"What am I bid for the Eiffel Tower ?" "Do I hear £300 billion ?!"

Only joking ! Can you guess which is Europe's most visited entrance paying monument, attracting no fewer than 8 million tourists each year ? Yes you've got it, the Eiffel Tower ! And now it has also been declared "the most valuable monument in Europe" as it is worth an estimated £344billion to France’s economy, with regards to numbers of visitors and numbers of jobs created etc as well as tourism and image and brand value for a country. The basic costs of the monuments or buildings and the land they are built on was not taken into account. (findings of a study by Monza and Brianza Chamber of Commerce in Italy.)

The next most valuable European attractions are Rome's Colosseum and then the Tower of London !

Eiffel Tower statistics -

• It is 320m (1,050ft) high. 
• It was built in 1889 at a cost of 8 million francs which is around £30 million today.
• It is named after engineer Gustave Eiffel whose company designed it.
• It took around 2 years to build.
• It was built as a symbol for the Universal Exhibition of 1889.
• It was the tallest monument in the world until New York’s Chrysler Building in 1930.
• It is the most visited attraction in Europe.
• When the temperature is very high, the height of the Tower can increase by up to 18 cm.
• Wind can cause the tower to move sideways - the maximum recorded was a sideways move of 9 cms during the December 1999 storm (don't worry its built to withstand this !).
• Gustave Eiffel also designed and built the framework for Bartholdi’s Statue of Liberty which now stands at the entrance of New York's harbour.

If you would like to plan a visit to the Eiffel Tower you can visit the official website at : http://www.eiffel-tower.com/

There is also a new Children's Discovery Course on Level 1 of the Tower which will help children answer the questions that are published in their excellent Booklet that is given out to Children - http://www.eiffel-tower.com/images/PDF/enfants/livret.pdf

If you would like to stay in a campsite in or near Paris, we have a selection at Best French Campsites at http://www.bestfrenchcampsites.com

 

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Travelling with Preschool Children and Under 5s

If you would like to try camping abroad for the first time with young children of pre-school age then you will be lucky to be able to take advantage of quieter campsites as well as "more competitive" (ie cheaper !) prices in the May and June period. Eurocamp offers lots to appeal to the Under 5s.

Different campsites offer slightly different facilities but you can check it all out on the Eurocamp website.

There are a variety of different Kids Clubs available at the different campsites and these clubs are tailored to your children's age range and run by Children's Club Couriers.

If you have an active toddler then they will enjoy Tumble Tots for under 5's which is available at the following parcs from late May until early July :

In Brittany

Benodet - Pointe St Gilles  (Eurocamp link for this campsite)  (Keycamp link)
Beg-Meil - L'Atlantique  (Eurocamp link)  (Keycamp link)
Nevez - Les Deux Fontaines  (Eurocamp link)  (Keycamp link)
Carnac - La Grande Metairie  (Eurocamp link)  (Keycamp link)

In the Vendee

St Jean-de-Monts - Le Clarys-Plage  (Eurocamp link)  (Keycamp link)
St Julien-des-Landes - La Garangeoire  (Eurocamp link)  (Keycamp link)
St Jean-de-Monts - La Yole  (Eurocamp link)  (Keycamp link)

Keycamp and Eurocamp offer kids clubs at most sites. The particular clubs which are offered differ at each site so please check the Eurocamp and Keycamp websites for details. Under 5s will enjoy either the Mini Fun Station for under 5's or a Leo's Fun Station for 4-6 years.  (Some of these Kids Club sessions for Under 5s may be free during the Low Season - check when booking !)

At the Mini Fun Station the children will be offered a variety of sports, games and craft activities as well as themed sessions, for example a Pirate party ! There will also be things such as sand and water play and activity mats to keep toddlers busy !

Keycamp have also now teamed up with the STA (Swimming Teachers' Association) providing toddler swimming lessons on selected parcs so a great opportunity for youngsters to learn to swim !

Keycamp have also identified 21 Mini World parcs and Eurocamp have identified over 55 sites which are "Toddler Friendly Parcs" which are particularly suited to young families with toddlers, with lots of free activities, safe play areas and useful features such as

• Toddler safe pitches - on quieter roads and with flatter ground and far away from lakes and rivers (although these can still be present).
• All-terrain buggies and toddler trucks hire
• Children's pools for toddlers only
• Decking gates which can be fitted onto all decked accommodation on Mini World parcs.
• Bed rails - available on all parcs to ensure no bumps in the night !

You may also be able to hire the following items onsite :

• a Travel cot, which doubles as a play pen
• High chair
• Baby bath
• Potty

All these facilities can be checked on the Eurocamp website which has details of each of the parcs. We have put links to some of our favourite Eurocamp and Keycamp sites, many of which are Mini World Parcs, by clicking on the links "Our Favourite Eurocamp Sites" and "Our Favourite Keycamp Sites" to the right of this blog.

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