Discovering France with Kids in One Week in .NET

Printer UPC Code in .NET Discovering France with Kids in One Week

France offers many attractions that kids enjoy Perhaps your main concern with having children along is pacing yourself with museum time Some sights you see may not interest children Make a deal with them: Promise to take them to where they want to go if they agree to accompany you to what you want to see For Day One, two of the major attractions of Paris for children and adults alike are Tour Eiffel (kids love the elevator) and Notre-Dame (be sure to point out the gargoyles at the top) You can work in both of these attractions and perhaps take them on a boat ride along the Seine For Day Two, spend as much time as you can at the Mus e du Louvre Your kids may also find objects here to fascinate them But break up this museum tour by taking advantage of some of the city s parks and gardens with playgrounds for children Two favorites are Jardin du Luxembourg, with a popular playground and puppet shows, and Jardin des Tuilleries, with a fountain used for toy boats and, in summer, a grand toue (Ferris wheel) Take the kids for a stroll along one of the Left Bank neighborhoods at night, stopping in at a bistro patronized by French families See s 11 and 12 for more details about Paris On Day Three, head for Disneyland Paris, which needs no introduction to most kids You can spend the night here, of course, or you can return to Paris by fast train that night to avoid the trouble

Because most kids love a beach vacation, and almost everyone appreciates the charms of the French Riviera, fly from Paris to the airport at Nice for Day Four You can also take the high-speed TGV train south from Paris to Nice The Riviera, and Nice in particular, have much to entertain you and your brood Instead of heavy sightseeing the first day, take the kids to the beach in the afternoon The people-watching alone is likely to leave them wide-eyed (be aware that they ll see plenty of skin; topless bathing is rampant) You can always find plenty of free entertainment along promenade des Anglais (the boardwalk) in summer in Nice Dine that night in a typical family restaurant in the old town See 20 for more details On Day Five, rise early in the morning, and take the fast train linking Nice with the tiny principality of Monaco Kids enjoy the formal changing-of-the-guard ceremony at the palace and the tour of the interior apartments But the best part of Monaco for kids is the Mus e Oc anographique, one of Europe s best and biggest aquariums, with lots of sharks and other exotic sea creatures Monaco also has the Collection des Voitures Anciennes de SAS le Prince de Monaco, Prince Rainier s personal antique-car collection, and the Mus e National de Monaco, with a large antique-doll collection Return to your hotel at Nice for the night On Day Six, we recommend that you rent a car and drive (carefully, of course) along the Grande Corniche of the Riviera For example, if you head east to Menton, near the Italian border, you re treated to one of the most spectacular scenic drives in France The morning route along the loftiest highway, the Grande Corniche, includes stopovers at La Turbie and Le Vistaero, the principal towns along this 32km (20-mile) stretch In the afternoon you can meander much more slowly on the way back by taking the lower road (the same distance), which is called Corniche Inf rieure You ll pass through the ports of Villefranche, Cap-Ferrat, and Beaulieu, among others Carry your bathing suits to get in at least two hours of beaching it before your return to Nice that night See 20 for more details On Day Seven, you can leave Nice by plane, flying back to Paris, where you can take a late-afternoon stroll along the Seine and its bridges After a final French family-style meal, plan to return to your destination in the morning