Charmes en Chalets

You may just want to hang around at the lakeside waterspouts hub, where you can hire boats and canoes, swim or go fishing. If that sounds like too much hard work, take a picnic and spend the day paddling in the water and soaking up the sun. First stop on a cultural day out might be historic Langres (15 minutes’ drive), wrapped in ramparts – from where you can glimpse the Vosges mountain range – and home to a splendid cathedral displaying rare medieval tapestries. Chaumont (half an hour) has a 10th-century castle and a scattering of museums, but its biggest USP is the soaring and arched railay viaduct, built in 1857 and three storeys high. 
If the kids are resisting regional heritage, you can take them on hikes into the Forests National Park (25 minutes), where trails lead through woodland and meadows. You might get lucky and see the rare black storks that make their home there, or you can download a local app and try geocaching among the trees. More forest walks can be found at Tufière de Rolampont (15 minutes), where paths lead to a moss-covered petrified waterfall.