Hello all! Thanks for all the wonderful suggestions and comments, for my past posts, and others I have read researching our trip to France next summer.
A few questions of our own. We are a family of 4, 2 adults, 2 kids (4 and 7). Are current thoughts are to spend a few days in Chamonix, flying directly into Geneva around June 16. We are then to be in Paris for a wedding on June 27. So I have a gap to fill in between. We want to spend at least 3 days in Paris before the wedding, so getting there around Tuesday, June 23.
Since we only have 2 weeks, I%26#39;m trying not to move us around too many times, but trying to maximize our time in France/Paris. My husband isn%26#39;t keen on spending a lot of time in the city, so Paris would be it. His highlight will be the Alps, which we are all looking forward to.
These are my thoughts, and I%26#39;d appreciate any comments or suggestions based on travel with 2 kids, and some museums, hiking, biking and budget eats/lodging:
1. Stay in Chamonix area for 1 week, then head directly to Paris for the remainder. From what I%26#39;ve read, there is plenty to do in and around Chamonix/Annecy to keep us busy without overdoing it.
2. Stay in Chamonix area for 3 or so days, then moved to another location, closer to Paris. Maybe Loire region for a night or two? If we did this, should we take the train to the Loire region, then rent a car for a few days in the area, or rent a car and drive to Loire? Do we even need a car in this area?
We had originally thought we%26#39;d also get down to the Riviera, but I don%26#39;t think we%26#39;ll have enough time.
I%26#39;m trying to work in the travel time in the itinerary, as well as kid meltdown timing, which means driving times of around 6 hours max. If there are fun things to do in between say, Lyon and the Loire valley, then we could build that in to a car trip.
Any thoughts would be appreciated!
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Hi jennalulu,
I do not know where you are returning from.
If you are flying into Geneva, you could spend your time in the Alps, very beautiful, and railroad from Geneva to Paris or based upon your return flight, drive to Paris.
I think the railroad is about 4 hrs, and you could drive in about 6 hrs, thru the Burgundy area.
Once you select your reurn flight, it would be easier for you to figure out what your options are.
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Sorry! Forgot to include that info - we%26#39;re planning to fly into Geneva, and out of Paris.
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Hi Jennalulu,
Seems like you would have about a week before you go to Paris.
If you plan on driving to Paris, it would be more economical to rent a car in France, no drop off fee, and Lyon is very close to the Alps. This would also provide you with an opportunity to drop a car off in France and railroad into Paris should you want to.
With the amount of time you have and not being adverse to one ong drive, you could break up your time in the Alps, both in France and Switzerland with a long drive back to Paris,
or you could break it up as you suggest between the Alps and the Loire area, which would result in a shorter drive to Paris.
All of these areas are very beautiful and would have child friendly activities.
Annecy is very beautiful, the Lake Geneva area has a lot to offer, the chateaux and gardens in the Loire would comfortably take up a week.
You could check out viamichelin.com for driving times and travel info, which could be very helpful as you plan.
Should you really want to be industrious ( with more driving), you could even start by flying to the south of France, Marsilles or Nice, rent a car, spend a few days there, then onto the Alps and on to Paris. It just depends on how much driving you want to do, and what areas you would like to allocate your time.
Have fun !!
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hi jennalulu. staying in chamonix is a great choice. if you did fly into geneva and wanted to stay in the chamonix valley for that first week, you might not need a car as the bus system gets you around the valley nicely. however, toting the little ones along would probably make a car very nice to have. in that, maybe get a transfer from geneva airport into france then rent your car. the drive/transfer from geneva to chamonix is slightly more than 1 hr. chamonix is a great mountain community with tons of shops and restaurants as well as activity options for the kids (and parents of course). not sure if you%26#39;ve been to geneva or not, but its really not that necessary to spend a substantial amount of time there. other towns like montreux or lausanne would be more worth a visit. check this site out for accomodation in chamonix, http://www.chalet-in-chamonix.co.uk great views, nice rates and a very good chef. have a great trip
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outobounds - thanks for the chalet link, looks very nice! Do you happen to know how long a public transit would be to Annecy or Lyon from Chamonix? Here is were I%26#39;m a bit stuck as to whether or not to rent a car in this area, or get to Loire, rent a car for that area, and drop it off before heading to Paris on the train. It seems a bit tricky to take a train/bus to Annecy or Lyon, then pick up a car. But on the other hand, if we have the car from the time we get into Geneva, we have the option of day trips around Chamonix. I understand there is a great bus for that area, but not sure how far it travels for longer day trips.
UrbanNYC - we thought about a bit of Switzerland on this trip, but feel it would be a bit much to keep moving the kids. If it was just the two of us, we%26#39;d probably be up for it. But I think we%26#39;ll stick with one or two destinations this time around. I am sorry we%26#39;ll probably miss the Riviera, but there is always next time!
Does anyone have any kid friendly stops along the way from Chamonix to Loire?
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I wrote a really long reply and it disappeared when I tried to post it, but I%26#39;ll try again.
To me, the important thing is to make sure the children are happy and interested, so that%26#39;s in mind among my comments.
We spent a week walking near Chamonix in August and it%26#39;s beautiful, an absolutely superb location. We were on an organised holiday, with transport on walking days, so had excellent trips through the tunnel to Italy or over the pass towards Martigny in Switzerland. On non-walking days, we had a free bus pass and lift pass .... and the downside is that they don%26#39;t connect very well. As adults, we had no particular problem (just normal frustration) about coming down the lift at Les Grand Montets and being faced with a 55 minute wait for a bus, but I%26#39;d have wanted a car available if I%26#39;d had kids with me. In general, we found the buses were good, but the timings are pretty random - and they were very crowded at peak times.
We%26#39;ve had holidays in the Alps with youngsters and had bad weather ... I%26#39;d really recommend that you check what is available if the clouds are at ground level and high winds stop the lifts operating.
That%26#39;s the downside to your option 1 ....
Option 2 - you obviously like the idea of the Loire valley, but the big draw there are the chateaux, which are fairly adult/educational. Many years ago, we travelled there with youngsters and found the top attractions were the zoo at Doué and the horses at Saumur. Visiting chateaux involved an element of bribery!
A couple of left-field ideas, both involving car hire to travel from Chamonix and probably a TGV return to Paris (which would be the case in the Loire as well):
- north to the Alsace - pretty villages, storks on rooftops, walks through vineyards, different culture (very German), and there are some very good museums in Mulhouse if the weather is really bad.
- south to Provence - pretty villages, probably warmer weather, walking, vineyards, Roman remains.
I suppose the final option is to go to Chamonix and leave open the date you move on to Paris - you could visit Disneyland or Parc Asterix if you have plenty of family time available.
These are ideas to investigate - re-reading, I%26#39;m very British with my worries about weather, but mountains are unpredictable and weather can make or break a holiday with children.
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Diz - thank you for your thoughtful reply! Many good ideas I%26#39;ll keep in mind. Like I said, the Riviera had crossed our mind, but it seems like a ways to get there and back, maybe too much wasted travel time. Hadn%26#39;t thought too much about Alsace, but I%26#39;ll revisit that area in my research.
I think I%26#39;m the one who wants to go to Loire, and I think I might be able to bribe at least 1 day out of it! I%26#39;m also thinking about France Miniature on the way to Paris, seems like a full day trip there. And we aren%26#39;t opposed to the zoo, might be intersting to see one in a different country!
Thanks again!
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Hi again - just a quick clarification. When I suggested Provence, I was thinking of the area around Avignon, rather than the Riviera, which would be a much longer journey. Interestingly, I%26#39;ve just checked Chamonix to Avignon as about 4 hours drive, while Chamonix to Saumur (Loire valley) is over 7! It%26#39;s still a valid destination of course, but quite a long trip. I haven%26#39;t checked the sncf website for train times, which could be a better idea if you won%26#39;t have a car in Chamonix.
viamichelin.com/viamichelin/…MaHomePage.htm
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