France

France delivers Eiffel Tower sparkles at precisely 10pm when 20,000 golden lights transform Paris’s iron lady into a five-minute champagne bubble show that mesmerizes toddlers through grandparents. Shangri-La Hotel’s terrace suites ($1,400/night) frame this spectacle privately while Trocadéro Gardens below host impromptu dance parties and crepe vendors. Morning Louvre visits with reserved 9am tickets ($17/adult) beat crowds to Mona Lisa, though savvy families know the Egyptian mummies captivate children longer than Da Vinci’s smile.

Loire Valley’s Château de Chambord conceals Leonardo da Vinci’s double-helix staircase where people ascending never meet those descending—architectural magic that turns castle exploration into three-generation hide-and-seek. Domaine des Hauts de Loire ($450/night) occupies former hunting lodge where Tuesday truffle hunts with trained dogs teach families to unearth “black diamonds” worth €1,000 per kilogram.

Provence’s lavender fields peak June-August when purple rows stretch to horizons around Valensole Plateau. Bastide de Gordes ($680/night) provides cooking classes where children pound tapenade while grandparents master bouillabaisse. Wednesday’s Aix-en-Provence market fills cours Mirabeau with rotisserie chickens, aged cheeses, and soap vendors whose samples leave everyone smelling like herbs de Provence—sensory education disguised as shopping.