Where to go in FRANCE for family holiday?

Stay away from France. Did you forget all the bad things said about the French ? Plus, we don't really want you over there.

As someone who has holidayed in france many times over the past 50 years, it really is difficult to answer your question. However, I'll try to be of some help! (I hope) Where to suggest depends on so many things. How far are you prepared to travel from a channel port? What type of holiday do you prefer - hotel, B and B, camping/cara vanning, etc. But I'll tell you what I would do if I were in your shoes and a first time visitor with a family. Go on a "ready-erected" camping holiday. There are several reputable companies offering such holidays, eg. Eurocamp, Inntent, Yello, etc. and their brochures are very helpful. (Such holidays tend to be expensive during the school holidays but are still good value for money.) You can holiday in a "Supertent" with 3 bedrooms and sprung beds and everything provided down to the egg cups, or you can pay more an choose a static caravan, again with everything provided. As far as sites are concerned, there are dozens ranging from those on the edge of the sea to those in the grounds of country manors. Most have excellent facilities, including fabulous swimming pools, mini-supermarkets, take-aways, gyms, games pitches, etc. and "animateurs" operating clubs for children of various ages. And if you don't speak French, there are English representatives to sort out any problems. I've never used such a company but for many years We have caravanned in France, often using sites also used by these companies and have seen their accommodation. For beaches, the north coast is not really up to much for children and the weather can be "dodgy." South west Brittany is lovely with safe sandy beaches and much to see, (We like Benodet). Further south there's the Vendee with the massive beaches around St Jean de Monts and further south again the beaches around St Palais-sur-Mer are brilliant and there are some excellent camp sites. Further south there are the beaches of the Landes area and, of course, there's the Riviera but that would mean a very long drive and the area is very expensive. One advantage of using the ready erected companies is that, if you do decide on a site a long way from a channel port, you can break your journey using one of their sites as an overnight stop. Another advantage is that they negotiate special discount rates on the ferries and also arrange insurance both personal and for your car. I hope this has been of some help. If I can give more post another question.

I'm writing this from Nyons, in South-Eastern France. It isn't by the sea, which keeps the prices down, and although it's popular, it's not like the sardine-packed beaches. There is a water centre, with a beach, that is supreb, with water slides, etc. Nearby there is the Sagittaire. A holiday centre with it's own pool, and magnificent walks in the area. If any one in your family cycles, bring your bikes. It's a superb area for that (the Tour de France comes through here regularly). You can get he Eurostar Paris, the TGV to Montelimar, and the bus from htere to Nyons, all good connections. Enjoy.

Normandy in the NW is a beautiful place to see, with cities like Etretat, Deauville, Trouville, Cabourg, the cotentin peninsula, Granville and the Mt St Michel Brittanny just below, with st malo, cancale, dinard, loctudy The Atlantic beaches further in the south are my favorites places. La Baule in the LoireAtlantic area is a small resort with a long beach and it is safe and family friendly. The city of La Rochelle is nice too and off to the coast you have the Island of Re, Ile d'Yeu and Oleron island. Arcachon is another ressort, and Hossegor is a resort famous for the surf but it may be nice for the families. Cities of Lacanau, Mimizan ...There is also Biarritz in the basque country. Then you have the med coastline with the provence area, cities like cassis, st tropez, sanary, bandol etc. If you often fo the Greece, maybe you'd prefer the Atlantic coastline, it is more different