Family holidays in France - these 15 places you must know

Family holidays in France - selected tips

France is one of the most versatile destinations in Europe for families with children. Here are some selected tips for family holidays in France at a glance.

Disneyland Paris is one of the most popular destinations for families and children in France

Disneyland Paris

1. La Réserve Africaine de Sogean Safari Park

2. Island of Corsica

3. Cave of Clamouse

4. Dino World in Cap d'Agde

5. Fleckenstein Castle

6. Tree top walk Alsace

7. Lac de la Cavayère bathing lake

8. Parc Aquaviva

9. Hiking in the Pyrenees

10. Form'Aventures Adventure Park

11. Geocaching and treasure hunt Tèrra Aventura

12. Climbing Park 02 Adventures

13. Nausicaa - Europe's largest aquarium

14. Family holiday in France by the sea

1 Disneyland Paris

Disneyland Paris is located in Chessy,not far from the French capital . Once you've arrived, you can choose between different parks, including Adventureland, Discoveryland and Fantasyland. Of course, you'll meet the popular Disney characters like Jafar, Minnie Mouse, Pinocchio or the characters from Alice in Wonderland.

The theme parks offer a variety of rides for young and old. Attractions such as "Peter Pan's Flight", "Dumbo the Flying Elephant" or "Le Carrousel de Lancelot" are waiting for little explorers and for all body sizes.

Disneyland is not only ideal for a day trip, but is also a popular family destination for a long weekend.

A special highlight are the themed hotels, each inspired by one of the Disney stories. Some hotels are just a short walk from the theme park. A free shuttle bus runs between the accommodation and the park.

If your kids have enough patience for a bit of sightseeing, you can check out the main attractions in France's capital.

The most famous sight in Paris - the Eiffel Tower

2 La Réserve Africaine de Sogean Safari Park

Discovering zebras is great fun

La Réserve Africaine de Sogean Safari Park is located between Narbonne and Perpignan and is home to more than 3,800 animals. In addition to the wild animals, you can also visit the petting zoo with the kids at the safari park.

You can visit the safari park either on foot or by car . It takes about an hour to explore the park by car and at least two to three hours to walk around the grounds. On the way, you and the kids will encounter buffalo, zebra, springbok and giraffe.

Different animal feedings take place at different times of the day. In the morning you can watch the buffalo and impala feeding from the car. If you are walking in the safari park at lunchtime, you can watch the feeding of flamingos, storks and pelicans. In the afternoon, the wild dogs and cheetahs are fed.

Tip: If you didn't see all the animals on the first trip, you can do the loop a second time later. For example, after you have explored the park on foot.

3rd island Corsica

Beaches like the Plage du Liamone on Corsica are less crowded in winter - perfect for your family holiday.

Corsica is not only accessible by plane, but also by ferry. If you travel to France by car, you are mobile and flexible.

In addition to beautiful beaches, Corsica offers a diverse natural environment. The only drawback: Corsica is not the cheapest destination.

If you are planning a trip to Corsica with children, I recommend either travelling by car or renting a car on site. This way you can explore the holiday island on your own, which is not overcrowded except during the high season in summer.

By the way, there are also plenty of nice campsites on Corsica; fortunately, you won't find any big hotel bunkers. If you don't have a camper van, you and the kids will certainly feel at home in one of the nice hotels or you can opt for a self-catering flat.

4. cave of Clamouse

The Grotte de Clamouse at the foot of the Séranne is one of the most famous and most visited caves in France. You can discover the cave in the gorges of the Hérault together with the children on a guided tour during a family holiday in France. You can visit around one kilometre of the 4.5-kilometre-long c ave.

You will pass beautiful crystal formations. The stalactites and stalagmites are impressively illuminated by LED lighting. This creates a magical atmosphere that will also amaze the kids.

Great activities in France

5 Dino World in Cap d'Agde

In the middle of the seaside resort of Cap d'Agde lies the family and adventure park Dino World. Dino World is divided into a play park with water games, a prehistoric theme park and a mini-golf course with 36 holes.

In the play park, the kids explore a dexterity course, a rope slide or the mini car race track. The little ones can let off steam by jumping on the trampoline or one of the bouncy castles. Sports enthusiasts play basketball, table tennis or table football. Another challenge is the climbing spider.

Good for your travel budget: if you've come to France by car, you'll find free parking in front of the adventure park.

6. château fort de Fleckenstein

The Château fort de Fleckenstein, as Fleckenstein Castle is called in French, is one of the most beautiful excursion destinations with children on a family holiday in France. The castle, carved into imposing sandstone rocks, stands not far from the Rhineland-Palatinate border.

On the trail of the secrets of the Middle Ages and in search of a hidden treasure, you go on an exciting three-hour puzzle tour through the forest and into the castle. This keeps the tour exciting for the kids and ensures that they don't get bored on their family holiday in France.

For the treasure hunt, you'll receive a puzzle passport on arrival, on which you can write down your answers.

7. treetop path in Grand Est in Alsace

Let's go to Alsace. Here you'll find another family-friendly destination in France. The treetop path in the Northern Vosges Nature Park is easy to navigate with a pram or buggy if your little ones can't or don't want to walk themselves yet. A maximum gradient of six percent awaits you on the way up.

The trail is about one kilometre long, and the highlight of the route is the observation tower with a 360-degree view. From a height of up to 23 metres, you can enjoy a wonderful view over France's nature from the tree-top walk during your family holiday in France.

8. bathing lake Lac de la Cavayère

France is blessed with beautiful beaches, another highlight is the Lac Cavayère swimming lake. Here you can rent small boats with the kids , swim, go for a walk and unpack the picnic blanket on the way. The bathing areas are marked with buoys, so swimming is safe.

Good to know: The lake is artificial and was created in 1988 after the construction of a 23-metre-high dam.

9 Parc Aquaviva

Need more action? Another attraction on a family holiday in France is the Aquaviva Park, not far from the Lac Cavayère bathing lake. Here, swimming and water fun for the whole family is guaranteed.

On an obstacle course on the surface of the water, the kids can prove their skills on trampolines, catapults and bouncy cushions. The water slides provide plenty of thrills.

10 Hiking in the Pyrenees

In the middle of the Pyrenees, there are some family-friendly walking and hiking trails. The Little Yellow Train, a narrow-gauge railway, takes you high up in the beautiful mountain range. At the top, you and the kids can enjoy a breathtaking view of the mountain panorama.

Have you heard of the Orlu Valley? Here you can meet marmots, chamois and, with a bit of luck, the Pyrenean Desman.

A good starting point for a hike with children is the observatory. The walk through the nature park past the Kriege waterfalls takes an hour.

11 Form'Aventures Adventure Park

Aim high - you can do that at the adventure park too

If you're heading to Alsace on your family holiday in France, then be sure to take a closer look at the Form'Aventures theme park. Here you can book tree climbing courses and many other workshops for exciting experiences in nature.

The children are always well secured with a pulley system.

Other activities in the leisure park include archery, snowshoe hikes in winter or an orienteering course.

12. geocaching and treasure hunt Tèrra Aventura

Use the app to explore the Nouvelle-Aquitaine region for free with the kids on your family holiday in France. On the treasure hunt, which works like geocaching, 400 different routes await you and the kids.

The treasure hunt can take you through the city, into the countryside or to the beach in search of small puzzle hiding places (called "caches").

13 Climbing Park 02 Adventures

Another top tip for a family holiday in France is the 02 Adventures climbing park. Seven different routes lead through the park, which is only five minutes away from Carcassonne.

The entrance fees are fairly graded according to body size. This is because it depends on which routes the little visitors can move through the park.

Kids have to be at least 140 cm tall to let off steam on three of the seven routes. However, the outstretched arms also count.

Climbing parks are always a great adventure for kids

14 Nausicaa - Europe's largest aquarium

Europe's largest aquarium is in France. 60,000 animals await you and the kids in the 10,000 square metre Nausicaa exhibition. Manta rays, sea lions, tiger sharks and many other species can be admired together with the children during a family holiday in France.

15. family holiday in France by the sea

The mighty dunes of Dune du Pilat are among the most beautiful places in France by the sea.

In addition to numerous attractions such as adventure parks, zoos or sights, France has beautiful beaches - not only on the island of Corsica, by the way.

Shallow water, lifeguards and well-maintained sanitary facilities are the most important criteria when choosing the perfect family holiday destination in France by the sea.

Family holidays in France by the sea can be spent at Plage le Bosquet in Portiragnes, Plage de Nauzan in Vaux sur Mer or Plage du Midi on the Côte d'Azur.