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Itineraries/Europe/France

12 Days in France

The Eiffel Tower at dusk, croissants for breakfast in a Marais café, Loire Valley châteaux with moats and turrets kids think are real castles, lavender fields in Provence, and three nights on the Côte d'Azur with the Mediterranean at your feet. Twelve nights across France's greatest-hits route — the most-requested European family destination for a reason.

12 nights
Family of 4
~A$17,200
4 stops
Paris3n
Loire Valley3n
Provence2n
Nice & Côte d''Azur3n
Start with this itinerarySwap hotels, adjust dates, change stops any time

Your stop-by-stop itinerary

4 stops across 12 nights. Each one chosen so you experience a different side of France.

1

Paris

3 nights
Fly into Paris CDG from Sydney (via Singapore, Dubai, or Doha — 22-24h total). RER B train from CDG to central Paris (€11.80/adult, free under 4). Buy a Navigo Easy card for Metro/bus travel (€2.15/trip).

Highlights

  • Eiffel Tower — book summit tickets 60 days ahead (€29.40/adult, €7.40/child 4-11). Sunset slot is magic but sells out first
  • Louvre — skip the Mona Lisa queue, head straight to Egyptian Antiquities and Medieval Moat (free under 18, €22/adult)
  • Sacré-Cœur + Montmartre — funicular ride up, Place du Tertre artists, crêpe stands on every corner
  • Seine river cruise — Bateaux Mouches 1-hour loop (€16/adult, €7/child), best at golden hour
  • Luxembourg Gardens — sailboat pond, puppet theatre, playground. The best Paris park for kids
  • Musée d''Orsay — Impressionist paintings in a converted train station (free under 18, €16/adult)

Local tips

  • 💡Buy a Paris Museum Pass (€62/adult for 4 days) if you plan 3+ museums — it skips the ticket queue at the Louvre, Orsay, and Versailles. Under-18s are free at all national museums anyway.
  • 💡Stay in Le Marais (4th arr.) for walkability + falafel + kid-friendly vibes, or Saint-Germain (6th) for quieter streets and Luxembourg Gardens access.
  • 💡Skip Disneyland Paris unless the kids specifically request it — the city itself is more memorable and the park eats a full day + €100/pp.
Suggested stay: Family apartment or 3-star hotel in Le Marais or Saint-Germain
2

Loire Valley

3 nights
TGV Paris Montparnasse → Tours (1h15, €35-55/adult, half-price under 12). Pick up rental car in Tours for Loire Valley driving — the châteaux are spread across 50 km and a car is essential.

Highlights

  • Château de Chambord — the biggest Loire château, double-helix staircase designed by da Vinci, vast deer park for running around
  • Château de Chenonceau — the ''ladies'' castle'' spanning the river Cher, flower gardens, hedge maze kids love
  • Château d''Amboise + Clos Lucé — Leonardo da Vinci''s last home, hands-on invention models kids can operate
  • Château de Cheverny — Tintin''s Marlinspike Hall inspiration, hunting dog feeding at 11:30am daily
  • Troglodyte cave houses near Amboise — carved into cliffs, some are restaurants/wine cellars
  • Loire Valley bike trails — flat, car-free paths along the river, bike hire in Amboise (€15/day/adult)

Local tips

  • 💡Base in Amboise — it''s the best Loire town for families: small, walkable, central to 4 major châteaux, and has the Clos Lucé da Vinci museum which kids rate higher than any castle.
  • 💡Visit Chambord early morning (opens 9am) before tour buses arrive at 10:30. The deer park behind the château is free and enormous — bring a picnic.
  • 💡Don''t try to do more than 2 châteaux per day. Kids hit ''castle fatigue'' fast. Alternate with bike rides, river swimming, or troglodyte caves.
Suggested stay: Family gîte or chambre d''hôtes near Amboise or Blois
3

Provence

2 nights
Drive Loire → Provence (~5.5h via A71/A7, split with a lunch stop in Lyon). Or return rental to Tours, TGV Tours → Avignon (3.5h, €45-70/adult). Pick up a second rental in Avignon for Provence + Côte d''Azur driving.

Highlights

  • Pont du Gard — 2,000-year-old Roman aqueduct, swimming in the river below, museum with kid-friendly interactive displays (€8.50/adult, free under 18)
  • Lavender fields (mid-June to mid-August) — Sénanque Abbey or the Valensole plateau for the iconic purple-row photos
  • Avignon — Palais des Papes (€12/adult, free under 8), Pont d''Avignon, busker-filled streets inside the medieval walls
  • Aix-en-Provence markets — Cours Mirabeau Saturday market, calissons (almond candy), fountain-hopping walk through the old town
  • Les Baux-de-Provence — hilltop castle ruins + Carrières de Lumières immersive art show in old quarries (€16/adult, €11/child)

Local tips

  • 💡Lavender peaks late June to mid-July — if your trip is outside this window, Provence is still stunning but plan for markets, Roman sites, and hill villages instead of lavender-specific drives.
  • 💡Pont du Gard is the single best family stop in Provence — Roman engineering + river swimming + shady picnic spots. Arrive before 10am in summer to snag riverside parking.
  • 💡Two nights is tight for Provence. If you can flex the itinerary, steal a night from Paris (3→2) and add it here.
Suggested stay: Family mas or B&B near Avignon or Aix-en-Provence
4

Nice & Côte d''Azur

3 nights
Drive Provence → Nice (~2.5h via A8). Drop rental car on departure day. Fly Nice (NCE) → Sydney via connecting hub (Dubai, Singapore, or Paris CDG).

Highlights

  • Promenade des Anglais — morning walk/cycle along the blue Mediterranean, free public beaches with lifeguards
  • Nice Old Town (Vieux Nice) — Cours Saleya flower and food market (Tue-Sun), socca (chickpea pancake) stands, gelato lanes
  • Day trip to Monaco — 20 min by train (€4.20), Oceanographic Museum + Aquarium (€18/adult, €12/child), Prince''s Palace changing of the guard at 11:55am
  • Antibes — Picasso Museum in a seaside castle, Marineland aquarium/water park for younger kids
  • Èze village — medieval hilltop village with cactus garden, panoramic views, perfume factory tours
  • Beach day — Villefranche-sur-Mer has the best family beach on the Riviera: sheltered bay, shallow water, colourful waterfront

Local tips

  • 💡Nice public beaches are pebbly, not sandy — bring water shoes for kids. For sand, take the train to Antibes or Villefranche-sur-Mer (15-20 min).
  • 💡The €1.70 Lignes d''Azur bus covers all of Nice + nearby towns. Bus 100 Nice→Monaco is €1.70 and runs along the coast — cheaper and more scenic than the train.
  • 💡Book the apartment with a kitchen — Nice''s markets are incredible for self-catering and restaurant dinners on the Riviera add up fast at €80-120 for a family of 4.
Suggested stay: Family apartment or 3-star hotel in Nice Old Town or near Promenade des Anglais

Good to know

Estimated cost

The ~A$17,200 estimate covers accommodation across all 4 stops. Flights, daily spending, activities, and transport are additional — use SaveToRoam’s savings planner to track it all.

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