A handpicked selection of the best places to visit in France with kids for a perfect family vacation: cities, villages, coastline, historical sites and flowers fields in France perfect for families
France is a lovely destination for a family vacation.
The country is beautiful, has amazing food, it is safe and offers a huge variety of destinations and experiences that will satisfy your vacation needs no matter what they are.
Looking for a beach vacation with kids? France has stunning beaches and fabulous beach resorts and hotels.
Interested in a sightseeing vacation between castles, vineyards and small towns? France has wonderful driving routes, full of put stops for kids.
Planning a city trip with the kids? Then you cannot go wrong with Paris, one of the most beautiful cities in Europe to visit with family!
France has been my vacation destination of choice for many years.
These are the places in France for kids we love the most.
The best places to visit in France with kids: our top picks
Explore Paris with kids
A list of the best places to visit in France with kids can only start with Paris, the wonderful capital of France and one of the best places in France for kids looking for the emotions of a large European capital.
There is so much to see and do in Paris with kids you can decide to make it your only vacation destination or you can use it as a jump-off point to discover other parts of France.
No matter how little or how long you decide to stay in Paris, your kids won’t get bored: for the variety of things to do, I believe Paris is one of the best cities to visit kids in the whole world!
Paris must-see such as the Eiffel Tower and the Pyramids at the Louvre are sure to tickle your kids’ interest and the city also has stunning parks that are great for toddlers and older kids alike.
The Luxembourg Gardens are fabulous for toddlers and Boi de Boulogne is great for teenagers too, who will love come here and rent bikes for the day.
The city also has fab museums for kids including le Villette Science Museum and some of the best art museums in the world, perfect for culture-loving families.
The fantastic French cuisine and shopping opportunities are also a huge appeal for teenagers, which means the city is the perfect family destination for all ages.
You can find why we love visiting Paris as a family and >>> tips for visiting Paris with kids here <<<
Take a road trip in Normandy
Normandy is a region on the Northern Coast of France and is a wonderful place for a family road trip.
The area is dotted with gorgeous small villages with immense charm and it is home to a place that is sure to pique the attention of kids: le Mont Saint Michel!
The ‘Mont’ is a medieval village perched on a tidal island just off France’s mainland and is a very scenic and interesting place, almost magical for kids.
The island is connected to the mainland by a long road and, depending on tidal conditions, the road is surrounded by water or long, stunning, sandy seabed.
When the tide comes in, it goes as fast at galloping horses – a fun fact that never seems to fail to impress the kids!
The village itself is wonderful.
Completely car-free, it is a maze of small alleys meandering up to the top of the fortress.
A magical place especially for school-age children (not stroller friendly bring a carrier if visiting for the day with a baby).
Close to Mont Saint Michel, you also have the wonderful town of Saint-Malo, with its lovely bastions and family-friendly streets, the lovely streets of the port town of medieval Honfleur, go fossil hunting in Viller-sur-Mer and, of course, learn all about the events of the II world war that happened along this coast.
The coast of Normandy has many locations holding the memory of the D-Day and they are very powerful to visit with kids.
Depending on the age of your children, you can take the D-Day drive or you can dig deeper visiting the cemeteries (I recommend both the American and German ones, very touching and very different from each other) and museums.
This is a great educational vacation spot for families where to mix history, sightseeing and outdoor fun.
Enjoy the stunning ligthouses and coastline of Brittany
Brittany is a wonderful coastal region in Frances’ northwest.
It is an area of wonderful natural beauty, blessed with stunning high coastlines battered by the raging ocean and overlooked by atmospheric lighthouses but also an area of wonderful beaches and pretty towns with tons on offer for kids.
There are many ways to enjoy Brittany with kids.
If you want to explore, you can take the car and take in the beauty of Brittany’s lighthouses such as St Mathieu or Brest or you can take the ferry to the wonderful Belle Ile en Mer and explore the pretty island by bike.
Belle Ile en Mer (lit. beautiful island in the sea) is wonderful for kids as it has flat roads that are great for cycling and some amazing beaches.
These are northern beaches, so depending on what you are used to, they may be too cold for the kids to swim but the sun and sand are wonderful.
If you prefer to have a home base, there are many family-friendly accommodation options in the area, including family-friendly campsites, that are perfect for families with kids who want a reasonably priced option and the opportunity to participate in structured activities.
No matter where you go, you can be sure to find pretty villages and towns where to enjoy lovely French food and taste what Brittany does best: galettes!
Savory or sweet, they are always a hit with kids (one of the best French foods for children) and an easy way to make them fall in love with this part of France!
Brittany doesn’t get overly hot in summer so it makes a good family destination if you prefer mild temperatures to those of the scorching French South!
Go castle exploring in the Loire Valley with kids
The Loire Valley is a wonderful area of France.
As the name suggests, it follows the course of the Loire River and it is a special place to visit with kids since it has a large number of castles, that are absolutely wonderful and priory look as if out of a fairytale!
The best way to visit this area is by car and plan to change location each night or so, to see the most beautiful of them.
Some castles, sich as the one in Blois, are inside small towns and are therefore easy to add to a day of sightseeing, while others are surrounded by large estates and are a destination in itself.
For families, we love Chambord, which is huge and properly regal, Azay-le- Rideau, which is smaller and pretty and especially Chenonceau, which is built like a bridge over the river – unforgettable!
Several activities are available in the area to make the visits family-friendly: you can cycle here or go canoeing and kayaking, both perfect in this flat area and gentle river.
If you ever get tired of castles, the area also has a troglodyte village (incredible to visit with kids), a unique family attraction!
This is also the area where you can see Leonardo da Vinci’s French house, Clos Luce’, which has a fun exhibition of his machines – super fun for kids and mind-blowing for parents too.
Find our family travel guide to the Loire Valley with kids here.
Breath if the fragrance of Provence with kids
Provence is another gorgeous part of France great for kids.
You usually hear this area mentioned for its lavender fields, which are indeed as magical as the photos suggest: they are among the most beautiful lavender fields in the world and a fantastic sensory experience for kids and adults alike!
However, there is a lot more than flowers to make Provence a great family destination.
First and foremost, its lovely villages.
This is an art of beautiful small towns, mostly medieval in nature, and perfect to explore with little legs. Briançon is UNESCO World Heritage Site and wonderful, Avignon, the city of the Popes, is a wonderful maze of alleys that is great to explore at any age and we also adored Orange, which has a stunning Roman amphitheater.
The area also has nice outdoor locations for a day in the sun such as the fun ‘Ochre trail’ in Roussillon or pretty Lac de Sainte Croix and of course the famous lavender fields that you can visit with the kids in Plateau de Valensole.
Find our full guide to Provence with kids here
Enjoy the French beaches and glamour of Cote d’Azur
Cote d’Azur is the wonderful stretch of Southern France overlooking the Mediterranean, an area with beautiful beaches and beautiful people, vacationing here in the glamorous localities of Nice, Cannes and Antibes.
At first glance, this area of France may not seem overly family-friendly and more geared towards a more grownup, elegant kind of tourism however, there are several things to do in Cote d’Azur with kids that make it a good choice if you look for a sea and sun vacation in France.
If you are looking for family-friendly beaches you have several in Cote d’Azur, such as the kid-friendly localities of Antibes and surrounding area.
If you want theme park type fun, you can bring the kids to several amusement parks in the area such as Ludipark (trampolines, bouncy castles etc), Bois des Loutines (tree houses, climbing frames etc) and the fun Village des Fous (labyrinth, water games, obstacle course and more!).
You also have MarineLand in this area but place before going to a marine park, do read why we don’t go to marine parks anymore so you can decide for yourself.
Most of all, in this area you can enjoy the beautiful coastal towns and their long sea promenades such as Promenade des Anglais in Nice, where you can cycle, go rollerblading and just take a stroll looking at the beautiful people and the shimmering mediterranean sea!
This is a wonderful destination in France for families who do not mind the summer heat and the crowds: it is fabulous but far from being a hidden gem! Find our full guide to the French Riviera with kids.
I hope you enjoyed this quick overview of the our favorite places to visit in France with kids and it inspired you to plan a trip. Safe travel planning!
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