A good place to spend a month in France in June?

Question

I am taking the family--husband and three kids- to France for the month in June. Can anyone recommend an area or resort small town where we could rent a house? We would need some kid friendly entertainment. We would also like to be able to drive to some sites within a day. We would need two bedrooms and one bath. We are looking for low cost, nothing fancy.

Answer 1

Can't give you the name of a letting agent, but the Brittanny area between Pont Aven and Port Manech had several properties being let last time we were there.

It's a good area for kids - nice beach at Port Manech and not too far inland.

Pont Aven is a lovely village and very picturesque (lots of water mills and Fou Mad biscuits!)

The French Embassy was always good for sending travel information, and there is a magazine which I've seen in the newsagent called something like "French Traveller"

Answer 2

Anywhere along the Atlantic coast is nice and always close to so many interesting sites. Tourism is so well-developed everywhere that every place is kid-friendly but a lot of activities (like children's clubs on the beach) won't start until mid-june or early July as most European kids are still at school the earlier part of the month. On the Mediterranean coast, avoid the Riviera and stick to the coast south of Perpignan by the Spanish border. There you will have the beach, the mountains, Carcassonne and all the Cathar sites within easy rides. Pretty coastal vilages are Collioure and Banyuls.

Of course the further north you go, the less likely it is going to be sunny and hot. My favorite region is Brittany. The northern coast between St-Malo and Roscoff is gorgeous with beautiful rock formations and very fine white sand. However the weather can be unpredictable. The southern coast along the Gulf of Morbihan is highly touristic but in June you can still find cheaper accomodation. The weather is more likely to be good. Nice little resorts are Locmariaquer, Carnac, St-Philibert and la Trinité-sur-Mer. You'll be in the heart of the largest concentration of megalithic sites in the world. Further south, check the towns/villages of Guérande, La Rochelle / Ile de Ré, La Palmyre, Arcachon.

There are so many other beautiful resorts along the Atlantic coast further south. You can also stay in the Dordogne region with its 1001 castles and prehistoric sites or in the Gard  & Vaucluse (definitely sunny there) with all the Roman towns and remains. You don't have to be near the sea to have fun, a lot of inland areas are highly touristic and have a lot of beaches along rivers and lakes (Gorges de l'Ardèche, Lac du Salagou). The Alps are also beautiful in summer (Lake of Annecy region). Anywhere touristic with a river or a lake will offer all kinds of water sports activities. All these regions offer so much to do and see for the whole family that I cannot really choose for you.

For cheap accomodation, the closer you are from the beach the more expensive but June is not considered highest touristic season. Also, do not hesitate to ask for a discount for staying a full month. Actually it's more likely going to be 4 weeks as most rentals run from Saturday to Saturday.

Here are sites for rentals. You may want to do a little reserach on each of the regions and see which one appeals to you the most:

http://www.abritel.fr/uk/index.php

http://www.homelidays.com/EN-Holidays-Re...

http://www.gites-de-france.com/gites/uk/...

http://www.logement-saisonnier.com/en/in...

When you see a place you think you like, go to their town's tourist office website and see what activities they have to offer. They will also list accomodation.

Answer 3

Try around the Loire valley. Many castles to go visit. The city of Tours is nice (and rather large) but I lived there as a young adult and don't really know of kid friendly activities.

Answer 4

for a month, I would go to Avingon, probably, or someplace in Provence.  You will be close to the Côte D'Azure, and there must be some great kid-friendly stuff to do, there.

Answer 5

i would advise nantes. it is a town on the coast and affordable. it is max 2hours away from paris so you could visit the most beautiful city of the world and you are not far from amazing landscapes in bretany and along the coast, south. there are many littl villages around nantes.