Paris and ?

[whataboutlove]

Planning holidays for the summer. Daughters want to go to Paris, which would be nice but a lot of busy days sightseeing.

Afterwards would like to go somewhere else in France to crash by a pool for a few days, nice hotel, food etc. wondering if anyone has suggestions. I know the obvious places may be Nice or Cannes but are there any nice towns maybe closer to Paris? My idea is laze by the pool and then maybe wander out late afternoon for dinner etc. Avignon maybe?

I would head west to La Rochelle or Ile de Re.

I was just about to say La Rochelle too!

Nice.

Avignon is not really closer to Paris and is more of a sightseeing place too! Some of the northern beaches are beautiful in Brittany and little seaside towns in Normandy (eg Etretat) too. Le Touquet is also very nice. If you want more reliable weather agree to head for Loire Atlantique area, Vendee if it’s a beach and sunshine only you’re after.

Thanks all. Didn't expect replies so quickly.

Yes there looks like there would be lot to see in Avignon and my husband will want us marching around to look at all things Roman
Will definitely look at the Atlantic coast, Ild de Re looks lovely 😊

Flying, driving or train?

Sarlat in the Dordogne has plenty of hotels to choose from

Alternatively and convenient if flying: Carcassonne. There are a few hotels in the city itself (Hotel De La Cite if you are pushing the boat out as it is in the city and has a pool). There are also hotels just outside the city walls. This is one we plan to stay at when we are next in the area:

www.hotelmontmorency.com/fr/hotel-3-etoiles-carcassonne

Personally I found Avignon slightly disappointing but Arles has lots to offer plus more Roman ruins than you can shake a stick at in the area:

Arles has a Roman arena. Orange has a Roman theatre. There is a whole site at Glanum to explore.

Thanks@GnomeDePlume will be traveling by train.

It's the Roman Ruins I want to avoid!! The girls will go mad! Have been to Carcassone before and enjoyed it too. Kind of want a train Journey of max 3-4 hours.

Some alternatives:

• Lyon, gastronomic capital of France with an interesting old town. 2 hours by train from Paris. www.fourviere-hotel.com/en/
• Beaune, Burgundy. Plenty of places to eat not just the hotel. Interesting town. 2 hours by train from Paris. all.accor.com/hotel/1217/index.en.shtml?dateIn=&nights=&compositions=1&stayplus=false#origin=mercure

Shame about the Roman stuff, I love Provence for the Roman sites to see. It was where the Romans went on holiday.

Loire Valley - lots of nice hotels with pools and the area is flat so you could hire bikes to get around. There are some less culture vulture activities like a vineyard trip or kayaking if the children are likely to find a week by the pool too much.

We love Beaune

Angouleme perhaps or Bordeaux?

Epernay. Fabulous champagne tours, restaurants and very relaxed vibe.

I mean, it is France. You can pretty much stick a pin in a map and find something nice. It's why we moved here. Do you want personal recommendations of actual hotels or bites or towns? I find if you get a gite with a pool they are often a bit out of the towns where you can find the food places, so you'd possibly need a hotel with a pool in a town if you want both.

@actiongirl1978 we stayed there for DH's 40th birthday and also loved it.

@whataboutlove another option:

• Aix-en-Provence - quintessentially Provence, relaxed, stylish. 3.5 hours from Paris. www.aixenprovencetourism.com/en/. grandhotelroirenemgallery.h-rez.com/