Denmark, Amsterdam itinerary ideas

With only 8-10 days and 2 children I would stay in Denmark. You could fly in and out of Copenhagen and spend some time there. You can then train or bus it to the ferry to go to Aero. Or do you plan on renting a car? You could visit the smaller towns along the way.

SAS has direct flights from Chicago to Copenhagen, which might be a good alternative to Paris. Copenhagen-Ærø-Amsterdam is certainly possible, Hamburg would be a logical stop along the route. Between Hamburg and Amsterdam is not an area I'm too familiar with, but Groningen could be a nice stop. Or you could look in the other direction and focus on Scandinavia instead?

A 14 year old boy who really wants to see Ærø, I dont think I have heard of that before!
With that being said, I think you are trying to cover too much ground with the time you have. Flying into Paris seems like a waste of time and might not be cheaper if you have to buy train tickets to get to where you really want to go.
The rest really depends on you interests. If you can elaborate on that, we might be able to give you better suggestions

Hi,

Why would you want to fly to Paris if you won’t be visiting Paris? Doing so would waste valuable time. It could also cost more money and add hassle and stress as Paris is far away from both Amsterdam and especially Ærø. KLM and United Airlines operates flights between Chicago and Amsterdam, and SAS operates flights between Chicago and Copenhagen.

Taking the train from Denmark to the Netherlands takes the better half of a day, so most people choose to fly between these countries. If you do a stop in Hamburg between Denmark and the Netherlands (or vice versa) it could make perfectly good sense to opt for the train.

But with “only” 8-10 days I think you need to limit yourself to 3 destinations. Remember that it will cost you somewhere between a half to a full day each time you relocate to another destination. You don’t say a lot about what your interests are, so it’s difficult to suggest other places to visit. But Copenhagen, Hamburg or maybe even Aarhus could be good options. If you have an extra day or two in Copenhagen you would also have time for a day trip to southern Sweden, if that’s something you want to do. Or maybe you are more interested in Benelux than you are in Scandinavia, in which case you could allocate more time for Benelux.

Flying through Paris to get to Copenhagen or Amsterdam is not ideal (given that you have limited time and have nonstop options from Chicago), but is workable.

Flying to Paris, when your goal is Amsterdam or Copenhagen and you only have 8-10 days, is a false economy. You'll spend a fair amount of time and money getting from Paris to where you want to be.

I agree that with such a short time, trying to combine two far-flung locations will waste a lot of time. Aero is not quick to get to, so you need to allot time for that. If you're committed to Aero, then just see other places in Denmark; that should be a very nice 10 day trip.

@Architeuthis Oh yes! Sometimes a layover can save you some money - even though it's sometimes a big detour. Flying via Paris is common (CDG is a big hub) but if you can fly direct for a reasonable price that is better. I fully agree with @Harold that flying through Paris can make sense - but flying to Paris doesn't make sense for this itinerary.

A 14 year old boy who really wants to see Ærø, I dont think I have
heard of that before!

I agree with Morten in this. Perhaps you can tell us what he expects to see/experience in Aero (Ærø). We might be able to forestall a disappointment.