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16 picks in France

Where to stay with kids in France

We list areas and property types rather than single hotels: family-room availability changes constantly, and the area plus the room requirement is what survives contact with a booking engine.
France with Kids: Where to Stay, Costs & When to Go

Family hotel picks in France

  • Apartment in the Marais or around Bastille
    Le Marais / Bastille (3rd, 4th, 11th)Mid-range

    Apartment in the Marais or around Bastille

    A two-bedroom apartment in the central arrondissements costs less than two hotel rooms, adds a kitchen and a washing machine, and puts a family within walking distance of the river, the Pompidou and several playgrounds — which removes the metro from most of the day.

    • Kitchen and washing machine for a longer stay
    • Two or three metro lines within five minutes
    • Walkable to the river, the Pompidou and the Place des Vosges
    • Bakeries and markets rather than hotel breakfast prices

    Fitting a family in

    Two-bedroom units sleep four without a sofa bed; three-bedroom conversions exist but are scarce and expensive. Confirm the stated occupancy rather than assuming the living room converts.

    Watch out. Many Haussmann-era buildings have a tiny lift or none at all, and a fourth-floor walk-up with a pushchair and luggage is a genuine problem. Check the floor and the lift before booking, and confirm the property is registered for short lets.

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  • Family rooms around Nation and Gare de Lyon
    Nation / Gare de Lyon (12th)Mid-range

    Family rooms around Nation and Gare de Lyon

    This is the practical base for a trip that includes a theme-park day and an onward TGV: the direct RER line to the parks and the mainline station for Provence and the Alps are both here, and rooms that sleep four cost noticeably less than in the central arrondissements.

    • Direct RER to the theme parks without changing lines
    • TGV station for Provence, the Alps and the south
    • Quad and connecting rooms more widely available than in the centre
    • Residential streets with everyday shops and cheaper restaurants

    Fitting a family in

    Larger hotels in this area more often list genuine quad rooms and connecting doubles. Check whether the fourth bed is a full bed or a pull-out, which makes a real difference across a week.

    Watch out. The district is short on atmosphere and the streets immediately around the station are noisy and busy at night. Central sights are fifteen to twenty-five minutes each way, and the RER is packed at commuter times.

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  • A stone hilltop village in Provence above terraced slopes
    Luberon villages (Gordes, Roussillon, Bonnieux)Mid-range

    Gîte with a pool in the Luberon

    A private pool is not a luxury in Provence in summer — it is the thing that makes the middle of the day survivable with children, and a stone house with one turns an unusable 14:00–17:00 window into the best part of the day.

    • Private or shared pool for the afternoon heat
    • Kitchen and outdoor table for market lunches
    • Space for four to six without adjoining rooms
    • Within twenty to forty minutes of several market towns

    Fitting a family in

    Most gîtes sleep four to six across two or three bedrooms, often with one room in a converted outbuilding. Confirm whether the advertised capacity includes a sofa bed and whether cots are provided or hired.

    Watch out. High-season bookings usually run Saturday to Saturday with no flexibility, many stone houses have no air conditioning despite 35°C afternoons, and the nearest shop can be several kilometres of narrow road away. Check how the pool is fenced or alarmed if there are toddlers in the group.

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  • Apartment inside the Avignon walls
    Avignon intra-murosMid-range

    Apartment inside the Avignon walls

    Staying inside the walls means a family arriving by TGV can spend the first and last days without a car at all, with the papal palace, the markets and the restaurants on foot and the rental collected only for the days it is needed.

    • Walkable to the palace, the bridge and the covered market
    • TGV and rental desks a short shuttle or taxi ride away
    • Restaurants open later than in the villages
    • A practical first and last night either side of a gîte week

    Fitting a family in

    Old-town apartments are typically one or two bedrooms with steep internal stairs. Families of five should check whether the second bedroom is a genuine room or a mezzanine.

    Watch out. The walled centre traps heat and many buildings have no air conditioning. Vehicle access within the walls is restricted and parking is in paid car parks outside them, charged per day. In July the city is given over to its theatre festival, which fills every bed and every street.

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  • Apartment near the lake in Annecy
    Annecy-le-Vieux / Veyrier-du-LacMid-range

    Apartment near the lake in Annecy

    Being able to walk or cycle to a beach removes the summer parking problem entirely, which is the single biggest friction in an Annecy week — the lakeside car parks are full by mid-morning from July onwards.

    • Walking or cycling distance to a public beach
    • Direct access to the lakeside cycle path
    • Kitchen for breakfasts and picnic lunches
    • Old town and its restaurants a short bus or bike ride away

    Fitting a family in

    Two-bedroom apartments sleeping four to five are the standard unit here. Many list a mezzanine as a bedroom, which suits older children rather than toddlers.

    Watch out. Very few summer apartments have air conditioning, and top-floor units get hot in an August heatwave. The lakeside road is congested at weekends, and properties on the eastern shore are pretty but slower to reach the town from.

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  • Ski-in apartment in a high-altitude resort
    Tarentaise resorts above 1,800 mHigher-end

    Ski-in apartment in a high-altitude resort

    With children in ski school, the distance between the front door and the beginner lift decides how the week runs. A ski-in apartment removes a twice-daily walk carrying four sets of skis and boots, which is the part of a family ski week that goes wrong.

    • Beginner slopes and ski school meeting point within walking distance
    • Ski locker or boot room at ground level
    • Kitchen, which matters where resort restaurants are expensive
    • Snow-sure altitude through the whole season

    Fitting a family in

    Resort apartments are rated optimistically: a unit sold as sleeping six is usually two bedrooms plus a sofa bed in the living area. For a family of four, book the six-person size rather than the four.

    Watch out. Purpose-built resorts are functional rather than charming, underground parking and bed linen are frequently charged as extras, and there is very little to do when the weather closes the lifts. Outside the winter season most of these resorts are largely shut.

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  • Apartment on the Saint-Malo seafront
    Le Sillon / ParaméMid-range

    Apartment on the Saint-Malo seafront

    A seafront flat within walking distance of both the beach and the walled city means the tide dictates the day rather than the car does — children can go down to the rock pools for an hour and come back, which is how a Brittany week actually works.

    • Beach directly across the road at low tide
    • Walking distance to the walled city and the ramparts
    • Kitchen and washing machine for wet clothes and sandy kit
    • Train station and ferry terminal within the town

    Fitting a family in

    Two-bedroom seafront flats sleeping four to six are the common unit, often in older blocks. Check whether the sea view comes with a lift, as many of these buildings do not have one.

    Watch out. The Sillon seafront takes the full force of Atlantic storms and spray, and the beach in front of it disappears entirely at high tide. Parking near the walled city is limited and paid, and the seafront road is busy through the summer.

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  • Mobile home on a coastal campsite
    Morbihan and the southern Brittany coastBudget

    Mobile home on a coastal campsite

    A campsite mobile home is the mainstream French family holiday for a reason: it costs a fraction of a hotel for a week, the heated pool solves the days the sea is too cold, and children roam between pitches in a way they cannot in a hotel corridor.

    • Heated pool complex, usually covered in part
    • Kids' clubs in July and August
    • Two or three bedrooms plus a terrace and a kitchen
    • Many sites within walking distance of a beach

    Fitting a family in

    Mobile homes typically have one double and one or two small twin rooms, sleeping four to six. The twin rooms are genuinely small — adults sharing them will not be comfortable for a week.

    Watch out. Most coastal sites open only from roughly April to September and run Saturday-to-Saturday in high summer. Pitches are close together and the walls are thin, so an early-rising family next door is audible. Many French pools ban loose swim shorts and require close-fitting briefs, which catches visitors out on arrival day.

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  • A Renaissance château arching over a river in the Loire Valley
    Rural Touraine, east of ToursMid-range

    Gîte between Amboise and Chenonceau

    Basing between the two best châteaux for children puts most of the valley within a thirty-minute drive, and a house with a garden gives somewhere to decompress after a castle morning rather than going straight to another one.

    • Garden or pool for the afternoon
    • Within half an hour of the main cluster of châteaux
    • Kitchen, which matters where rural restaurants close early
    • Close to the signed riverside cycle route

    Fitting a family in

    Converted farm buildings usually sleep four to eight across two or three bedrooms, sometimes on two levels with steep stairs. Confirm cot and highchair availability rather than assuming it.

    Watch out. Rural gîtes mean driving to every meal and every shop, and village restaurants stop serving early. High-season lets run Saturday to Saturday, and most of these houses have no air conditioning despite genuinely hot July and August afternoons.

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  • Apartment in central Tours
    Tours old town and station districtMid-range

    Apartment in central Tours

    Tours is the only base in the valley that works partly without a car: a TGV station an hour from Paris, trams, bike hire, organised château transfers and enough restaurants that no one has to cook after a long day out.

    • TGV to Paris in about an hour
    • Trams and bike hire from the centre
    • Château shuttle tours depart from the city
    • Restaurants and markets within walking distance

    Fitting a family in

    City apartments are typically one or two bedrooms; larger units exist around the old town but are limited. Families of five should check the layout carefully before booking.

    Watch out. The old-town square is loud until late at weekends and in summer, which matters with young children asleep upstairs. Even from here, most châteaux still need a car, a tour bus or a long cycle, so a car-free stay works only for part of the trip.

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  • Apartment near the Nice seafront
    Nice — Musiciens / Carré d'Or / old-town edgeMid-range

    Apartment near the Nice seafront

    An apartment a few streets behind the promenade removes both the car and the transfer from the trip: the airport tram arrives at the door, the coastal railway covers every day trip, and a kitchen and washing machine matter on a coast where eating out three times a day is expensive.

    • Tram from the airport rather than a taxi transfer
    • Beach and the promenade within a few minutes' walk
    • Mainline station for the coastal train to Antibes, Cannes and Monaco
    • Kitchen and washing machine for beach kit and sandy clothes

    Fitting a family in

    Two-bedroom flats in the older blocks sleep four without a sofa bed; three-bedroom units are scarce. Check whether a listed second bedroom is a genuine room or a partitioned alcove.

    Watch out. The streets behind the promenade are noisy until late through the summer, air conditioning is not standard in older buildings, lifts are small or absent, and short-let registration rules in Nice are enforced — a legitimate listing displays its number.

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  • Apart-hotel or residence around Antibes and Juan-les-Pins
    Antibes / Juan-les-PinsMid-range

    Apart-hotel or residence around Antibes and Juan-les-Pins

    This is the stretch where the public beaches are actually sandy, and a residence with a kitchen within walking distance of one means a beach morning does not begin with a drive, a car park and a walk over pebbles.

    • Sandy public beaches within walking distance
    • Kitchen and separate bedrooms rather than one hotel room
    • Station on the coastal line for Nice, Cannes and Monaco
    • Pools at most residences, which covers a windy day

    Fitting a family in

    Residences are sold by occupancy rather than bedroom count, so a unit listed for four is often one bedroom plus a sofa bed. Booking the size above the party is the reliable way to get two real bedrooms.

    Watch out. Juan-les-Pins keeps a late bar strip a few streets from the beach, the sandy sections are narrow and crowded by mid-morning in August, parking is paid and scarce, and the railway runs close behind parts of the town.

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  • Small hotels around the Villefranche bay
    Villefranche-sur-Mer / Beaulieu-sur-MerHigher-end

    Small hotels around the Villefranche bay

    The bay is sheltered, the beach is sand rather than shingle and the station sits beside it, so a family gets calmer water and quieter evenings than Nice while keeping the whole coast within twenty minutes by train.

    • Sandy sheltered beach beside the railway station
    • Trains into Nice and on to Monaco in minutes
    • Quieter evenings than the city seafront
    • Small properties rather than resort blocks

    Fitting a family in

    Rooms are mostly doubles, with a limited number of family rooms and connecting pairs; apartments above the bay sleep four but usually sit high on the hillside.

    Watch out. Almost everything above the shore is reached by steep lanes and long flights of steps, which rules the upper village out with a pushchair. Prices are high for the room size, choice is small and books out early, and the waterfront fills when a cruise ship anchors in the bay.

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  • Apartment on Strasbourg's Grande Île or in Krutenau
    Grande Île / Krutenau / Petite France edgeMid-range

    Apartment on Strasbourg's Grande Île or in Krutenau

    A flat in the island centre or just across the water puts the cathedral, the boat quay, the covered market and the trams within walking distance, so the car can be left parked for the city days and collected only for the village drives.

    • Walk to the cathedral, the markets and the boat quay
    • Trams and separated cycle paths from the door
    • Kitchen and washing machine for a longer stay
    • Park with stork enclosures a short tram ride out

    Fitting a family in

    Two-bedroom flats sleeping four are the common unit; apartments in the oldest buildings are small and often split over two levels with low beams.

    Watch out. Many old-town buildings are walk-ups with steep narrow stairs and no lift, the Grande Île is cobbled throughout, and the Petite France lanes are packed from late morning. In December prices roughly double, rooms go months ahead, and the island's entrances are checked, which means queues at the bridges.

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  • Gîte or winegrower's guest rooms on the wine route
    Ribeauvillé / Riquewihr / KaysersbergMid-range

    Gîte or winegrower's guest rooms on the wine route

    Sleeping in one of the villages is what buys the hours before the coaches arrive and after they leave, which is when these places are actually pleasant, and a courtyard or garden gives children somewhere to be between outings.

    • A village to walk around in the early morning and the evening
    • Courtyard or garden and a kitchen
    • Parking included, which the villages otherwise charge for
    • Bakery and a handful of restaurants within a few minutes

    Fitting a family in

    Converted outbuildings and upper floors typically sleep four to six across two bedrooms, often on two levels. Confirm cot and highchair availability rather than assuming it.

    Watch out. Old houses mean steep narrow stairs, low beams and no lift, there is nothing within walking distance beyond the village itself, and village restaurants close one or two full days a week and stop serving early. December stays in these villages are booked out and priced up well in advance.

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  • Family rooms in Obernai, Sélestat or outer Colmar
    Obernai / Sélestat / Colmar outskirtsMid-range

    Family rooms in Obernai, Sélestat or outer Colmar

    Rooms that genuinely sleep four are far easier to find outside the two famous centres, they cost noticeably less, the wine route starts at the door and the regional train still reaches Strasbourg and Colmar in under half an hour.

    • Quad and connecting rooms more widely available than in the centres
    • Free or included parking rather than an edge-of-town car park
    • Regional trains to Strasbourg and Colmar
    • The hilltop castle and the wine-route villages within half an hour

    Fitting a family in

    Mid-sized hotels here list genuine four-person rooms and connecting doubles; check whether the fourth bed is a full bed or a pull-out before booking a week.

    Watch out. These are functional towns rather than postcard ones, so the evening is quieter and the restaurant choice is thinner, and the pretty centres are a short drive or train ride away. In December the bottleneck moves to the roads and car parks at the other end.

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