European vacation

David, you might want to read a Guidebook such as Rick's Europe Through The Back Door or Best of Europe to get some idea which destinations might be most interesting for your group.

London and Rome are definitely worthwhile stops IMO (especially if one hasn't been there before), as are Berlin, Vienna and the Swiss Alps.

With only two weeks to spend, I'd suggest choosing locations that are reasonably close geographically, so that you don't waste a lot of time travelling between locations. Also, open jaw flights are highly recommended!

Once you have a more definite list of cities, I'm sure the group here will be able to offer some great suggestions.

David, perhaps it would help you to scroll down and look for the Itinerary Planning Tips for First Timers topic. There is a lot of information there to help you establish an itinerary, which we can then help you fine tune. It's hard to say if one city is "better" than another to visit -- it depends on your own preferences and what you would like to do there, and we don't know that. Once you establish a potential plan I'm sure you'll get lots of opinions about your choices.

Actually, I have a tentative plan-Paris for 4 days, train to Rome; Rome for 4 days-train to Berner Oberland; Oberland for 3-4 days-train back to Paris and fly home. But with Europe so vast and so much history I am trying to finalize in my mind if that is the way to go. To give some background: we have visited and loved the national parks in the USA as well as New York, San Francisco, D.C. and Montreal. We weren't crazy about Seattle, Boston, Toronto or Quebec City. I understand that this is a matter of choice but I'm trying to get some input from people who have gone to the Rockies both in Colorado and Canada and seen the Swiss Alps-are they both so much alike that we could skip the Alps and do something else. Is Rome so hectic, frustrating and confusing that what's there isn't worth going through all that or as RS says is it a must see. I have read and will continue to read posting-any personal insights would be appreciated.

There is NO comparison between the Rockies (even the Canadian ones) and the Alps. I have spent a lot of time in the Rockies and I was completely blown away when I first saw the Alps. And even after living in the Alps for some period of time, I continued to be impressed.

David,

I grew up in Colorado and have been all over the state. Never been to Canada, have been to Yosemite. There is nothing in Colorado (or California) that comes close to the swiss alps. The lauterbrunnen valley is amazingly beautiful! I totally agree with Rick that it is a must see!

OK, you convinced me-the Swiss Alps it is. I have seen on the helpline that Murren is the place to stay but all the hotels seem to be closed during May. Best second choice?.

If someone asked me about the cities they had to visit in the US I would say that New York, D.C. and San Francisco are a must. Does Rome rise to that level or would there be another European city that is a must

David, nobody can tell you whether Rome is "worth it" because we're not you. In Rick Steves book he even says that for some people Rome is best done as a day trip; see the famous sights and move on. On the other hand I've been there 3 times and each time there are new things to see and explore, as well as the enjoyment of seeing grand sights again.

Thanks to everyone who has responded. I have one more question about the L Valley area. In Paris we have rented an apt. for our stay and if we go to Rome we'll do the same thing. Is there any option like that around the Swiss Alps area or are hotels the best option. We will not have a car so don't want to have to walk very far with luggage

Given your priorities (which are great destinations all), you could save yourself a bit of time and hassle by flying into Paris and then home from Rome (traveling across Europe by train via Switzerland). Or reversing it Rome-Switzerland-Paris.

These are long train trips, and you might consider a night train for one of them, but they are in your proposed itinerary already as well as a very long and unnecessary trip from Paris to Rome. Fly "open jaws" and gain a whole extra day of sightseeing!

Adam, that's exactly what I was thinking we would do(start in Paris, end in Rome). Although I must admit I have not figured out the whole "open jaw" thing. When I enter the one-way option on any airline the price is much higher than round-trip

We were in Rome this past summer with kids 12 and 14, and everyone had a great time. It was crowded and quite hot when we were there, but not confusing or a hassle. My advice is for you and the boys to do some research on specific things in Rome, and then visiting those sites will be even more meaningful (we had specific churches we had heard about and wanted to see, for the art). Chances are your kids have studied ancient Rome in school relatively recently and they may be very interested to see what they have learned about for themselves. I highly recommend advanced reservations for anything you can, for example Vatican Museum and Borghese Gallery.

David...many of the flight search engines (including airlines) allow you to do "multiple cities." Enter your home airport and destination, then return from the city of your choice to your home airport....that'll give you the "open jaws" price.

I have always found the open jaw options on regular airlines to be more expensive,, only on one cheap airline did it make sense, it was only about 100 dollars more, so that did save money rather then back tracking .
David, where are you flying out from?

The plan is to fly into Paris and then to go to Rome and then the Alps and fly out of Bern or Zurich

Even if you've already made your decision, I'll give you my input anyway since you're looking from feedback from people who have been to both. I believe that the Alps and the Rockies are equally spectacular; what's different is the culture. Europe is more densely populated, so you'll see more people at the lookout points and in the quaint villages in the mountains. The Rockies has a more rugged feel while the Alps seem more civilized. When we were hiking in Glacier National Park, we met some tourists from Switzerland who were having a great time.

I think that the Alps are worth a stop because your boys will probably want to get out of the city. Paris and Rome can be intense, but I can't imagine anybody not liking Rome. Berlin and Vienna are great, but it would be a stretch to include either city in a 2 week trip.

You seem quite set on your itinerary but it seems you waste time training to Italy and backtrack to Switzerland. Take a high speed train to Swissland and detour through Interlaken then on to Italy. You can see a great part of the alps without so much travel time in the Matterhorn or Saas Fee area. Around Saas Fee there are 14 mountains over 4000 meters. It is more an area for hiking rugged terain while Interlaken is more gentrafied. Either of the areas can be reached by taking the Paris-Rome train and stopppoing off at Visp,CH. The Glacier Express train goes to the Matterhorn. The Saas Valley is reached by the Poste Bus also from Visp. Bus station across the street from the train. After enjoying this Alpin area go back down the mtn. and continue on to Italy.
I'm a Saas Valley guy now for winter skiing and summer hiking. My spot is Hotel Dom in Saas Grund.

You seem quite set on your itinerary but it seems you waste time training to Italy and backtrack to Switzerland. Take a high speed train to Swissland and detour through Interlaken then on to Italy.
Or you can see a great part of the alps without so much travel time in the Matterhorn or Saas Fee area. Around Saas Fee there are 14 mountains over 4000 meters. It is more an area for rugged terain while Interlaken is more gentrafied.

Either of the areas can be reached by taking the Paris-Rome train and stopppoing off at Visp, CH. The Glacier Express train goes to the Matterhorn. The Saas Valley is reached by the Poste Bus also from Visp. Bus station across the street from the train. The Saas Valley is more backdoor, you will love the bus trip up the mountain. After enjoying this Alpin area go back down the mtn. and continue on to Italy.
I'm a Saas Valley guy for the European experience whether winter skiing or summer hiking. My spot is Hotel Dom in Saas Grund.

Ken, the reason for going to Rome first was if we decide to round trip out of Paris we won't have a day long train ride from Rome to Paris and then a day long flight back to the States.