We are a family of 4 and would like some ideas on which region/area of France to go to on holiday (an idea is to rent a gite). We will be travelling around June and will have a 22 month old and a 3 month old (and possibly Grandma and Grandad in their mid 50s to help!) We would like to stay in a quiet area within easy access to enjoy good quality food and wine, places of interest, quaint towns, interesting shops and markets, beautiful scenery, nice beaches a bonus but not a necessity. Any ideas greatly appreciated, many thanks in advance.
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Consider Villefranche-Sur-Mer (between Nice and Monaco)
www.beyond.fr/villages/villefranche.html
Nice relaxing place, very pleasent weather at the indicated time of the year, suitable for all ages ... and within easy access from other interesting destinations - if you so wish - by car or train: Monaco, Nice, Cannes etc..
Also not far from the Airport if you fly directly to Nice.
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I would like you to consider Brittany.
The South of France is a long way south, is expensive, and can be very hot for your young children.
Brittany is a large region with places to suit all tastes. Even in the centre the north and south coasts can be well within a day trip. Brittany would have everything you list above. They specialise in seafood and crepes but excellent food of all types can be found. There are numerous interesting towns with markets and the scenery is similar to that of Cornwall. The weather should be quite good in June.
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From personal experience (similar ages of children and grand-parents!) I%26#39;d really recommend Poitou-Charentes which is about halfway down on the west coast. Not knocking the previous posters but the Med is a huge exhausting drive down, unless you%26#39;re flying, and Brittany, much as I love it, also tends to share the Cornwall weather (i.e., unpredictable).
You can get down there in about half a day from one of the Brittany ferry ports (more like a day from Calais). A gite in the area%26#39;s a really good choice - I%26#39;ve done it many times without the slightest problem - and the area has everything you%26#39;ll need; great weather, due to the fabled %26#39;micro-climate%26#39;; fantastic beaches (especially recommend Les Sables D%26#39;Olonne and Chatellaillon Plage); fascinating larger towns, particularly La Rochelle; and all the interesting shops and scenery you could wish for. Plus the shopkeepers, waiters etc. seem used to catering for tourists, even those with rusty French, without being patronising or grabby.
Sounds like I%26#39;m employed by the Poitou-Charentes tourist board but I%26#39;m not! I%26#39;ve just always had a great holiday there.
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I certainly wouldn%26#39;t disagree with anything jdian says. It emphasises just how varied a country France is and the large number of options. Indeed, the Vendee in the same area but further north is a favourite of the British and has great beaches, at St John de Monts for example. However the journey is quite a bit further than Brittany so may not be suitable for those with young children.
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Picking up on the previous poster, my first suggestion would be to think about how you%26#39;re wanting to travel - if you%26#39;re wanting fly/drive, you can go almost anywhere, whereas if you%26#39;re driving you really need to think about practicalities, especially with young children. You%26#39;ll lose an hour with the time change going out, and I think gite owners want keys collected by early evening. For most of the Atlantic coast, this would mean an overnight stay, either on a long ferry crossing or elsewhere if you are driving.
With this in mind, my first thought was Normandy. This is do-able in a day and meets all your requirements without too much hassle along the way.
My other suggestion would be to have a look at some of the eurocamp/keycamp/etc websites, not to book with them, but to get an idea of the sights and activities in an area, particularly what%26#39;s around for families. There are the tourist information and gites de france sites as well, of course ;-)
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Many thanks all, for some very useful advice and ideas. I%26#39;m going to be very busy now doing some research! tHANK YOU
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I wrote a really long reply with lots of info about all sorts of places and then lost it - France is fantastic but try %26quot;il de re%26quot; off the coast at la rochelle - you won%26#39;t be disappointed it%26#39;s exactly what you need.
http//www.iledere.com
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I agree - Poitou Charente.
The ile de Re is beautiful, but I would say, stay on the mainland and maybe visit the island - if you, consider that the toll bridge costs 16 euros each return visit.
For the best mainland beaches, south Vendee is the place. They stretch for miles northwards from La Faute sur mer, but for culture, restaurants and atmosphere, La Rochelle can%26#39;t be beaten. Maybe somewhere between the two would be ideal
If you%26#39;re looking for self catering, try www.francehols.co.uk or cheznous.com
Happy holiday hunting!
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