| The problem with many sightseeing tours is that they're more geared to adults than children—giving parents the choice of foregoing the tours, or taking them and enduring their children's complaints. This is no longer the case. Barclay International Group is now offering special tours of Paris that appeal to all members of the family. |
| Some tours are really workshops—on art, cooking, gardening, and so forth—where kids can enjoy some time away from their parents (and vice versa) while learning something new that enriches their entire visit to France. The objective is to give children the opportunity to express themselves creatively at different levels while learning about French culture. The emphasis is on the active participation of the child and not on passive learning.
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Other tours bring the whole family together to experience an area or region, offering one tour for the kids with another simultaneous tour for adults. What a perfect way to spend a family dinner—comparing the different angles from which each family member enjoyed an aspect of France!
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A list of daily workshops is available during summer months for children ages 8-12 years old. A few tours are available for children ages 4-6 and their parents. Reservations must be made in advance. Transportation is provided from a central location in Paris.
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 | Full day for children to learn about animals, plants and the environment while parents tour local sites: Rouen, Honfleur, Deauville and Trouville,etc. Lunch and transportation included, entire family welcome. Mondays - Full Day $98-$140 pp |
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Full day in Normandy for the family. While parents do local touring, children make their own bread at a traditional bakery, study birds, learn about the tiny creatures that live in the pond, learn the secrets of windmills, brush the donkeys, feed the chickens, cuddle the rabbits and more. Transportation included, entire family welcome, children's portion geared to children ages 4-6. Mondays - Full Day $98-$140 pp |
 | Children learn the basics of sculpture and use the combination of their creativity and imagination to create their own masterpiece. Visit to the Bourdelle Museum may be included. Tuesdays - 3 Hours $30 per child (children only) |
 | Traditional visit for the parents while the children relive what a typical day in the life of Louis XIV was really like, an entertaining lesson in French history that they are not likely to soon forget. Transportation included, entire family welcome. Wednesdays - Half Day $75 pp |
 | In the morning, children are introduced to art through discussions, sketching and art projects. A visit to the Louvre may be included. Lunch included. Thursdays - 3 Hours $30 per child (children only) |
 | Hands-on learning about the environment, gardening, plants, fruits and vegetables, caring for animals and learning about them. Children will learn the answers to such questions as: Why does the cock sing in the morning? Do chickens have teeth? Why do we milk cows? Where does butter come from? Transportation included. Fridays - Full Day $85 per child (children only) |
 | In the morning, learn to "see" by drawing the shape, colors and size of the most reputed monuments in Paris. In the afternoon, travel to Giverny, the home of Monet. While parents stroll through the gardens and visit the museum, children learn the basics of watercolors as used by most of the impressionist painters. Transportation included, entire family welcome. Saturdays - Full Day $85 pp |
 | Full day discovery of what is known as the "cradle of French history." Discover some of the most reputed castles, and later, enjoy leisure time to mingle in the local villages. Participants will also attend an equestrian and stunt riding show at one of the castles before returing to Paris. Transportation included. Sundays - Full Day $170 pp |
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Another Paris combines many aspects of the individual Paris workshops to create four days of fun and culture in the city of lights adapted to everyone's level of curiosity and interest. Tours include insight into the history and art of Paris through sightseeing, hands-on discoveries and creative learning. Included: an art appreciation workshop for the children; brunch in a popular ethnic restaurant; a visit to Versailles for the family with a separate theme visit for the children; one full-day of activities for the children; one half-day outdoor drawing session that will forever capture Paris' monuments in participants' minds; a half-day excursion to Giverny (the gardens and museum for the parents and a workshop on watercolor for the children). Evening entertainment includes theme evenings for the parents and storytelling and magic shows for the children.
4 Days, $320 adult; $300 child. Operates Wednesday through Sunday on June 16 & 30, July 7, 21 & 28, August 9th |
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A mixture of the best Paris has to offer, coupled with a glimpse of the Loire Valley for an entertaining lesson in French history, and a peek at the countryside of Normandy for a taste of the simple pleasures of rural France. The tour combines the features of "Another Paris" (above) with the following: a full day in the Loire Valley to discover the most renowned Renaissance castles and houses (Chambord, Amboise, Chenonceau, etc.); an equestrian / stunt-riding show; one full day in Normandy for children to care for a farm and its animals while parents do local touring of Normandy main sites (Honfleur, Deauville, the D-Day beaches, etc.
6 Days, $510 adult; $490 child. Operates June 16 & 30, July 7, 21 & 28, August 9 |
 | This six-day visit to the Loire Valley, Normandy and Brittany blends a taste of French history with plenty of opportunity for contact with "rural France." Participants will enjoy a full day in the Loire Valley to discover the most lavish Renaissance castles (Chambord, Amboise, Chenonceau, etc.); impressive equestrian/stunt-riding show; two days in Normandy, where the children can join in the daily care of the farm and its animals while parents tour Rouen, Honfleur, Deauville, etc.; and a full-day family discovery of the Caen Peace Memorial and landing beaches, Mt. St. Michel, seashore fishing on the coast of Brittany, Carnac and its megaliths. 6 Days, $795 adult; $775 child. Operates June 20, July 4, 11 & 25, August 1 & 13 |
 | The entire family will enjoy visits to chateaux and troglodyte caves; entertainment includes a light and sound show and equestrian/stunt-riding show. While adults taste wines and visit quaint villages, children will visit an aquarium (with a short workshop on aquatic life) and a park wither the donkey is king. Accommodation will be in a three-star Renaissance chateau in the heart of chateau country. 3 Day Side-Trip from Paris. $310 adult; $280 child. Operates July 7, 21 & 28, August 4 & 11. |
 | This three-day discovery of the Belle-Isle-en-Mer (outside the Gulf of Morbihan in Brittany) includes a full day of activities on a pony farm for the children while their parents enjoy some of the spectacular jagged rocks and picturesque scenery by bicycle. Family evening activities include bathing the ponies. There's also a full day of seashore fishing as the family, equipped with rubber boots, fishing nets and buckets, explores the marine life (shrimp, seaweed, crabs, clams, etc.) left behind by the sea. Also included: one full day of nature awareness activities. Evening entertainment provided. This tour is limited to adults and children age 3 and up. Only children age 10 and younger may ride the ponies. 3 Days, $280 per person double occupancy, including accommodation at a 2-star hotel or bed & breakfast and full board. Operates June 25 and July 9 with a minimum of 8 participants. |
 | Combination of "Treasure Island" tour with two days of sailing lessons for the entire family. 5 Days, Price to be determined. Operates June 5 and July 9 |
 | If you love walking tours, this is your chance to enjoy some of the most breathtaking scenery and medieval castles of the Perigord with your children, age 6 and older, in tow. You'll leisurely walk through approx. 7 miles of countryside each day, accompanied by a donkey for children to ride when they get tired (terrain permitting). Children will be allowed to participate in the daily grooming and care of their companion. 6 Days, $850 per adult double occupancy; $425 per child. Operates July 15 and August 4 |
 | While parents discover the hundred different faces and unspoiled nature of rural Normandy on their own, children spend five days on an environmental farm. During their stay, they participate in the daily chores of the farm: milking cows, taking the cattle to pasture, caring for the rabbits, watching eggs hatch, learning about the newborn chicks, feeding the chickens, making bread, butter and jam. They also learn about the environment on day-long trips to nearby forests. Children learn how to recognize a tree by touching it, identify a plant by smelling it, name a bird from the sound it makes, track animals by the tracks they leave in the mud and so forth. From the ground up to the topmost foliage, children learn how a host of small creatures and plants each play a part in keeping the forest alive. Nightly entertainment is provided. All activities are led by professional coordinators. 5 Days, $750 per child, including farm accommodations, all meals and activities (children only). Operates June 29, July 12 & 26, August 3 |
 | While their parents independently explore the vineyards and picturesque villages of Burgundy,children spend day sessions on Honda XR 70s or 100s on private tracks marked with different degrees of difficulty according to the ages of the children. They are held responsible for their bikes and learn every aspect of their mechanical functioning and maintenance needs. Other activities for the three days include canoeing, sports and hiking. 3 Days, $850.00 per child, including accommodation in a local camp site, all meals, activities and equipment (children only). Operates July 12 and August 9 for children ages 6-11 years old |
 | Full day nature awareness activities in the Luberon mountains. The children explore the wonders of nature, escorted by a nature specialist whose comments and teaching will follow along the children's interests and questions. Through first-hand experiences, the children will get an inside view of the way nature works. All activities call for the active involvement of all five senses. Mondays - Full Day $110.00 including transportation from Avignon (children only) |
 | Full day on the farm to learn: What fruits are grown on the farm? How and when are the fruits harvested? How are apples turned into cider, grapes into wine, fruit into jam and so forth. Games will assess the children's sensory abilities to recognize or differentiate various smells and tastes. Tuesdays - Full Day $190.00 including transportation from Avignon (children only) |
 | Accompanied by a naturalist, children learn about the herbs that have made Provence what it is today. They learn how to differentiate toxic and non-toxic herbs as well as herbs' medicinal, culinary and cosmetic purposes. The outing is followed by a cooking lesson in which the children learn the rudiments of the most basic Provencal dishes and how to use the herbs they have studied. Wednesdays - Full Day $190 per child including transportation from Avignon (children only) |
 | Excursion to the unexplored Camargue to develop children's awareness of a milieu that was at one time believed to be hostile to humans Various games will reveal to children the fragility of this humid sector. They will also learn what kind of creatures can live in a few inches of water, including such creatures' morphology, behavior patterns, means of survival and so forth. Thursdays - Full Day $160 per child including transportation from Avignon (children only) |
 | A page from French history for children to relive some of the most important moments in the medieval history of France. From the Pope's Palace in the medieval city of Avignon to the "villages perches" where people took refuge against invaders, to a local castle in Baux de Provence where children are taught about 10th century architecture, calligraphy, medieval costumes, fencing and more. Fridays - Full Day $160 per child including transportation from Avignon (children only) |
 | Children take a closer look at what really goes on backstage at the circus. They try their hand at what it takes to be an acrobat, juggler, magician, horse trainer, trapeze artist, ventriloquist and so forth. They take part in the rehearsal of the artists and visit the stables. Children invite parents to the spectacular evening show. Saturdays - Full Day $160 per child (show not included). Includes transportation from Avignon. (children only). Operates week of June 22, July 12 & 19, August 2 for a maximum group of 8 participants. |
 | Three days of fun activities for the family in Provence. Classic discovery of the hilltop villages, a half-day kayaking excursion, full day nature awareness activities in the Luberon mountain, full day of activities for children in a local chateau to relive the era of the medieval kings. Visit of the chateau is geared to children's age levels, and is followed by a workshop on calligraphy, costumes, fencing and more. One evening circus show also included. 3 Days $330 adult; $290 child. Operates June 24, July 15 & 29, August 12. |
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Times, dates and prices subject to change without notice. Once you’ve made an apartment reservation, we’ll contact you (by mail, phone, fax or email) regarding these optional but value-added services. Alternately, you can request these services in the “Comments or Additional Requests” portion of the Accommodations Booking Form. |
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