Maman Voyage: all our family travel articles

Our 8-day road trip in northern Greece with the family

I have already told you about the main stops of our 8-day family road trip in northern Greece. Here is now the article to present the itinerary as a whole and share all the practical details with you. We designed this trip with the aim of discovering Greece off the beaten track: yes, our itinerary includes the famous Meteora, but then we explored a less visited region around the Vikos Gorge, before continuing on to the island of Lefkada to enjoy a mix of mountains and sea. Finally, we made a few stops in Macedonia, following in the footsteps of Antiquity. I really tried to include everything we love in our programme: hikes, cultural visits and beautiful beaches. Our itinerary was nicely balanced and allowed us to discover less visited corners of Greece. I hope it will make you want to travel to northern Greece with your children!

Children’s ages: 13 for our Titpuce and 16 for Ticoeur
Travel period: October, during the autumn half-term holidays. We had around 22 degrees and sunny weather. You can also consider this trip in spring or summer.

For this family road trip in northern Greece, we went away for 8 days and 8 nights. It is a return itinerary through the different regions of northern Greece, starting from Thessaloniki. We therefore travelled from east to west, from Thessaloniki to Lefkada, before returning to Thessaloniki at the end. We crossed Central Macedonia, Thessaly and Epirus all the way to the Ionian Sea. Before our trip, I did some research but did not find any similar itineraries, so it took me a while to put this one together. I hope it will inspire you! And I will tell you further down what I would change if I were to do it again.

Our 8-day itinerary in northern Greece

Arrival in Thessaloniki

For our road trip in northern Greece, we booked a rental car at Thessaloniki airport via DiscoverCars: we rented a Clio for 114 euros for 8 days, so 14.25 euros per day. The car budget was therefore not high for this trip!

We arrived very late in Thessaloniki, so we quickly went to bed in order to leave early the next morning towards Meteora, which we were very excited to discover! In Thessaloniki, we had booked this apartment, which was functional and clean. If you arrive early enough, we recommend heading straight on to Meteora or Edessa, because Thessaloniki, where we came back at the end, did not seem unmissable to us, and parking there is complicated.

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The incredible Meteora

2 days – 1 night

We loved discovering Meteora! They are located in Thessaly, about 2h45 from Thessaloniki. Even though we had seen photos before, we were not disappointed. These perched monasteries are truly astonishing and surrounded by a dizzying natural setting! The walks and steps leading to each monastery offer beautiful viewpoints. The landscapes are magnificent, with unusual rock formations. It is really the overall scenery that gives the place all its charm. Yes, it is interesting to visit a few monasteries, but there is no need to go inside all of them! We visited the following 4 monasteries out of a total of 6:

Great Meteoron: it is the largest one, so there is more to see.
Varlaam: my favourite!
Aghia Triada: the most photogenic and impressive from the outside, as it seems to be balancing in the air.
Roussanou: very small. The path leading to it and the views are worth it, but we do not recommend paying to go inside.

Family cycling in the New Forest

Here is a cycling loop we love to do as a family in the New Forest: the Rhinefield Ornamental Woodland route around the village of Brockenhurst. This part of the forest is particularly beautiful because it is home to the tallest trees in the National Park, including huge Douglas firs and giant sequoias. Of course, as always in the New Forest, we have the pleasure of coming across plenty of free-roaming ponies! You know how much we love this forest, which is right next to where we live. I’ve already described all our loveliest walks in the New Forest. So, for a change, I invite you to follow us by bike!

A family cycling loop in the New Forest:

We recommend the Rhinefield Ornamental Woodland loop for a family bike ride that will give you a lovely overview of the New Forest.

It’s a 17.4 km route that starts at Brockenhurst station. Over the whole itinerary, we ride on tracks for 65% of the way and on quiet roads for 35% of the way. In terms of difficulty, it’s accessible to the whole family. There is very little elevation gain. I’d say it’s ideal from around the age of 8, with children who cycle well and aren’t afraid of riding on a road with cars at times. If your children are younger, we’d recommend the Hawkhill trail instead, as it’s a completely traffic-free route.

We’ve done the Rhinefield Ornamental Woodland loop several times with Ticoeur and Titpuce. Let me show you our latest ride in pictures…

The start of the loop:

We first downloaded this map from the official New Forest website. Then we decided to start the loop at point 10, by the Brock Hill Car Park. If you come by train, you’ll start at point 1, in the village of Brockenhurst.

We wanted to begin by admiring the tall trees, so we first made a little 750 m detour south of the car park to go and see the two finest giant sequoias in the New Forest (you’ll also see them marked on Google Maps). They are part of the famous tall tree trail, a 2 km walk. The sequoia on the left of the photo is 51 m tall and the other reaches 47 m.

Cycling weekend along the D-Day landing beaches in Normandy

This weekend, I cycled along the D-Day landing beaches in Normandy on a perfect coastal cycle route, discovering the beautiful “Côte de Nacre” and its History. My route covers parts of the famous Vélomaritime and a short section of the Vélofrancette, two famous French cycling routes. We had already cycled along these cycle paths as a family because they are very pleasant and easy, right by the water. This time, it was a solo adventure for me. I’m going to give you all the details here, so that you too can set off on this adventure, solo, as a couple or as a family! It really is a cycling route suited to all levels and completely flat! A dream if, like me, you don’t like hilly roads!

Cycling adventure along the D-Day beaches of Normandy : a brief summary

Starting point: Ouistreham

Take the ferry from Portsmouth to Caen. You will arrive in Ouistreham which is Caen’s harbour. I recommend the 8:00am sail to arrive at 3:00pm in France. Then you still have time to cycle. In the past I have tried the night ferry but I didn’t like it as the night is too short. They wake you up very early. Then I was very tired and didn’t really enjoy my first day cycling in Normandy.

Cycling distances to have in mind:

Ouistreham -> Lion-sur-Mer : 4km
Ouistreham -> Pegasus Bridge : 6km
Ouistreham -> Caen : 16km

There are several possible variations for your road trip. I will give you some ideas to extend your cycling adventure, later in that article.

Vélo avec sac jaune fluo adossé à un muret devant des cabines de plage blanches et rouges, avec la mer et un ciel nuageux en arrière-plan — On the cycle path in Lion-sur-Mer

4 days in Barcelona with our teenagers

For the Easter long weekend, we spent 4 days in Barcelona as a family. Ticoeur and Titpuce are now teenagers, so the programme was different from the last time when they were young children. I’m going to tell you about our visits and walks day by day, to inspire you, and I’ll also tell you what our teenagers liked most in Barcelona! I can already tell you that we still love this city just as much!

Children’s ages: Titpuce 14 and Ticoeur 16 Time of year: Early April. We had dream weather!

Barcelona as a family: 4 days and 3 nights

You’ll notice that we zigzagged around the city a lot. Our journeys in Barcelona were not optimised because we had booked certain visits at specific times that didn’t follow on from one another. In fact, to make the most of all Barcelona’s bargains and free museums, you have to juggle the days and times. Read my article: Visiting Barcelona without breaking the bank.

As usual, I’ve added little ❤ symbols for our favourites!

Day 1: the Gothic Quarter, Sant Pau and Montjuïc

We arrived in Barcelona just before midday. We dropped our bags at our accommodation, in the Les Corts district, and started with tapas on a terrace in a very pretty square in the neighbourhood (see good addresses below).

After lunch, we got straight into things by taking the metro to the Gothic Quarter. The Gothic Quarter is the historic heart of Barcelona. Starting from La Rambla (the main central artery), we passed the famous Boqueria market, then headed towards the lovely Plaça Reial ❤ with its arcades and palm trees. I’m attached to this square, where we took lots of photos of the children when they were little. We recreated the series now that they’re bigger! Then we wandered through the little streets around the Cathedral. As it was Good Friday, there was a mass taking place right outside! It was unusual to have the service in the square rather than inside!

7 tips for visiting Barcelona as a family without breaking the bank!

When I booked our long weekend in Barcelona as a family, I wasn’t expecting to discover that Barcelona had become such an expensive city! We’d been there several times in the past and it used to be a pretty budget-friendly city. The last time we were there was for my Titpuce’s 5th birthday, so that was a while ago! Inflation has clearly happened since then, but not only that! Barcelona is a victim of its own success and tourists pay the price! Luckily, I found several ways to save money on our spending. So I’m going to share my finds with you, so that you too can visit Barcelona as a family without breaking the bank!

Children’s ages: Titpuce 14 and Ticoeur 16 Time of year: Easter, in bright sunshine and 21 degrees! And that dream weather is… free 🙂

1- Visit Barcelona on the first Sunday of the month:

Because good news! There are some great free museums!

We were in Barcelona during the first weekend of April and we were able to take advantage of free entry to several Barcelona museums, including one of Gaudí’s houses! But watch out! Even if the tickets are free, you still have to book them in advance online, and make sure you don’t get the booking timing wrong because these free tickets go very fast!

Palau Güell: free on the first Sunday of the month – to book the previous Thursday at 10am

Visiting a Gaudí work for free—believe me, it’s a miracle! Among all the things to do in Barcelona, the biggest budget item is getting into the famous Gaudí houses: Casa Batlló, Casa Milà (or La Pedrera) and Casa Vicens. Each costs €20–25 per person. Luckily, one Gaudí building offers free entry on the first Sunday of the month: Palau Güell. Thank you! This palace, located in central Barcelona just a stone’s throw from La Rambla, is one of the architect’s first commissions, made at the request of his patron, the wealthy Eusebi Güell. Palau Güell is therefore a pure example of Catalan Art Nouveau style. It’s the famous movement known as Modernism. You’ll see many characteristic details such as wrought iron and noble materials. You can already see all of Gaudí’s creativity and originality—especially his rooftop chimney style.

Our 10 family hikes in Aragon

Last summer, we drove down in our van to northern Spain and explored Aragon as a family. Our goal? Beautiful mountains for hiking and good food: Aragon offered us all that and even more! We were delighted by the varied landscapes, from mountains to plains, with pretty rivers. We even enhanced our family hiking experience with a canyoning outing! A first for the children! Great memories! I’m going to break down our 6-day road trip through Aragon, from the Pyrenees border down to Zaragoza, and share our 10 family hikes in Aragon!

Time of year: the 3rd week of July

Children’s ages: 13 and 15.

To keep it simple, among our 10 hikes there are 5 short and easy hikes and 5 moderate-to-challenging hikes, including one canyoning hike! So there’s something for every level! You can therefore imagine a less sporty version of our Aragon road trip by choosing the easy walks and easier variants. On top of the hiking programme, there’s plenty to enjoy between swims in rivers and waterfalls (the children loved it!) and visiting villages. Below, I’ve listed our hikes in chronological order of our 6-night road trip in Aragon.

Here are all the details of our 10 hikes in Aragon!

1 – The Hunter’s Trail hike (Ordesa y Monte Perdido National Park)

Sporty hike, medium difficulty – 20 km loop – 750 m elevation gain – 6 hrs with a picnic break (7 hrs advertised)

After a quick breakfast, we park at the large car park in Torla, where you have to take a bus to the start of the hikes (the bus runs every 15 minutes from 7am). It’s a bit frustrating to start a hike by taking a bus, but apparently, in high season, there isn’t enough parking at Ordesa (the start of the hikes). It’s also to avoid too much traffic on winding roads.

We start the Hunter’s Trail hike (senda de los cazadores) at 8.30am and walk anti-clockwise. That way, we begin with the hardest part: a steep climb that lasts 1 hour 30 minutes. There are very few hikers on this trail because most visitors choose the waterfalls hike (see the shorter version below).

After our big ascent, we reach Faja de Pelay, a balcony path, fairly narrow but easy, offering magnificent views of the mountains. We catch sight of the Breach of Roland, which we’d already seen in France on a hike at the Cirque de Gavarnie.

3 days in Edinburgh with my teenager

We’ve just spent a long mother-daughter weekend in Edinburgh. As I already knew the Scottish capital, I tried to put together a 3-day programme tailored to my young teenager’s tastes, with references to Harry Potter, history and fascinating anecdotes, art and shopping! In 3 days in Edinburgh, I was able to delight her around her interests while also showing her the city’s must-sees. In the end, at the grand age of 14, my girl loved this three-day weekend in Edinburgh. It really is an easy city break to manage for a solo mum, with guaranteed success with the kids! On the programme: Old Town, New Town, Dean Village and other lesser-known Edinburgh neighbourhoods. So, shall I take you along for the tour?

Edinburgh with my young teenager: visiting the Old Town

To visit the Old Town, allow between 1 and 2 days.

Victoria Street ❤

We started with this famous colourful, curved, cobbled street in the medieval centre of Edinburgh. It’s one of the prettiest in the city, in the Victorian style. What’s more, it is said to have inspired Diagon Alley for the Harry Potter films, so it was a good way to ease my girl in! Above the row of multicoloured houses is a balcony-terrace (Victoria Terrace), which we climbed up to for another view of the street. Several shops and cafés on Victoria Street are popular, including the Elephant House café, where J.K. Rowling began writing Harry Potter (it isn’t the original premises).

For more details on the places linked to the Harry Potter saga, read my article on the trail of Harry Potter in Edinburgh.

Edinburgh & Harry Potter: 10 places not to miss!

If you’re planning to visit Edinburgh with teenagers or children who are Harry Potter fans, I hope this little guide will help you plan your walk yourselves. By the way, perhaps you’re Harry Potter fans too? But just so you know, that’s not my case! This detail is important because it means I can assure you that setting off on the trail of Harry Potter in Edinburgh didn’t bother me in the slightest, because it lets you see the city’s must-sees! Even though I’m a kind mum, I wouldn’t have played along so much if that hadn’t been the case. For these 3 days in Edinburgh with my young teenager, I happily researched places, anecdotes and information linked to Harry Potter to enrich a walk we would have done anyway to visit the city. My girl loved discovering these places – she who has read the Harry Potter saga four times! And I was happy to make her happy!

Some of the places below are reminiscent of the Harry Potter books, others of the films, and others again are more linked to J.K. Rowling herself. So here are these 10 Harry Potter places we saw in Edinburgh!

Victoria Street or Diagon Alley?

Victoria Street is a very beautiful historic street that links George IV Bridge diagonally with Grassmarket. A diagonal, then, like… Diagon Alley.

Even if our imagination can’t help seeing a connection with Harry Potter, that doesn’t mean J.K. Rowling had Victoria Street in mind when writing her books. However, she lived in Edinburgh, and both the atmosphere and the architecture of the city may have inspired her indirectly. Between the small colourful façades and the cobblestones, Victoria Street really does call to mind the visual world of the film.

Bonus info: you can wander through the “fake Victoria Street”, the film set, if you visit the Harry Potter Studios.

Kew Gardens: seeing the main key attractions in half a day

Is it possible to visit Kew Gardens in half a day? Yes, we tested and approved it! Between the large glasshouses, the different gardens, the viewpoints and the “monuments” of Kew Gardens, it’s absolutely possible to enjoy a very lovely first visit in just a few hours, without feeling like you’re rushing. I’d say you need to allow 3 to 4 hours to discover London’s magnificent botanical garden, a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

To do that, it’s best to focus on the key attractions at Kew Gardens. In this article, I’m suggesting a simple route to discover the most impressive spots in the gardens. The idea isn’t to tick everything off, but to see what makes Kew unique: its iconic glasshouses, elegant avenues, immersive spaces and landmark spots.

If you’re visiting London for only a few days, you probably won’t have more than half a day to dedicate to Kew Gardens. I’d even say that Kew Gardens will only be part of your London programme if this isn’t your first stay in London. I visited London many times before going to Kew Gardens, but this visit was enchanting – a green interlude, very different from central London. Since then, we’ve been back to Kew Gardens other times, as a family. In fact, we’ve just spent our Sunday afternoon there for the Orchid Festival, which I’ll tell you about further down.

Here are the main key attractions at Kew Gardens to see if you only have half a day.

Kew Gardens: our key attractions in half a day

The tropical glasshouse: Palm House

This is Kew Gardens’ best-known glasshouse. It’s a magnificent tropical glasshouse dating from the Victorian era. Inside, you’ll find huge palm trees and tropical plants, notably from Madagascar, as well as coffee plants, cacao trees, oil palms and rubber trees. Architecturally, the glasshouse has lovely Victorian spiral staircases, as well as a walkway that lets you admire the plants from above. Note: the Palm House will close for major works from 2027, for 5 years!

3 days on the island of Lefkada with the family

Lefkada is the latest Greek island we discovered as a family. It’s part of the Ionian Islands and is particularly easy to reach since you can get there by car via a bridge. Handy! This means you can easily combine a holiday in mainland Greece with a little beach break. As always with the Greek islands, the colour of the sea is superb – a turquoise blue that instantly makes you smile! Lefkada also has the advantage of being large enough to stay for a few days. Besides the beaches, the island offers mountainous landscapes and therefore some very pretty viewpoints all over the place. You can discover them by car or, like us, on a hike.

Let’s set off to discover Lefkada with the children!

leucade en famille — Porto Katsiki beach: our favourite beach on Lefkada!

Lefkada as a family: the beaches

To put it simply, there are the beaches on the west coast, the most beautiful – real postcard scenery but potentially a bit choppy – and there are the beaches on the east coast: nice, less paradise-like, but with very calm water.

The west coast beaches:

Kathisma Beach: a beach located in the north-west of Lefkada, near Agios Nikitas where we were staying (see our addresses further down). It’s a very beautiful beach, not to be missed at sunset.