Holiday circa 5 hours from Calais?

[Matchingcollarandcuffs]

We are hoping to do a few days in Paris and then a week in either a rented house or in a caravan on a site with pool etc. Not so fussed about sea but lakes/rivers would be good, and an area with a fair amount to do (town visits/history/markets etc). We always go South or coastal so are completely devoid of inspiration - please suggest areas for me to look.

DCs are 18,16 and 14 and boys and girls, so would need 3 pref 4 beds

Merci!

Annecy is fantastic - gorgeous mediaeval town with markets, museums, shops, huge lake with lots of water sports and leisure opportunities, mountains for hiking, biking, good transport for exploring and a wide range of accommodation options. We stayed in a villa with a pool for a bit (££ as you'd expect) but also stayed for a few days in a lovely mobile home park with a pool and restaurant (I'll try to remember what it was called.). Easy not to use the car due to the good transport links.
Teen enjoyed it as there was so much to do and I enjoyed some leisurely time wandering around the markets and supermarkets.

It wasn't this one (it was smaller) but this is an example of a park near the lake. A lot of the places offer lodges as well as mobile homes and there are lots of camp sites too.

https://www.google.co.uk/search?q=holiday+park+Amnecy&ie=UTF-8&oe=UTF-8&hl=en-gb&client=safari#trex=mt:lcllakp,rcf:rln,rccludocids:13079653541790910921,rugwp:0%252C7,ruulqi:ChNob2xpZGF5IHBhcmsgQW5uZWN5SJyby3lgICACFonEAAQARgAGAEYAiITaG9saWRheSBwYXJrIGFubmVjeSoGCAMQABABkgEKY2FtcGdyb3VuZJoBI0NoWkRTVWhOTUc5blMwVkpRMEZuU1VORE9VMVBaV0ozRUFFqgE0EAEqECIMaG9saWRheSBwYXJrKAAyHhABIhoLNtPql9IVJrWJqSBaNLPhSjLy2ka7GMCrPw,ruuphdesc:Fr89DWM9GpY,trex_id:K6WfW&lpg=cid:CgIgAQ%3D%3D

I was watching this with interest but @Turmerictolly it looks as if Annecy is a 9 hr drive from Calais ?

I thought OP was travelling from Paris so approx 5 hours to Annecy from there.

Says 5 hours from Calais
Annecy is lovely though

We like the Loire region. Interesting, pretty towns, good food (obvs), chateaux, not too long to drive plus some watery activity on the river.

If you were looking at a city, maybe try Lille. It's a great town, with plenty to do. The local cuisine is very hearty as well, which might do for teenagers!

Ah, I just realise you mean as well as Paris. Never mind.

The Loire, as mentioned above would be a good shout, or maybe Brittany.

Normandy/Brittany?

Could you recommend the villa please?

What’s weather like in summer?

Annecy is far more than 5 hours from Calais.

Normandy/Brittany can be variable, as they're much closer to our climate, but generally I remember some lovely weather there, but just be ready for the odd rainy day.

Climate a bit like Cornwall, can be windy on coast

I would consider Alsace - Strasbourg is six hours from Calais according to Google Maps. Lots of pretty towns and wine-tasting for those old enough or inclined, and good food. And popping over into Germany or potentially up to Luxembourg/down to Switzerland.

Can you tell me more about Annecy please?

Single parent, dog, 11 year old and 14 year old.
I will need to get an air bnb with a pool as my two will swim all day every day. And it needs to be by the beach.

wine tasting - nope
lots of travelling whilst there - nope

but we do love visiting local town couple of times during stay and lots of walks

pretty good weather ie better than uk is important

Sorry beach OR lake is important

Don't know much about Annecy, except that Google maps says it's more like 8 hours from Calais...

What’s it like driving in France?! Never driven there