olds. They'll find it interesting. Like others said - spend some time in Paris. Cut out Dordogne and Carcosonne. Use the mentality that there will be other trips to Europe and you will be able to see those sights another time.

Also, the Eurostar does not stop in (or near) Caen. I suppose you could drive from Lille. For a base in Normandy, how about Bayeux? ¶ Kids might like the museum in Caen. ¶ At some point in the planning process, you need to reflect on the physical world. Where trains go, and don't; how long it takes to get places; what off-season hours are like for various attractions; how to respond to inclement weather[INVALID]that sort of thing. I do not say that any of that rules anything out for you, but you are traveling at a time of year when there is little daylight and things close up, especially in the countryside.

I agree with other posters... I would limit your time in France to Paris, Bayeux/DDay sites and possibly the Loire Valley for the amazing chateaux (which my son loved at age 11)... Your itinerary is way too much.... Paris is amazing for kids, my son loves Paris - then and now.

Forgot to say... we liked the WWII museum in Bayeux much better than the one in Caen.

Another suggestion that you've got way too much going on at locations that are way too far apart. Even though the Dordogne is a great area, and our 12yo son loved it when we took him there. Also, in November a lot of the places in the Dordogne, such as a canoe trip, might be closed. I'd suggest Paris plus maybe one other location, depending on your sons' interests. Ours was interested in castles, and not so much in war stuff, so on his first trip to Europe, when he was 10, we took him to London, then the Loire Valley, then Paris. As a fun way to get prepared for the trip, are your kids familiar with the Asterix and Obelix books? My son loved them (in English).

If you are doing the Loire Chateux (which I would encourage), especially try for Langeais; its a mediaeval castle within the village with thick walls- wonderful for young boys (and this very much older boy); more "Cinderella-ish chateux are Cheanceaux (sp?) and Azay le Rideau which is moated and very "knights and maidens" in looks

Thanks everyone for the great information. I think that it will make our trip a lot more fun and do-able to eliminate Dordogne and Carcosonne for this trip. The Loire area sounds great and I am checking on the Asterix and Obelix books on Amazon (our library doesn't have them). Thanks again.

I think you've made a good choice Karen! You and your boys will love the Loire Valley - there's a very fun park there that has all the chateaux in miniature - my son loved that at age 11.... Also, when you're in Paris, be sure to take your boys to the playground in the Luxembourg Gardens - it's wonderful.

I think you've made the right choice. If you want to combine the educational with fun, be sure to check out Clos Lucé in Amboise - Leonarda da Vinci's home. They've done a great job making working models of a lot of his inventions/sketches. My kids really enjoyed it. I know a lot of people like Chenonceau, but our family's favorite was by far Chambord. It's just so unique. There was a display there about how the castle was used to store art (including the Mona Lisa) during war, how it was used for a hospital as well. If that's still up, it would certainly tie in with Normandy well. Not sure you'd be able to make it there before they close on November 2nd, but Guédelon is a kid-favorite medieval castle under construction (Don't miss the English-language video on their website) And don't underestimate Paris if you've never been there with kids. I've been pleasantly surprised at how much mine have enjoyed the museums as well as the other stuff the city has to offer. If your boys are even slightly into cars, the car dealers on the Champs Elysées would be don't-miss IMO. Enjoy your trip and the planning that goes with it!

I should have mentioned - the Asterix books aren't everywhere. Sometime local booksellers have them, but Amazon has a lot! Lots of stores in France have figurines of Asterix and the other character, so your sons could look for those. One of my favorite castles is Chaumont, though Chambord is great too. Chaumont was inhabited until quite recently; as I recall, the stables were turned into garages once cars were around. I think it's good to include visits to castles from different eras, so we made sure to visit Fougères. It was built in the 1400s, for defensive purposes. In the Loire, our son wanted to stay in a castle, so we stayed at Chateau de Noizay, which is a 10 minute drive outside of Amboise. It was a lovely place, but we decided that we would have preferred to stay at a hotel IN Amboise, so we could walk around in the evenings. Our son also very much enjoyed Clos Luce. In the grounds outside, there are scale models of a variety of da Vinci's inventions. It was obvious that this is a place that kids go for school field trips. While walking through Amboise, look for the houses built right into the tufa (volcanic rock) cliff walls. We all had a fun lunch at a restaurant that we'd discovered on a previous visit, that is located in a tufa cave. It's called Les 2 Caves, and it's in Bourre (3 km east of Montrichard on Route D71).

You should be able to find Asterix books on the web (possibly used) try Bookfinder or Abebooks.