1 museum, 1 cathedral, 1 palace, and 1 fun activity.

Stay-ce,, who is "we" .. are you a young couple first trip, an older couple experienced travellers, a family with young children, a family with teens?? Also how long is trip and what season are you planning to go( no point in suggesting hiking trails in Alps if trip is in November, or beaches to visit in April etc)

Sorry, Pat. Myself and 2 preteens and 2 teens. We are going this June and July.

Verona: Museum, the Roman Theater and Archeological Museum http://www.veronissima.com/sito_inglese/html/tour-museums-archeological.html Lots to explore outside as you climb up the steps and terraces. Castle: Castelvecchio You can wander around the old castle for free; or pay to enter the museum and see the aritwork
http://www.lifeinitaly.com/content/castelvecchio-verona Fun activity: wandering the pedestrian zone/shopping street; cross the river 3 or 4 times on various bridges, find Juliet's Balcony Food: Gelato! but if you want fine dining, they will treat you well at Osteria Bertoldo http://www.osteriailbertoldo.com/ I would skip the cathedral in Verona.

I'll take a shot at a couple of them! Rome - the entire city is a museum! Hit the Coloseum, the Forum, the Pantheon, Capitolene Hill - the usual ruins. Cathedral - San Giovanni in Laterano or Santa Maria della Vittoria Castle/Museum - Castel Sant Angelo Fun activity - Hang out on the Spanish Steps & people watch - don't forget to stop by Trevi Fountain to throw in your coins to ensure your return to Rome!

I was leaning toward St. Peter in chains. But San Giovanni and the Holy stairs would be nice for the kids. How can you decide? And this my friends is how I ended up with days and days of cathedrals. :)

Paris Museum - Louvre - what more can you say except - do some research ahead of time and decide what exactly in the Louvre you want to see - Napoleons Apartments - very cool - the Mona -of course - etc. Palace - day trip to Versailles - fantastic! Notre Dame - a must Fun thing - Fat Tire Bike tour at night Or depending on your schedule & budget - a day at Disneyland Paris!

My husband always tells me - "Dear - since I met you I've been in more churches..." Its is because they are such beautiful architecture, contain incredible art and tell amazing stories!

I applaud your attempt to address things in a systematic way. However, I don't think it's either necessary or particularly wise to limit yourself in this way. Some cities have incredible museums and it would be a shame to see only one. Some (like Verona) have churches that are nothing special and it might be a waste of time to see any. We have seen enough palaces at this point in our travels that they tend to be low on our priority list now. But I certainly don't regret seeing any of the ones we saw in the past. And why would anyone limit themselves to just one fun activity? I'm sure you meant "at least one", but everyone's definition of fun is very different. For some it might be a night of clubbing and drinking and for others it might be a stroll through a quiet residential neighborhood. So I would agree with you that it is good general advice to avoid overdoing it in any category, as well as simply trying not to fit too many things into one day. But I think it would be a shame to base your choices on any list with arbitrary limitations like that. We usually arrive in a city with a list of possibilities, but no specific plan. Then when it's time to plan the next day's outing (either the night before or the morning of) we simply choose from the list whatever activities we are in the mood for. Moods change. Weather can be an issue. Be flexible and open to multiple ways to enjoy yourself.

Some random thoughts for children: Rome: San Clemente (3 levels to explore: medieval basilica, the 4th C basilica under it, and Imperial era residence and Mythric worship space under that) And if your kids are old enough that the bones would interest them and not scare them, the Capuchin crypt at the church of Santa Maria della Concezione dei Cappucini Vatican: Roof of St Peter's (wonderful view over city and access to walkway at the base of the dome, seeing the basilica from a ceiling view; this is also the start of the climb up the dome, if they want to do that) Scavi tour, if your kids are old enough Venice: Secret Itinerary tour of Doge's palace View over lagoon from bell tower of San Giogio Maggiore Some of the smaller islands in the lagoon offer nice opportunities for exploring; Torcello has the oldest church in the lagoon with some wonderful mosaics, as well as very few residents (but lots of cats) Joy rides on a vaporetto can be fun

Paris Museum - I'd almost be tempted to skip the really big museums with kids and focus on a smaller one. My favorite in Paris is the Cluny museum. It's focused on Medevial art and the Unicorn tapestries are amazing. Cathederal - You have to do Notre Dame AND St. Chapelle. They're pretty much next to each other and if you get started early you can do both before noon. They're very different and both magnificent. Don't choose one over the other. Palace: Depends on how long you have in the city. I think doing Versailles if you have less than 4 days in Paris is a waste, as it eats up most of a day and is cool but only worth the whole day if you're really into the history, art, and architecture of that particular time. So for less than 4 days, I recommend the Palais du Luxembourg, which is not a Palace that you tour, but rather one you appreciate from the outside while strolling and relaxing in the magnificent gardens. If you consider the Pantheon a palace (it kind of is, as a palace for the dead) it's also a very worthwhile stop very close to the Palais Luxembourg. Munich
Museum: I actually think the Munich city museum is the best museum to visit for your purposes. The Deutsches Museum is great but huge and focused on technical stuff which may not be of interest to all your kids, but the Munich city museum is fascinating and gives a good overview of history. Church: The innerstadt of Munich has at least 5 notable churches and they're all free so you can spend as little time as you want. You'll be walking by all of them at some point, there's no reason not to peek inside. Most of them are not that interesting on the inside to me, but the Asamkirche is the most...unique...church I've visited in Europe and a must-see in my book. Cont.

Forgot to add "Fun Activity" for Paris: for your needs, I think the catacombs would be in order. It's spooky historical fun. Back to Munich... For Palaces, I like the Residenz quite a lot. That said, Baroque palaces get boring after a while - they're usually huge and can take a while to tour. I don't think you need to visit more than a couple on a single trip to Europe. If you are going to visit one though, the Residenz in Munich is impressive and easy to visit as it's right in the heart of the city. Fun activity: Riding bikes in the English Garden, watching people get rowdy at the Hofbrauhaus (don't forget the little museum upstairs - it's fun for kids, seriously), or watching the surfers on the Isar are all unique to Munich and fun. Rhine: Well the Mosel isn't technically the Rhine but some of my favorite stuff in that region is there. I like: Museum: The Rhineland Musuem in Trier for Roman stuff Cathederal: The Trier Dom. Amazing. Palace: Well, a castle, but Burg Eltz deserves it's reputation. Super stunning and awesome.
Fun activity: Boat trip on the castle-heavy portion of the rhine combined with scrambling around the ruins of Rheinfels

Hi! Here are my recommendations based on personal experience with kids in each city. Please note these are kid specific. For adults, I might recommend different things. In order: museum, church, palace, food, fun: Rome: Roman Forum, Pantheon, none, McDonald's next to the Spanish Steps, rent pedal cars in Boboli Gardens Vatican: Vatican Museum, St. Peter's, none, gelato, climb up St. Peter's: there's a gift shop on the roof!, and then climb all the way up the dome Venice: none, St. Mark's basilica, Doge's Palace, spaghetti made with squid ink (it's black!), counting winged lions or climbing the campanile Madrid: Prado, none, Royal Palace, anyplace that will feed your kids before 10pm, riding the train to somewhere else Paris: the Louvre, Notre Dame (climb the tower), Versailles, Banana and Nutella crepes from a street stall, trampolines at the Tuilleries Gardens Munich: Deutsches Museum, none, Nymphenburg, anything shaped like a pretzel, summer luge track (outside of town, but SOOO fun!) Rhine: none, Cologne cathedral, Rheinfels Castle (cool teen scavenger hunt thru creepy tunnels), Wienerschnitzel, Adventure Forests (ropes courses that are quite possible the most fun thing ever) Amsterdam: Anne Frank House, Amstelkring (Our Lord in the Attic Church), none, waffles, canal boat ride PLAN AHEAD for the museums. A great trick is to purchase several postcards in the gift shop when you arrive. Give each kid a few cards to make a scavenger hunt as they try to find "their" artworks in the museum. Winners (ok, everyone) get ice cream.

Well done Angela!

Thank you! These are all such awesome ideas! A lot of these aren't even on my list. Randy- I do agree with you and that was how I originally had it planned out but the list of options were so overwhelming and honestly running together. In the tour books the top ten sights in each city started to seem redundant. I know I need to book some tickets in advance but I am having a hard time prioritizing. And because of that the tickets to the last supper are now sold out. I use your blog as a reference more than anything else. Thank you! George- my kids used the Internet and made a list 10 pages long! They have no concept of funds or my energy level. :) Sherry- I think we will book the Dodge's secret tour. You need to be 15 to do the Scavi tour. Thank you! Sarah- your posts always make me smile! Do you rent the bikes at the English Garden? Is it easy to find the surfers? My kids saw this on Rick Steve's video and want to try it. I'm not sure if they can rent gear there though. Angela- We have never had McDonald's is this one special? We don't eat fast food but if it is unique I'll give it a go. What is the best place to get squid ink pasta? Sounds yummy! What do I google to find these luge tracks? Sounds like a blast. Do they give out the scavenger hunt at Rheinfels or is this something I need to make up? In Amsterdam should we not go to the Van Gough museum? I like the museum scavenger hunt idea for the younger two. When my kids were little we played ABC in museums. They would have to find something that started with each letter as we walked through looking at the paintings.

Wow, I am not that organized, so my suggestions will be random, have taken an 11 yr old daughter and 13 yr old son. Venice, my dd tried mouthful of squid ink spagetti and hated it , I dislike it myself, but it is fun to look at , lol We found Venice amazing in itself, but did not find the sightseeing specatcular , sorry we did it after Rome and Paris and my daughter found the churches a huge step down so to speak, keep in mind she was 11 and found St Peters in Rome way more WOW then St Marks in Venice, not based on any historical things, but just by imrpessions. Paris, both kids loved the Louvre, BUT do the research needed to avoid just dragging them to see paintings,, there is so much more to the Louvre, The Medival Louvre, Napoleons Apartments,the Egyptians.. Catacombs , son loved it , daughter did not want to go( so we didn't , I took son seperately) The Towers of Notre Dame, big hit, go first thing in am before they even open. The cathederal is great, kids liked it .
All my kids loved Invalids Army Museum, medival weapons , armour, right up through WW1 and 2 . Fat Tire bike Tours, second that recommendation. Rome , Coliseum, St Peters ( Vatican not so much) , Forum.

My older daughter wants to go to the Borghese to see the sculptures. She is taking AP Art History this year. Is it doable for her to book a ticket and the rest of the family to paddle boat in the park? Or will we loose each other or run out of things to do waiting for her?

Your daughter should go to the Borghese, especially since she will know a lot of the artists and works. The best part for me, as an artist is seeing the actual work. The art in the Borghese is stunning! I think you won't run out of things to do in the gardens since the visits to that gallery are limited to 2h or less. Also, they start emptying the galleries sooner, but my two friends who were sketching were allowed to stay to the bitter end because they were artists. So, if she wants some more private time with Bernini this might be something to try...no guarantees though.

My picks for the Rhine region, which also include the Main, as it is so close. Museum - Dialogue in the Dark, in Frankfurt. Discover what it might be like to be blind. http://dialogmuseum.de/dialog-im-dunkeln/ Alternative would be the Judengasse Museum in Frankfurt to discover what life was like for the Jews in Frankfurt from 1462-1800, living in a tiny ghetto. http://juedischesmuseum.de/museumjudengasse.html?&L=1 Cathedral - St. Stephens in Mainz. Beautiful windows made by Chagall, and you will feel as though you have walked into an aquarium as all of the widows are blue. (this isn't a cathedral, but a church. If you want a real cathedral, then the Dom in Mainz is a favorite) Palace - Burg Rhinefels in St. Goar on the Rhine. Not a palace, but a castle and every one can have a good time exploring this gigantic ruin. Unique dining experience - Im Herzen Africas in Frankfurt. http://www.im-herzen-afrikas.de/iha-restaurant_low.html Fun Activity - Fun Forest (Seil Garten or Kletterwald) . Already mentioned and they are everywhere. Lots of fun for the whole family. I have been to this one in Wiesbaden.
http://www.kletterwald-neroberg.de/fotos.html

It would be a shame to be paddling boats around while you daughter is face to face with some of the most exquisite sculpture in the world - and you can walk all the way around each piece practically touching them. It seems to me that you can paddle boats anywhere and it would be a crying shame to be within metres of several of the very best sculpture anywhere and miss it. But, hey ho, I say that there is no one size fits all vacation and if that floats your boat - go for it. Is she usually one to get lost, or are you? How would you handle it at home? Find a unique place and arrange to meet there at a specific time. All the Borghese times are strictly controlled to you will know when she will come out. Seems to be a shame not to share in her passion, though. When she tries to describe the appearance of skin turning into roots and branches...

"Rhine Region" If you included the Upper Rhine (ie, south of Mainz), for cathedrals and museums, I would say the Speyer Dom and the Technikmuseum just a stone's throw away. The Speyer Dom is massive, and the museum is great for kids. Nearby Schloss Schwetzingen would be your palace. Fun activity... hmmm, this is a bit harder. Much further south, there's Europark, and much further north (near Bonn and Köln), Phantasialand. Or Sea Life Aquarium in Speyer, or the zoo in Heidelberg. Or the Sommerrodelbahn near Wald Michelbach or the Odenwald Modelbahn in Fürth im Odenwald, but admittedly, those last two would be difficult to reach without a car, and their location stretches the definition of "Rhine region".

Stay-ce I'll message you so we don't get in trouble for having a conversation here!

welcome, i havent been to most of those places, yet, but i will try to remember what i did at those where i did go. Amsterdam: NEMO. Its like a really really big science building with all/most of it interactive. The floor level is like for preschool? and as you move up the floors the subjects go up in grade. Church: didnt go to any there. Food: FEBO. Its like a large food vending machine/fast food chain. You can order at the counter or buy it from the machine. iirc, its 1~2 euros per serving. Its fresh and tasty and they have some chicken and hamburgers,but i tried some of the other stuff to munch on. PARIS. I dont remember whats for kids there. i guess it the age would be the deciding factor. If you dont mind waiting in line, the Eiffle Tower is cool. Catacombs: theyre cool in a creepy sort of way. happy trails.

Stay-ce, I can see why you are overwhelmed by choosing what to see! It's an ambitious plan. Angela, the Boboli Gardens are in Florence. You are thinking of the Villa Borghese. In Rome, there is a small church near Santa Maria Maggiore called Santa Prassede with beautiful mosaics. If your daughter is studying art, it's a shame to limit her to one museum and church per city.

OK, my PM replies have been "eaten" twice, so I guess I'll try the public version to reply to your questions! If your kids have not been to McD's then the one in Rome is skipable. The attraction is how different it is from one in the US: stone walls, salad bar, etc. Maybe for pizza and gelato instead. Rome isn't really known for its food. You can find squid ink pasta on the menu almost anywhere in Venice. I don't have a specific restaurant rec. Maybe someone else does. As I recall, it was easy to find. You can also try octopus and cuttlefish. Might even see cuttlefish swimming in the canals! Rick recommends a couple of luge tracks in his book. There are many scattered through the Bavarian countryside. Just keep your eyes peeled or ask as you go along. We just stopped when we saw them and I confess that I don't recall specific names. The scavenger hunt sheet can be obtained when you purchase your tickets at Rheinfels. As I recall, they have 2 difficulty levels. My teen boys did the hard one and it was plenty challenging. Not just for little kids! You can buy candles for the tunnels at the little museum in the castle, but take headlamps for better visibility. I recommended the Anne Frank House museum in Amsterdam because your post said I could only pick one! The Van Gogh is excellent, if crowded. Go early in the day. They also offer a very well done scavenger hunt/activity booklet that is suitable for older kids, or even adults. You have to ask for it. We adults were ready to leave and the kids wouldn't go because they were still working on their booklets! They also really liked the Amstelkring, Our Lord in the Attic, Museum. Oh and thanks to another poster for the correction. It is the Borghese Gardens in Rome that have the pedal cars, not Boboli Gardens.

In Amsterdam, I would hire a boat (with boatmaster) for a private tour of the canals. Since you are in a group of 5, that will cost not much more than going with a large tour, and it can be a fun thing to do. There is also the NEMO museum and science center with plenty of younger-kids specific activities. The Vatican Museums are one of the masterpieces of world Antique and Renascence art. It should be on top of your list, just don't be overwhelmed trying to cover every single room.