Holidays with children in France - Auvergne in March. What attracts you to a family holiday on the French Riviera: more details excellent organization reliable tour operator sufficient experience Where to go with children in France
Sights of France for children
In Auvergne we will find ancient Romanesque churches:
- Basilica of Our Lady in Orcival,
- in Clermont-Ferrand - the Basilica of Notre-Dame du Port,
- in Saint-Nectaire Church of Our Lady,
- Church of St. Austremonia in Issoire.
For our convenience, we have compiled a special a tourist route, called "Auvergne".
- Souvenirs, as elsewhere, cost about the same - cheaper - in small shops, on the streets, in markets. More expensive - near cathedrals and museums, monuments, in city centers.
- The French traditionally start lunch at 20.00, so don’t get confused and plan the snack time for children.
- In relation to clothing, France is a very liberal country. Anyone can dress like this.
Holidays with children in France - to Mont Blanc from Disneyland
Day 1-2 - French Disneyland
Having arrived in Paris, we go to Disneyland. Essentially, these are two parks - Walt Disney Studios, entirely dedicated to the creation of cartoons, the history of cinema, the work of stuntmen, and Disneyland with various attractions. Tickets can be taken for both or one park, for a day, or we can split the visit into several. We choose taking into account the age of the youngest vacationers.
Day 3-6 - Paris, Clermont-Ferrand
We head to the Three Valleys resort in the French Alps. We’ll choose Val Thorens as the most versatile. The second valley - Meribel - will suit experienced professional skiers, the third - Courchevel - is much more expensive and is located lower, this may affect the thickness of the snow cover. For children, in addition to various ski schools, there are indoor, long, training lifts, a swimming pool, a snow town and a toboggan run (from 7 years old). All kinds of children's equipment, even the smallest sizes, are available for rent.
Day 14-16 - Three Valleys Resort
Let's spend more time on the snowy slopes. In March it is nice, sunny, heavy snowfalls do not threaten us. At the end of their stay, the most trained and persistent students will be able to ride real adult, (for now green) trails together with adults. There are many trails for beginners (blue), most of The lifts are simple chairlifts, and ski passes for children under 5 years old are free.
Having already had enough of rest, we begin our journey home. Our holiday with the children has come to an end. We say goodbye to the Alps and Auvergne. Home!
Nice useful article. We love Disneyland and are ready to go there again. This is a fairy tale for both children and adults.
I've been wanting to go to Disneyland with my kids for a long time. And now we had the chance to go to Paris. We were all delighted! After visiting this beautiful park, the whole family had wonderful memories of the attractions and photos with famous characters. We had visited many different parks before, but this one stood out to us the most. We plan to go again in a year or two.
Walking makes you incredibly tired, but it’s worth it! Disneyland definitely cannot be compared to the attractions in Moscow's Gorky Park! I don’t have kids of my own yet, I went to Disneyland with my friend’s daughter. She liked the huge Donald the most, and then excitedly told her grandparents how cool he was. But for some reason I didn’t even want to go on the rides with my mother. She was probably still little. Sveta and I had to take turns being with her while someone else was riding the roller coaster alone. I really wanted to go for a ride! In my opinion, you can go to Disneyland with children of any age. Just don’t persuade very little ones to go on the rides. A walk in the park is enough for them; it’s very interesting there.
I have always dreamed of visiting Disneyland with children, because there are so many entertainment-experiences for life. And finally, my children and I are flying to Paris in the spring to Disneyland. We have planned a trip for my vacation and are looking forward to spring. We are going to live on the territory of the park in a hotel, because thanks to this we can get to the attractions earlier and in a few days we can easily visit everywhere.
Disneyland Paris is simply an amazing place that will not leave either children or their parents indifferent. Emotions and unforgettable experience guaranteed to everyone. Personally, I went at the beginning of September, beautiful weather, a little less children (it was the start of school after all), but in general there were always a lot of people there. The park is huge, if your children are very small, don't forget your stroller. You will have to walk a lot. At every step you will find characters from your favorite fairy tales and a variety of attractions. There will be no problems with food on site, there are a lot of cafes and fast food there, you won’t go hungry there. You need to take a camera with you, a good mood and money, of course. I recommend visiting it at any time.
I went with my son (6 years old) and daughter (8 years old) to Disneyland in October, the weather was wonderful, although it was cool at times, but not critical. True, we didn’t stay at their hotel, since their prices were much more expensive, and we had to get to the park on a free shuttle. The park is simply huge, you don’t walk around it much, you can get tired quickly. We stayed there for 5 days, but didn’t visit all the attractions; we simply didn’t have enough time (many attractions had very long queues). And yet, after these 5 days, the children were delighted; they were filled with joy and fun! They brag to all their friends that they visited such a place fabulous place!
Unfortunately, I was not able to visit Disneyland Paris, but when I was still a child, they took me to American park, in Florida. In fact, this is not even one park, but all 4, united by a Disney theme. The impressions, of course, remained for life. The park is huge, with hundreds of rides and other entertainment. For any child this is a holiday. Gardaland, which is located in Italy and is considered one of the largest parks in Europe, is a small-town carousel compared to Florida Disneyland. If finances allow, I will definitely take my son to Disneyland when he grows up. It's worth it.
Have a great time!!! Adrenaline, positive, even for adults. And what a joy it is for children. I never regretted the money spent, it was worth it! I especially enjoyed meeting my favorite cartoon characters!!! Simply fantastic, friends! I recommend it to everyone!!! You must visit there in your entire life, don’t spare any money! Of the minuses, I would like to highlight the queues. Well, the queues are just incredible, but that’s understandable. And one day is catastrophically not enough!!!
We went with our child this spring. This is something amazing! No other amusement parks we visited were even close. The kid was just happy, although we weren’t able to try some of the rides because we were still small. But the parents had a blast! The only negative is the queues. You can also eat quite tasty food in the local cafes in the park, which we took advantage of for lunch and dinner.
Disneyland is the dream of every child (and adult, for that matter). I was there with my parents and six-year-old sister in June, the weather was warm - in general, it seems to me that it is better to go there closer to summer. Everyone was happy, a lot of impressions, everyone took pictures with their favorite cartoon characters. The only thing that was a little disappointing was a bunch of cafes with fast food. But you can walk and look for a regular cafe with healthy food. Tickets - yes, maybe a little expensive, but I’m ready to give any money over and over again to visit a fairy tale!
My husband, my daughter Dasha, she’s 6 years old, and I visited Disneyland last year. My husband and I were tired of the queues for the attractions where crowds of people gathered near them. But my daughter was crazy about all the attractions that we managed to get on. She looked at all the cartoon characters with admiration, pulling us around the park and telling us what kind of character he was and what cartoon he was from.
About a year ago, my son (9 years old) and I visited this wonderful place. It was his birthday. To say that my son was delighted is to say nothing. I liked absolutely everything from the roller coasters to the rooms of fear. The park itself is simply huge. There are a lot of people dressed as cartoon characters. The atmosphere is truly fabulous. Two tickets cost us about 100 euros. I think this is not such a big price to pay for the emotions that we received. We went in the fall, so it was quite cool. I advise you to dress warmly. We will definitely go again, it’s worth it!
Probably every child dreams of visiting the famous Disneyland. My son (10 years old) is no exception. We took him to this park as a birthday present. There are just a lot of impressions! Even I, an adult woman, seemed to have fallen into childhood and simply squealed with delight when I saw famous cartoon characters in the park, let alone children. My son was absolutely delighted! We were at Disneyland Park, that is, at the attractions, and there is also a park dedicated to the creation of cartoons. Of course, this entertainment is not cheap, but it is worth it. A ticket for a child for 1 day cost 45 euros, for me 53 euros. Not cheap, but it's worth it. We specifically chose a weekday so that there would not be too many visitors.
I look forward to when my child grows up and is interested in visiting Disneyland. At the same time, I can realize my unfulfilled childhood dream:)
A year ago I was in Paris with my children and wife. And, of course, we couldn’t help but visit Disneyland. And, without any concealment, with a pure soul I can say that Disneyland is best park entertainment all over the world. I love to travel, especially with my family, and we have visited many parks around the world - Europa Park (Germany), Legoland (Denmark), Harry Potter Park in Florida, and the best of them all - Walt Disney Park. The children really liked it, they even cried when we left, but whatever, I shed a tear) We went there at the end of spring, in May, and I think this is the best best time for a trip to Disneyland.
Unfortunately, I can only compare it with an amusement park in Moscow, but this is heaven and earth. Disneyland is exactly as it is described. This is absolute detachment from the outside world. A huge sea of pleasures and impressions for both adults and children. It’s nice that you can spend an unlimited amount of time there just by paying admission ticket. I recommend visiting there at least once in your life with your family.
Disneyland Paris is the first place you should take your child, if of course you have the opportunity. We have already visited two Legolands and Port Aventura, but Disney Park still left indelible memories. It was as if I had plunged into my childhood. And given the number of cartoon characters they have known since childhood, such a trip will be no less interesting for adults than for children.
We went to Disneyland with our 5-year-old daughter in mid-November; there weren’t very many people at that time, but the weather was quite cool. It is better to take more warm clothes with you. We booked a room at the Disneyland Hotel, the atmosphere was fabulous, there was a lot of space, cartoon characters walked around the hotel, my daughter took pictures with everyone. The park itself is very large, we spent more time in Fantasyland, my daughter liked it there better. We had breakfast and dinner at the hotel, but there was a problem with lunch - the cafes sold mostly fast food, we barely found a decent place where we could eat soup or a normal main dish. There are a lot of impressions from the trip! Not only did my daughter enjoy it, but so did I!
A year ago we visited Disneyland Paris for the first time. What to say. Of course, we really liked it there, the rides were different, our children, of course, first of all ran to the roller coaster. We were delighted. Then all the other rides went on, some of which I rode myself, which was cool of course. I also liked the show we saw there. The only thing we didn’t like was that it took us a long time to fly and get to the place. And everything else is great.
Eiffel Tower
Many people dream of visiting France, and they especially want to take their children there. Traveling with children always comes with certain responsibilities. You need to think about the children’s meals, choose a hotel to stay in and draw up an action plan.
There are no problems with food in France. Most stores and supermarkets have a fairly wide selection of baby food, juices and various milk formulas. For kids you can find everything they need, from hygiene products to toys. Hotels can offer children croissants and freshly squeezed juice. And in restaurants you can always find dishes on the menu that are suitable for feeding children. In France they always accommodate the client and try to satisfy all wishes. In addition, discounts apply to baby food.
Baby food in France is varied
When choosing a hotel where you will stay with children, you should choose an area away from entertainment venues, clubs and cabarets; it is advisable to select a more prestigious area in order to avoid strikes or troubles in an area inhabited by disadvantaged people.
Nice place for families with children is paradise coast, which stretches along Nice and the Principality of Monaco. The Cote d'Azur gives you gentle sun, velvet sea, golden sand and many new impressions. Monaco combines tradition, elegance and luxury, and Cannes is enveloped in the spirit of cinema, everything here breathes the atmosphere of famous films and movie stars. Since past times, Nice has been a vacation spot for representatives of the upper class of Russian society. All these resorts are interesting for both children and adults; moreover, they have modern entertainment that provides an opportunity to have fun.
On the Cote d'Azur Nice
The main attraction in France for children is Disneyland Paris, which is located in Marne-la-Vallee. Its territory consists of two large sectors, each of which requires its own ticket to visit. The first part is the heart of Disneyland. This is where the main entertainment, attractions and decorations are located. The territory consists of five zones, which have their own individual style and adventure. The second part of Disneyland is Walt Disney, where you can imagine yourself as a cartoon character in a fairy tale. Here you can ride on a huge steamship on a real lake and explore the whole wonderful country on a small train specially created for parents and children.
At Disneyland Paris
There is another amusement park in France dedicated to Asterix, which welcomes young travelers all year round. The park has a friendly atmosphere where you can meet your favorite movie characters. Visitors can enjoy a variety of attractions, a skating rink, and circus performances. There is a cafe on site where you can drink hot chocolate and mulled wine, and you can buy a toy your child likes in the souvenir shop as a souvenir of your visit to the park. The park consists of five thematic zones: “Gallic Village”, “Ancient Greece”, “Roman Empire”, “Medieval France” and a zone dedicated to the Vikings. In the zone Ancient Greece» You can visit the Poseidon Theater dolphinarium.
In the Asterix park
20 km from Nice in Antibes is the famous Marineland water park. The main attraction of the park is a huge pool inhabited by menacing killer whales, predatory sharks, exotic colorful fish and phlegmatic jellyfish. There is a glass tunnel running under the pool, which gives the impression of walking along the seabed. The water park hosts performances with killer whales, dolphins, and fur seals.
Killer whales at the Marineland water park
Not far from Saint-Tropez there is Fréjus, a unique safari park. The park covers an area of 20 hectares, covered with Mediterranean plants. In the spacious enclosures of the park there are about 130 species of animals, birds and fish from all continents of the globe. Visitors can move around the park by car, stopping near lakes and enclosures.
Lions in safari park
It is also interesting to visit a magnificent park of exotic plants, such as the Phoenix Botanical Park, which is located in Nice. Here you can see amazing landscapes from different parts of our planet. In addition, children can have fun at the children's mini-attractions and playgrounds.
Monaco is home to the famous Oceanographic Museum, which created great traveler and scientist Jacques-Yves Cousteau. This construction was initiated by Prince Albert the First. The museum's management created natural conditions for the animals to make them feel at home. There are 6,000 representatives here depths of the sea.
At the Oceanographic Museum, Monaco
When you come to France with children, it is impossible not to visit the Doll Museum. In it you can see large and very small porcelain dolls, which were collected for a long time by collectors Sami and his father Guido. In the Museum you can observe the entire history of the creation of dolls, see the periods of change in toys, how clothes and facial features changed. The exhibition occupies seven halls, containing about two thousand dolls. The museum has a workshop where they can repair any toy or make a custom doll.
At the Doll Museum
Children are of great interest in visiting the mechanical zoo. Huge mechanical animals are collected here, thanks to the daily work of those who design and assemble new robotic animals. The weight of just one elephant is about 48 tons. He shocks those around him when he starts moving.
The task was this: to take the child for a walk... and at the same time to take a walk ourselves. We decided to go along the route called "To France with children". The route is listed on the tour operator's website. We thought he was funny. The only thing is that when they saw that they had gnawed off 1 day for May, they were upset... We won’t really see Paris...
So. "Day of arrival - day of departure, one day"
Day 1 (Luxembourg - Reims - Paris): flight from Moscow to Luxembourg. Sightseeing tour of Luxembourg - the capital of the Grand Duchy. Transfer to Paris (approx. 375 km). On the way, visit the city of Reims - the capital of the Champagne region, visiting the world famous Reims Cathedral, the site of the coronation of French kings. Arrival in Paris, hotel accommodation.
We flew from Vnukovo. Charter. airplane Tu 204 "Caucasian" Mineralnye Vody". We took off without incident. On the way (3.5 hours) I chatted with my neighbors, because my wife and child were across the aisle. When landing, I thought that the plane seemed somehow flimsy. But nothing. They didn’t fall apart.
We met the guide. We reached the center of Luxembourg. There we were shown the whole center quickly and clearly in 40 minutes, given a break after another 40 minutes and onto the bus.
First impression of Luxembourg- there in the evening it smells like coffee and vanilla... So cool... Everything is so cute...
On the bus they said that the ride was long and we were going through Belgium, because... the road through Metz is closed. Accordingly, Reims is on the way back. Estimated time of arrival is 23.00 local time. We looked out the window, looked and fell asleep. Family. They didn’t even get off the bus at the food stop. The driver was surprised and locked us in it. We woke up already in Paris... at 12 o'clock in the morning - at the same time and a night bus review :)
Paris is beautiful at night, it's crazy!
Arrived at the hotel at 24.00. Our hotel was called Montmartre Mercury. We went up to the room with copies of Degas’s paintings, took apart the beds and fell asleep.
“See Paris and... nothing”
Day 2 (Paris - Disneyland): bus sightseeing tour in Paris with a visit to the Fragonard perfumery museum. Additional package* - a trip to the amusement park - "Euro Disneyland", the land of cartoon characters, the mysterious world of fairy tales, where a festive atmosphere always reigns.
Well, we went around Paris by bus. But somehow my heart didn’t skip a beat... Well, the Eiffel Tower, well, Notre-Dame de Paris... I read the guidebook before - and I already recognized something. I really liked the windows and balconies of French houses. I thought that if I ever build for myself, everything will be exactly like this... A lot of flowers... Spring in full. Tulips, lilacs, apple trees, some trees with large purple flowers…. Crowds of tourists scurry back and forth... Cathedrals and houses are of a warm yellowish color... This is the kind of local stone from which almost all of old Paris was built. We saw a lot from the bus windows :) And most importantly, we stood in a lot of traffic jams, which, as they say, are not uncommon in the French capital.
So we came running and running Fragonard. It’s hard to call it a museum :) This is a marketing ploy when a person, in order to sell his product (perfume in this case), makes a small exhibition, so that later in the store those who come on an excursion buy a bag of the product. And it’s good for a travel agency - you don’t have to pay money for an excursion, and it’s also good to sell goods to a museum store.
Then there was the next “run-run”. We were taken to Disneyland. We just got to the parade of heroes. I kept thinking when I start to admire it. No way. The child also did not show much enthusiasm. While we ran through a couple of attractions (took a ride on the steamboat Mark Twain and in the trolley through the Big Thunder Mine(?) It turned out that restaurants are crazy expensive and the toad is choking, and fast food stalls are already closed. They bit the bit and ran on.
I really liked how the queues for the attractions were organized... Time passes almost unnoticed. We ran until 20 and a penny, until we were told that that was it, “there will be no more cinema,” although we were promised that the park would be open until 21.30. And we trudged to our home hotel... First to the RER, where we grabbed a panini in a cafe that was closing. For the first and last time I saw a man in France who tried to talk to us in Russian. He turned out to be a Russian of some sort :) It was harder with the others. People a priori believe that it is impossible not to know French and fall into a stupor when trying to speak to them in Russian or broken English.
The road was nothing special to remember. I left my people in the room and went to Clichy Boulevard for a walk... And I saw police officers on roller skates :))). And then a crowd of thousands of 7 roller skaters descending from the Sacre Coeur IMHO... Then there were queues at various nightclubs... Couples in convertibles with French rap blaring, slowly rolling along the sidewalk... Moulin Rouge... Sex shops and other all sorts of things. I thought that we were lucky to “live in such areas.”
“I’ve already seen this somewhere”
Day 3 (Paris - Loire castles - Angers): travel through the Loire Valley visiting the most popular castles: Amboise Castle, built in the 15-16th centuries, where Leonardo Da Vinci lived and was buried during the Renaissance (internal inspection), Chenonceau Castle - the most beautiful and unusual of the castles, with a magnificent gallery across the river Cher (internal viewing), and the Chateau de Chambord, surrounded by the most long wall in France, - a masterpiece of the Renaissance, which has seen many monarchs in its lifetime (external inspection). Transfer to Angers, the capital of the Western Loire, one of the most beautiful cities in France. Hotel accommodation.
Oh yeah. And again the bus :) And again the castles (remember the Czech Republic and Germany).
At first Chambord. With internal staircase designed by Leonardo. We didn’t go inside to look at the stairs. There is no time, and somehow there is no need. I imagined a king in this castle. The castle is truly royal.
Chenonceau. On private property. I've already seen this somewhere. Wide entrance alley. White shops. On the right is the greenhouse. Damn Yasnaya Polyana. Only there everything is more countly. And here is the royal one. Diane Poitiers, Kate de Medici and other queens and favorites in sadness. I saw a labyrinth of living bushes. Again, there was no time to go in. Also with Poitiers Park. That's where I'd like to take pictures! Such a panorama could be made. Everything inside is well maintained. Basket with live lilies of the valley. Basket with real apples.
Amboise. One feels that the fortress was what it needed. Leonardo Da Vinci is buried here. The castle inside is so-so. But there were some discoveries. I discovered the inscription “Vovan” on one of the windows inside the castle. “In a public Parisian toilet there are inscriptions in Russian” (c) Vysotsky.
Angers(r). Former capital Duchy of Anjou. Town of 137,000. Pleasant. It takes 1.5 hours to get around the center. An absolutely majestic castle with a super park located inside the former fortress moat. We walked around Angers in the evening. We bought wine in Spar and went to our room to drink.
Still not enough time
Day 4 (Angers - Puy du Fou): walking tour of Angers. Additional package*: trip with a visit to the Puy du Fou (approx. 65 km), the famous theme park attractions and historical performances, in which spectators are transported to the times of gladiators ancient Rome, brave Vikings and Musketeers of Richelieu, can walk around the medieval town and become a participant in the siege of a medieval castle. In the evening return to Angers.
In the morning we were taken to the place where my family and I walked yesterday :), we were put on a bus and taken to Puy do Fou. At the entrance, everyone was given a map with the show schedule... And away we go:) Game by station - that's what they called it in the pioneer camp. :))) A crowd that runs from one stage to another and manages to sit down, watch, empathize and enjoy it is something. :) Moreover, in the Colosseum for gladiator fights the capacity of the arena was 7 thousand, and in the Resilier Theater 5 thousand. In addition to all sorts of shows, this is just an opportunity to be in nature, see stylized villages, the work of craftsmen in them, run under the fountains, etc. I liked it more than Disney... But as always there wasn’t enough time. We should have arrived a couple of hours earlier, or left a couple of hours later. It's better to arrive early and leave later :)
The day ended with a bottle of 2004 red Burgundy. :) Experts will now say: “Bullshit”! And for me it’s “Will do”!
"A mixture of French and Nizhny Novgorod"
Day 5 (Angers - Paris - Aquaboulevard): Free time. Return to Paris (approx. 240 km). Add. package* - evening visit to Aquaboulevard.
Oh yeah. Free time began at 6 am on May 1st. I went to take pictures. I was surprised to find a plump 12-year-old teenager at the first intersection, taking a nap at a table with lilies of the valley. Seeing me, he perked up: “Bon Jour, monsieur...” and began to babble something. The answer he received was: “I don’t speak French!” in the language of Pushkin and Lermontov. The boy fell into a stupor, and all that came out was “Ah!” Then I filmed for a long time... I walked back along the other side of the street. A young lady of about 30... To her tirade I answer: “Sorry, madam. Non parle vu Francais.” In response - a smile from ear to ear and again in pure French 5 sentences. I switch to English. I'm telling you the same thing. And in addition, I am sending something about the difficulty of living in France without knowing the language. The smile again and the phrase about the French “tradition”. Already in Russian I say that I “don’t need this” and “orevoir”... After 200 meters at SPAR, a group of 4 people aged 10-20 years begins to move towards me. Preemptively, I tell them: “Sorry, guys! I don’t speek French” and, without slowing down, I pass this patch... They tried to tell me something in French, but I don’t understand a damn thing about it :).
Then there was the road to Paris. Stop at Chartres. A very beautiful cathedral. May Day demonstration of workers with slogans of the need to “go left.” They are the ones who sympathize with the socialists.
We checked into the same hotel as before. On the floor with Toulouse-Lautrec. We moved in and quickly took the metro to Aquaboulevard. What is this? This is something like the Transvaal. I had never been to such a water park before - so there was nothing to compare it with. The water is highly chlorinated. That's the only thing that irritated me. A place for a good family holiday. A swimming pool with all sorts of waves, jets, etc., a paddling pool, a bunch of slides, all sorts of jacuzzi, etc.
"We cross it out!"
Day 6 (Paris): free time. In the evening, a boat trip on the Seine (10 euros for adults, 5 euros for children under 12 years old).
This day has become a shame for us in May. Why it was stolen - because the price of the trip did not decrease, and the trip was one day shorter. We knew about this. For a long time they tried to understand which day would not be in the program, and three days before departure it finally became clear. It turned out how much the wife paid for the trip later. :) Well, God bless them. But in principle, this day was not enough for complete happiness.
"Smiling Angel"
Day 7 (Paris - Metz): transfer to the city of Metz (approx. 330 km) - the capital of the Lorraine department, a small town that has absorbed two completely different cultures: French and German. Hotel accommodation. Hiking around the city of Metz.
The morning started traditionally with a photo shoot... I went to cut a circle according to Montmartre. The main desire was to look at Sacre Coeur. Wish
came true. I can only say one thing: if anyone is in Paris in that area early in the morning, go up to observation deck at Sacre Coeur and you won’t regret it.
Paris in the morning resembles a big trash can. At least the places where I walked. There are a lot of garbage collection machines and street cleaners. Janitors in green uniforms. Their brooms are also green. I wanted to sit down in some cafe and drink coffee and a croissant for an hour, but... But. Traditionally there was no time.
At 9 we were already on the bus. For there was a big move to Metz. On the way, we waved at the turn to Disneyland, listened to the production of champagne and about the First World War with the Maginot Line, and rolled into Reims. Another cathedral. But what! In it, all but two French kings sat on the throne. And it also has a Chagall stained glass window. And the most important thing. I saw a smiling angel. Don't believe me? Go to Reims. Afterwards there was a purchase of champagne, cognac and other souvenirs. (Info: A bottle of Veuve Clicquot costs 25 euros. On the Moscow-Tula highway, an identical bottle costs 2850 rubles as of the day before yesterday.) (May 15, 2006)
Then we reached C&A. This is of course not an Armani boutique, but we are happy with everything there :) (by the way, a boutique is a shop (fr)). The child immediately grabbed a T-shirt with a picture from Ice Age 2. (In the sanatorium where he was sent the day before yesterday for pedagogical experiments, the T-shirt was appreciated by the local
population). In the end, tired but happy (the first time we managed to go to something other than a grocery store!) we made our way to the bus and spent half an hour waiting for three careless assholes who were always late everywhere.
IN Metz arrived quickly. We settled down and looked around the area. Cathedral. A few more stained glass windows by Chagall. Chapel of the Templars. Roman temple. Mosel. Monument to Verlaine. Fast food, where we stopped, and the French could not really explain anything. Streets, alleys. A lot of people at tables on the streets. Just a super cute town. We went to the hotel, and we bought wine in Reims.
!Goodbye, our affectionate Bear...!
Day 8 (Metz - Luxembourg): transfer to Luxembourg (approx. 60 km). Flight to Moscow.
In the morning I went to shoot. There are so many other interesting things there. Just "Wow!" The Moselle in Metz is very beautiful.
I could hardly see the road to Luxembourg. There we were all allowed to go shopping. I left the people at C&A. He left with the camera. Because everything I shot on the first day, I miraculously lost.
The first time we managed to sit in a cafe. How immediately it was felt that it was not France. Because the waiter very quickly found a common language. I accepted the order in a minute, first deciding on the language. :) He didn’t know Russian, we agreed on English. The coffee was very good. I haven't had something like this in a while.
At the airport in Luxembourg, local people staged a circus with horses. Ausweiss control passed through 1 booth. And God knows how they let us on the plane. Right down to “women and children go first.” Knowing the love of our Russian people to spit on the whole line and get through first, I was still upset... Our people are strange after all...
conclusions:
We decided for ourselves that for now we don’t want to go to France anymore. Just check the box to indicate your visit.
Update for today: But now for some reason I want to go to Paris... For more. Just walk around, stare, eat croissants, click the camera.
The Mediterranean coast of France is so multifaceted that everyone will find something they love and even like: sandy and pebble beaches, cozy chateaus and luxury hotels, vineyards and mountain serpentines, medieval castles and modern architecture.
Holidays in the south of France with children are very comfortable: many restaurants have children's menus, and children's playgrounds are located on almost every corner. There are convenient passages for strollers, many gently sloping beaches and fairly calm seas. However, besides the sea and beaches, there is plenty of entertainment to keep you busy. So, a list of “important” things to do.
1. See a Tibetan bear and a family of giraffes from the car window
in the Safari Park of Sigean (Réserve Africaine de Sigean)
Safari Park "Sizhan" consists of two zones. The first zone can only be viewed by car, where from the window you can see roe deer, lions, bears, giraffes, rhinoceroses and other inhabitants in their natural habitat. Just remember, stopping and rolling down your windows is prohibited! The second part assumes hiking around the zoo. Flamingos, elephants, kangaroos, zebras, crocodiles and other inhabitants also live in fairly spacious conditions.
2. Overcome the storm on an interactive ship
at the Mare Nostrum Aquarium
Mare Nostrum features a variety of fish and other sea creatures, interesting exhibits, panoramic aquariums. Together with your children, you can feel like captains of a ship caught in a storm, or explorers of the depths of the sea on a bathyscaphe. And your child, like my daughter, will be able to “pet” stingrays.
3. Walk along the trails of the Amazon forests
at the Montpellier Zoo (Parc zoologique de Montpellier)
The vast territory of the Montpellier Zoo houses more than 50 species of animals: white rhinoceroses, lions, bears, giraffes, lemurs and many others. But the main adventure awaits you in the Amazon pavilion.
4. Find out how HARIBO gummy bears are made
at the Museum of Candy (Musée du Bonbon)
This museum is very popular with children. Still would! After all, there are many interactive exhibits here, and you can also seal your own bears in the packaging. You definitely won’t leave the company store empty-handed.
5. Feed the rabbits
at the Minifarm (Le Petit Paradis)
My daughter gets great pleasure from visiting such mini-farms, where you can visit the rabbits, guinea pigs, goats, ducklings, pet them and feed them. There are also sheep, horses, donkeys, pigs, and cows on the farm. Children can ride a pony, explore the lake on a boat with their parents, jump on trampolines, play mini golf or simply have a picnic in nature.
6. Feel the charm of France,
settled in a small chateau
For at least 2-3 days, it’s worth getting away from the sea and the tourist bustle and settling in a cozy chateau or an old house among vineyards and fields with grazing horses. Here you will plunge into the atmosphere of the 18-19 centuries, you will live and have breakfast in a museum setting, you will be able to chase chickens and geese around the yard and take a long walk along the seemingly endless vineyards. We were very impressed by visiting a small castle, and my daughter kept repeating that she was a princess. Even the behavior has changed better side:). As they say – noblesse oblige! (literal translation - “noble origin obliges.”, ed.).
There are many offers for renting rooms in ancient houses and entire castles in France; they can be found on hotel booking sites.
7. Pet the lemurs
at Kid's Island (Marineland)
If you have never seen a show of dolphins, killer whales and sea lions, then you will have to fork out for the entrance to Marineland Park; in fact, there is nothing else to do there. We found the show not as spectacular compared to Loroparque in Tenerife. But the child clearly liked the Kid’s Island amusement farm. Goats, cows, horses, donkeys, large playground and obstacle course, pony rides, steam locomotive, boats. In addition, you can visit the lemurs and, if you’re lucky, pet them.
You can spend the whole day at the Aquasplash aquapark: there are many attractions, including for children over 3 years old, sun loungers and a cafe, but during the season there are quite a lot of people.
8. Spend the whole day
in the Principality of Monaco
It’s worth spending a whole day on a trip to the prince’s estate, because in addition to the famous Oceanographic Museum, there are beautiful gardens (Japanese and exotic) where you can relax pleasantly in the shade of trees; small zoo, various museums. Along the promenade near the pool in the La Condamin area there are many children's attractions (crawlers, climbing frames and even go-karts). You decide for yourself whether the collection is worth viewing vintage cars Prince Rainier III, because even on the streets of the principality there are very interesting exhibits.
Sights of Monaco – on the website http://www.visitmonaco.com.
9. See exotic birds and plants
in Phoenix Park (Phoenix Parc Floral de Nice)
In the Phoenix Park, near Nice, you can spend several hours walking around the large area of the botanical garden. In addition to various plants, animals and fish from all over the world, including exotic ones, there are places to relax near fountains, miniature waterfalls, and on the lake shore. While we were resting, the child chased ducks and chickens along the paths. A very pleasant place to visit with children.
10. Catch candy and hats
at the finishes of stages of the Tour de France
Almost every year in July, some stage of the Tour de France multi-day cycling race takes place in the south of France. If you are lucky enough to be nearby at this time, be sure to visit one of the finish lines.
In addition to meeting the finalists of the cycling stage, here you can get a souvenir of the event. For several hours before arrival, spectators are given candy, panama hats, all sorts of keychains, pencils, and flags. The passage of an advertising caravan of decorated cars with large sculptures is more reminiscent of a carnival. To our surprise, our daughter was delighted with catching the gifts, she tried to catch them herself and kept asking if anyone else was coming. So, the Tour de France turned out to be a fun holiday for the whole family.
Details and plans for the bike race – http://www.letour.fr.
And that's not all interesting places in the south of France. There are also ancient buildings of Nîmes and Arles, the Pont du Gard aqueduct, the medieval fortresses of Carcosonne and Gruissan, museums of Van Gogh, Matisse, Picasso, flea markets with all sorts of things, the jazz festival in Nice and so on. You can talk for a long time, but it’s better to see all the splendor of France with your own eyes. Bienvenue en France!
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Larisa Melnik