France

[teabag20048]

Where would be an ideal base for first timers to France?
Also thinking of a short break to Paris but cannot find any family rooms 1 double, 2 twin in the city centre?

How many of you are there? What sort of break are you thinking about?

With Paris, we've done it different ways, but have stayed at various Accor hotels (Novotels etc), and booked family rooms.

Rest of France - either Eurocamp type holidays, or Novotels.

Depends what you're after. Will you fly, drive, ferry or train?

We have recently been doing ferry then somewhere like Brittany hiring a villa with pool. Further south is better weather though.

This aparthotel is good for the Eiffel Tower www.adagio-city.com/gb/hotel-6790-aparthotel-adagio-paris-centre-tour-eiffel/index.shtml Breakfast is at an extra charge. This chain has loads of places dotted all over Paris so well worth a look.

This one is on a quiet street yet within easy reach of a wide array of shops and restaurants. It's just 15 minutes on foot from the Eurostar terminal at the Gare du Nord and less than 25 minutes' walk from the Sacré Coeur. The nearest métro station is just a minute's walk away too. www.cosys-residences.com/en/ A nice breakfast is available.

I think the Loire valley is good for a family's first visit to France. It's within comfortable driving distance of Calais, a bit milder than the UK, has a good choice of days out to suit all ages and interests and you can find some lovely accommodation for a reasonable price.

I think you need to be a bit more specific about what sort of holiday you want.

Have you checked out eurocamp?

Theres 4 of us son 13, daughter 9. We have looked at eurocamp also centerparcs, also a gite, would like a pool. Just haven't got a clue what isin france so was looking for a good base. I will look at loire valley Ricekrispie22 and have looked at the hotels in Paris thanks they look good.

Yes try adagio aparthotels and Pierre et Vacances.

For gites, I'd recommend looking at HomeAway or Owners Direct.

Also, I always found Logis de France very reliable accommodation, which are more traditional B&Bs (although they've now added a gites element too) which usually have a restaurant attached.

Dordogne is stunning, plenty to do on the river, beautiful towns, fab weather. We're considering Provence next year, around Avignon/Aix en Provence.

Yes, it really does depend on what sort of holiday you want. If you want to discover the French way of life and people you could choose a "chambre d'hote" which is like Bed & Breakfast - but obviously it works out more expensive as you don't (usually) self-cater in those. The people who run them are generally very helpful and will encourage the children to try out a few words of French.
Do you want a seaside (lying on the beach / at the poolside all day) holiday, a mountain (walking and admiring the scenery) holiday, a visiting monuments holiday a "doing things with the kids and discovering France together" kind of holiday....?
Do you want to eat French food? You can get a reasonable meal out in many small towns and villages for under 15€ a head - if you are prepared to be adventurous and eat what the French eat.
If your children are fussy eaters then self catering would be better...
There are plenty of lovely places in rural France.... but you need to know that distances can be long .... do you really want to get in the car every time you want a baguette if your gite is in the middle of nowhere?

I think the Loire is a good suggestion...or the Vendée, which is the Western coastal region South of Nantes and North of La Rochelle.
However, I would think twice about doing a Dover -Calais crossing, unless you actually live in Kent!
If Portsmouth, Southampton (or Poole) and Newhaven are accessible for you I would choose one of them over Dover-Calais route every single time: longer ferry crossings mean less time in the car, and landing between Cherbourg and Dieppe means not having to fight your way round Pairs, which is an added bonus for your first drive on the continent.

We do airbnb all over France. South of France is lovely and beaches are nice. Bit of a trek from UK but if you break it up (We stay a night half way down) then it's worth it.

France is massive. Youve got beaches, mountains, rugged beaches and a bit cooler in britanny, long sandy beaches in the north and the vendee. Youve got mountains in the jura and the alps and the pyrennees, youve got rolling hills and forests and lake beaches in the limousin and dordogne, youve got interesting cities, culture, food youve got the better weather in the south. Touristy parts and quiet parts,
France has got pretty much everything to offer, but not all in the same parts - its massive. What sort of thing do you want out of a holiday?

The Ardeche, south of Lyon is great. Kayaking and swimming in the river, canyoning etc, etc. This might give you a flavour of what is available: www.the-outdoor-experience.co.uk/2-day-descent/ Lyon is a good entry point with lots of cheap flights from the U.K. and it's a beautiful city, definitely worth a day or two.

@midsomermurderess That looks brill. Adding to my list!