3-Month Family Travel Itinerary Through France
Family Travel in France Highlights
Exterior view of the opulent Palace of Versailles, looking toward the Marble Courtyard.
Discover how we balanced homeschooling, college life, and part-time work while exploring France for three months with our family. Our ultimate France itinerary with kids will inspire your next adventure!
If you’ve been following us for a while, you know that we spent nearly 3 full months in France before we ever decided to hit the road full-time. That trip gave us the confidence we needed to know that we could continue working and homeschooling while traveling together long-term.
This post provides our 3-month France itinerary with kids. We know many of you have asked us specifically about this and, just generally, how to do family travel in France. Here are some things you need to know before you dive in:
We’ve provided links to individual posts that are mentioned throughout our France itinerary with kids. In each of those, you can find further details about the places we visited and some of the locations where we stayed during our family travel in France.
Please keep in mind that all 3 of our girls were homeschooling while traveling. So, it was extremely important for us to factor this into our France itinerary with kids. Rachel and Sophie have a flexible homeschooling schedule but we were diligent about getting their work done. In addition, Ellie was in her last year of college and, while much of her schedule was flexible, she did have some group project commitments. As a result, our travel schedule included several days each week where we stayed in and did lessons.
We divided our France itinerary with kids into three major sections, using both Paris and Lyon as “hubs” for us to pick up and drop off rental cars. By keeping each rental car for no longer than 30 days, we were able to have primary insurance protection courtesy of Kevin’s Chase Sapphire® Preferred Visa card. It is our #1 most used card. In fact, all 3 adults in our family carry this card in our wallets.
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Here’s how we divided our family travel in France:
We started in Paris and headed west to explore the regions of Normandy, Brittany, Pays de la Loire, and Centre-Val de Loire (those last 2 make up the more commonly known “Loire Valley") before returning to Paris for a couple of days.
From Paris, we traveled by high-speed train to Lyon where we picked up a new rental car. After leaving Lyon, we explored the regions of Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes, Occitanie, and Provence-Alpes-Côtes d'Azur before returning to Lyon.
While in Lyon the second time, we celebrated Thanksgiving before setting out again (with a new rental car). From there, we drove to the Grand Est Region for just a few days before making our way to Paris where we spent a few final days, dropped off our rental car, and flew back home.
For any long-term travel, it’s important to identify your most comfortable travel style. There’s a lot to think about including the pace of your travels, your budget, your preferred accommodations, the types of activities you like to do (with things to keep everyone happy), and whether you prefer driving or using public transportation (or a combination of the 2).
From our family travel in France (and the France itinerary with kids that you will find below), we have discovered that we prefer slow-travel. We loved getting to see and do everything that we did in France, but, honestly, the pace was sometimes too much for us.
It’s critical for us to have down time - whole days where we have no specific plans and can sleep in, relax, or get school, work, and chores completed. While we had a few of those peppered throughout France, we felt that we still moved too much, too quickly. So, be sure to keep that in mind when putting together your own France itinerary with kids.
While our itinerary can give you an idea of what’s possible, you’ll need to take your family’s needs into consideration before setting out on your own tour of France. Be sure to check out the end of this post for a super helpful tool that will, hopefully, make your France itinerary with kids planning process easier!
Week 1: Region – Île de France
Day 1 – Overnight flight from Raleigh, NC to Paris, France on Air France
Day 2 – Arrived Paris, France - CDG Airport
Highlights:
Check in at B&B Hotel at Magny le Hongre (a Disneyland Paris partner hotel)
Explore Disney Village and dinner at Annette’s Diner
Days 3-7 – Explored Paris
Highlights:
Arc de Triomphe
Eiffel Tower and relaxation at Champs de Mars
Statue of Liberty flame and tributes to Princess Diana
Self-guided tour of Saint Eustache Church
Pont Neuf
Outdoor tour of Notre Dame Cathedral
Gelato snack at Grom
Outdoor preview of Louvre after crowds had left (great time to get photos)
Click on photo to enlarge and see descriptions.
Week 2: Region – Normandy
Day 8 – Giverny
Highlights:
Self-guided tour of Claude Monet’s house and gardens
Days 9-10 – Étretat, France
Highlights:
Airbnb: The Fisherman’s Home
Explored the beach and took a sunset hike overlooking the famous cliffs of Étretat
Homeschooling while traveling
Days 11-14 – Bayeux, France
Highlights:
Airbnb: The Country Home
Special Dinner at Moulin de la Galette
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Museum at Bayeux
Arromanches Beach
American Cemetery at Omaha Beach
Walked the beach at Omaha
Week 3: Regions – Normandy, Brittany, & Pays de la Loire
Day 15 – Caen, France & Mont-Saint-Michel
Highlights:
Self-Guided tour of Abbey of Saint-Étienne
9/11 Exhibit (20th Anniversary)
Tomb of William the Conqueror
Arrived at Mont-Saint-Michel
Dinner at Auberge St Pierre
Night time exploration of the island
Day 16 – Explored Mont-Saint-Michel & Arrived in Rennes, France
Day 17 – Rainy day spent in hotel in Rennes, France
Highlight:
Fresh baguette sandwiches & authentic French macarons for dinner
Homeschooling while traveling
Days 18-21 – Le Pouliguen, France
Highlights:
Airbnb: The Beach Home
Lunch at a family-owned restaurant with friendly service and wonderful food despite the language barrier
Spent several hours exploring the rocky coast just a short walk from our Airbnb
Enjoyed fresh seafood from the local grocery
Week 4: Regions – Pays de la Loire & Centre-Val de Loire
Day 22 – Nantes, France
Highlights:
Carousel
Arrived at our Airbnb: The Farm Home
Day 23 – French Family Farm Stay in Saint-Hilaire-le-Vouhis, France
Highlights:
Breakfast brioche gift from our host
Loads of outdoor play
Bunnies!!
Day 24 – Puy du Fou - Twice Voted “World’s Best Theme Park”
Highlights:
Period Villages
Fabulous food
Incredible immersive attractions
So much learning about French history
Days 25-26 – Farm Days
Highlights:
Unlimited outdoor play
Bunnies, cats, horses and dogs
Catching up on school, rest, and travel planning
Days 27-28 – Dhuizon, France
Highlights:
Self-guided tour of Le Château d'Ussé (Sleeping Beauty Castle)
First time driving on the autoroute
Arrive at Airbnb: The Cottage Home
Week 5: Regions – Centre-Val de Loire & Île de France
Days 29 – Dhuizon, France
Highlights:
Relaxing in a very comfortable home & eating lots of homemade meals
Homeschooling while traveling
Day 30 – Day Trip to Amboise
Highlights:
Lunch at Les 4 Saisons
Self-guided tour of Château Royal d’Amboise
Leonardo da Vinci Statue
Kevin’s first speeding ticket in France
Money-saving tip: Pay attention to those "not-so-obvious" traffic signs that indicate speed radar ahead. Then, take your foot off the gas and smile as you pass those hidden speed cameras.
Dinner at Le Shelby’s (like Big Boy) for dinner
Days 31 – Dhuizon, France
Day 32 – Day Trip to Château de Chambord
Highlights:
Self guided tour of Château de Chambord
Watching a hot air balloon take off over the castle
Checked into Holiday Inn Express in Versailles
Day 33 – Palace of Versailles
Highlights:
Full day spent at the Palace of Versailles! We arrived at 11:30 and stayed until after sunset. So beautiful!
We learned so many interesting facts about Versailles, which you can check out here
We also learned how to tour Versailles with kids for the best experience
Checked into B&B Hotel in Magny le Hongre (our 2nd stay at this hotel)
Day 34 – Magny le Hongre, France
Day 35 – Disneyland Paris
Highlights:
Walt Disney Studios
Disney Village for ice cream
Week 6: Regions – Île de France & Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes
Day 36 – Magny le Hongre
Day 37 – The Louvre, Paris
Highlights:
Waited only 10 minutes to see the Mona Lisa
Spent a FULL day from 10:30 am until 4:45 pm
All the Greek and Roman statues
Venus de Milo
We learned how to visit the Louvre with kids to maximize everyone’s experience
We learned a number of interesting facts about the Louvre, which you can find here
Day 38 – TGV Train from Paris, France to Lyon, France
Day 39 – Lyon, France
Day 40 – Travel from Lyon to Saint-Gervais-les-Bains, France
Highlights:
Seeing the French Alps in all its autumn splendor
Airbnb: The Mountain Home
Homeschooling while traveling
Days 41-42 – Saint-Gervais-les-Bains, France
Highlights:
Waking up to the view of the snow-capped French Alpes
Relaxing on patio admiring autumn leaves
Exploring the beautiful town of Saint-Gervais-les-Bains
Week 7: Region – Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes
Day 43 – Saint-Gervais-les-Bains, France
Highlights:
Our host stopped by with a raclette machine and supplies for an authentic raclette dinner. What an amazing experience!
Day 44: Day Trip to Chamonix-Mont-Blanc, France
Highlights:
Aiguille du Midi
Cafe lunch of fresh, locally source burgers and veggies
The Montenvers train
Day 45 – Saint-Gervais-les-Bains, France
Day 46 – Annecy, France
Highlights (in spite of the rain):
Lake Annecy
Pont des Amours
Jardins de l’Europe
Airbnb: The Generational Home in Saint-Laurent-du-Pont
Day 47 – Saint-Laurent-du-Pont, France
Day 48 – Walibi Rhône-Alpes Park
Highlights:
Experiencing Walibi’s “WAAAlloween” event for Halloween including special shows, decorations, and spooky characters
Truly unique rides
Sophie’s first-ever haunted house
Fireworks show
Day 49 – Travel from Saint-Laurent-du-Pont, France to St. Frichoux, France
Week 7: Region – Occitanie
Day 50 – Saint-Frichoux, France
Highlights:
Beautiful vineyards
Airbnb: The Winemaker’s Home
Homeschooling while traveling
Day 51 – Day Trip to Carcassonne, France
Highlights:
Self guided tour of Carcassonne, the oldest and largest fortified city in Europe.Today, toured Carcassonne!
Touring the cemetery
Day 52 – Saint-Frichoux, France
Day 53 – Sète, France
Highlights:
Touring the fishing village of Sète, France
Airbnb: The Windy Home
Day 54 – The Windy Home
Day 55 – Tour of Nîmes, France
Highlights:
Indoor market for treats
Musée de Nîmes
Self-guided tour of the Arena, modeled after the Roman Colosseum
Maison Carrée, the remains of an old Roman temple
Day 56 – Pont du Gard
Highlights:
Museum
Thousand year old olive trees
Self-guided tour of the area around Pont du Gard, so many amazing views
Sunset at Pont du Gard
Week 8: Region – Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur
Day 57 – Travel day from Nîmes, France to Nice, France
Highlights:
Preview of Avignon as we drove by
Amazing views of the Mediterranean during our drive
Arrived at Airbnb: The Penthouse - a top floor apartment with breathtaking views.
Homeschooling while traveling
Day 58-62 – Nice, France
Highlights:
Coffee and breakfast on the patio overlooking the Mediterranean Sea
Catch up on school
Family movies
Walk to the beach and time spent exploring and watching the planes take off and land at the nearby Nice Airport
Edgar Burgers at the mall
Day 63 – Old Town, Nice, France
Highlights:
Watched the sunrise over the Mediterranean
Explored the cliffs overlooking Nice and the spot where a castle once stood
Walked through Old Town Nice and stopped for pizza at a street vendor
Walked out to the promenade and then onto the rocky beach to enjoy the sound of the water on the rocks at night.
Week 9: Region – Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur
Day 64 – Day Trip to Monaco
Highlights:
Yachts in the port
Seeing the city preparing for National Day
The Prince’s Palace and the changing of the guards
Monaco Oceanographic Museum (and Aquarium)
Enjoying a carnival for National Day taking place by the marina
Day 65 – Travel Day to Avignon, France
Highlights:
Airbnb: The Pool House (even though the pool was closed)
Homeschooling while traveling
Days 66-67 – The Pool House
Day 68 – Tour of Avignon & travel to Lyon
Highlights:
Palais des Papes (Pope’s palace for 70 years)
Cathédrale Notre-Dame-des-Doms d'Avignon
Pont d’Avignon
Airbnb: Lyon Apartment
Days 69-70 – Lyon, France
Week 10: Regions – Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes & Grand Est
Days 71-72 – Lyon, France
Highlights:
Homeschooling while traveling
Day 73 – Travel to Lalaye in Grand Est Region
Highlights:
Airbnb: The Christmas Home
Arriving to find Christmas decorations inside and outside of our Airbnb and a cozy, welcoming environment.
Snow!
Day 74 – Strasbourg Christmas Markets
Highlights:
We woke to a winter wonderland with thick wet snow blanketing the ground and continuing to fall
La Cathédrale Notre Dame
The amazing food at the markets and vin chaud
We found a nutcracker for Sophie’s collection and a Santa ornament for our tree.
Seeing all the beautiful decorations all throughout the town
Day 75 – Lalaye, France
Highlights:
Woke up to snow again along with grazing sheep outside our windows
Spent the day watching Christmas movies and enjoying an early “white Christmas” since we rarely have one in North Carolina
Day 76 – Travel to Paris, France
Highlights:
Gorgeous snow covered mountain view of flocked trees for our drive
Airbnb: Serris Apartment in Val d’Europe
Homeschooling while traveling
Day 77 – Val d’Europe, France
Week 11: Region – Île de France
Day 78 – Disneyland Paris for Christmas
Highlights:
Decorations
Christmas Parade - Santa Claus!
Day 79-80 – Rainy days in Val d’Europe, France
Highlights
We were getting anxious to return home for Christmas
Wrapping up our semester of homeschooling while traveling
Day 81 – Paris, France
Highlights:
Stayed at the Holiday Inn Express - Paris CDG to cut down on travel time for our early morning flight the next day.
We are so glad we chose this location because we were exhausted from lots of traveling and getting very stressed leading up to our flight back to the U.S. The convenience was a life-saver!
Day 82 – Flight from Paris, France to Raleigh, NC
We hope our France itinerary with kids will inspire you to get on the road with your family. Whether it’s a week, a month, or even full-time, there is so much to be gained from traveling together as a family. For some extra inspiration, here are some tips for traveling internationally with kids.
If you tend to be more of a visual person, check out the Google Map – France Family Travel – that we created with information about our routes, hotels, towns, activities, and sites as well as a view at the various regions of France. You can include or exclude various aspects, tailoring it to what you want to see and you can even discover more information about the activities and sites by clicking on the heart icons.
What is your dream destination? What’s holding you back? How can we help? Let us know in the comments below.
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