France With Kids: The Real Guide From Someone Who Did It in an RV

We went to France before we had kids.

Just Adam and me. An RV. A very small budget. And no idea how good it was going to be.

We parked the RV outside of Paris and took the train in. We ate croissants every single morning. We went to the grocery store more than any restaurant, because that’s what you do when you’re young and broke and in love and in France.

It was perfect.

France is still one of the places I think about most. Not because of the Eiffel Tower. Because of the pebble beach in Dieppe, the sandcastle rising out of nowhere at Mont Saint Michel, and miles of sunflower fields with every flower drooping toward the earth.

Here is everything I know.

Where to go

France, place by place

NormandyPebble beach

Dieppe

Most people drive through on the way to somewhere else. Stop. Stay.

ChamonixSummer or ski

The French Alps

The roads wind up and up and the views keep getting bigger.

Monaco day trip

Nice and the Riviera

Palm trees, flower markets, orange buildings and that Mediterranean blue.

1. 1Paris

   Everything everyone says it is

   A bride having her photos taken at the Eiffel Tower. People in striped shirts eating baguettes in the park. It’s all real. The tower is covered in people selling keychains and selfie sticks, so know what you’re walking into and don’t let them steal the moment. At the Louvre, pick what matters to you and head straight there. My Paris guide.

2. 2Dieppe

   It feels like a secret

   A small seaside town in Normandy on the English Channel. Little bakeries on every corner, colorful fishing boats in the harbor, and a pebble beach. The Dieppe Raid of 1942 happened here, and the town carries that history quietly.

3. 3Mont Saint Michel

   A sandcastle rising out of nowhere

   Flat green fields, then suddenly there it is. At high tide water surrounds it. At low tide you walk across the causeway. Go early before the tour buses, push past the shops at the base and get up to the abbey.

4. 4The sunflower fields

   Pull over

   Miles of sunflowers, every one drooping toward the earth. It left an impression of sadness. But hope too. Because it was a sunflower. If you see them, stand in them for a minute.

5. 5The French Alps

   One of the best decisions we made

   We drove through with no real plan. Chamonix sits under Mont Blanc, and cable cars take you up to viewpoints that make everything else feel far away. Hiking in summer, skiing in winter.

6. 6Nice, Cannes and Monaco

   Where France gets glamorous

   Walk the Promenade des Anglais and the old town. Cannes for the Croisette. Monaco is its own country, about twenty minutes from Nice. You don’t have to gamble to go into the Monte Carlo casino. We had the most expensive glass of orange juice… ever. We were there when the Grand Prix was set up and got to walk the circuit.

Theme parks

Disneyland Paris

Food

Croissants. Every morning. Non negotiable

• Croissants, fresh from the bakery
• A baguette you eat while you walk
• Cheese you’ve never tried, from the grocery store
• Crepes, sweet or savory, from a street stand
• Wine at prices that will make you emotional
• Picnics from the grocery store on a park bench

Getting around

Trains, cars and the Metro

• Fast trains from Paris to Nice and Lyon
• The Paris Metro is easy, affordable and runs late
• Rent a car for the countryside, the Alps and the Riviera
• Don’t drive in Paris. Park outside and take the train in
• Paris is very walkable when the weather cooperates
• We parked the RV outside Paris every day. Best decision we made

What it costs

What a family trip to France costs

France doesn’t have to be expensive. Picnics from grocery stores, street crepes, parks and walking are some of the best parts. A day in Monaco costs almost nothing if you’re just walking around soaking it in.

Before you go

What I’d tell a friend

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