Must see stops through France

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phippsl

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Morning!
We are due to go on our first little roadtrip this summer. Nearly five weeks travelling through France and into Northern Spain. Children are 10, 7 & 5. I’ve started to research some must see places to stop but would love to hear any recommendations that you might have please.
First stop is Normandy…the beaches and Mont St Michel. Last stop somewhere near Santander to sail home. But no plan or route for in between. Does anyone have any tips to share please?
Thank you
 
There is just so much to see. Why not do the DDay beaches and some of their museums. Fantasticaly well done by the French and the kids would find it very educational too. Plenty of parking too for the motorhome. The big museum in Caen is really good. Loads and loads to see and you could easily loose 5 days off your trip.
 
Hello. 5 weeks wow! North to South where we have taken our now 9yo. Bayeux Tapestry, Puy du Fou, Futuroscope, La Rochelle aquarium, Splash Park Hourtin, Arcachon sand dunes. Enjoy your trip and make sure that you post photos and updates for my tribe to be jealous of 😎
 
I would advise staying away from the French South West coast and going inland. Select sites from Search for Sites near rivers as it can get very hot and the children will want a splash about.
Dordogne is of course a favourite but I assume you will be in summer holidays so maybe quite full.
We found a riverside site and aire by the river at Saint Leon sur Vezere where there was safe kayaking

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We travelled via Chateaudun, nice aire below the castle and Perigord, town aire. Then went on to Bordeaux.

3AA52E4F-BA9B-426F-9573-0ADE3C4ED923.jpeg
 
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It's a great opportunity to absorb some language skills. Take them shopping, get them looking for items and finding the French word for it, get them asking for/buying things, meeting and talking to other children. It's surprising what they can pick up at that age. And it normalises language skills, instead of it being something strange they have to do in school later.
 
This is just my opinion, but I felt the Milau Viaduct was better seen from below. I heartily endorse "autoroute" about getting the kids involved in the language aspect of touring. I think you will also find that traders will want to help.

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Mont St Michel is great but suggest going very early in the day or late afternoon/early evening when the coaches have already departed it will be much quieter and easier to explore.

Arromanches has a great aire above the town and you can still see the mulberry harbours from D-Day plus Bayeux with the tapestry and WWII museum is worth a visit.
 
Wow, thank you so much for this. I’m so grateful that you’ve taken the time to reply. Will start going through all these tips now to have some kind of loose plan. Exciting!
 
If going to mont ST Michael , you can do a guided walk to it and back. All barefoot, just took sandles to slip on when we got there.
Very good walk and interesting.
also at Santander, we parked up at the air by the university, walk to the small peninsula, it where the king of Spain had a summer house.
The beach to the right hand side is perfect for your children, shallow and lots of stuck out rocks , clear clear sea.
The area also has a small free zoo, penguins and seals. Feeding time around lunch 12/1230 but do check.
 
Difficult for me to suggest places for the children’s ages but near Santander is a medieval town called Santillana del Mar and just outside the town is prehistoric cave paintings at Cuevas de Altamira.

Also two beautiful villages to visit are Comillas and San Vicente de la Barquera. We visited all via bus whilst staying at a very nice campsite with large pool at Caravaning Oyambre Cantabria, not the one on the beach. Many Brits stop there for the Santander ferry. The first two are reputed to be amongst Spain’s most beautiful places to visit.
 
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Definitely definitely definitely Puy du Fou. Dune at Arcachon is fun too.
Agree about Mont St Michel, try to avoid the crowds.
Bayeux tapestry and the Normandy beaches and museums all good.
You will have a great time 👍
 
In Falaise, just south of Caen, is the castle of William the Conqueror. And a Memorial Fountain to William's mum.
 
Are you crossing into Normady of Calais / similar? If crossing near Calais, I would go to Paris too.

Puy du Fou (2 days)
Futuroscope (2 days) or at the least, arrive in the afternoon for a late afternoon visit and then a full day. The late afternoon tickets are a lot cheaper and the queues are smaller so you can get lots of the key attractions seen without waiting long.
Prehistoric caves in / near Dordogne paintings made by "cave men"
Dunes at Archachon
5 days chilling in one place x 3 at least. It will be hot. Your kids are likely to want to spend time chilling, swimming etc and there is a risk that they will get overwhelmed with so much site seeing. Perhaps first stay on the Britanny coast (but watch for powerful waves), 5 days in Dordogne and 5 days in N Spain beaches (sandy beaches with and generally smaller waves).
Carcassonne

I wouldn't do Oradour-sur-Glane with such young ones. It is emotionally draining and you'll have had quite a lot of "war" at the Normandy beaches; I'd wait until the youngest is 8 or more but others may say different.

Condom is quite chilled - nice options for sampling Armagnac for the adults and a great municipal pool with slides etc. for the kids.

If the weather is very hot, you could have some diversions into the Pyrenees or the Picos to get some altitude, cooler weather and opportunities to explore mountains.

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On the basis you may well be interested in swimming I can absolutely thoroughly recommend a book by Daniel Start called "Wild Swimming in France"

Ensure you get the second edition and it will be the 2nd best £15 you can spend on your motorhome (Obviously the subs here being first)

It is set up for different regions with photos and sat navs coo ords and description of what you will find. We have used it as our bible for 10 years and really pleased with the 2nd edition just coming out.

We plan our holidays with this book in mind and have found some unbelievably fantastic spots and have stayed overnight at many which arent aires
 
Oooh oooh oooh
Have a look at this in nantes. Ideal.

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www.lesmachines-nantes.fr www.lesmachines-nantes.fr

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Also in Bayeux is a war cemetery - so what? It has an enormous arch on which are engraved the names of those lost for whom no bodies were ever found. A good many coaches carrying schoolkids of various nationalities stop there because like all the names on the walls at Ypres, it just suddenly brings it home how many many people were killed and how young such a lot of them were.

Dunno whether you and your wife have ever visited a war cemetery - but although Oh yes they make you think - they aren't dark miserable places whatsoever, so don't imagine they are.
 
sedge said:
Also in Bayeux is a war cemetery - so what? It has an enormous arch on which are engraved the names of those lost for whom no bodies were ever found. A good many coaches carrying schoolkids of various nationalities stop there because like all the names on the walls at Ypres, it just suddenly brings it home how many many people were killed and how young such a lot of them were.

Dunno whether you and your wife have ever visited a war cemetery - but although Oh yes they make you think - they aren't dark miserable places whatsoever, so don't imagine they are.
Click to expand...
I think I am right in saying last post is played each night at Bayeux at sunset. Aire is right over the road from cemetery. Good town as well
 
suavecarve said:
Oooh oooh oooh
Have a look at this in nantes. Ideal.

www.lesmachines-nantes.fr

Actualités Les Machines de l’île Nantes - Nouvelles machines et actualités de la galerie des machines

Actualités Les Machines de l’île à Nantes. Découvrez les nouvelles machines et les actualités de la galerie des machines : le colibri géant, l'opération crowdfunding pour l'arbre aux hérons ou les échanges à l'international.
www.lesmachines-nantes.fr www.lesmachines-nantes.fr
Click to expand...

I was going to suggest this.
We will deffo be having a look on our way home.
 
“Last Post” at the Menin Gate in Ypres at 7pm by two buglers from the local Fire Brigade, very moving, take plenty of tissues! The names on the gate are for the fallen who have no known grave and there are thousands of them. Saturday is Market Day in Ypres, it finishes at 1pm so be there early, the last time we went it was HUGE! Then Vimy Ridge, Huge tunnel system and trenches dug by the Canadians during WW1, you are escorted round the site by very informative Canadian teenagers on sabbatical from schools/colleges in Canada. There is a fantastic site called La Coupole https://www.google.co.uk/url?sa=t&r...rance.co.uk/&usg=AOvVaw1j6LFaPy-9RqQWaxhfmI98 that is well worth a visit for kids and adults alike.

Cheers!

Russ
 
If you are returning via Santander don’t miss the zoo park near by stop at the free site between the lake and the elephant area, it’s just down the lane

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