Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Can't speak to Valencia, but I would prefer Annecy over the French Rivieria. The weather will be cooler. It is very walkable. Less "resorty" so better for kids. LOTS to do on the lake. Plenty of good restaurants and ice cream. Easy train access to Paris and Switzerland.

Have fun!

I have lived in Nice and near Annecy and I would pick Annecy at that time of year. Lots of day trips, no AC worries, far less touristy.

OP here- thanks for the feedback!

I have questions lol.

What are the best day trips from Annecy? Are there some nice playgrounds and museums around? Is there a good local farmers market? How are the beach areas? My kids do like sand play still and also are beginning to really swim and should be (decent swimmers by next summer).

Day trips:

Up the mountains on either side of the lake
Into the Alps- places like Chamonix/Mont Blanc/Albertville
There is a fun ropes course in Tallories on the east side of the lake called Acro Aventures- also a jump off point for paragliders, so fun to watch
Gorges du Fire
Geneva - eh not so special to be honest, have heard Lausanne is nice, never been
Lyon is around 1:45 drive, 2 hour train ride- pretty far for a day, but achievable

Playgrounds yes each little town has one on the lake, plus some really nice ones in Annecy, especially in the parks on the lake

Beaches aren't super sandy, more like mostly grassy. Each little town has one. The one in Saint Jorioz is very nice. Parking can be tough at peak times, lots of people bike there. Look on Google Maps for images from the beaches to give you an idea. Search on "plage" to find the town beaches.

Museums not sure.

Farmers markets yes in the city it's a huge market on Sundays and another weekday- look online. Each of the lake towns also have them on individual weekdays- search online again.

Farmers markets

https://en.lac-annecy.com/agenda/markets/

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Can't speak to Valencia, but I would prefer Annecy over the French Rivieria. The weather will be cooler. It is very walkable. Less "resorty" so better for kids. LOTS to do on the lake. Plenty of good restaurants and ice cream. Easy train access to Paris and Switzerland.

Have fun!

I have lived in Nice and near Annecy and I would pick Annecy at that time of year. Lots of day trips, no AC worries, far less touristy.

OP here- thanks for the feedback!

I have questions lol.

What are the best day trips from Annecy? Are there some nice playgrounds and museums around? Is there a good local farmers market? How are the beach areas? My kids do like sand play still and also are beginning to really swim and should be (decent swimmers by next summer).

Day trips:

Up the mountains on either side of the lake
Into the Alps- places like Chamonix/Mont Blanc/Albertville
There is a fun ropes course in Tallories on the east side of the lake called Acro Aventures- also a jump off point for paragliders, so fun to watch
Gorges du Fire
Geneva - eh not so special to be honest, have heard Lausanne is nice, never been
Lyon is around 1:45 drive, 2 hour train ride- pretty far for a day, but achievable

Playgrounds yes each little town has one on the lake, plus some really nice ones in Annecy, especially in the parks on the lake

Beaches aren't super sandy, more like mostly grassy. Each little town has one. The one in Saint Jorioz is very nice. Parking can be tough at peak times, lots of people bike there. Look on Google Maps for images from the beaches to give you an idea. Search on "plage" to find the town beaches.

Museums not sure.

Farmers markets yes in the city it's a huge market on Sundays and another weekday- look online. Each of the lake towns also have them on individual weekdays- search online again.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Can't speak to Valencia, but I would prefer Annecy over the French Rivieria. The weather will be cooler. It is very walkable. Less "resorty" so better for kids. LOTS to do on the lake. Plenty of good restaurants and ice cream. Easy train access to Paris and Switzerland.

Have fun!

I have lived in Nice and near Annecy and I would pick Annecy at that time of year. Lots of day trips, no AC worries, far less touristy.

OP here- thanks for the feedback!

I have questions lol.

What are the best day trips from Annecy? Are there some nice playgrounds and museums around? Is there a good local farmers market? How are the beach areas? My kids do like sand play still and also are beginning to really swim and should be (decent swimmers by next summer).

Anonymous wrote:Can't speak to Valencia, but I would prefer Annecy over the French Rivieria. The weather will be cooler. It is very walkable. Less "resorty" so better for kids. LOTS to do on the lake. Plenty of good restaurants and ice cream. Easy train access to Paris and Switzerland.

Have fun!

I have lived in Nice and near Annecy and I would pick Annecy at that time of year. Lots of day trips, no AC worries, far less touristy.

Anonymous wrote:Can't speak to Valencia, but I would prefer Annecy over the French Rivieria. The weather will be cooler. It is very walkable. Less "resorty" so better for kids. LOTS to do on the lake. Plenty of good restaurants and ice cream. Easy train access to Paris and Switzerland.

Have fun!

The weather on the Riviera in June won’t be that hot, not like July-August, if that is a concern. It will definitely be cooler in Annecy, though.

Annecy, in a heartbeat.

I don't have much experience with this, bu stayed for two weeks in June in Beaulieu-sur-mer last summer and I didn't love it. It just felt so quiet and a little deserted. I just don't find the French Riviera that pretty. It just feels old and the beaches are so small. That's just me, though. Have fun!

Anonymous wrote:Can't speak to Valencia, but I would prefer Annecy over the French Rivieria. The weather will be cooler. It is very walkable. Less "resorty" so better for kids. LOTS to do on the lake. Plenty of good restaurants and ice cream. Easy train access to Paris and Switzerland.

Have fun!

Same- the range of activities and different day trip options is much larger, I think. Although will need a rental car, and wouldn't stay in the city center - would rent a place along the lake a few miles outside of town.

Can't speak to Valencia, but I would prefer Annecy over the French Rivieria. The weather will be cooler. It is very walkable. Less "resorty" so better for kids. LOTS to do on the lake. Plenty of good restaurants and ice cream. Easy train access to Paris and Switzerland.

Have fun!

OP here - I've continued to research (especially since yesterday was gross) and we are between Valencia or Antibes.

-Both are terrific, have wonderful markets, close to lots of day trips, great food, relaxed atmosphere. My experience with the beaches is that Antibes and most of the beaches nearby have basically no waves at all and you can swim essentially like it's a lake. My favorite beach in Antibes is the one closest to the old city, directly across from the harbor. If I go, I want to be close to that area so we can go for a quick anytime. I loved how quiet the beach was early in the morning (it was mostly older people doing laps) and then watching the sunset in the evening.

I only did a day trip to the beach in Valencia but it is a 30+ minute trek out there and it seems more like your classic beach with some waves and you can't exactly swim like you are in a lake. I like being able to take a quick swim but maybe there are other spots right in Valencia to cool down or the water is calmer in summer (I imagine it is somewhat calmer than in march!).

Decisions, decisions!! I don't think we will do a language class either, way too much money and energy, but we'll do prep in advance and practice together while there....playgrounds are honestly perfect spots to practice those skills.

Anonymous wrote:I've always thought a trip like that would be great if you were able to hire a enthusiastic local babysitter / mother's helper / student to work half days, teach the kids a bit of the language, and help keep an eye on things.

I say that as someone who can currently neither afford a month on the French Riviera nor a daily nanny while traveling in Europe.

I'm just daydreaming out loud...

.

Ahh that would be nice! I definitely cant afford a mothers helper, though depending on where I go i might be able to find a babysitter to use maybe 2-3 times.

What’s crazy is if you book far ahead and for a whole month, you can find rentals in each of these areas for $1,500-$2100 that are great and then work hard to find the best rates on flights, do a lot of cooking at “home” using delicious local foods and it quickly becomes much more affordable. I’ve never done this yet personally, but am moving to a 10 month contract with a public school so I’ve got time but only a little money lol so 1 month in one spot is what we can do (planning a year in advance). My husband will NOT be able to stay the whole time, but maybe 2 weeks. I’m excited! I want to look for a parent meetup group or something to meet others wherever we go.

I've always thought a trip like that would be great if you were able to hire a enthusiastic local babysitter / mother's helper / student to work half days, teach the kids a bit of the language, and help keep an eye on things.

I say that as someone who can currently neither afford a month on the French Riviera nor a daily nanny while traveling in Europe.

I'm just daydreaming out loud...

Anonymous wrote:Which month do you plan to do this? August will be extremely crowded in all of these. End of June to July would be better.
Of your choices, I know Antibes and the surrounding area the best, and you would have a great time there

I am looking at traveling June-July (I could technically leave anytime after the 7th). I'd prefer to give myself a week to rest, pack, and travel but I'll go when the deals are lol.

I do love Antibes and I got to "scope" out the area last year.

Which month do you plan to do this? August will be extremely crowded in all of these. End of June to July would be better.
Of your choices, I know Antibes and the surrounding area the best, and you would have a great time there

I'm going to rent a home for 1 month next summer and I've narrowed it down:

1) Valencia, Spain
2) Annecy, France
3) French Riviera (exact location tbd but I like Antibes).

I want to stay in a town/city that is very walkable, has great public transportation, access to great day trips, and very close to a beach either lake or ocean. We don't want to be completely overwhelmed by crowded areas and prefer not to be too isolated at the beach. I love beautiful, historic, walkable city centers, wonderful markets, sandy beaches without big waves where I can just swim with my kids (who are currently learning to swim and should be proficient swimmers by next summer), maybe ride some bikes, visit some museums, visit lovely playgrounds, eat our weight in delicious local food, and we do enjoy hiking (but obviously will only be doing hiking with Annecy).

I speak French and my kids can understand a bit but we'd all like to learn more Spanish. I traveled to Valencia earlier this year with my kids and we loved it but I've also been to the French Riviera/Provence twice (only once mostly to the province when my oldest was a baby and once alone). We've never been to Annecy but also love lakes/mountains. Wherever we go, I will plan on working with my kids on learning French or Spanish.

I also would like to do some regional day trips or even one or two short 1 night trips.

Some other locations I've considered include the Italian Riviera (Sestri Levante, Levante, or even Monterossa al mare) or a "quieter" spot in the Amalfi coast (cetera or maiori were recommended) but I'm concerned that they will still be too crowded and potentially a bit too isolated for a month.

Recommendations??? I'm leaning towards Valencia