A Luxury Guide to Bespoke Family Trips in France

Paris is made for wandering and wonderment – and the French capital has so much to offer families. You’ll find cool architecture and storied monuments at every turn, whether strolling through Grands Boulevards or people-watching from pavement cafes in Saint-Germain-des-Prés.

The Notre-Dame Cathedral and Eiffel Tower seem to have popped from the pages of fairytales. Patisseries, too, are filled with the stuff of dreams. While bespoke, hands-on experiences will get the whole family engaged in art.

Interactive museum tours

Our carefully curated experiences bring Paris’ world-renowned art scene to vivid life. On a private family tour of the Louvre, set off on an educational treasure hunt where each clue encourages engagement in the gallery’s masterpieces. You can also take a treasure hunt at the Musée d’Orsay. Clues are hidden in paintings, statues and architectural features, leading to a secret treasure.

Hands-on arts and crafts

After viewing Monet’s awe-inspiring Water Lilies at Musée de l’Orangerie, you will all have the opportunity to try out impressionist techniques in a painting workshop. You’ll then visit a private art studio in Saint-Germain-des-Prés – working together with pastels to create your own impressionist masterpiece.

Culinary and baking workshops

Paris’ culinary scene is as alluring as its art and architecture, and its pastries and desserts and especially tempting. Hands-on tours will get everyone engaged going further than simply tasting the city’s specialities. Craft chocolate bears and multi-coloured lollipops at a chocolate-making class. Or learn to make baguettes and croissants at a family bakery in Montparnasse.

Known as the ‘Garden of France’, the Loire Valley is a patchwork of farms and vineyards – overlooked by castles that barely seem real. The region rolls out from the banks of the Loire River and is filled with possibilities for family adventures.

On a trip tailored to you, explore by bike or by horseback, tour fortresses that inspired fairytales and explore labyrinthine grand chateaux.

Hilltop castles and chateaux

The Loire Valley has more than 300 castles. Our experts will help you choose which ones to visit, based on your family’s interests. Kids will be especially charmed by the gothic turrets and forest setting of Château d’Ussé, believed to have inspired Sleeping Beauty. Château de Cheverny inspired the fictional Marlinspike Hall in the Tintin comics. While the vast Château de Chambord has more than 400 rooms, a double spiral staircase and a nature reserve grazed by red deer and wild boars.

Outdoor adventures

The best way to absorb the region’s scenery is to slow down a little. On a cycling tour down country roads, stops chosen by you could include Parc Mini-Châteaux – a theme park with miniature models of castles. On horseback, trace the flow of the Loire River and ride through vineyards (where adults can taste the valley’s renowned wines). Or take a sunrise hot air balloon flight. You’ll get to help assemble and inflate the balloon before climbing aboard for the ascent.

The European Alps, spanning Austria, Italy, France and Switzerland, are best-known for winter activities. The dramatic, jagged peaks of the French Alps encompass the Northern Alps around Annecy and Grenoble) and the Southern Alps, stretching towards the Mediterranean coastline.

When the snow melts away and wildflowers decorate the valleys, family adventures open up. With fewer crowds in the summer than at coastal areas, mild temperatures and hiking sections of the Grand Tour de Tarentaise opening up, you can hope to spot marmots and Alpine ibex goats in Vanoise National Park. Swim in Annecy’s mountain lake. Or take the Aiguille du Midi cable car in Chamonix for Mont Blanc views.

High-altitude adventures

On a clear day, when the Aiguille du Midi cable car reaches its highest point, you can take in 360-degree views of the French, Italian and Swiss Alps – and see France’s highest peak, Mont Blanc. Brave the glass skywalk for a family photo. For a slower pace and views that unfold as you chug higher, board the Mont Blanc Tramway. France’s highest rack or cog railway boards at Saint-Gervais-les-Bains and ascends to 2,372 metres.

Boating on Lake Annecy

Annecy is known as the ‘Venice of the Alps’ due to the canals threaded through its old town, Vieille Ville. It also has immaculate beaches leading to the gin-clear water of Lake Annecy. With an exclusive private boat charter, pass lakeside villages and medieval buildings like Château de Menthon-Saint-Bernard, stopping wherever you wish.

All-ages hikes

The French Alps has hiking trails that range from relatively easy strolls to challenging, multi-day treks. Gorges de la Diosaz has dramatic views from boardwalks and bridges. Loop around turquoise-hued Lac de Montriond in Morzine. Or follow the boardwalk trail through Réserve Naturelle du Bout du Lac on in Annecy. Signs point out flora and fauna including beavers.

Provence’s perfumed landscapes are beguiling for all ages. Along with vineyards and, in summer, lavender fields, you’ll find hilltop villages and national parks with glaciers, gorges and galloping white horses.

The biggest city is Marseille, whose ancient port is overlooked by a hilltop church. In Avignon, once the seat of the Catholic popes, wander on foot to see Palais des Papes (Papal Palace) and the medieval arched bridge, Pont Saint-Bénézet.

History-filled hikes

Gorges du Verdon, sometimes called ‘Europe’s Grand Canyon’, has relatively gentle trails around lakes and over footbridges. Visit Arles’ Ancient Roman amphitheatre, converted to a fortress in the Middle Ages. Or explore Les Baux-de-Provence, a stone fortress village on a rocky plateau.

Wildlife and wild landscapes

Wild herds of white horses roam Camargue Regional Natural Park, which is also home to flocks of flamingoes and wild bulls. You can explore on an exclusive 4×4 safari through the marshlands. Or take a guided horseback ride through the white peaks, olive groves and vineyards of the Alpilles (‘little Alps’).

Hands-on workshops

From June to August, parts of Provence are blanketed with intensely purple lavender. Find out more about these striking landscapes with a craft workshop in Les Baux de Provence. Families can harvest fresh lavender and, guided by a local artisan, learn to weave traditional wands with colourful silk ribbons.

Immersive culinary experiences

Learn more about Provence’s culinary scene with an immersive cooking class in Avignon. Accompanied by a local chef, you’ll gather ingredients at a local market before preparing your family meal together. Or go behind the scenes of the truffle business, joining a hunter and his highly trained dogs to search the woods for ‘black gold’. This exclusive adventure ends with lunch, laced with truffles.

On the Basque coast in southwestern France, Biarritz has been a popular seaside resort since the 1850s. Empress Eugénie persuaded her husband, Napoleon III, to build a summer residence there.

The Côte des Basques district, with its sandy, Atlantic-facing beaches, is known as the birthplace of surfing in France. The sport took hold here in the 1950s, and surf schools offer rentals and beginners’ lessons.

On land, cross a footbridge designed by Gustave Eiffel to reach the Rocher de la Vierge, a rock formation topped with a Virgin Mary statue – and with views over the Bay of Biscay.

Coastal adventures

Families with older children can take a private e-bike tour, tracing the coastline with a guide. Immersive walking tours around the town and its fishing port, set within the glistening black rocks, are accessible for all ages. Or try surfing. Most schools offer lessons for ages five and up.

Exploring Basque villages

In Espelette – whose famous pimento peppers decorate the walls of whitewashed homes – you might encounter pottoks, or Basque mountain ponies. While, beyond its colourful, timber-framed hours, Bayonne is considered the chocolate capital of France. Taste bars, bonbons and speciality foamy hot chocolate at chocolatiers along Rue du Port-Neuf.

France offers a spectacular variety of family-friendly accommodations, whether your family prefers a charming countryside escape or a luxury resort hotel on the coast. The best options go beyond just extra beds, providing spacious living areas, activities for kids and extra little touches that make traveling with children seamless.

Multi-generational families will adore this village-like resort in the Vaucluse, near Roussillon in Provence. Accommodation, restaurants and a wine estate are spread out across 100 acres, while a trio of swimming pools includes plenty of space for kids to play.

Good to know: The onsite cycling centre has bikes and trailers for all ages, perfect for rides out exploring the hilltop villages, vineyards and lavender fields of the Luberon hills.

This Champagne hotel perches above the striped hills and valleys of the wine region – and adores catering for younger guests. Elegant, thoughtfully designed rooms can be seamlessly interconnected for families, while mini bathrobes, slippers and kids’ menus ensure all ages feel special.

Good to know: The concierge can arrange family experiences beyond vineyard tours, including trips on the Marne River and visits to local chocolate makers.

Everyone is treated like a VIP at this central Paris property, whose three restaurants hold five Michelin stars. Kids will love details like personalised gifts in the room and their names written in treats. And the chic pool is especially refreshing after days spent exploring.

Good to know: The Seine, and the parks and carousels of Jardin des Tuileries, are steps away.

A Loire Valley property that perfectly encapsulates the philosophy of art-de-vivre (art of living), Sources de Cheverny appeals to architecture fans and adventurous spirits in equal measure. Wooden cabins and suites are surrounded by ancient forest, while onsite farm animals will charm younger kids.

Good to know: You can borrow bikes and cycle to nearby Château de Cheverny, the inspiration for ‘Marlinspike Hall’ in the Tintin comics.

In the heart of Saint-Jean-Cap-Ferrat, this refreshingly accessible property perfectly reflects its Côte d’Azur location with wooden shutters, striped awnings and an elegant pool. The hotel has access to a private stretch of sandy beach with shallow entry into the water.

Good to know: The poolside restaurant has a wonderfully relaxed atmosphere and a kid-friendly Mediterranean menu.