Last summer, with our toddler son in tow we set out to have a family adventure travelling the length of France taking in the Champagne region, Burgundy, Provence, the Auvergne and the Loire with pit stops up and down the country along the way. Below is our suggested itinerary for an epic experience taking in so much of what France has to offer without feeling rushed and creating the most amazing memories along the way…
A lot of people ask us why we are doing trips when our son is probably “too young to remember” well to me the reason has several parts (I have a whole blog post on this here) but mainly:
1) It’s not just his childhood – it’s our parenthood, the memories we’re making are for us as much as him. Travelling together enables us to have periods of totally uninterrupted QUALITY TIME away from the distractions life can throw in our way.
2) The experiences our son has now shape who he becomes, I want to enable him to be the best he can be. At his core he is so inquisitive and adventurous why wouldn’t we want to watch him thrive in a new environment trying different foods, experiencing different cultures and ALL the playgrounds.
We hope you find it helpful in planning your trip own adventure – do share your memories with us.
Getting There
Here we assumed you like us were coming from the UK so skip ahead if you’ve flown in to France.
Ferry top tip with a toddler: book one with a cabin and request a travel cot -they upgraded us to one of the very large cabins to have space for it and this came fully stocked with a free mini fridge of drinks and snacks and a living room area etc.
Pro: potentially less UK driving and time to rest aboard
Con: it is a long journey by boat, I felt a bit trapped and preferred being able to stop wherever/whenever we wanted hence why for future trips we’ve taken the Eurotunnel.
Eurotunnel top tip – stay in a nearby town e.g. Ashford the night before and then cross early the next day. We like to pop to the Ashford Designer outlet for dinner as there’s a playground and lots of restaurants. It’s not far from the Eurotunnel where the crossing takes just 35 mins.
Click here for our post on why bringing your car is a great idea
What we did: Assuming you arrive in Calais…
Day 1 Champagne Region: Early morning crossing on Eurotunnel (they often let you board an earlier train if they have space), arrive Calais and pop to a supermarket (always our first port of call to get orientated have a rest stop, grab some croissant from the Marie Blachere nearby – it’s good, trust me).
Aim for Reims (2hr 45 from Calais): we used the park and ride to visit the city centre and it was super easy – free public transport from the P+R.
Visit the cathedral, pop to one of the champagne houses for a tour. Buy some of the pink Reims biscuits (served best with champagne but we kept some and made a fab “pink tiramisu” on our return).
Once you’ve spent the morning pottering here hop back in the car for a quick journey on to Epernay (38 mins from Reims) passing field after field of vines growing the grapes for the regions famed fizz. Book somewhere for lunch if you would like but we found it very easy to find a little French café and have something suitable for all 3 of us.
There is champagne everywhere and you’d be amiss not to sample it or at least bring some with you to enjoy later. It’s worth checking for any champagne festivals – we stumbled across one in the main square and it was amazing – champagne and live music – winning.
(Click here for the in depth post on our time in the Champagne Region)
We felt a couple of hours was long enough to take in what we wanted to and pressed on to Dijon (3hr)
It was a lot for day one but then we were over half way to Provence and we were energized by excitement for the holiday so the travel was surprisingly fine. Our son (2.5 on this trip) was a dream – we stopped frequently enough and for long enough that he felt he had a great day and was able to burn off some energy and on the longer drive he slept . I have a post here on toddler entertainment ideas you may find helpful.
Night 1: I would totally recommend the Ibis Styles Dijon Sud – it was relatively inexpensive but amazing (not your average Ibis!) and has a gorgeous restaurant, little pool etc and great location for getting off the main road and also back into the town. They went above and beyond for us and were very accommodating for kids – cot made up, highchair, early mealtimes available, child friendly options with whole foods freshly baked croissants etc at breakfast.
Dijon (Day 2-3)
We had intended to have Dijon as a little stopover but ended up staying an extra night because we loved it – I would recommend at least 2 nights if you’ve got there late the day before.
Head into the town and do the Owl walking tour (you can do this on your own), visit the ancient mustard shop – Edmond Fallot, buy some of the Dijon ginger cake and have lunch in a classical café – Croque Monsieur with local mustard – YES PLEASE. Soak up all the Beauty and the Beast vibes.
See my more in depth Dijon post here
Consider doing a Burgundy Wine tour – We would have loved to do one of the cycling tours where you visit different vineyards and pop into the wine caves for tastings, you can do it informally or book a guide (when you reach the wine caves there is a Sommelier who goes through each wine tasting with you but if you have the budget a private tour would be fab being a family) we popped into a few wine caves and took a drive through the region it was just stunning. As a passenger princess I was able to sample the goods and select a few vintages to bring along with us – my husband had the good sense to trust my picks.
Chateau du Clos de Vougeot and the surrounding village/vineyards would be our recommendation for ease of access. Taking the main road out of Dijon in that direction you drive past a lot of vineyards – we took a drive to allow kiddo his nap and got to take in the stunning scenery
Day 3: Beaune is also worth a visit (conveniently it can be done in a morning en route south)
We took a walk around the town and had an Orangina in the sunshine before popping back into the car to head south . Provence being our base for the next week.
On our route south we went via Vienne as a stop off point for lunch – avoiding the busy city of Lyon which we will have to explore more fully on another trip and which coincidentally was the only bit of driving we really did NOT enjoy – its only 4 hours from Dijon to Provence.
Vienne was conquered by the Romans in 121 BC and was subsequently one of the most important towns of Gaul until Roman rule of the area ended in 275 AD. Consequently evidence of the Roman rule is all around you – most spectacularly in its Roman Temple and amphitheatre.
Provence:
Our last stop off on our journey south was Chateauneuf de Pape: famed for its outstanding wines we couldn’t pass it by without a quick stop off. Whilst there is a car park at the top of the village by the castle which may be easier if you’re bringing your buggy – we decided to park in the heart of the village and hiked (yes I said hiked) up all the steps to the namesake chateau at the top of the hill. Our toddler loved it, counting steps, picking up his favourite stones and racing us across the castle courtyard. It was worth the walk and around 2/3 of the way up the steps there is a cute little bar tucked away through an arch with views over the valley serving refreshments – we opted for a glass of their famous wine each and of course a chocolate ice cream for kiddo who declared it was very sunny and promptly stripped off his shirt “in case” he spilled.
Ending what feels like a mega day 3 extravaganza we arrived in Avignon which would be our base for the next 5 days. In future we will be basing ourselves in one of the nearby villages such as St Remy de Provence but for our first time visiting the region it was the perfect home base.
Days 4-8 : are fairly interchangeable
Below is what we got up to exploring Provence…
Avignon: I would recommend doing a little tour to orientate yourself – we did the mini train which we thought would be naff and was largely for our sons sake but were pleasantly surprised. A welcome escape from the heat as its under a canopy. It allowed us to orientate ourselves, gave us a brief history of the city and proved a fun excursion. These mini trains can be found in numerous other French cities so do keep an eye out.
We recommend visiting the Pont D’Avignon, the gardens at the Popes Palace and the Palais des Papes itself.
In all I would say you can “do” Avignon in a day and we took in “the best bits” and headed back to the welcome (and incredibly quiet I might add) swimming pool at our hotel to cool off. (Click here for our Avignon Review)
Side note on Lavender Fields: there is the Luberon and the Vaucluse Valleys which bloom at slightly different times so check when is best for you. In all honesty I would only bother driving to the Abbaye de Senanque if you know the Lavender will be in bloom – the road is windy and at times we did not enjoy it (to put it lightly).
Gordes: hilltop medieval village, stop on the drive over to get the best view of the village on the approach – go early before coaches etc have the chance to pitch up. Fancy a sweet, luxurious treat? Well you’re in luck as of all the places Laduree – the high end pâtissier have set up shop in this teeny tiny village – must have at least one. The village itself is very small so doesn’t take long to feel like you’ve done it but gorgeous views and we found it incredible how people lived on the hill top with the only water source so far below. If you have a fairly active toddler let them explore, if your child is a little younger this village is one to bring the carrier as the ground is cobblestoned and not ideal for buggies.
Rouisillon: walk the ochre trail – its beautiful and worth it, there’s a car park right in the centre of the village and it’s a two minute walk to the entrance of the park from there. Wear the carrier as its not buggy friendly with lots of steps but so worth the visit – just don’t wear white trainers like me – error. The earth here was used to make paints and the village walls are all beautiful shades of orange, yellows and reds.
L’Isle-sur-la-Sorgue: we loved this little village, it was one of my husband’s favourite surprise stops as we hadn’t planned on visiting but it was really pretty. With gorgeous cafes lining the river it had a somewhat Italianate feel (we went for Italian food to lean into the mood). The town had a very laid back atmosphere and we spent a few hours exploring the small boutique shops. I do love how France seems to have preserved their independent shops.
Fontain de Vaucluse: Just up the road at the source of the river you’ll find a village with beautiful bright green waters running through the centre of the town and am amazing restaurant (you’d have to book) with a deck extending over the river. With art classes painting the stunning scenery rivers edge we felt this little town had such a romantic ambience and soaked it all up.
The tourist information office is to the right of the main bridge where they (as all seem to) will provide you with a map of the town and here but there are other activities like kayaking if you’re feeling more adventurous.
St Remy de Provence: This is where we would base ourselves next time we go to Provence (or closer to Aix en Provence) LOVE the atmosphere here, just very Provence. Beautiful restaurants, cafes and little streets to wander. It would be worth using this potentially as a base if you were getting a villa etc as its very walkable and has a lovely main street. Plus point – fantastic playgrounds and the families we met there were all really friendly to our son.
Les Baux-de-Provence: we actually visited here twice because there was more to do than we thought and we really enjoyed it. Park as far up as you can as it’s a hike and the less you have to climb the better in my opinion but you can take the buggy almost all of it.
Here you’ll find an amazing medieval fortress village on a hilltop. Worth a visit for sure – there are a few restaurants (book window seats) that are built into the walls and give amazing views over the valley. The fortress was cool to explore, total toddler freedom and then our favourite part of Baux de Provence was that there is the Carrieres des Lumieres in caves underneath the mountain – I would drive down as there are two more car parks down the hill and visit the art exhibition (we did Van Gough and Vermeer) which is all lit up inside the cave and set to music – essentially the world’s classiest baby sensory. Watching our kiddo run to the walls and touch the lights as colourful flowers exploded in his hands and squeal with excitement as the lights made it feel as if snow was falling all around us was a memory I’ll keep forever.
Read my in depth Baux de Provence review here
Aix-en-Provence and Cassis
Aix-en-Provence: Go on a market day if you’re visiting because the market is incredible. The odd juxtaposition of fruit and veg stalls next to Hermes and Louis Vuitton Flagship stores takes some getting your head round but the market is a celebration of all things Provençale. Aix (pronounced Ex) has a very cool vibe, loads of fountains. I bought my classic French Market basket bag here – the perfect souvenir.
Cassis: We hadn’t intended on going as far east as Cassis but when our son declared he couldn’t possibly be on holiday because he hadn’t seen the sea we thought – why not humour the two year old. And boy was it worth it! This stunning little village on the coast, a favourite of Winston Churchill and the location where the plinth for the Statue of Liberty was carved from the earth you feel at once surrounded in history and yet entirely relaxed. It helps that every where you look its beautiful. Take a boat from here to visit the Calanques (stunning little coves and beaches only accessible via hiking or by boat), eat gelato (it would be rude not to try the blackcurrant aka cassis flavour) and swim in the sea!
Day 9 Finishing up Provence:
We journeyed on to Nimes and Pont Du Gard from our Provence base and had a night in Nimes.
Pont du Gard: a half day trip but you’ll be in awe so if you’re in the area 100% go! A Roman aqueduct built in the 1st century AD to carry water to Nimes (31 miles/50 km away), you can walk across the whole thing and there is a bar and restaurant the other side – we stopped for an ice cream. There are some places which do kayaking on the river underneath nearby which we thought looked really awesome but alas not toddler friendly.
Nimes: just do it – the amphitheatre, the Roman temples, the massive park – we loved spending the day exploring this magical city and would happily visit again.
See our review of Pont du Gard and Nimes here…
This was where we started journeying north again we tried to pick a couple of stop offs just to break up the driving really so had one night in the Auvergne and one night in Clermont Ferrand – in hindsight we probably would have just had a night near Millau after leaving Nimes and then powered on through to the Loire stopping off to do the Puys de Dome to break up a driving day but we took our time.
Millau Viaduct: tallest bridge in the world – there is a visitor centre but you can access the viewing platform etc when this is closed (we did) and it was amazing when it was empty so I would go whilst driving north as then you get photos with no one else. Bonus points for the playground outside the visitor centre which our toddler adored! Golden hour trampoline with that kind of backdrop is what we’re talking about.
Day 10
Having spent the night in the Auvergne region we travelled on to our last stopover night before reaching the Loire Valley and stayed in Clermont Ferrand. If we’re honest – not our favourite French city. There is the Michelin museum, lots of rugby exhibitions but our chosen excursion (which we did really enjoy despite our lacklustre impression of Clermont) was the Puys de Dome.
Puys de Dome: an extinct volcano where you can take a train to the top and watch paragliders sail the wind – Yes Please! This was the perfect activity with children – although I would say he was a little disappointed by the lack of lava. The Puys de Dome featured in a stage of the Tour de France and we visited just before the race took place. It was actually really cool and we loved the experience – beware for some reason there are a lot of insects / flies at the top. It’s also worth noting that there is a weather cam you can access to help you decide when to time your visit. We managed to get incredible views for miles around when we visited in sun and cloud conditions.
Days 11-13 – spend at least 3 full days if possible – best would be 5
The Loire Valley
Next we had a base in the Loire Valley (I would recommend sticking near Amboise or Blois for easy access to the castles or Tours for a lovely city) – it was the perfect mix of beautiful palaces and then chilling at a pool. We visited the Zoo Parc de Beauval (4th best in the world) which was epic – they have Giant pandas and a cable car which takes you from one end of the park to the other allowing you to get aerial views of the attractions below. What the Loire is really about is of course the Chateaus. The 4 Cs (Chaumont, Chambord, Cheverney and Chenonceau) are the 4 Cs for a reason but don’t rush them. We would recommend at least half a day in each and for Chambord and Chaumont you can easily spend a full day exploring with the extensive grounds.
I have several other posts on our favourite chateau in the Loire but as a quick summary …
Chateau de Chaumont: the gardens are incredible, so much to explore (32 hectares in fact). Like a National Trust house but 20x better. They have an exhibition called the “Source of Life” currently but this is regularly updated. Pack a picnic and bring a blanket – find your own little spot and make the best family memories – its gone down as a core memory day for us .Read all about it here
Chateau de Chambord : STUNNING. Drink the Chambord, eat the ice cream, hire a golf buggy to reach the far corners of the estate and soak in the history. I would recommend having a guided tour here if you’re able to as the story of this home is fascinating.
Chateau de Cheverny: The themed garden full of art (think bronze statues) are gorgeous. We brought a picnic with us and set up in their dedicated area – its a great set up with areas under cover, benches, equipment etc all really well thought through. This is much smaller than Chambord for example and we felt a half day dedicated to visiting this Chateau was plenty to soak up the essence of the place.
Chateau de Chenonceau: More gorgeous gardens – the medicinal garden was my favourite and the option to canoe under the arches or take a boat trip made our day here all the more special. We have visited twice and each time have also experienced the wine tasting from the chateaus vineyard (love the white). The restaurant here is fantastic and incredibly well priced so this is one I would actually eat in rather than bring your own. We have now visited Chenonceau twice and would happily return.
Chateau de Clos Luc: home of Leonardo da Vinci and get to see a lot of his incredible inventions recreated – what’s not to love! My husband in particular adored exploring this chateau whilst my son and I spent a LOT of time at the playground here. There are interactive exhibitions throughout the grounds which was a lovely touch.
Our favourite towns in the Loire:
Amboise: glorious village, market day is lovely here. I would recommend having a galette/crepe in the shadow of the castle at Anne de Bretagne and visiting the Bigot chocolatier which has been going since 1913. Also fab patisserie called l’Horloge – we prefer the out of town boulangerie they own – the Paris Brest are to die for.
Tours: We were really surprised by Tours having wanted to avoid larger cities we found ourselves enamoured with the independent boutiques, the parks (and playgrounds! There is a fab one under the cover of trees at the Museum des Baux Artes). We came back on another family trip a year later and remain just as in love – we will return!
Leaving the Loire we had one more stopover before crossing home on the ferry on this trip (future trips we used the Eurotunnel)
Day 14
Le Mans: we went at the same time as the 100th anniversary race was being celebrated which was pretty epic, super cars every where a toddler boys dream come true if a little overwhelming. You can actually drive on the 24hr race track as it forms part of the road system of the city. We took a trip around the visitor centre (all the winning cars live inside) and stayed right in the centre. For us Le Mans was a one time thing but many people choose to return year on year, we found it a tad busy and quite honestly boiling – with little aircon outside our hotel so for us a 3/5.
Journey on to the ferry for an overnight trip back to the UK and on to home having had the best family adventure and made memories to last forever…
I hope you’ve found out itinerary helpful and that you plan the most fabulous trip! Do let us know where you ended up in the comments below.
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