France - Help!

[Lunamoon23]

Hello!

We are looking to book a holiday to France for 2026. But have a complicated group - they'll be 8 of us in total.

1 will not fly - so trying to find somewhere reachable by ferry from the UK. We are all based down in Devon.

We will have a 1 year old with us so don't want to have to drive for hours on the other side.
We will also have two 80+ year olds so want to limit the hustle and bustle of travelling.

We will be looking to rent a villa for us all to stay in. Although we have two 80+ year olds with us they are very up for most things (within reason on holiday) ie. Beach days, boat trips, train journeys, eating out, sightseeing etc etc.

Can anyone recommend somewhere really nice in France to holiday that meets the above criteria. I've googled the life out of it and keep getting conflicting results.

Looking to go in June also - anyone been to France in June? How's the weather?

Many thanks in advance!

Ime reliability of weather is directly proportional to how far south in France you’re prepared to drive.

presumably the easiest for you would be the ferry from Plymouth to Roscoff, then if you don’t want to drive far the other side you’re looking at holidaying in the Brittany region which is nice but the weather will probably be similar to Cornwall.

not flying and not wanting to drive far the other side is fine but will be quite limiting I think

South Brittany, ferry from Plymouth to St Malo. I've been to Brittany 3 times and the weather has been a few degrees warmer than the UK

Plymouth to Roscoff, you then have the whole southern Brittany coast to choose from.

Could you get the Eurostar to Paris, then the TGV to Avignon and hire a car there?

Normandy is nice. Deauville, Trouville, Honfleur spring to mind. Have a look at the Brittany Ferries website for the routes. The weather will be pretty much what you would get on the south coast of the UK.

If the family with the one year old are used to travel then they totally agree Eurostar to Avignon and TGV is a great idea. Any reasonable sizes French city is s reachable in a day on Eurostar.

If you want to take the car you could look at taking the ferry to Spain (eg Portsmouth Bilbao) and drive back into France.

We did this last year and loved it so much we're doing it again. Very relaxing way to travel and lots of options of places to stay around Avignon. Also lots of beautiful houses and views. We went via Paris which means you have to change station
To go south but it's only two stops on the metro. Otherwise you can take the Eurostar to Lille and then just change platform. But that's slightly longer. You might need to break the journey if you're coming up from Devon. We go from Surrey and break it in Paris but don't bother on the way home.

@GettingStuffed @Rhoumblestiilliness thank you - any recommendations for places to stay in Brittany? Things to do? X

Also we are happy to drive 2-3 hours the other side once we get off the ferry. X

Arcachon, or the Loire Valley

We got a caravan down near Bordeaux, the weather isn't reliably good even that far down. We've been cold in June. And wet. Very wet.

How do you know that you will have a one year old in 2026?

Because I'm currently pregnant and due December so come 2026, we will have a one and a half year old at time of travel?

Recommend Plymouth Roscoff. Then southern Brittany so Concarnau Pont Aven. We love the Guidel area too. Sorry no accommodation suggestions as we go in a caravan

Just think logistics will you be taking two cars? Hire cars are €€€€ if you went down the train route.

Would anyone fly? Do you have to travel together? We often drive to south of France and have been joined by grandad (80 odd) and others who come by train or plane. The weather in Provence should be lovely then… but further north you may get lucky too. Equally it might be quite like Cornwall!

Congratulations and all the best 💐

That time of year I’d want to go to the south eg provence or cote d’azur because I don’t think you can guarantee the weather anywhere else. Does the group have to travel together? The scared of flying one could train or drive, others could fly.

We had 40 degrees plus one June in the Bordeaux area -quite unpleasant- so it can most definitely go the other way!

Plymouth - Roscoff overnight, wake up and drive 4-5 hours to Vendee coast. Guaranteed sunshine, beautiful beaches, interesting places to see. We love it!

I would say Portsmouth - Caen ferry

Normandy is very pretty

Can drop into Caen on the way

Base yourself around Bayeux,
Great stuff to do and glorious beaches a short drive away. Our favourite is Gold Beach .

I personally wouldnt go very far south gets so hot especially for the elderly.

Arcachon is lovely but too far to drive from Roscoff I think.
‘South Brittany esp Carnac lots of airB&Bs to choose from

How about taking the ferry from Poole or Portugal to Jersey?

No guarantee on the weather, but also true of anywhere in Northern France. Plenty to do in Jersey and minimal driving, it's easy to get about. Nice beaches and restaurants too.

If you’re in Devon then certainly the Plymouth- Roscoff ferry makes the most sense. Or Plymouth to Santander if you’re happy to be at sea for ages! We’ve never done this though.
Britanny is fabulous, especially the coast around the gulf of Morbihan. Or as a PP said, only a few hours drive to the Vendée (very hot last time we went and long stretches of sandy beach).

Beach holiday in Brittany, I'd go St Lunaire, St Malo, Dinard. All very reachable from several ferry ports (St Malo, Cherbourg, Caen). All have lovely beaches. St Malo beach has a "swimming pool" filled by the sea so no waves. Dinard has a nice indoor pool too.
Second choice, Tregastel (ferry to Roscoff) as it's beautiful rose stone coast.
Binic is lovely too, equidistant from St Malo and Roscoff, but maybe a further drive.