Provence with school age children

We are planning a 10 day trip to Provence and cote d%26#39;azur with our 4yr and 8yr old boys. We want to spend part of our trip in kid friendly, historically interesting, 4+ star accommodations. And part on a working farm with nice lodging and great food. I appreciate any suggestions!

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The maximum number of stars in France is 4...it%26#39;s regulated by the government.

4-star properties and kid-friendly are rarely in the same sentence.

Try www.gites-de-france.com (click on the flag in the upper left for English)-- it%26#39;s a listing of rental cottages and B%26amp;Bs all across France -- the site is run by the government, so there%26#39;s no question of scams, and all the properties are inspected.

History? Provence has Roman history...and all the way up to modern times -- there%26#39;s history everywhere you go.

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My family visited Arles on two separate trips when my sister and I were in grade school and high school. It is my favorite town in all of Europe. (I%26#39;ve managed to talk my husband into visiting next year, too!)

It is an easy and interesting town to walk through, and so it should wear the kids out nicely. We loved playing on the coluseum ruins, and exploring the arena. Les Alyscamps was a fun and creepy, quiet day; we played %26quot;mummies%26quot; in the old sacophogi. The market was a feast for the senses, and the chickens and other animals were neat to see. And all the olives! The Saint-Trophime cloister was good for a quiet afternoon - lots of flowers and plants and nice, cool, shade.

Arles is the city I remember most fondly of all our trips.

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I would definitely second Arles as a location. Central enough to travel around but bung full of interesting things to see such as the Roman stadium, the cathedral and places van Gogh painted. It%26#39;s near Tarascon which has a great castle too. I can%26#39;t recommend four star accommodation, being a strictly 2 star person.

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I second the suggestion of Arles as a wonderful base. In addition to the great sites within the city you are not that far from the Camargue which is wild and beautiful in its%26#39; own right, has great beaches, and wonderful wildlife too.