Welcome to Mumsnet's holiday forum. Discuss all international travel here, including both shorthaul and longhaul trips. Related topics: UK holidays & day trips, skiing, camping & campervans.
Welcome to Mumsnet's holiday forum. Discuss all international travel here, including both shorthaul and longhaul trips. Related topics: UK holidays & day trips, skiing, camping & campervans.
Holidays
Help me choose - destination in France (or Spain, Italy…?)
Hotpinkparade · 07/04/2022 23:53
My boyfriend and I are looking to go on holiday first week of July. We’ll be travelling by train from London, so ideally would be a destination well connected to Lille or Paris. Don’t want the travel to be an odyssey - maybe max 5-6 hours from one of those cities?
Our requirements - would prefer a town to a city. Must have a train station (not planning to hire a car). We’ll be WFH while there, so don’t need tons to do, but good food and a beach would be a plus! But don’t really want a buzzy city as feel we’d be missing out. Budget for accommodation isn’t massive so nowhere too ritzy I guess… and weather, we’d like to be warm - certainly warmer than London!
Not wedded to a particular area or even country, but obviously weather improves as we head south. Have considered Cassis, Sete, (and Montpelier and Biarritz which I realise are cities but we’ve been before so not so worried about FOMO) but accommodation seems pricey.
In my dreams I’m picturing a seaside town, apartment/hotel with a little balcony, a few decent restaurants, and a nice beach… where is it?!
(One other factor - we’re both vegetarian - not always easiest in France but there’s always chips/ice cream! But we’re not particularly drawn to seafood etc which might tempt others to a particular destination)
Anyone been to Deauville? La Rochelle? Any other ideas?
QueenofLouisiana · 08/04/2022 00:00
La Rochelle is expensive and I’ll admit that I was a bit disappointed when I went to the area a few years ago.
Deauville- lovely, but not sure how warm it is?
We really like Narbonne/ Narbonne Plage. Cheaper than the Nice coast, but on the Mediterranean with good weather, beaches were clean and relatively quiet. I’m veggie and could eat in the area.
Hotpinkparade · 08/04/2022 00:57
Thank you, I always associate Narbonne with the scorching wait in a huge car park for our Volvo to be unloaded from the car transport train on our way to Spain on family holidays… Very interested to consider what more it has to offer!
MallampatiCatty · 08/04/2022 01:59
Deauville is nice but honestly I loved Honfleur. Such a beautiful place.
Carcassonne too? Beautiful place. Close to Toulouse so well connected
Frenchfancy · 08/04/2022 06:19
La Rochelle is lovely but expensive.
What about Les sables d'Olonne ?
If an apartment is too expensive look at mobile homes. There are 1000's of them in the area.
Hotpinkparade · 08/04/2022 17:10
Thanks everyone, Honfleur and Les Sables d'Olonne both look interesting! Mobile homes are a great price, alas think that would be my boyfriends worst nightmare so probably not an option.
MissAmbrosia · 09/04/2022 13:16
Antibes/Juan Les Pins. Ste Raphael. Couillioures? Dinard in Brittany is very nice.
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