What is a good Food/Attraction/Transport budget for a month around France for a family of 3 ( boy 9 years old ) ? We have family in Nice and Alsace area and we want to make day trips ( maybe some hotel nights too if necessary ) .
What is a must see and what to skip in those areas ? We like to visit castles/ mansions , some museums , churches, anything outdoors, kids attractions and just walk the streets . We also prefer to eat from grocery stores , trying local food .
Thanks .
Will you be renting a car? Aside from that, I'll throw out a number of 100 euro/day, plus say 10 hotel nights at 100 euro/night, (150/night in Paris). Groceries are a little more than US, but very good quality. Think Whole Foods. You might want to fly open jaw, either into Paris and out of Nice, or reverse.
As far as attractions in Alsace, I like the castle Haut Koenigsbourg, high on the mountain overlooking Selestat. It was nicely restored in the late 19th century and the view of the Rhine valley and the distant Black Forest is wonderful (on a clear day). On the way down, there are two wildlife (or shall I say tame wildlife)attractions: "Monkey Mountain", seems to be a primate petting zoo, and The Eagle Park (La Volerie des Aigles) which has a number of trained eagles, falcons, and hawks. They put on shows in the afternoon displaying their hunting and flying ability. The website indicates that there will be a unified discount for all three attractions this summer.
Alsace is of course has the Route du Vin with all the gorgeous little half timbered villages. Colmar has some great churches and museums (see RS guide book). Selestat is a little smaller and less touristy, Strasbourg a lot bigger. For a modern day castle, west of Strasbourg there are the remains of late 19th fortifications built by the Germans to defend against a French attempt to retake Alsace. Seems it was the model for the Maginot Line. It is being slowly restored by local volunteers and they do limited tours on advance notice.
If WWII is of interest, visit the Colmar Pocket Museum in Turckheim. And the memorial plaque on the church in Kaysersberg.
I would plan a min of 100E/day for walking money, admissions fees, local transit and it probably will be closer to 150E/day.
Frank is being more realistic at 150 per day, unless you eat pizza every night and skip museums.
