Where to go after Paris?
Bonjour! My family of 4 (2 adults, 10 yo and 8yo) are starting to put together our travel plans for summer 2027. So far we know that we want to spend 2 weeks in France followed by some time in Poland. We will be flying into Paris and spending at least a few days there. We have the option of flying out of either Paris or Marseille so our 2nd French destination needs to be relatively close to one of those cities. We have stayed in Villefranche Sur Mer/Nice (in the spring) previously and really enjoyed leisurely exploring the surrounding towns, shopping at the local markets and trying to experience the lifestyle of the area.
My main question is: are there any particular areas you would recommend for our time after Paris? Is there an area just outside of Paris that would be good to stay longer or would somewhere near Marseille (La Ciotat, Bandol) or even Provence be better? I realize that we are traveling during a busy time of year (out of necessity unfortunately) but we try to do more of the "slow travel" and not so many tourist trap activities. We are not opposed to getting a car but would like our base location to be walkable to some cafes, shops, restaurants, etc. If there is a nice park/playground/outdoor space close that would be a big perk for my kids.
Merci!