If you're tempted by Paris, can I recommend going in August. I know it sounds like madness, but the great thing is you'll find that a lot of Parisians will have left for their summer holidays and the roads are surprisingly quiet. Also look out for streets where the parking meters have yellow stickers on them. It means that the parking there is free (assuming they continue the scheme this coming year). That said if you are tempted to stay in Paris it's probably better to suck it up and pay for secure parking if you don't want to risk the infamous Parisian touch-parking.

Other things for Paris:

• Don't eat near the tourist attractions - Champs Elysées, Notre Dame, Eiffel Tower etc, if you head off down the backstreets you should find some decent restaurants where the locals will eat their €10 menu d'ouvriers (lit. Workers' menu). Oh and take water with you, it'll be hot, and drinks are VERY expensive.
• Try and get an explorer metro/bus/RER ticket, it's not expensive and hopping on and off public transport sure beats walking (the Eiffel Tour is far further round the Seine than it looks.
• Stick your feet in fountains, everyone else does, and it eases those aching soles.
• Go up Tour Montparnasse (by Montaparnasse Station) instead of the Eiffel Tower. OK so it doesn't have the glamour but the queues are non-existant, it's much cheaper and you can see all of the Parisian landmarks, whereas from the Eiffel you will miss one (can you guess what it is?).
• And yes, for Paris driving you might well want GPS.

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They might still have a beach in the city centre in summer, which has novelty value if nothing else.

Pompidou centre looks fun from the outside. There's also the science museum, the Cite des Sciences Sciences - Découvrez la science à la Cité des*Sciences et de l'Industrie*à Paris, and the Pere Lachaise cemetery is also great to wander round, lots of famous people buried there and some very elaborate & extravagant tombs.

On the same morbid and therefore highly appealing to small children themes, you can also visit the sewers and the catacombs underneath Paris.

Oh and ignore Disneyland Paris, head for Parc Asterix instead, cheaper, more fun, fewer people and not Disney :-)

And finally given you have a car, it's worth venturing to nearby places like Rambouillet, which has a forest with lots of wildlife, and Fontainebleau, which has some of the best bouldering in Europe, we always used to love scrambling round there!

Err... maybe now someone should suggest things to do in other countries on your itinerary?!

Oh and be careful with scenic routes - they're great, but make sure they're not between tourist attractions. We spent a very very long time driving back to our gite from northern spain via a steep, winding scenic route used by all the tour coaches...

Laura

Hi,
Thanks guys.
I now know the good places to visit in France.
Any suggestions for other site seeing places in other countries in my route please?

Thanks

This seems to be a good idea.
I will give them a call to see if they can plan a route of stay for us.
Thanks

Try this site and print off your maps.

ViaMichelin: Maps, route planner, route finder, UK maps, European maps, hotel booking, travel guides

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Sounds like you want to do very much what me and the wife did summer 2006.
Drive down to Dover, quick ferry to Calais.Onto Reimes, Dijon,(France) Geneve, Lausanne, Montreaux, Martigne, Carmonix-Mont-Blanc (Switzerland) then through the Mont Blanc tunell, comming out at Courmayeur in Italy, and onto Cuneo.
Then to Monaco, and onto Cap-de Adge, following the coast road to Perpignan, and Barcelona and Valencia.
From Valencia we headed north to Madrid, more north to Bilboa and back into France.
Bordeaux, Nantes, Rennes, and Paris as our last French stop.
Back to Calais, and ferry back to Dover.
We stayed 4 nights in Paris, Cuneo, Geneva, Barcelona, Valencia, Madrid was 3 nights I think,

We did NO pre-booking, and simply knocked on the doors of bed and breakfasts, or hotels, as and when.
If the place was nice, we stay an extra day, otherwise, one night and move on.
We were able to find launderettes for the washing, and when we got to the hotel room, or B&B, we would do some ironing.

We did this in August, September 2006, and had a great time.

Driving in Europe is very easy, Madrid was the worst for driving, as even a small UK mini looks big in Madrid, and concidering we were driving this.
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Up past Carmonix
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Up towards the tunell
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Tunell entrance
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Monaco
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Some Spanish rest area.

'vette

Thanks for the mentioned places.
I believe with kids we better pre-book and that is why I am being very fussy about placecs to stay.
I am also worried that if we don't book in advance, there may not me a place to stay where we need to since we will travel in August 2009.

Hello again,
Since my last post, I have been looking at your suggestions...
I have narrowed down the route to touring France and perhaps a little stop in Zurich switzerland.
Here is a route I have in mind which is based on your suggestions only.
We will have two weeks and thought may be we can cover this route.
Do you think I have a reasonable route in mind baring in mind that there are two kids (5 and 7 years old) with us?
Looking at previous suggestions, there are places for kids to keep busy on these routes.
I am hoping this is a scenic route.
Any thoughts please?
Route:
Portsmouth, Hampshire, UK
Rennes, france
Nantes, france
Poitiers, France
Limoge, france
Avignon, France
Logis de France, Apt, France
Verdon gorge, france
Nice, france
Monaco
Geneva
Chamonix, france
Zurich, switzerland
Strasburg, france
nancy, france
reims, france
paris
Back to UK

Many thanks

Hi, I'd meekly suggest considering looking at Lauterbrunnen near Interlaken. there are dreamy, narrow guage trains from Interlaken right up to the very high cafe near the sky between the Eiger and the Monch peaks. Lauterbrunnen valley is breath taking and features a very, very high waterfall behind which you can stand! Other falls to walk to and the Heidi atmosphere just breath in. There is a world of difference between valley floor and high alpine pastures. I highly recommend considering it. Happy travels, Linzi.

Hi,
Is "Lauterbrunnen near Interlaken" in Switzerland?
Thanks

Indeed it is, and a superlative place it is too - and i recommend Lucerne on the way to Zurich, a gem. I notice that you plan Geneva-Chamonix, you could try the Route des Grandes Alpes which goes from Thonon-les-Bains to Cluses, and thence the valley road to Chamonix, lovely. Also, how do you plan the fantastic jump from Limoges to Avignon - will it be Millau+Tarn gorges (virtually next door to each other)? I hope you take the backroads... a mouthwatering prospect!,

Hi,
I have modified the route as follows:
Portsmouth, Hampshire, UK
Rennes, france
Nantes, france
Poitiers, France
Limoge, france
Tarn, France
Millau, france
Avignon, France
Logis de France, Apt, France
Verdon gorge, france
Boulevard Princesse Grace de Monaco, 06300 Nizza, Alpes-Maritimes, Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur, France
Chamonix, france
Chamonix-Mont-Blanc, France
Cluses, Haute-Savoie, Rhône-Alpes, France
Geneva
Chamonix, france
Thonon-les-Bains
Lucerne, switzerland
Zurich, switzerland
Strasburg, france
nancy, france
reims, france
paris
Dover, Kent, UK

Question 1:
What do you think of the above route in terms of scenery

Question 2:
I still find "Lauterbrunnen near Interlaken" in Germany and
not switzerland?

Any thoughts please?
Thanks

Interlaken is SE of Bern on the N8 Autobahn between the Thuner See and the Brienzer See. Frankly, the areas you highlight are super-scenic and it'd be difficult to go wrong esp if you keep off the Autobahns, just keep your options open.

I'll check again.
Thank you

Hi,
Most probably I will take the following route with the kids in August 2009.
I have been told these are scenic routes so adults will enjoy the scenery.

Portsmouth, Hampshire, UK
Rennes, france
Nantes, france
Poitiers, France
Limoge, france
Tarn, France
Millau, france
Avignon, France
Logis de France, Apt, France
Verdon gorge, france
Boulevard Princesse Grace de Monaco, 06300 Nizza, Alpes-Maritimes, Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur, France
Chamonix, france
Chamonix-Mont-Blanc, France
Cluses, Haute-Savoie, Rhône-Alpes, France
Geneva
Chamonix, france
Thonon-les-Bains
Lucerne, switzerland
Zurich, switzerland
Strasburg, france
nancy, france
reims, france
paris
Dover, Kent, UK

How do I find out where the kids activities are on this route?
Thank you