10 of the Best … History Locations for Families

 

Classroom lessons come zinging vividly at France’s many historical sites. Travel writer Gillian Thornton gives us 10 to try these for starters…

Want somewhere to stay? See our list of gites close to history locations.

Wellington Quarry, Arras, Nord (Nord-Pas de Calais)

For families fired up by the World War I centenary, the Wellington Quarry in Arras is one of the most thought-provoking sites.  Named Wellington after the tunnellers from New Zealand who enlarged the network, these subterranean passages were turned into a temporary holding station for Allied troops in 1917 before the Battle of Arras.  Visitors tour underground ‘rooms’, see graffiti, and stand at the foot of the rough stairway that led to daylight and the German guns.  Intensely moving.

Bets history sites in France

Champollion Museum, Figeac (Lot)

Picturesque Figeac was the birthplace in 1790 of Jean-François Champollion who unlocked the secret of Egyptian hieroglyphics by deciphering the symbols on the Rosetta Stone, now in the British Museum.   His former home is now a fascinating museum to the history of world writing from ancient times to the present day.  Spread across four floors, this is an attraction that’s geared to all ages.  Don’t miss the horizontal representation of the Rosetta Stone in black granite in the square behind.

Thiepval Memorial, Somme (Picardy)

Not far from Albert, the Thiepval Memorial is the largest British war memorial in the world, designed by Sir Edwin Lutyens and carrying the names of more than 72,000 British and South African soldiers with no known graves, who died on the Somme between July 1915 and March 1918.  The visitor centre and adjacent cemetery complete the story, along with further cemeteries and the Ulster Tower just across the fields.   A Great War site guaranteed to inspire a younger generation to world peace.

History sites in France

Azincourt Museum (Nord-Pas de Calais)

Medieval warfare is a hit with most kids, but especially when you can stand on the spot where it all took place. On October 25th 1415, Henry V’s archers decimated a French army more than twice their size outside the village of Azincourt – immortalised as Agincourt in English history.  Feel the weight of medieval combat weapons, try on helmets, and enjoy all kinds of interactive fun at the Medieval Centre, before exploring the battlefield itself.

Roman remains at Vienne and St Romain-en-Gal (Rhône-Alpes)

Vienne and St Romain-en-Gal on opposite banks of the Rhône once made up the Roman town of Vienna.  Vienne’s main theatre still accommodates 10,000 people for concerts ranging from Robert Plant to an annual jazz festival, whilst St Romain-en-Gal retains its original street plan, which gives real meaning to the artefacts and models in the spacious museum.  Kids love walking on paving stones pitted by chariot wheels and posing beside the line of communal toilets!

Cave paintings in the Grottes de Niaux, Ariège (Midi-Pyrenees)

Tucked in the shadow of the Pyrenees, the Grotte de Niaux in Tarascon-sur-Ariège is one of France’s most important prehistoric sites.   Follow an ancient river bed by flashlight, then turn off the torches … your guide will shine a beam on paintings of bison and ibex so real you expect them to leap from the wall.   Created by Magdalanian artists 14,000 years ago, the animals’ bodies follow the contours of the rock to create an extraordinary 3-D effect.    Book ahead to avoid disappointment.

Roman theatre at Orange (Provence)

Orange is one of just three Roman theatres to have retained its entire back wall intact, the others being in Turkey and Syria.  The wall towers over the town rooftops, but that does nothing to lessen the ‘Wow-factor’ when you enter the auditorium beneath the steep tiers of seats.  Watch the short film about the rituals of Roman theatre performances, and don’t miss the Art and History Museum opposite to see artefacts found in and around the town.

History sites in France

Bayeux Tapestry (Normandy)

Wrongly named but hugely impressive, the Bayeux tapestry is actually an embroidery on linen.  This glorious strip cartoon in stitch is full of drama and detail, all laced with a generous dose of guts and gore, and audio-guides make sure you spot every key element, even down to the spy hiding behind a tree.   Complete the William the Conqueror triangle by visiting his ducal castle at Caen and his birthplace at Falaise.   A few euros will buy younger children an activity booklet packed with fun facts and puzzles across all three sites.

Arromanches (Normandy)

June 2014 marks the 70th anniversary of the Normandy landings on D-Day – or Jour-J to the French.   Every museum, memorial and beach has its own USP, but the town of Arromanches is particularly family-friendly for the remains of the floating Mulberry Harbours that remain off shore or – at low tide – on the beach.   Young visitors can put the whole episode into context at the seafront museum, with regular talks given in English.

10 history sites in France

Lewarde Mining Museum, Nord (Nord-Pas de Calais)

The former coalfield area around Lille and Lens is still proud of its industrial heritage and the former pit at Lewarde is now France’s largest mining museum.  Visitors get a real sense of miners’ daily lives with tours of the changing rooms, machinery buildings, and even a section of the coalface.  Expect atmospheric exhibits, interactive experiences, and a few surprises along the way.

Cote d’Azur launches discount card for holiday savings

 

Cote d’Azur family holidays have just got cheaper following the launch of a new discounts card providing savings on more than 100 activities and attractions.

The money-saving pass costs from just €39 for adults and €21 for children, and gives free access to tours and excursions, natural attractions, museums and monuments, leisure facilities and natural attractions.

Cote d'Azur holiday discounts

There are two durations of pass available, for three days (€39 per adult, 21€ per child) and six days (€54 and €29).

Each adult pass gives total savings of up to €1,000, and a child pass is worth up to €500, so they really do seem to be a great way of cutting costs for families.

There’s an additional bonus for larger families who only need to pay for two adult and two child passes – all additional children’s passes will be provided for free.

In total there are 115 activities featured, including guided town tours, boat trips. mountain biking and access to the Via Ferrata mountain routes, entry to cave systems, swimming pools and much more.

For full details, take a look at: cotedazur-card.com.

There’s a great selection of family holiday accommodation in our Cote d’Azur gites section.

What is the ‘D’ in ‘D-Day’?

What is the ‘D’ in ‘D-Day’?

D-Day commemorations are taking place today, June 6th, across northern France, marking the 70th anniversary of an event that changed the course of the Second World War.  But what does D-Day actually mean?

When a military operation was in the planning stage, its actual date and time was not always known exactly. The term “D-Day” was therefore used to mean the date on which operations would begin, whenever that was to be. The day before D-Day was known as “D-1”, while the day after D-Day was “D+1”, and so on. This meant that if the projected date of an operation changed, all the dates in the plan did not also need to be changed.

This actually happened in the case of the Normandy Landings. D-Day in Normandy was originally intended to be on 5 June 1944, but at the last minute bad weather delayed it until the following day. The armed forces also used the expression “H-Hour” for the time during the day at which operations were to begin.

Described by wartime Prime Minister Winston Churchill as “undoubtedly the most complicated and difficult that has ever taken place”, D-Day proved to be a pivotal moment of the Second World War.

It marked the start of an 80-day campaign to liberate Normandy, an operation that involved three million troops and cost some 250,000 lives.
Pegasus Bridge, courtesy of the Imperial War MuseumD-Day actually began just after midnight on 6 June 1944.  Six Horsa gliders carrying 181 men from the Glider Pilot Regiment landed silently to capture the strategically-vital bridges over the River Orne.  Landing gliders was tricky at the best of times, but to land at night had taken weeks of constant practice to ensure that it could go as well as possible.  The object of this action was to prevent German armour from crossing the bridges and attacking the eastern flank of the landings at Sword Beach.

Soldiers come ashore on the morning of June 6, 1944 and the rest, as they say, is history.

A re-enactment of the moment 150,000 Allied troops landed on the beach – one of five places where soldiers came ashore on June 6, 1944 – is likely to be one of the highlights of the day in Normandy today.

 

Pegasus Bridge.

 

Ten of the Best – Beautiful French Villages

 

France is dotted with stunning small villages, each one reflecting local history, architecture and tradition. Here, France fan Gillian Thornton picks out some favourites amongst the 156 members of the elite association, Les Plus Beaux Villages de France.

Want somewhere to stay? Search our list of gites close to Les Plus Beaux Villages.

We know we’re in for a treat when we see the familiar Plus Beaux Village logo with the green church spire and red flowers at the entrance to a French village.  Communities must have fewer than 2,000 inhabitants to be eligible for membership, as well as two protected historical sites or monuments.

If the majority of the population agree, the village can ask to be inspected and judged against a list of nearly 30 criteria.  Only around 1 in 5 will past the test and membership isn’t for ever – those who fail to maintain standards can be declassified.

Every village has its own special atmosphere, but after visiting more than half of those listed in the current handbook, these are ten of mine:

Collonges-la-Rouge, Corrèze (Limousin)

It was here in 1981 that the then mayor, Charles Ceyrac, launched the idea of an association to safeguard and promote France’s most beautiful and historical villages.  Today, Collonges-la-Rouge is still one of the best – and most unusual – with its red sandstone buildings, tempting craft shops and narrow alleyways.

Collonges la Rouge, a beautiful French village

Apremont-sur-Allier, Cher (Centre)

Dominated by a hilltop chateau, this cluster of honey-coloured stone cottages lines the banks of the tranquil river Allier, just before it flows into the Loire at Nevers.   Visit the glorious Parc Floral beneath the chateau (not open) with its lush plantings, ornamental lake and picturesque cottages.  Then soak up those lovely river views from the chateau terrace.

Apremont sur Allier, one of France's most beautiful villages

Auvillar, Tarn-et-Garonne (Midi-Pyrénées)

Perched on a cliff above the Garonne, Auvillar became rich by extracting tolls from river traffic, until the building of canals and railways turned it into a sleepy backwater. But today, craft shops and cafes have given the village a new lease of life.   Browse the boutiques then relax at a table in the triangular main square with its unusual circular Grain Hall, location for the Sunday-morning produce market.

Belcastel, Aveyron (Midi-Pyrénées)

Aveyron boasts more Plus Beaux Villages than any other département, including Conques with its magnificent church and cloister, and the Knights’ Templar village of La Couvertoirade.  But I’ve a soft spot for Belcastel which is less well known but boasts a tranquil riverside setting, an excellent hotel-restaurant (Le Vieux Pont), and a partially ruined hilltop castle which is now home to – of all things – an art gallery of comic strip characters.

Aveyron, a beautiful village in France

Barfleur, Manche (Normandy)

Perched on the north-east corner of the Cotentin peninsula, Barfleur was the leading Anglo-Norman port in the Middle Ages.  Look out for the plaque commemorating the departure of William the Conqueror on a rock beside the quay and enjoy tranquil views of the granite harbour and cute church from the path that skirts the harbour.

La Bastide-Clairance, Pyrénées-Atlantiques (Aquitaine)

The traditional whitewashed houses and red-painted timbers of French Basque Country give this unique area a permanently upbeat air, and the colour scheme doesn’t get any better than at La Bastide-Clairance, a traditional 14th century bastide town of the Middle Ages built on a grid system around a central square.   Permanent craftsmen ensure that this is a village for all seasons, not just a summer outing.

La Bastide Clairence, pretty French village

Gordes, Vaucluse (Provence)

Visible from afar across the vineyards of the Luberon, Gordes is one of the showpiece perched villages of Provence, much photographed for layer-upon-layer of houses that spill down its steep slopes.  For a real sense of both atmosphere and location, wind up the narrow streets from the valley floor on foot, but resist buying drinks in the popular hilltop square – surely the most expensive glasses of Orangina in France!

Oingt, Rhône (Rhône-Alpes)

Set in the heart of the Golden Stones area of the Beaujolais vineyards, the distinctive yellow stone of Oingt glows a different colour according to the weather and time of day.  Founded on a hilltop above the Azergues valley in Gallo-Roman times, Oingt was a powerful player in the Middle Ages with a chateau and fortified gates.   Today, it’s the showpiece village of an area dotted with pretty communities.

Oingt, a beautiful village in France

Saint-Cirq-Lapopie, Lot (Midi-Pyrénées)

Narrow streets, half-timbered houses, Renaissance facades … and did I mention the ruined castle, the panoramic river views, and bustling restaurants?    Saint-Cirq-Lapopie really does have it all, with visitor numbers to match.   But don’t let that put you off.   Visit outside peak times and you can still have this exquisite village virtually to yourself.

Lavaudieu, Haute-Loire (Auvergne)

An 11th century Benedictine abbey was the starting point for this gem of a village, the only one in Auvergne to have retained its Romanesque cloister.   Religious treasures include wall paintings inside the church and refectory, but it’s the spiritual setting here that stands out for me.  Just enjoy the views over the quiet valley of the Senouire river – ‘La Vallée de Dieu’ – which gradually morphed into Lavaudieu.   Glorious!

Lavaudieu, a beautiful village in France

For details of all member villages in the association, visit: www.lesplusbeauxvillagesdefrance.org.