France/Europe w kids
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Anonymous
| My kids have never traveled internationally and we are thinking of taking their first trip to Europe next June/July. Kids will be 9, 12, and 15. One is a very picky eater. We are hoping to see a women's World Cup game somewhere in France before venturing out to travel, maybe to another European country, for 10 days or so. I'm thinking of flying in and out of Paris, but there are multiple options for seeing a game: Grenoble, Rennes, Valenciennes, and Nice among them. With my picky eater, I am thinking that we might be better off limiting our time in France and heading to either Belgium or Italy after seeing the soccer game. I traveled to Europe many times when I was younger, but never drove; with five of us I'm thinking a car makes more sense than trains. If you were me, would you focus on northern France/Belgium (maybe even up to Amsterdam), SE France/Switzerland, or southern France/northern Italy? Many thanks! |
Anonymous
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Trains are pretty good between France and the rest of Europe. Rule of thumb has always been the further south you get, the worse the lines and longer the delays. The benefit of trains is you can fall asleep on them, which you can't do if you're driving, obviously.
I was a picky eater in France with my parents. I ate a lot of chicken and french fries. And that was in the 1970s. Its possible you will be fine. |
Anonymous
| French children are not allowed to be picky eaters. They will have no tolerance for that concept, and I wouldn’t make a big deal about it. |
Anonymous
OP here. I forgot to say in my original post that commenting on my kid's eating issues won't be helpful, so please omit any snark. Thanks. |
Anonymous
What an American response. LOL. |
Anonymous
| The food in France is going to be much better than Belgium or Switzerland. Worst case scenario, your kid could eat baguette with ham or other cold cuts. Every place can make plain pasta. There are tons of opportunities for gelato or pastries. McDonald's is also a last resort. Italy would also be good. It depends on how picky your kid is. |
Anonymous
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If you're in France, will your kid eat pastries? This is the go to breakfast for tourists. Yogurt there is also amazing.
For lunch, get a baguette and cheese, fruit and veggies and do a picnic. Surely your picky eater can find something at the supermarket. Dinner might be your only sticking point. What type of picky is your kid? Most places have steak frite (hamburger patty and fries). Pasta is also common. |
Anonymous
| OP here, thanks for the helpful info 11:53 and 11:55. My family tends to prefer short hikes and exploring quaint towns to historic sites and big museums-- which of the areas that I mentioned might be most appealing to us for those activities? |
Anonymous
seriously? buy a guidebook. |
Anonymous
This wasnt on your list, but I loved my time in southwestern France most of all. We kayaked down the Dordogne, past over hanging castles and through ancient villages. We explored towns like Sarlat-la-Caneda, Beynac-et-Cazenac and La Roque-Gageac. We hiked in the Parc Naturel Regional des Causses du Quercy. We stayed overnight in the Carcassonne walled city (amazing!). We biked through the vine yards in Saint-Emilion (near Bordeaux). It's really lovely. |
Anonymous
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You know, in France you can eat just about any international cuisine you can think of. Just like in the US. Being in France doesn't mean we only have French restaurants or French food.
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Anonymous
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For your picky eater - I survived many trips to France as a picky child. My family fed me a slice of ham and whatever else they were eating, in lieu of fish or whatever thing I didn't want. Baguette is always available, so add some butter and you're good. They do have things like pasta and pizza, you know?
Rent an apartment and cook, if you don't think eating out will work? I haven't been to the others, but Nice is fantastic. Lots of little towns to explore, plus the beaches, etc. You can hop on a train and see Monaco or Italy. I'd aim for there. |
Anonymous
This is such bullshit. We went to Europe with our toddler and just like we were struggling to feed our child in Barcelona, so was a French family with a toddler and a young child. They had videos going on their phones for them too. We bonded with them over our struggles. You’ll find plenty of food options in France for your picky eater. There’s pizza and chicken fingers etc every where you go! |
Anonymous
A toddler is one thing, children the ages OP mentioned are another thing entirely. French elementary schools take food education very seriously, in case you didn’t know. Although in a purely tourist city like Barcelona you of course can feed your kids KFC and Pizza Hut, just like at home. |
Anonymous
| Shuke has been there many times. PM him for best practices. |