I want to go to France but seem unable....?

Question

I want to go to France but seem unable to find holidays for next may (2009). So maybe you could let me know what you did and how you booked. I have 3 kids and me and my partner. We would like to go may time and have a smallish budget and want to be self catering. Appreciation in advance.

Thanks

Answer 1

Planning ahead is an excellant start and I wish more people had the good sense to do so.

No need to book package tours, you have the time to make your ownj arrangements.

Begin by finding an apartment to rent. Any of the following services is reliable:

http://www.paristudios.com/

http://www.rentparis.com/home.php

http://www.beau-paris.com/

http://www.parisbestlodge.com/

http://www.ilparisapartments.com/

http://www.letsparis.com/

Getting to Paris depends on where you're starting from. You seem to be British rather than American (from the use of the words Holiday and "self-catering). From the UK  the train to Dover-Channel Ferry-train to Paris is probably the cheapest way.

For airfares this site is good for cheap european air carriers: http://www.flylc.com/directall-en.asp

Otherwise, check out Kayak: http://www.kayak.com/

Answer 2

It's always good to book ahead, but I'm afraid you will find that very few French campsites / gites etc are ready to take bookings for 2009 yet - they're just getting into the main 2008 season and are far too busy!  

The best thing is to use the internet to find the region that you're looking for - type something simple into a search engine like 'camping, dordogne' and see what you come up with.  With three kids I would strongly advise a mobile home on a campsite - you'll have a swimming pool, kids play areas, games (tennis, ping pong etc), and most probably other kids of their age that they can meet up with.  A gite is a lot more isolated, so they won't get to make new friends.  

Find a site you like, and then contact them in October / November to book for 2009.  To be certain of finding a site with kids of a similar age to yours, go to www.eurocamp.co.uk , find a site you like, then go to www.pagesjaunes.fr (French yellow pages) to get the details to contact the campsite direct for booking details (or just put the campsite name and town into google).  You'll have the advantage of a better price, you can shop around for a cheap ferry crossing, and you'll know you're getting a 3 or 4 star campsite, with English speaking kids, thanks to the Eurocamp clients!

Bon vacances!

Answer 3

Planning ahead is an excellant start and I wish more people had the good sense to do so.

No need to book package tours, you have the time to make your ownj arrangements.

Begin by finding an apartment to rent. Any of the following services is reliable:

http://www.paristudios.com/

http://www.rentparis.com/home.php

http://www.beau-paris.com/

http://www.parisbestlodge.com/

http://www.ilparisapartments.com/

http://www.letsparis.com/

Getting to Paris depends on where you're starting from. You seem to be British rather than American (from the use of the words Holiday and "self-catering). From the UK the train to Dover-Channel Ferry-train to Paris is probably the cheapest way.

For airfares this site is good for cheap european air carriers: http://www.flylc.com/directall-en.asp

Otherwise, check out Kayak: http://www.kayak.com/

3 days ago

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by richard b Member since:

26 June 2006

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If I were you, with 3 children, I would investigate the ready erected camping holiday companies - Canvas Holidays, Eurocamp, etc. They take children free and in May (except for half term week) they tend to be quite reasonably priced. Their prices include the cost of a short ferry crossing (Dover-Calais or similar) so you have to decide whether to

a. stay at a campsite in northern France when the weather may not be too good or:

b. drive a long distance to South Brittany or the west coast of the Vendee (the companies can arrange overnight stays at extra cost so you can break the journey) or:

c. pay far more and travel, usually by Brittany Ferries, to a port nearer to where you wish to stay.

As to whether they are booking for May 2009, my money says that they probably are.

2 days ago

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by rugratsh... Member since:

01 February 2008

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1. decide which town or area you wish to visit

2. search the town/region name via the internet - this will always give you a link to the town or regional tourist information office

3. the majority have a comprehensive list of local accomodation for to choose from + an email contact for more detailed information + telephone numbers.

4. the French tourist information service is extremely efficent and you it would be exceptionnel not to get English speaking assistance.

5. the staff are always local people and have an excellent in depth knowledge of their local area. Please remember they are local and will certanly not be able to answer questions regarding other areas of France.

6. plenty of other reasoable suggestions above

2 days ago

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by lacesout... Member since:

11 June 2008

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It's always good to book ahead, but I'm afraid you will find that very few French campsites / gites etc are ready to take bookings for 2009 yet - they're just getting into the main 2008 season and are far too busy!

The best thing is to use the internet to find the region that you're looking for - type something simple into a search engine like 'camping, dordogne' and see what you come up with. With three kids I would strongly advise a mobile home on a campsite - you'll have a swimming pool, kids play areas, games (tennis, ping pong etc), and most probably other kids of their age that they can meet up with. A gite is a lot more isolated, so they won't get to make new friends.

Find a site you like, and then contact them in October / November to book for 2009. To be certain of finding a site with kids of a similar age to yours, go to www.eurocamp.co.uk , find a site you like, then go to www.pagesjaunes.fr (French yellow pages) to get the details to contact the campsite direct for booking details (or just put the campsite name and town into google). You'll have the advantage of a better price, you can shop around for a cheap ferry crossing, and you'll know you're getting a 3 or 4 star campsite, with English speaking kids, thanks to the Eurocamp clients!

Bon vacances!

2 days ago

Source(s):

Ex-Eurocamp courier, now working direct for a campsite in France.

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Answer 4

If I were you, with 3 children, I would investigate the ready erected camping holiday companies - Canvas Holidays, Eurocamp, etc. They take children free and in May (except for half term week) they tend to be quite reasonably priced. Their prices include the cost of a short ferry crossing (Dover-Calais  or similar) so you have to decide whether to

a.  stay at a campsite in northern France when the weather may not be too good or:

b.  drive a long distance to South Brittany or the west coast of the Vendee (the companies can arrange overnight stays at extra cost so you can break the journey) or:

c.  pay far more and travel, usually by Brittany Ferries, to a port nearer to where you wish to stay.

As to whether they are booking for May 2009, my money says that they probably are.

Answer 5

1. decide which town or area you wish to visit

2. search the town/region name via the internet - this will always give you a link to the town or regional tourist information office

3. the majority have a comprehensive list of local accomodation for to choose from + an email contact for more detailed information + telephone numbers.

4. the French tourist information service is extremely efficent and you it would be exceptionnel not to get English speaking assistance.

5. the staff are always local people and have an excellent in depth knowledge of their local area. Please remember they are local and will certanly not be able to answer questions regarding other areas of France.

6. plenty of other reasoable suggestions above