Mumsnet users share their holiday experiences in France with Brittany Ferries

[EllieMumsnet]

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Travelling by ferry can be a much more hassle free way to go on holiday with the family...as let’s be honest a 20kg per person limit on luggage is almost impossible when you have little ones. Brittany Ferries allows you to both travel by ferry and holiday in France and they would love you to share your top holiday experiences of travelling to France.

Here is what Brittany Ferries have to say “If having young children has put you off taking a holiday abroad, then think again, think family-friendly France. Sailing from Portsmouth, Poole or Plymouth we offer more choice of sailings than anyone else and our on-board service is designed with little ones in mind. What’s more, we can also arrange your holiday accommodation too. Our choice of sail & stay holidays are perfect for young families with a chalet camping holiday offering fun for all with lots to see and do both on and off site. And, as all our holidays include return sailings with your car, booking that all important family holiday is simple too.”

Where did you go in France? What did you enjoy most about your holiday there? How was your family’s experience on the ferry? What are your top tips for packing for a family holiday?

Share your dream destinations and holiday by ferry experiences on the thread below to be entered into a prize draw where one MNer will win a £300 voucher of their choice (from a list).

Thanks and good luck!
MNHQ

Standard Insight T&Cs apply

[k2p2k2tog]

Had a lovely week in the Dordogne a few years ago and would love to go back. Picture postcard perfect villages, lovely markets, warm weather, amazing scenery and great food and drink. Would love to go back, it's a beautiful part of the world.

[Cassini]

The D Day beaches are amazing places for the history, food and long sandy beaches and travelling by ferry means we can take the four legged family too! The dogs love galloping along the beach then begging for all that lovely Normandy cheese!

[ShatnersBassoon]

I haven't been on a ferry since I was 16 and on the French exchange with school. It was an overnight crossing, I think Portsmouth to Le Havre. It was uncomfortable and I had sea sickness for the only time in my life (rough crossing, poorly ventilated cabin). It did put me off, although now I'm getting on a bit, my thoughts are turning to having a cruise holiday...

Top tip for family holidays - spread the packing across all cases so if one case doesn't appear at the other end, there are still clean clothes for everyone.

[Thinkingofausername1]

We booked a cabin last year, it makes the journey more luxurious and comfortable. And easier if you have children.

[CoffeeOrSleep]

Looking for tips as we haven't sorted our summer holiday yet and I'm drawn to the idea of a long ferry crossing rather than a flight. The idea of taking the kids bikes and having a more relaxed sort of holiday appeals. DH has only ever done hotel holidays on the med so might take some convincing...

[FreshsatsumaforDd]

Our favourite holidays as a family are to France always using Brittany Ferries.

We have stayed in many areas including Perros Guirec on the pink granite coast with beach fireworks for the 14 July and boat trip to see the puffins, Benodet on the beautiful south coast, St Malo and Dinard before we had the children, the Vendee and some beautiful beaches, and several memorable stays in the beautiful and historic including one in a small chateau.

We love France and our holiday always begins on the ferry from Portsmouth to either Cherbourg or Caen. The children love to explore the vastness (to them) of the ferry. Once we played table tennis outside at the back of the ship...quite adventurous. We love that our holiday begins on the ferry with delicious French food on many sailings and kind and helpful staff on the ferry.

It is always an adventure driving off on the wrong side of the road so we now tend to stay overnight in Caen or Cherbourg before driving away.

Top tip is to avoid the ring road at Rennes and Nantes on peak travel days for the French holidays. Oh the horror of watching the French morning news to see travel reports and realize that we were travelling on the first day of the exodus to the south. Fortunately we had very few problems.

Packing tips...leave some room to bring home some wonderful French must haves as souvenirs of your adventure.

Oooh, just remembering our fabulous holidays makes me want to go again!

[Hopezibah]

Haven't been by ferry for many years and it's been off myradar for a while - but now that I think about it, i think it is a more budget friendly way to travel as our family has grown.

I remember having such a sense of adventure about a ferry - the journey becomes part of the holiday experience.

My tip would be to explore the ferry with the kids and make it part of the adventure.

[confusedofengland]

We go to France most years - I did as a child with my parents, and now I take my DC too. We usually go to a campsite just outside Paris. We love the freedom the DC have & also just exploring the local area. We love the ferry so our experiences on the ferry are always very positive. The DC get to run about or play in the play areas & the adults get to chill with a coffee or have a snooze if needed. When it comes to packing, we find it much easier if we go by ferry as we take our car & can take whatever we need.

[Winningbeauty]

I last spent a few weeks in the region or bordeaux, we rented a little cottage which was a converted barn. We used the bikes available to ride to nearby towns and explore the area.

We ventured further afield in a rented car (a must) for wine tastings and beautiful evening meals.

I had the best duck breast I've ever tasted at the wine market.

[Lariflete]

I love sailing as it is so much less stressful than flying or driving the whole way. Although we do end up sitting outside the cabin while the kids go to sleep playing cards!

My favourite place in France is near Caucassonne and is an easy drive to Spain so best of both worlds! I love sitting outside the villa having a shared meal with family and just truly relaxing.

[Gazelda]

We love traveling to Britanny. We always drive and alternate between ferry and eurotunnel.
The freedom of having our own car is fantastic, we treat the journey as part of the holiday.
We have a satnav for ease, coins for tolls and schedule regular stops to stretch our legs.
We take plenty of snacks and drinks.
Dress comfortably with layers to take off as the temperature rises.
We take activities for dd - books, dvd, puzzles etc.
And we play the 'yellow car' game.

[4yearsnosleep]

We had a fantastic week in Frejus with friends, drinking copious amounts of wine and eating endless pastries. It's a fantastic place to have a holiday. Shop at local supermarkets; it's much cheaper and still delicious!

[WowOoo]

We had a beautiful stay in Provence before children. I loved the scenery, the food, the wine and the weather.
I would love to go there again!

Tip for packing - write a list well in advance. Helps when packing to come home as well if you are self catering. Save some space for shopping.

[Sleepysausage]

We stayed in Dinan.
We loved the many local restaurants and being somewhere alot of French people had chosen as their holiday destination.
We found the ferry very easy and very comfortable
My top tip would be to remember that the French have children too! Anything you've forgotten can be bought in France

[BBCK]

Travelling by ferry is the best way to travel.
Your holiday starts at the port, especially if you travel overnight.
You arrive at a reasonable hour, then can drive at your own speed on great French roads, making the most of the gorgeous French countryside. If heading south, stop overnight in a cheap but very comfortable French hotel, then meander down south, appreciating the climate change.
The biggest advantage of ferry travel is the opportunity to visit as many vineyards as you wish, buy fabulous French wine at cost price and in bulk as bring it back to the UK via stunning French countryside. What’s not to like?

[WinkyisbackontheButterBeer]

It’s got to be French food. I could live on bead and cheese.
Oh, and a little wine too

[Ashhead24]

Would recommend an overnight crossing too, although after a really tough crossing we always went for a cabin with a window to lessen seasickness. It's really worth exploring Brittany, lovely place. Will be taking my little one when he's bigger.

[pinkflump]

We holiday to Disneyland Paris fairly regularly! Seeing the girls' faces when they meet the characters (even if its not the first time) is just incredible :) It's expensive but the ferry (and driving) makes it a little cheaper! It's also a much more relaxed affair and turns it into more of a holiday than just a trip to Disney!

Pack plenty of snacks for the cabin so that when the kids are asleep, you're not stuck without food! We also pack a separate "cabin case" so we don't have to lug the whole lot up!

[SuzCG]

Pre last year we had only travelled to France Dover/Calais or Eurotunnel when we did Disneyland - recommendation would be daytime to suit your family routine as best you can.
Last year we went to Brittany and sailed overnight Portsmouth/St Malo - really was unsure about it but have to say, we had an amazing time. A lovely supper in the restaurant after boarding, nice glass of wine for M&D and then tucked up in our bunks. An early start off the ferry but we simply drove into St Malo, parked up and went for breakfast, spent half a day exploring what is an absolutely beautiful town before we set off for our holiday hotel a couple of hours drive away. We sailed back Roscoff/Plymouth and again took the opportunity to spend a few hours exploring the town and having a lovely last lunch al-fresco before we sailed back. We travelled during the day but had still booked a cabin (much cheaper on day crossings) and for us, this was the right thing to do definitely. It gave us somewhere to go when we wanted a couple of hours, peace & quiet and being able to kick off our shoes and chill. Also went to the cinema and watched a film to while some of the journey away.
I had always felt a little boat travel averse but it was a real eye opener for me - and we will definitely do it again!
Top tip - take a small case only on to the boat with you, packed only with journey essentials - rather than your big holiday suitcases. Space is at a premium!

[Quietvoiceplease]

We love taking the ferry to France or Spain, as it is much easier and cheaper. We sometimes camp as well, which means we can take our tent and camping equipment. The ferry also feels very relaxed and fun way to start the holiday. However, we would LOVE to hire cabin which could house us all, but we have three children which is one child too many according to most ferry companies. Hiring two cabins is both expensive and doesn't feel very sociable.

[MiniAlphaBravo]

One of our best days in Brittany was cycling around the coast and countryside with our toddler in a trailer. Stopping for a picnic of fantastic French food and enjoying the quieter pace of life, lack of traffic and beautiful scenery. Our experience with the ferry was that it was so nice to have our own car and a bed to sleep in, shower, place to go for a walk and to let the toddler have a run about. Love France and hope to go back soon

[Chickoletta]

We had a wonderful holiday 2 years ago sailing with Brittany Ferries and staying with Eurocamps. We live in Cornwall but we’re attending a wedding in Kent beforehand (that was a headache of a drive). We crossed from Portsmouth to Caen, spent a few days in Normandy then drove through France, spent another few days in Brittany and sailed back from Roscoff to Plymouth. En route, we saw the Bayeux Tapestry (surprised at how child-friendly this was), Mont St Michel and lots of lovely towns and beaches. We loved Eurocamps as a base - great swimming pools and clean, spacious accommodation.

My kids (then 3 & 5) loved the ferry crossings. We explored the ship, had tea in the restaurant, where they were given cool activity packs, then back to the cabin to sleep for the night. Totally stress-free compared with other medium-haul flight holidays we’ve taken.

When we recently asked the children where they wanted to go in holiday this year they were unanimous - somewhere on a ferry!

[snowplop]

We do the Portsmouth to St Malo crossing every July. The sight of the Portsmouth Spinnaker Tower as we drive towards the port is a sign that our holidays have begun and cheers us up after our mammoth packing session (we take our trailer tent). It's sandwiches in the ferry queue and then drinks in the bar with friends from our village who take the same crossing every year. The kids love the on-board entertainment and exploring the ferry by themselves now they are that bit older. 3 weeks later we take the Caen - Portsmouth crossing back as it works better for us timewise. The only negative, like Quietvoiceplease said is that the cabins sleep a max of 4. We can't afford 2 cabons, and wouldn't want to sleep separately anyway until the children are teenagers. At the moment we take a SIM for one of the kids to sleep on the floor in the middle of the bunks. It's not ideal though, especially when somone on the top bunks decides they want to go to the loo in the middle of the night!

[Peoniesandcats]

I went to the south of France last year and loved how close it was - the weather was fantastic!

Taking a car on the ferry means packing is easier and not limited to flight luggage & restrictions

[Rae1000]

Brittany & Normandy in gites. Taken virtually every crossing over including short & longer overnight ferries & the channel tunnel. Probably as a family the overnight ferries with a cabin is the best bet as you feel refreshed in the morning.

Pack clothes and essential items that you may need on your journey separately. Pack lots of food too!!!!