Help us get to France next year!

[frenchnovice]

DH, dd 12 and me have always holidayed in the uk. next year we would like to go to France but having never been I am finding the thought quite daunting. I have started looking and just getting confused!

I don't fly so it has to be either train or ferry. am therefore thinking Northen france. somewhere near a port. .I did think st malo. .but the price of the ferry is about 800....so a tad expensive,but for ease I would stretch budget

would like to be very close to a beach that is good for body boarding, close to some nice towns and villages to visit. we are in north London so any of the English ports on the south coast is ok.

we plan to take the car but we are both a little wary of driving in France ..hoping short drives will ease us in.

I guess I am looking for an easy (ish) introduction to France! thanks

We used to go to South Brittany. Catch the early morning ferry from Portsmouth to Caen then drive (about 3.5 hours) to La Trinite sur Mer where we stayed on a small campsite. The beaches are many and varied, the beaches on the Quiberon peninsular are particularly good for body boarding. There are lots of lovely towns to visit and things to do. We loved it. In fact, I may have to plan another visit!

I think, with the whole of Northern France to choose from, Brittany is by far the nicest and most characterful. It’s definitely worth a bit extra on the ferry- but is it really that much to get to S. Malo from, I assume, Portsmouth? It WAS only about £500 to go Plymouth-Roscoff pre pandemic ( please tell me prices haven’t gone up that much 😬). I kind of saw it as an investment, because we camp, so it’s the one big massive expense of the trip.

Driving on the A roads (routes nationals) in France is decidedly UN scary, because they are so quiet. The south of Brittany is way warmer than the north, but we stayed nr Vannes for a couple of days, and I did find the autoroute that goes past there fairly horrific.

Regarding the Portsmouth to saint malo ferry, yes it’s expensive but it was always the case (albeit this was a few years ago) that an accommodation inclusive holiday with Brittany Ferries didn’t cost that much much than just the ferry. Hence we did a couple of excellent value gite holidays this way. They also have hotel and appartments on the seaside. And your money will be more secure in case of issues.

Agree Brittany is your best bet in northern France. Especially the south coast near Carnac/ Quiberon. I hate driving on the continent but managed ok round there.

We’ve often had holidays on the Normandy beaches. They’re mostly sand dunes and very safe. We’ve always had good warm weather. There’s a lot of little coastal towns that come alive for the summer when the Parisians go to their summer houses. Houlgate and surround area is good.
It’s a short, straightforward drive from the tunnel or Calais.

If you're in London, I'd be inclined to take the tunnel or a Dover/Calais ferry, cheaper, and you'll be there quicker! Driving in France is much easier than driving in the UK (as long as you avoid the Paris Peripherique!), but if you're used to driving in London, it'll be a breeze! Roads are quieter, and the motorways are very well maintained.

For a gentle easing in, you could just head to Le Touquet and surrounds, Deauville is lovely. Brittany is also very lovely, and lots to see and do, if you'd be happy to drive.

When we drive to France, we tend to head south of the Loire for a better chance of warm weather, so that might be something to look to if your first journey is a success! And we love doing a bit of French supermarket shopping and bringing home all the wine!!

St Malo and Brittany are nice. The alternative would be to go Dover Calais and turn left instead of right, up into Belgium. Fabulous beaches - miles and miles of pristine sand around Ostend. They are more fun because the tram goes along the coast and is a fun way to travel.

Then you can go on day trips to Bruges (less than half an hour from Ostend by train) and Flanders Fields.

Probably cheaper than Brittany.

How about Channel Tunnel and then go to La Touquet?

It's very close, great beaches etc.
Really really easy.

It does depend if you want guaranteed sun. Then you have to go a bit further south to Bordeaux. This is a great area for beaches, beautiful things to look at.

Alternatively you could get the ferry all the way to northern Spain and drive back up to southen france if you like it hot.

Ferry to Cherbourg, then a quick drive down the coast. There are loads of gorgeous beaches along there, around Barneville, not too crowded, and you can take a day trip to Jersey.

I could have written aftonwater's post, really recommend that area too.

thank you for all your replies. Brittany does look lovely (though i think all of France does!) ..i found a campsite near Trinity sur Mer (La Baie) which looks almost perfect.. ..want to investigate the other places recommended here as well. Beligum is a good call...but at the moment will be sticking to france only to narrow down choices.

I have noticed that prices for accommodation drop significantly at the end of aug..assume french schools go back earlier than here..which will allow for the more expensive ferry travel.

@Beebumble2

We’ve often had holidays on the Normandy beaches. They’re mostly sand dunes and very safe. We’ve always had good warm weather. There’s a lot of little coastal towns that come alive for the summer when the Parisians go to their summer houses. Houlgate and surround area is good. It’s a short, straightforward drive from the tunnel or Calais.

We had a few holidays in Houlgate when our kids were young and always loved it. Normandy is beautiful and a relatively short drive from Calais, or you can get the Caen (Ouistreham) ferry - though that's not cheap - or Le Havre.

Driving is a bit daunting at first but you do get used to it and French roads (motorway and the rest) are pretty nice to drive on. We always used to put a KEEP RIGHT post-it on the steering wheel at first

We stayed here, both with Eurocamp and in our own tent.

Camping la Vallee

If you ask on here, there’s normally someone with a Brittany Ferries code to share, which gives 10-20% off. And yes, everywhere is much cheaper the end of August, plus roads are quieter.

north of france has amazing beaches, Bray Dunes, Wimereux, dunkirk, le touquet, and quite easy to get to from eurotunnel

I'd add that what you save by taking the Dover/Calais crossing or the Tunel, you'll spend on driving if you're destination is Brittany - plus the long ferry to St Malo is fun (but book a cabin overnight, not the reclining chairs).

St Malo itself is lovely, you're not far from Mont St Michel - make sure you're fit for the climb!

French driving away from Paris is fairly low stress, once you're out of the port town - St Malo is easier than Caen.

As PPs said there is quite a difference between temps in southern Brittany (Morbihan) and North East Brittany (Finistere). La Trinite sur Mer is lovely (actually, look at the Tour de France 2021 website for stages 2-3 for ideas).

If you are in the area Lac de Guerlédan in mid/late August, the Son et Lumiere at Abbe de Bon Repos is amazing.

My parents live in Southern Brittany, we love going to Quiberon , but be aware that the queues along the coast road there can be grim in August (ever tried to get to West Wittering on a sunny day in the school holidays? x 10!).

I also second - if you are feeling brave, the city of Bourdeaux.

Go for it and have an adventure!

Doh! first 'you're' should be 'your'.

I WANT AN EDIT BUTTON!

@frenchnovice - we stayed at La Baie. It is quite a small site but has been owned by the same Dutch family for many years and is very well run. It's also in a really lovely location.

If we’re talking campsites, I’ve got to give a shout out to my favourite, Le Milin Kerhe, nr Guingamp in Brittany. It’s an old mill in a wooded valley, next to the river, where they lend out free rowing boats and canoes to explore. Loads of woodland pitches with campfires allowed, and they organise brilliant activities like raft races, nature walks etc for the kids. I hope they’ve managed to survive the last couple of years though- the majority of their campers are British, as the French tend to prefer more formal sites right next to the sea, and they were struggling with the fallout of Brexit even before Covid struck

If you don’t fancy a long drive, you can get the Eurostar and then take the TGV to other areas. Paris to Bordeaux is a little over a couple of hours. You could also consider renting a car in France. I always find that renting a car overseas is easier than driving down in my own car, as it’s easier to remember that you’re driving on the right!

Saying that, the easiest French trip we did was a Dover to Calais ferry, then staying in a Eurocamp which was about a 90 minute drive from Calais. All main roads and pretty stress-free even with kids in the car. It wasn’t an area with a lot going on but we enjoyed the pool, beaches and small towns. It was Domaine Du Drancourt.

The camping holidays are usually really good value. They include the ferry or train fares and good tent with electricity, fridge etc. Driving is fine except around Paris although with a decent sat nav it's not too bad. I first went to La Trinite sur Mare about 1977......fabulous!

What are the most popular sites for older teens 15 / 16

When the kids were growing up we'd go every 2 years to France with Canvas holidays and drive there via the ferry or tunnel, but you can fly out if you prefer. The first year we stayed in their tents (it had beds, a cooker and a fridge), then for subsequent trips it was caravans which we upgraded each time. Our final holiday was in a gorgeous lodge. We stayed all over France and found the roads were good. Don't know the prices of Eurocamp but Canvas was really cheap (we always went for 2wks at Easter) and they have activity clubs for the kids which they loved.

Travel on Eurostar to Lille or Paris and take trains from there to the north coast. Or somewhere such as Bordeaux.

The prices of holidays does tend to drop the latter half of August but be aware that a lot of small businesses, including restaurants will be closed for their own holidays. We went away late August one time in Brittany, never again. There's a difference between uncrowned beaches and utterly deserted because absolutely nothing bar the supermarkets were open.

The Portsmouth- St Malo crossing tends to be more expensive as it's overnight. We usually get this one as it frees up a days worth of holiday by going the night before and always get a cabin. For us it is worth it.