fun things to do with kids in provence france    
  Travel for Kids
  | Provence
     
    Marseilles (Marseille)
 

Vieux Port – Walk around the Old Port and take the charming, small size ferryboat from one side to the other. The Vieux port is also a spot to watch small boats coming and going and plenty of cafes and restaurants to sit down and relax.

Marseille
  Chateau d'If – Visit the "steep rock on which stands the frowning Chateau d'If," made famous in the novel by Alexandre Dumas, The Count of Monte Cristo. You too may feel cut down to size when you enter this "this strange pile, this prison whose very name spelt terror." Catch the boat to the Chateau d' If from the quay at the end of the Old Port, and fortunately, there is a return trip.
    Parks – Marseilles has a number of lovely parks. Visit the Cinq Avenue de Longchamp Park, across from the Palais Longchamp. This park has pony rides and a playground for little kids, and places to roller blade and skateboard for older kids. The Parc Borely has boating on the lake.
    Archeological Garden (Jardin des Vestiges) – Run around the grass and stone ruins of the old harbor of Marseilles. Imagine the port of Marseilles (and the oldest city in France) in the Roman era.
Calanques
The Calanques – Take a four hour boat ride on the sparkling blue Mediterranean to see the steep rocky coastline," les calanques." Kids will love the shapes of these amazing limestone cliffs, like so much sculpture, and the clear water.
kids books france
     
The Count of Monte Cristo  
The Count of Monte Cristo (Great Illustrated Classics)
Alexandre Dumas

Easy-to-read version of this exciting story – A young sea captain, Edmond Dantes, is unjustly arrested and tossed into prison on the Chateau d'If. When Dantes escapes, he returns to Marseilles with a fortune and seeks out the cowardly men who wrecked his life and stole his sweetheart. (Chapter book)

 

     

The complete version is a great adventure novel, filled with action and romance, a fiancée betrayed, dark dungeons of the Chateau d'If, a daring getaway from the island, buried treasure and fabulous jewels, poison, treason and revenge. The perfect teen read. (Chapter book)

 

 
The Count of Monte Cristo
(More children's books on other France pages)