taking our elderly moms to France

Well , will mom come out sightseeing with you, or will she just stay at the house? If you will be renting a car and driving to sites, then perhaps staying somewhere in the Loire Valley may work,, she can come out occaisonally to see a chateau,, or relax at home when tired. I thought the small city of Amboise was quite cute,, she could at least wander about a bit on her own if bored and you guys are out for the day. Plus its a nice hub to many chateaus in area. I have some relatives that live in a "village" ,, its very deadsville , all the working age people leave during the day to commute to jobs in bigger centers and in the "village " itself theres like one newsagent/tabac, a cafe and a bakery, and they often close for parts of the day,, not a lively scene,, sort of like the suburbs,, so if you do choose a "village" I suggest finding one more of a "small town" size.

If you rent a car look into getting a handicapped placard with it. You'll need to do loads of paperwork, but I know someone who was able to get it done. There's not handicapped spaces everywhere like in the states, but some of the stores and tourist stops have them, hopefully it'll help get you a little closer to your destination.

It would help to know what specific mobility issues your Mom has. I took my 86 yo Mom and 82 yo aunt to France for 2 weeks in 2010. Our trip took us to Paris, Burgundy, Giverny, and Provence. They both can walk, but need a rest after about 200ft. We took 2 folding tripod stools so they would be able to sit when needed. They fit in my carry on suitcase and are light weight. I budgeted more $ for taxis in Paris knowing that they would not be able to use the metro. We rented a car for the rest of the trip and have a handicap placard from the US that we used there. I tried to choose hotels with elevators and we skipped the "big" sites, like Versaille, and chose smaller chateau with shorter tours and less crowds. Paris was a little overwhelming for them, but we took them to Notre Dame and the Eiffel Tower and they loved it. We also took the day cruise on the Seine which worked well as they could see some of the sites, without all the walking.

My mom can walk short distances (with difficulty) but also contends with a lot of pain (she has spinal stenosis, along with a bum right foot). When we proposed the trip to her, we said we would pick a home base for the majority of the time and make daily excursions. She would join us on many of them but would have the option to relax 'at home' if she thought it would be too much on her. Pat, I'm glad you gave the warning about choosing a village, which might not have enough going on. My husband and I have been to Amboise and loved it, but we would like to experience a new place. But a town that size would be ideal.
Lisa, is either Giverny or Burgundy a place you would recommend for staying a week? Kathy, thanks for the suggestion about getting a handicap placard. I'll look into that...

My mother also has spinal stenosis. I would definitely recommend Burgundy for a week. There are enough small, but impressive chateau and castles to visit, beautifaul old churches, also Fontenay abbey which is flat and has a lot of opportunities to sit. We stayed in Semur en Auxois which has several restaurants, and shops and is never dead, but not crazy busy either. The medieval walled part of the village is quaint, while outside the walls the town has grown and has conveniences like a post office, banks, grocery stores, pharmacies, laundramat, and doctors. We are staying their again this year for 3 weeks and renting a house. I would not recommend Giverny for a week. The only real site their is Monet's house and gardens and the little village church with Monet's grave. Its really just a 1 street village, though they do have a few nice bed and breakfasts, and restaurants. If you Moms really want to see the gardens and house, I would recommend staying 1 night in Giverny before returning to Paris (it's about a 1 hour drive from Paris). If you do, dont stay at the 1 hotel in town, it does not have an elevator and all rooms are on the 2nd and 3rd floors.

We are leaning toward spending a week in Brittany and wondered if anyone has rented a little house in or near Dinan that could accommodate 4 adults and a child. Rick doesn't list rental houses near Dinan in the France book. Thanks!

I stayed in a gite in Brittany last May. This is a great way to experience France and have a comfortable place to "go home." The gites are regulated by the French government and inspected, so they are dependable--no dumps allowed. If you have trouble negotiating the website, call the local gite office. They usually have someone who speaks English who will be happy to help.