Issues To Do within the South of France: Cassis (& Paris)

Right here’s what to do within the South of France! I traveled to the city of Cassis France on trip with household and had the time of my life. Right here’s a obtain of all the things we did, plus a bit about our stops in Paris and London.

I extremely, extremely suggest touring to Cassis should you’re dreaming of the South of France! All the small print what to do are under, in addition to some notes on our journey to Paris with two youngsters in tow. I additionally included London as a result of we made a quick cease there too.

This was a “only for enjoyable” household trip that ended up being an entire lot extra: a giant journey and a artistic inspiration for all 4 of us. There are such a lot of issues to share! We’ve included all the data we may consider under.

What To Do in Cassis

​See my Instagram video highlights right here

Cassis is an extremely distinctive city within the South of France close to Marseille. It occurs to not solely have stunning seashores and cute winding streets: it’s additionally proper subsequent to Calanques Nationwide Park, a panoramic pure space with miniature fjords with turquoise waters. It actually does look identical to a postcard! We had been joyful to seek out it wasn’t (but) overrun with too many vacationers once we had been there in early June.

The place we stayed

We stayed ​at this Airbnb​ with my sister and my expensive buddy and her household (8 folks complete). It had an unbelievable salt water pool and exquisite gardens with cypress and palm bushes, in addition to two separate fundamental residing areas. It was completely good and the youngsters swam each day. Every night we’d grill dinner and eat on the patio overlooking the water and cliffs. It was good for vacationing should you’re with a big group and we’d extremely suggest it.

What to do

For the reason that Paris a part of our journey was fairly busy (we visited it first), we wished to maintain Cassis tremendous relaxed. Right here’s what we did:

• Seaside: Our home was close to ​this seaside​, which a extra secluded, personal seaside than the principle Cassis seaside. It’s rocky however completely good for youths, and there are a number of bars the place you will get a drink or ice cream (our favorites had been a double caramel Magnum bar and the normal ​Pastis drink​, an anise flavored liqueur). Take into account that topless sunbathing is just not out of the abnormal, so be prepared for doable questions from kiddos on the cultural variations!
• Pool: We used our pool each single day. It was so beautiful! Extremely suggest discovering a spot with a pool if doable.
• Calanques Nationwide Park: Our home ended up being inside strolling distance to city, the seaside, and Calanques Nationwide Park, which was completely ultimate. It’s extremely stunning and the fjords are merely magical towards the turquoise water. There have been 3 totally different Calanques that had been inside mountaineering distance from us. The 2 older youngsters (7 and 4) had been in a position to hike to the second Calanque and search for shells and wildlife. Completely different teams of us took hikes over at totally different occasions of the day: sundown was particularly magical!
• City: We walked to downtown Cassis each day: it’s a cute little fishing village with pastel coloured retailers and eating places. It was enjoyable to buy and get espresso and a pastry within the cafes. Our favourite bakeries had been ​this one​ (beloved the Canelé and fougasse) and ​this one​ (we received wonderful beignets and muffins).
• Market: There may be an incredible farmers’ market open on Wednesdays and Fridays in Cassis, and it’s filled with unbelievable fruit and veggies and big shows of olives, spreads, cheeses, and meats. It’s positively value a go to. Most days we’d go to the market or grocery and get meals for the night’s dinner after which grill on our terrace or make a giant cheese board with meats, spreads, olives, and veggies.
• Wineries: The world is understood for its rosé wine, so we wished to ensure to hit up no less than one vineyard. We went to ​THIS​ vineyard and had a beautiful wine tasting (we suggest making reservations). We introduced again a white and a rosé bottle in our suitcase and by chance each of them made it!

There are many different nice locations which can be nice day journeys from Cassis (it’s a couple of 1 hour drive from Marseille — to get there we took the practice down from Paris and rented a automobile). Since we had been with youngsters, we didn’t enterprise out an excessive amount of since we wished to maintain issues laid again. Subsequent time!

What To Do in Paris

Paris is one unbelievable metropolis. Additionally it is huge, a lot of what you find yourself doing is neighborhood-based. Right here’s a bit about the place we stayed and what we did! For this leg of the journey it was the 4 of us and my sister.

The place we stayed

We stayed at ​this Airbnb​ within the third arrondissement, so most of what we did was inside strolling distance. We did take the subway fairly a bit as nicely, for instance to the Eiffel Tower and a few dinners. Our trusty journey stroller that was good for lengthy walks with a 1 yr outdated (extra on that under). We favored the Airbnb fairly nicely: the neighborhood was residential and never glamorous, however it was near numerous issues and had a pleasant Parisian appeal on the inside.

Bakeries in Paris

Our favourite factor to do was go to bakeries each day to pattern treats! The perfect we got here throughout had been:

• ​Boulangerie du Sentier​: In all probability our favourite bakery, and all the things was vegetarian! A must-try was the kouign aman, a conventional ultra-rich buttery pastry from Brittany (all of us agreed this was the most effective factor we ate whereas there). Additionally they have wonderful vegetarian sandwiches.
• ​The French Bastards​: Every thing we received right here was improbable. Our favourite was the rose praline roule.
• ​Maison Bergeron:​ This bakery is close to the Eiffel Tower. The almond croissant is unbelievable and one in all our high pastries of the journey (behind the kouign aman).

Extra pastries & espresso

• Our different favourite pastries and breads to order: Canelé (a rum and vanilla soaked custard cake), Fougasse (a conventional bread), Ache au chocolate (normal chocolate pastry), any Parmesan bread or olive bread, Beignets, Roule (roll pastries), and Cruffins (croissant muffins).
• We beloved going to random cafes: our favourite espresso to order was a noisette, or espresso with a bit of little bit of frothed milk (the identical as a ​macchiato​).

Lunch in Paris

• For lunch, usually we ended up getting one thing from a bakery or cafe, or going again to our Airbnb to eat.
• ​Breizh Café:​ After we requested folks for Paris recs, this place got here up essentially the most. They serve scrumptious savory and candy crepes and there are a number of places across the metropolis. They even do supply, which we did one night time and was good with the youngsters.

Dinner in Paris

• For dinner, it’s customary to make reservations so ensure to get them nailed down earlier than you go!
• We had a terrific romantic meal on the tiny however traditional bistro ​Le Comptoir des Petits Champs​ (ask for the desk by the window should you can). Then we walked to see the Eiffel Tower lights sparkle. The lights activate for 5 minutes at the start of each hour, ranging from dusk, till 11:00 PM.

Issues to do

• Eiffel Tower: The perfect place to view it shut up is Trocadero. However our favourite place ended up being at this little flower store, ​L’Howea​.
• Photograph shoot: We booked a ​skilled photoshoot​ close to the Eiffel Tower and it was completely value it!
• Notre Dame: It’s nonetheless underneath building because of the hearth in 2019, however it’s nonetheless nice to go to. Larson watched The Hunchback of Notre Dame earlier than we left to arrange, and it was one in all his favourite spots!
• The Louvre: Since we had been with youngsters, we determined to do the Louvre however just for a number of hours. We made 3 locations: the Mona Lisa, the interval residences, and the Egyptian artifacts. It was simply sufficient! Ensure that to guide timed tickets forward of time to skip the road.
• Climbing wall with Eiffel Tower view: For teenagers, there’s a small climbing course on the Seine financial institution close to Notre Dame with beautiful views. Larson beloved it! It’s the ​Mur d’escalade pour enfants​.
• Jardin du Palais Royal: The Tuileries was extraordinarily crowded, so we beloved the ​Jardin du Palais Royal​ for a bit of extra relaxed really feel.
• Place des Vosges: The ​Place des Vosges​ is our favourite plaza the place we love to absorb the gorgeous fountains and gardens.
• French Open: We received to go to the French Open whereas we had been there, which was the expertise of a lifetime! (We just lately grew to become tennis followers after watching the Netflix documentary Break Level!) For those who ever have an opportunity to go, we extremely suggest it.

Nice Fosters in London

Including this only for enjoyable: we truly stayed simply exterior London for two nights in a magical Bridgerton-esque manor home referred to as Nice Fosters. Alex someway discovered a less expensive ticket out of Marseille again to Indianapolis by way of London, so we made a fast 2 day cease as an alternative of flying straight again.

We stayed at this unbelievable manor home and gardens and nonetheless ended up forward on ticket costs, so it felt like we had been being profitable (ha!). We received a great deal on staying right here as a result of our dates appeared to be low season.

What we did: ​Nice Fosters​ looks like Bridgerton meets Downton Abbey meets Hogwarts. It’s a historic manor with intensive gardens and it felt like one thing out of a fairy story. Right here’s what we did:

• Gardens: We ran round within the gardens for hours, taking part in tag within the hedges, strolling close to the moat, watching the geese and herons and taking part in within the rose gardens. It was completely magical.
• Eating places and bar: We had a terrific informal meal of completely crisp fish and chips and a ​bramble cocktail​ within the bar space. We additionally had a terrific sit-down dinner with the youngsters within the restaurant. If we weren’t with youngsters, we might have tried to hit up the Michelin-starred restaurant (subsequent time).
• Tennis, pool and sizzling tub: There was a tennis courtroom onsite, so we performed some tennis with the youngsters. Larson and I hit up the pool and sizzling tub, and ended up being the one folks there (once more, it was the off season!).
• Tea: One in all my favourite elements was doing a excessive tea with Larson, full with a 3 tiered-tray of tea sandwiches, scones with clotted cream, and pastries.

We skipped attempting to get anyplace in London, although we hope to get again to the town sometime. This nation escape was simply what we would have liked on the finish of the journey!

Journey Necessities

Lots of you readers have requested about journey suggestions, each with and with out youngsters! Listed below are a few of our must-have gadgets and a few suggestions for touring with youngsters and jet lag:

• ​Journey stroller​: This journey stroller was the champion of the journey! It was tremendous gentle weight and simple to break down.
• ​Digicam​: We’re completely obsessive about this digital camera for taking next-level journey pictures. We primarily used our 18mm and 27mm pancake lenses.
• ​Journey cubes​: These journey cubes had been good for becoming all our stuff for two weeks into 3 suitcases.
• ​Strolling sandals​: Lots of you requested about my strolling sandals from the pictures — these are essentially the most comfy sandals I’ve ever worn and I’ve taken them on each of our final two Europe journeys. They’re Naot model and designed for intensive strolling (I favor them to tennis footwear).
• ​Journey steamer:​ This steamer labored nice for getting out all of the wrinkles in our garments over the two weeks! It’s prime quality and we’re now simply going to make use of it as our common steamer, too.
• ​Outlet adapters​: These adapters had been a godsend for European journey.
• ​Journey crib​: We packed this journey crib which inserts in half of a suitcase. Nevertheless two of the three locations we stayed already had cribs, so if you’re touring with youngsters it’s possible you’ll not even want this!

Journey With Children Suggestions

Convey additional grownup or two

• Our high recommendation for touring with youngsters is to ask alongside an additional grownup or two, like aunties, uncles, buddies, or grandparents. We introduced my sister and met up with expensive household buddies and their 4 yr outdated, and it was essential for having assist with the youngsters.
• We additionally took turns babysitting on totally different nights after bedtime to permit the opposite folks to exit. For those who can, that is clutch for touring with youngsters!

Find out how to handle the time zone adjustment

• We had been a bit of nervous in regards to the time zone adjustment, however our children did nice! We had been touring from EST, so it was a 6 hour time distinction to Paris.
• For the flight there, we left within the night EST, so we tried to all sleep as a lot as doable on the flight there because it was our “night time”. (We used melatonin for our 7 yr outdated.) The flight arrived in Paris at 9 am, so we stayed up all day after which went to mattress at a traditional time Paris time, which had us nicely adjusted by Day 2.
• For the way in which again, we left round 2 pm London time and arrived at 9 pm EST, so we tried to remain awake for all the 8 hour flight. Larson (our 7 yr outdated) did nice and simply watched films; Britta was very squirmy however did keep awake all the time.
• Then we crashed arduous once we received residence they usually each slept by all the night time, making us proper again on EST the primary day we had been again. We additionally used melatonin for Larson to regulate for the primary 2 days again.

Suggestions for the aircraft experience

• Actually, the aircraft experience residence was a bit of difficult with a 1 yr outdated! She slept a lot of the way in which on the way in which there, however the way in which again was more durable. We introduced a small handful of toys and a sticker guide (which held a bit of extra consideration since she may put stickers on herself and different folks). Total, she actually didn’t need to sit nonetheless that lengthy, however we powered by it!
• Larson had a good time watching the aircraft films and snacking: he was a whole breeze! There was numerous preparation concerned for explaining to him all of the strains at passport management, customs, and many others and transporting our suitcases between the locations: he did very well however on the finish of the journey we had been all fairly exhausted!

Managing strolling

• We did numerous strolling on this journey, and our 7 yr outdated dealt with it nice! He couldn’t have carried out as nicely at 5 or 6, so we’re glad we waited till this age. We carted 1 yr outdated Britta round within the journey stroller all the time and he or she additionally did nice: it was good for when she wished to zone out for a bit too.

Planning actions:

• Total, when travelling with youngsters it’s a must to make some sacrifices: you’re not going to have the ability to see or do all of the stuff you’d do with an adults-only journey! It was good as a result of we had been to Paris earlier than, so we didn’t really feel like we had been lacking out.
• In Cassis, we tried to maintain issues fairly laid again with pool, seaside, mountaineering and cooking at residence, which was a pleasant rhythm. We made certain to do a quiet / relaxation time every day throughout Britta’s nap (round 1:00-3:00 pm), which was a pleasant tempo.

Total ideas on journey with youngsters

• After experiencing this journey with youngsters, we’d completely suggest it however remember: journey with younger kids is completely continuous!
• There was numerous managing bodily features, altering diapers in bizarre locations, making ready youngsters for many ready throughout journey, adjusting expectations and each day rhythms, and many others.
• We’re 1000% glad we did it! Nevertheless, it does requires a lot of group and power. Subsequent time I feel we might be able to strive an extended journey away from them and go simply the 2 of us! 🙂

What are we lacking?! Tell us what different questions you have got by replying to this electronic mail. Additionally, inform us the place you’re considering of touring!