Normandy Itinerary with Kids
Chantilly Castle
The Best Time to Visit Normandy and How to Get There
After 4 days in the bustling city of Paris, we were ready to pack up and head to our next destination. There are countless places to visit in France and numerous ways to get around. As you heard in the last blog post, we rented a 7-passenger car, perfect for our group of 7…well, kind of. The small SUV was described to fit 7, or 5-passengers with 2 spaces for luggage, and that is exactly what we got. Lucky for us, two of our girls are still little and their feet barely hang past the seat so we used their leg room to cram our luggage in. I’d rather pack a smaller car to the brim than try and squeeze a larger vehicle down small cobblestone streets- something tells me between brick buildings or my rental car, the brick buildings wouldn’t budge.
From Paris, we headed to the Normandy region, which was approximately 2.5 hours away. Peak travel time for this region is June to August, and we were traveling in March so we had no trouble finding accommodations.
Once we were out of the city, traffic was flowing smoothly and we were able to easily navigate with the GPS on our phone. France has excellent rest stops, complete with cafeteria style restaurants which is always a convenient option for kids, grab and go! Our girls inhaled their food because they wanted to go on the playground – perfect for us, we could continue eating as we watched them play.
The Charming and Picturesque Town of Honfleur
Our first stop (outside the glorious rest stop) was Honfleur. With a quick google search, you will see why we were drawn to the picturesque town where the light hits the bright colored buildings and they reflect perfectly on the water. The previous days in Paris were crisp and cool, but in Honfleur the sun was shining bright, warming up the cobblestone streets and our fingertips. We shopped the small stores, visited the Church of Saint Catherine, which is the largest wooden church in France with its separate bell tower, and daydreamed of owning one of the sailboats docked in town.
Bayeux and the Tapestry
After exploring Honfleur, we drove to Bayeux. We had booked this place just days prior and it was magical. The entrance was right off a main street, but once you opened the door, you were welcomed by a green, lush courtyard. The grounds had 3 connected buildings, 1 of which was our rental. There were three full floors complete with large bedrooms, a pool table and plenty of family games. It was at least three times as large as our rental in Paris, and a fraction of the cost. The girls were enamored by the 2 little house cats running around the grounds and we were at peace knowing they could run and play inside and out.
One of the main attractions of Bayeux is the Bayeux Tapestry. When we arrived at the museum, we rented the audio-guides so we could walk at our own place. For the kids, there is a special commentary (available in French and English) and frankly this version was enough detail for the adults in our group as well. As we walked along the tapestry, we pointed out details and symbols that interested our daughters - from their eyes, this was a large story book stretched out. They enjoyed spotting the different animals, the weapons, clothes and mythical creatures that appear throughout. It kept their attention for much longer than we expected. After seeing the tapestry, we continued to the rest of the museum and there were plenty of local school children on field trips. After the museum, we walked the streets of Bayeux and our daughters counted all the peaceful waterwheels. We stopped into a restaurant to grab a drink and some food. We were lucky we got in when we did because they were just about to shut the kitchen down at 2pm. What I chose was one of the most flavorful meals of the trip, a savory buckwheat crepe topped with thinly sliced prosciutto and burrata.
Caen
Being with locals is one of my favorite things to do when we travel. My wife’s cousin was in Caen so she was our tour guide in this lovely city. We walked the local market where my daughters gnawed on a baguette and found bubble wands to spend their hard-earned money on. We then went to a wine and cheese festival, indulged in some of the most sinful cheesecake and drank beer while overlooking the city plaza.
The D-Day beaches
Our stop in Normandy would not be complete without visiting one of the most iconic beaches in history - Omaha beach in a town called Colleville Sur Mer. This is where the D-Day museum is located with the endless headstones lining the gardens. It sent chills through me. I wish my daughters could comprehend it, but they were just interested in the display uniforms and Jeep inside the museum. I’ll take it!
We knew we wanted to stay close to the airport the last night, so we found ourselves near a town called Senlis. It was another cute, small town to explore where our daughters found something a little different at the bakery this time: a meringue. The next morning our flight didn’t leave until 4 pm, so we still had some time before we needed to be to the airport. Why not continue exploring!? We found a castle and grounds similar to Versailles, but just north of Paris in Chantilly. This castle looked straight out of Beauty and the Beast. It was extremely elegant, and the self-guided tour was relatively inexpensive. The only way we got our girls to go along with it was because they could dress up as queens during the tour! And I’m pretty sure we saw Lumiere inside. We had a lot of macrons this trip, but it was their final opportunity, and we didn’t skimp today.
It is impossible to capture every little detail during out trip to France but I will leave you with my middle daughter skipping through the streets of France. Kids find joy, no matter where they are, so plan the trip and GO! Follow along, comment and let me know if you have any questions. I’d love to hear from you!
