If you’re dreaming of spending the summer in the South of France with kids there are two very important things to know before planning your trip:

Traffic on the main coastal highway that stretches from Monaco to St. Tropez can be an absolute and utter nightmare. I would avoid any plan that involves a daily coastal commute in and around the main tourist zones to get to the beach.

Aix-en-Provence, one of the main urban attractions in the Provence region, is 2 hours via car from Nice on a good day. This is too …

If you’re looking for a “new” region to explore in France this summer beyond the big name destinations like the Loire Valley, Provence, and the French Riviera, the Dordogne region is a blast to visit with kids of all ages.

One of the reasons I like it so much for families is that the list of things to do is so varied within a small geographic area. Cultural and historic touring can easily be combined with active days out biking, hiking, swimming, and canoeing.

It’s not easy to find a truly kid-friendly boutique hotel. To find one in Cannes on the Côte d’Azur is somewhat of a miracle.

When the new Five Hotel & Spa invited me to tour their hotel while I was at International Luxury Travel Market (ILTM) in December, I had my doubts that the hottest hotel in town would take kids seriously.

I’m pleased to report, I was wrong.

EElizabeth Thorpe of Poshbrood shared her exciting plans to go to Dordogne over Spring Break with me last night; our conversation reminded me how much I adore this region of France. It’s not widely known as a tourist destination — surprising, as the Dordogne is brimming with wonderful attractions and scenic villages to explore.

Our last visit was with three boys under 11. In addition to our fantastic farmhouse dinners and zip-line adventure, we all adored …

My good friend and author of the Ciao Bambino! book series, Danna Leahy, visited us in Switzerland this summer with her 7 and 10-year-old kids in tow. As part of her itinerary, she planned a four-night stop in Paris.

When Danna explained what she planned to cover during her time in Paris, I laughed. I know the Type A mom personality — ahem — well, as I look in the mirror each morning. Our husbands tell us that we pack too many activities into short periods of time. True.

When our good friends suggested a trip to the Loire Valley with kids, I have to admit that I was not without reservations. Lots of castles and lots of wine — that’s all I really remembered from our last trip to this region 10 years ago. Sure, the former is kid-friendly in small doses. The latter? Not so much.

As it turns out, we loved exploring the Loire Valley with our children! We planned our days …

“What in the world is that Mom?”

“That, believe it or not, is how we played movies in the old days when I was a child.”

Seriously?! I can’t believe we’re having conversations like this already with our kids. It’s crazy.

This banter was all inspired by our visit to the Musée des Arts et Métiers in Paris. Founded in 1794, this museum of “arts and crafts” displays scientific instruments and discoveries …

A recent trip to Versailles with our 5 and 8-year-old was a disaster. I had just finished reading “The Hidden Diary of Marie Antoinette” by Carolly Erickson and had visions of strolling in the gardens with the fountains on full display and playing with the kids in Marie Antoinette’s Hamlet.

This idyllic vision took a darker turn filled with tantrums and whining and felt more like a mini-French Revolution than the lovely family adventure I had planned.

We visited Saint-Tropez for the first time last month and I have to admit, I was pleasantly surprised by how much I liked this iconic summer hotspot on the Côte d’Azur.

Much of the coastline in this part of France is heavily developed and old-world charm is in short supply. However, the center of Saint-Tropez has all the nooks and crannies you want and expect from a seaside village in Europe, in addition to the uber-glam port and promenade.

“I’m booking that scavenger hunt in the Louvre for the Paris trip” is the snippet of a conversation I overheard at my son’s elementary school a month ago.

That “scavenger hunt” turned out to be the Paris Muse Clues: A Louvre Tour for Young Treasure Hunters. It’s a private guided family tour of the Louvre.

The Louvre is the world’s largest museum and it can be overwhelming trying to figure out …