Amsterdam to France

One of Europe’s greatest Gothic masterpieces, where 25 kings of France were crowned. The west façade features over 2,000 sculptures. A UNESCO World Heritage Site with a calm, wide nave — perfect for a brief stroller walk before continuing south.

A lighthouse rising from a sea of champagne vines — built in 1909 as a marketing stunt. Stunning panoramic views over the Montagne de Reims vineyard landscape, a beautiful pollinator garden, and a €3 climb to the lantern room.

The most prestigious street in the champagne world, lined with grand maisons including Moët & Chandon, Perrier-Jouët and Pol Roger. Beneath your feet lie 110km of chalk cellars storing billions of bottles. A grand morning pram stroll.

The hilltop village where Dom Pérignon is buried in the abbey church. Vine-covered houses line the tiny lanes, and the valley views are spectacular. Tiny, peaceful, and completely authentic — one of the most charming villages in Champagne.

France’s most romantic château, arching across the river Cher on elegant stone arches. Built and shaped largely by the women of the French court. Its shaded garden paths are utterly beautiful and ideal for a long pram stroll.

A beautiful Loire riverside town with a royal château towering above the river. Leonardo da Vinci spent his final years here. Stroll the medieval streets, browse the market stalls, and watch the golden Loire from the bridge at dusk.

World-famous for its extraordinary Renaissance gardens — geometric patterns of vegetables, flowers and herbs laid out in perfect symmetry across multiple terraces. Wide flat paths make this the single best château for families with a pram.

Grab supplies from a local market and find a quiet stretch of the Loire riverbank. France’s longest river at its most peaceful — willows, sandbars, and the sound of nothing much at all. Perfect for a baby afternoon nap in the fresh air.

One of Normandy’s most enchanting harbour towns, beloved by Impressionist painters including Monet and Boudin. The Vieux Bassin is lined with tall pastel 16th-century houses reflected in still water. Flat quayside, oyster bars, a wooden church.

Dramatic white chalk cliffs and natural sea arches plunging into turquoise water — one of the most jaw-dropping landscapes in France. Monet painted them repeatedly. The pebble beach is flat and the short cliff path is spectacular.

A medieval abbey rising from a tidal island in the bay of Normandy — one of the great sights of the world. Walk the lower village and causeway in the afternoon, and watch the silhouette transform at dusk. Almost supernatural at sunset.

The bay at dawn, before the tour groups arrive, is one of the great quiet spectacles of Europe. The abbey glows against the pale sky, the tidal flats shimmer, and you’ll have it almost to yourselves. Worth every early-morning effort.

The Venice of the North — a perfectly preserved medieval city of cobblestone lanes, Gothic spires and mirror-still canals. Markt Square and the Belfry, a canal boat tour, chocolate shop trail, and Belgian mussels and frites for dinner.

Golden morning light on the water before the tourist boats start. Grab a pastry from a local bakery and wander the Rozenhoedkaai — the most photographed canal corner in Belgium. A perfect, gentle farewell to the trip.