Family: Atlantic Coast

Five days on the Charente coast, where short distances suit families well. La Rochelle's aquarium and its twelve thousand marine animals open the stay with a shark tunnel and a jellyfish gallery, before the Ile de Re and its hundred and ten kilometres of almost flat cycle paths, ideal for children's first rides. A cruise from Fouras passes close to Fort Boyard, the supervised beach at Chatelaillon has its children's club, and the Brouage marshes add Champlain's citadel and migratory bird watching from raised walkways. The bridge to the Ile de Re is tolled and queues are long on summer Saturdays. Hire bikes locally, where trailers and child seats are available everywhere.