Recommend me a nice area / town in France - have no clue!

[TokyoBouncyBall]

DD is doing French A Level and so we are off to France this summer so that she can speak French.

We'd like to be in a town so that she can go out and about without us, but other than that have no real idea - which means we could go anywhere in France. Can you help us narrow this down? Anywhere that you'd recommend that isn't an insane drive from the ferry?

Ta!

Ferry to Calais? How far is too far from there?

Paris!!

Avignon is lovely, great wine tasting nearby too

Which ferry route would you take? Dinan is a lovely town to potter about on your own. Best ferry is to St Malo but not a really long drive from Caen either. Lots of lovely places to visit nearby as well.

If you don't want to drive too far from the ferry, maybe Deauville, Hinfluer or Bayeaux?

Sorry Honfleur. Also Rouen. All easy driving from Caen if you do the Portsmouth- Caen crossing

The easiest ferry for us is to Cherbourg - and in fact we had a lovely few days there last year, great mix of museums and excellent food.

And we don't mind driving for a few hours - just don't want to go as far as Provence!

Quimper. Or smaller and more coastal, Benodet.

I love the Loire valley area and think Saumur is really nice, not too big. Ditto Amboise. The whole area is just so nice too. Bayeaux in Normandy is a lovely small town too, and near great beaches.

St Malo is also lovely, and no drive!

That's Brittany I'm not so familiar with that area sorry

If you go somewhere like Brittany or the Loire chateaux, your daughter might struggle to speak too much French as there are lots of English tourists. I remember various "battles" at holiday check-ins where all my attempts to use my (then still pretty good) French were ignored! If she hasn't been to Paris, that would be first on my list though you won't want to drive there from Cherbourg and end up on that terrifying roundabout at the Arc de Triomphe!

The Cotentin peninsula (with Cherbourg at the top) is ok but i would suggest St Malo as a scenic and interesting town with medieval walls and cobbled streets, good shopping and restaurants.
Also Mont St Michel is nearby but that can get very busy especially in the summer.
Honfleur is pretty but gets very crowded when the cruise ships are in.
Rouen is not a bad drive but if you wanted to venture further afield I would suggest Bordeaux - and not just for the wine! (Although the Musée du Vin is well worth a visit.)

We love the dordogne. Towns like Auberterre and Riberec. We fly in to Bergerac but it’s possible to do a long drive there. Might be too far but the flights are cheap if you do fly.

St Malo or Dinard.

If you want bigger towns/small cities, from Cherbourg you could head for Chartres, Rennes, Angers or Tours. All worth visiting.

The Drome-Provencale. It’s sort of sits above Provence in the Rhone-Alpes and has a similar landscape with the lavender fields etc, but not so busy. There are lovely villages and towns like Nyons, Buis-les-Barronnies, Montbrun-les-Bains. If you head west from there you could visit the Ardèche with its gorges and river sports, kayaking etc. You’d be best flying in to Lyon which is worth spending a day in.

La Rochelle

I was just about to jump in and say similar!

Mont St. Michel, Rennes, Nantes and a few days in La Rochelle/Il de Re.
Back up via Poitiers Tours, Caen and the Normandy beaches.

Probably too hectic an itinerary, so the Cotentin peninsula on its own has plenty to see and do otherwise.

I was going to say somewhere in the alps but that’s probably too far for you.

it is beautiful in the summer though

Another vote for Normandy, esp Honfleur, Rouen, Bayeaux and Monet garden.

Enjoy.

I love the Loire region: Amboise, Blois, Tours (in my order of preference). Options to go to Samaur, Vouvray and Sancerre for wine.

second this

If you would fancy getting the train instead of driving, then Paris, obviously, but also Lille as an alternative. Plenty to do there.

Bayeaux is lovely, the tapestry exhibit is fun, some really pretty medieval streets. Calais has some nice bits, we had our French tested there when we booked a b&b where the owners had very little English, was lovely.