Advice on South of France for a novice

[coffeerevelsrule]

Never been before though I have been to other parts of France a few times. We were planning a longer haul trip next year but finances mean it will probably need to be Europe again (which is absolutely fantastic really and I know we are fortunate to be able to go anywhere). I'd like to go somewhere with a different feel to it than places we have been before (Berlin, Prague, Paris, Barcelona, Budapest, Croatia, Normandy, Naples, Brittany) and I feel the South of France would give us this.

It will be me and two boys ages 16 and 14. They are a bit of a nightmare really as not into sports/active stuff, hate pools, one will do a bike ride, long walk the other will be very reluctant to do anything longer than an hour or two. One loves history/museums and is ready to be interested in most stuff, the other less so but enjoys treats, boat trips, cable cars, that kind of thing. Despite this, we do have good holidays and are probably best based in a city with historical stuff/nice cafes around and the option to to venture into the countryside/coast a few times by car or train. Is this something the South of France can offer or does anyone have any other ideas for us.

Thank you in advance for any ideas.

My suggestion would be Munich. There’s so much history and my DS loved the BMW factory tour/museum. We did a few trips out of the city - we visited two amazing castles, Dachau, Tegernsee, some caves and an Alpine coaster.

I’d avoid south of France if you’re going summer holidays- too hot.
What about Summer Alps? Lots of gentle activities, great scenery and food. Not so many museums though. Actually @Fivemoreminutes1 Munich idea plus Bavarian lakes and alps would be great. Lots of castles.

Try Marseille, there's a great coast with boat trips and islands, a lot of museums and galleries etc.

Centre really lovely, with great shops and easy restaurants. Very good for teens.

If you can somehow avoid the peak of the heat then the South of France has lots to offer. Maybe base yourselves in Marseille (cool vibe in both senses) and spread out from there. You should find plenty of art and music festivals to keep you all entertained (maybe best to pre-book from home) and loads of people. Impossible to be bored there.

To answer our question on SoF,

If your driving around, try s/w France, midi Pyrenees and venture into the Ariege and the coast near the Spanish /France border.

there is loads of history, walks, Velo vert routes (pan flat, traffic free cycle routes) linking historic towns like Foix, beautiful mountains but not the super high ones, much greener and hardly anyone there!

Inland, towns like Figeac have history walks rivers and good food.
Spas and history at Ax les Thermes and Andorra is just up the road for some shopping, there is a fascinating Wolf park just a short drive away from Ax.

The coast is stunning, Banyuls sur Mer is fantastic little town.

Nowadays, anywhere in summer could be roasting or cold & a rain storm.

Guess where we go on holiday!!! :)

Ha! Excellent cross post!

With @DiDonk …

Excellent suggestion, don't forget a trip down to Dali's house

Nice is a great place to be based, or Antibes. Boat trips, museums, lovely places to eat. You can easily take the train (or bus) up and down the coast to Villefranches/Monaco/Cannes etc and inland to Grasse. There's a little tourist train too. Montpellier. Another alternative is a boat! We did this trip one way www.leboat.co.uk/boating-holidays/france/camargue and it was amazing. The trip had a mix of countryside, flamingos, beach resorts, history and you can navigate to the outskirts of Montpellier for a bit of city too. A different place every day basically, without unpacking. You can add bikes so you can cycle along the tow path. The boat is simple enough to steer that you could get the kids to do, whilst you drink wine on deck. There are hardly any locks on that part of the canal so it's very stress free.

If you're trying to combine a genuine city with rural access then maybe consider Toulouse, a few good museums, restaurants etc though I'm not sure how many days it would hold everybody's attention..

It does however have very good road/rail access to the Ariege/Aude (agree with comments upthread - both those ticking boxes for history, castles, spectacular scenery etc, and also quick access to the Med (Narbonne etc). If you want somewhere more twee there's Carcassonne, though it gets busy as hell during the festival season.

We tend to avoid the coastal strip itself during summer (due crowds rather than weather)...and as a final shout out have you considered Avignon over to the east?