South of France with Kids: A Travel Guide
Port Pin Beach in Parc National des Calanques
We recently explored the coastline between Marseille and Nice with our two daughters, ages 4 and 7, and had the most incredible summer vacation. From off-the-beaten-path beaches to glitzy beach clubs, we researched the best places to eat, drink, and stay for your next family trip to the South of France.
Where to Stay in the South of France With Kids
Choosing the right base is the most important decision you’ll make. Provence and the Côte d’Azur offer completely different experiences, and most trips benefit from a combination of both. Read our full article on the Best Beach Towns in the South of France. Read our Best Hotels in the South of France and Best Boutique Hotels in the South of France.
Provence: The Best Overall Base for Families
For most families, Provence is the easiest place to settle in. The pace is slower, the landscape is more open, and accommodations tend to offer significantly more space than along the coast. The Luberon region, in particular, works beautifully as a base. Hilltop villages like Gordes and Bonnieux feel cinematic without being overly complicated, and distances between towns are short enough to explore without constant packing and unpacking. Read our Guide to One Perfect week in Provence with Kids.
Stay: Hotel Crillon le Brave and Capelongue offer the kind of space and setting that make longer stays feel relaxed rather than structured, while Domaine de Fontenille strikes a particularly strong balance between design and family-friendliness.
During peak summer months, the best rooms and larger suites tend to book well in advance, especially in July and August.
The Côte d’Azur: Best for Beaches and Ease
If your trip is centered around the beach, the Riviera is the natural choice. The key is selecting the right town. While places like Monaco or central Cannes can feel hectic with kids, Antibes and Saint-Jean-Cap-Ferrat offer a much more manageable experience. Antibes, in particular, is one of the best all-around bases. It combines swimmable beaches, a walkable old town, and easy access to other parts of the coast. For a more polished, classic Riviera setting, Cap Ferrat is hard to beat. Read our full list of best beach towns in the South of France.
Stay: Cap d’Antibes Beach Hotel provides direct access to the water and a level of service that makes traveling with kids feel seamless rather than logistical.
Marseille port as dusk
Marseille
Marseille is a large city that has recently shed its reputation as a large port town that’s only good for a stopover on your way in or out of Provence. We found this beautiful city to be well worth exploring on its own.
Stay: Maisons du Monde Hôtel & Suites This apartment-style hotel has a lobby right on the bustling port, but our actual suite was a couple blocks away from the port on a quiet side street right next to some of the best shopping in Marseille. The suite was perfect for a family of four with one bedroom with a king bed, a pull-out queen sofa in the living room, plus a full kitchen and dining table.
Eat: Entre Terre et Mer has a simple, but delicious menu of raw shellfish and charcuterie. It’s also located on a bustling pedestrian street with some great people-watching. For a wonderful prefix dinner, try La Mercerie, and be sure to also stop by the bakery next door, Petrin Couchette.
Do: Shop til you drop on the side streets next to the port. There are some wonderful high-end stores, think Isabel Marant, Petite Bateau, and local boutiques like Lulli. Be sure to check out Maison Empereur, the oldest hardware store in France, that is choc-full of gifts and other oddities. Be sure to also check out the mirrored-marvel that is Vieux Port Pavilion.
The charming town of Cassis
Cassis
Cassis is often overlooked in favor of bigger Riviera destinations, but for families, offers one of the most balanced experiences in the region. The town is compact and walkable, with a small beach, a lively harbor, and easy access to the Calanques. It’s the kind of place where you can settle into a routine quickly, without needing to plan every hour of the day. Cassis is an incredible town where we had the privilege of an extended stay. Read our full guide on Cassis here.
Dining with feet in the sand at Welcome Beach in Le Lavandou
Hyeres/Le Lavandou
Stay: Hotel Domaine de la Merin Hyeres enjoys a stunning setting on a sandy beach.
Eat: Eat with your toes in the stand at Welcome Beach in Le Lavandou.
Do: From Hyeres, you can easily access Porquerolles, a quaint island off the coast, described as the Nantucket of France. This is a car-free island, so be sure to rent a bike when you get off the ferry.
Views from Hotel La Villa Douce
Canadel Sur Mer
Stay: Hotel La Villa Douce has stunning views across the Gulf of St. Tropez and a delicious restaurant to boot. While not directly on the beach, there is a complimentary car service that will shuttle you to the beaches in the area. Additionally, this hotel is great for families with two-bedroom suites (with bunk beds that our girls loved) available.
Eat: Tropicana Club is a wonderful restaurant and beach club on Rayol-Canadel-Sur-Mer Beach. There is a kid’s menu and beautiful views of the bay.
Do: In the summer, there is no better way to spend the day than at the beach. There are lots of great beaches to explore nearby. The biking and hiking here are also top notch.
Beach club Jardin Tropezina in Saint Tropez
St. Tropez
Despite its reputation, the Saint-Tropez area can work exceptionally well for families—if you stay just outside the center. Ramatuelle and La Croix-Valmer offer proximity to the beach without the intensity of the town itself. The atmosphere is more relaxed, and many hotels are designed with space and privacy in mind.
Properties like La Réserve Ramatuelle and Lily of the Valley deliver a more elevated experience, but still allow for a flexible, family-friendly rhythm to the day.
Stay: Airelles Château de la Messardière is a stunning property overlooking the Gulf of St. Tropez. There is a wonderful kid’s club that is also available to non-guests.
Eat:Jardin Topezina, in a beautiful setting overlooking the ocean, has a wonderful lunch and dinner menu and can easily accommodate children of all ages. Gigi Restaurant has it’s own dedicated kid’s circus to entertain your children while you have a leaisurely lunch by the pool. Note: Gigi’s is one of the few restaurants on Pampelonne Beach that doesn’t actually overlook the beach. The stunning pool and kid’s club make up for the lack of ocean views though.
Do: The farmer’s market on Saturday can be a total zoo, but definitely worth checking out early before the crowds descend. A beach club in St. Tropez is also a must. We found Club 55 and Jardin Tropezina to be the most kid-friendly.
Tips: All of the restaurants mentioned are suited for children, but that doesn’t mean you will find the traditional kid’s menus you may be used to in the U.S. The kid’s menu are usually limited to one or two options, that are generally healthier than the fried options you may find in restaurants in the states. Think a piece of fish or pasta, french fries and vegetables, and a scoop of ice cream for dessert.
Note: It is difficult to find hotel rooms in the South of France that accommodate large families. There are few options with pull-out couches or two double beds, but it is possible to find. The hotels we listed above can all accommodate families of four in one room, a bit of a rarity for the area.
A Few Things Worth Knowing Before You Go
French restaurants don't typically offer the kids' menus you'll find in the US. Most have one or two options for children — usually a piece of fish or pasta, fries, vegetables, and ice cream for dessert. It's simpler and honestly healthier than what passes for a kids' menu at home, and our girls adjusted to it quickly. Just don't arrive expecting chicken nuggets.
Hotel rooms are the other thing worth flagging. The South of France is not built for large families in one room — pull-out sofas and double-double configurations are genuinely rare. Every hotel we listed above can accommodate a family of four in one room, which is part of why we chose them. If you're booking somewhere not on this list, call ahead and confirm rather than assuming.
The beaches vary more than people expect. Pampelonne near Saint-Tropez is wide and sandy with a forgiving shoreline. Paloma Beach in Cap Ferrat is smaller but sheltered and calm — good for younger kids. Around Antibes several beaches are more protected than elsewhere on the coast. Rocky beaches, which exist throughout the region, are not great with young children — worth checking before you go.
Timing matters. Late May through early July is the sweet spot — warm enough to swim, not yet at the August peak when everything requires advance booking and patience. September is equally good and often better value. If August is your only window it still works, but book hotels and restaurants well ahead.
Our itinerary ran Marseille to Cassis to Le Lavandou to Canadel-sur-Mer to Saint-Tropez, roughly west to east over two weeks. That pacing — moving every three to four days rather than every night — kept the trip from feeling like a logistics exercise. If we did it again we'd probably spend an extra night in Cassis and skip one night in Saint-Tropez, but the overall structure worked well with a four and seven year old in tow.
