Advice needed for budget trip with 10 year old daughter

It would help if you told us your beginning point and where you are flying home from.

A few thoughts... Depending upon the hostel, some do have private rooms. In general, rail passes are not a good value for Europe. Depending upon train, advance tickets can save you money (i.e. Eurostar) but they do restrict flexibility so if you are going to use them, plan wisely. Where you go depends upon your interests and the time you have available. Grab some guidebooks from your library and start reading through them to get an idea of what you want to see. Once you have an idea of what you want to see, the time you have and your budget, posters here can advise you on your proposed itinerary. Lastly, bear in mind that each change of location will take anywhere from 1/2 day to a full day (checking out, getting to train station, train travel, new lodgings, etc.) so figure that into your planning as well.
Good luck - planning is half the fun!

Yes, the planning is what gets me through winter! ;) I haven't stayed in hostels since college. Can most be booked online in advance now? I have no idea. Also, bed and breakfasts would be good too. Just want to avoid hotels without character. would like her to get local experience, meet others. If she could meet other kids that'd be awesome too! We will likely do an open-jaws flight between Rome and Paris. Could do Amsterdam too. We haven't purchased the tickets yet. Doing a slice across europe - Rome to Switz/Austria to France, etc. will likely be what we do. Where we going within those places - I'm open to new ideas (I've been a couple of times before but it's been a while). Thank you!

How fun for you and your daughter! How many days after your cruise will you have, and what cities will you visit on your cruise? Where are you flying home from? Rail passes are rarely a bargain, so I think point to point tickets would be the best way to go. I would suggest watching Rick Steves videos with your daughter (available for free on Hulu) and see what areas interest you both. Once you have some places narrowed down, look at a map and see which ones would flow in a logical order. Have a great time!

Karen: How many days are you planning for the two of you? Look into the convents in Rome. We stayed at one. Very simple and very clean. Separate rooms with on-suite bathrooms. Simple breakfast provided in the morning. Also don't rule out B&Bs. If they have breakfast included, it may work out to being not much more expensive than a hostel, and you and your daughter will have a private room.

Karen, yes some hostels have "private" rooms but you will have to check with each. also, on some of the hostels, they had curfews. i didnt inquire as to when, but was surprised they had it. happy trails.

If you are on a budget, then Switzerland needs to be changed with perhaps Germany. A visit to someplace like Garmisch will give you some similar views like alps, snow on top of the mountains, chalets. Switzerland is very expensive and not budget friendly at all. Germany in fact, may be your cheapest country to travel in. Would she enjoy seeing castles? Public transportation is also reasonable. Check prices for private rooms in hostels and then compare them with some budget hotels. Places like Motel One which runs 59 € per night in most of Germany, or an Ibis, may be cheaper than that private hostel room. You may also find very reasonable rooms in Pensions and B&B'S, anywhere from 35-60 € per night and including breakfast. Places along the Rhine and Mosel can be a bargain.

Karen, regarding hostels, a great place to browse is at Hostelworld.com. I booked hostels in Asia and Europe this past summer for our family of four, by reading reviews and then cross referencing with Trip Advisor in the 'specialty lodging' category. In Beijing and Shanghai we had family rooms with ensuite baths and in Tallinn we had a family room with the bathroom being down the hall. It worked out great for our 9 and 11 year olds. There were some other kids staying at the hostels but they spoke other languages, which was all part of the fun.

why don't you read this thread www.ricksteves.com/graffiti/helpline/index.cfm/rurl/topic/111811/i-need-ideas.html

Curfews won't be a problem for somebody traveling with a kid. Lockouts might.

B&B's might be a good bargain if you take advantage of it and have a really good breakfast. Then you don't have to find a place to eat breakfast and you can have a light lunch. Travel time will be your enemy if you try to see everything on one trip.

We travel as a family of 5 and love hostels because of the laid-back atmosphere and price for a family like ours. However, private hostel rooms for 2 tend to be priced at a premium that is almost equal to a bargain B&B. If it was just me and a 10yo I might shop around for B&B bargains before anything else. The child would probably be enchanted with Venice because it is so other-worldly. Spend at least two nights there, though three would be better and allow you to see the nearby islands one day. But if you go to Venice, then there is no need to reach for Amsterdam. From a child's eye, that's just two cities with canals (though I enjoyed Amsterdam personally, and it feels quite different (with streets and cars and trams and bicycles) than venice (with boats and feet). Germany does tend to be a tad cheaper than other Western Europe countries and does have some fine castles. But I don't think the castles (except Neuwschwanstein, which is unique and not really a "real" castle) are any more interesting than those in France, and rural France is almost as inexpensive as rural Germany. If it were me, I would try to keep things relatively simple and go from Rome to Venice by train and then by train into France - ending in Paris. You could train the whole way and be somewhat limited in your stops, or my preference would be to train to somewhere in Provence, like Avignon, and then rent a car and drive rural France connecting quaint villages and castles until you reach the edge of Paris. Then drop the car and use the Metro. Driving in rural France is VERY easy as long as you can read a map and allow yourself more driving time than you typically would in the USA for similar distances. The Dordogne region of France described in the RS book is especially good for children (and canoeing down the river is very safe and easy and castle-filled).

Well I am not as adventurous as some, I personally would not drive in a foriegn country with only a child as the navigator... Its different if there is another adult to help with maps, where to turn, reading signs etc.. but thats me. I would keep in mind I would train to Venice, then fly to Paris.. I like to keep trips simple with kids I have travelled alone with my 11 yr old dd, and on seperate trip with my 13 yr old son, no other adults, so no 1 or 2 night stays for me. From Venice you can look at Easyjet or Vueling to start with.. do read sites thoroughly so you understand extra fees,, but booked well in advance those flights can be dirt cheap, I have used both airlines successfully and cheaply ( last year flew for 96 euros total, for two people, from Barcelona to Paris, and that included fees for one checked bag each! ) Yes some hostels have private rooms, but keep in mind they charge per head, so sometimes you can find a hotel room just as cheap.. What is your idea of "budget" price for a private room? In Paris I have friends who stayed at St Christophers hostel and liked it, and I have stayed at a GREAT budget hotel in center of Paris, last summer they had a special price deal for August( which is believe it or not low season for hotels) of 78 euros a night for a double, normally 98 euros. Hotel St Pierre. great location, small rooms, clean and safe convenient area to walk to many sites. and A/C important for Paris in summer. Also do not cheap out and not get A/C in Rome, you will die. lol

Consider Lake Garda, Alps to the north and beaches all around plus an amusement park on the south.
And beautiful!

I agree that a rental car is not the best option but not for the reasons that Pat stated. My daughter, at 10, could navigate and read maps better than most adults so I would not have been worried about driving in France with only her as my companion. When only one person is picking up the cost of the rental car I think it does take it out of the 'budget travel' category. Trains are much more cost efficient for one adult and one child. If two or more adults are splittng the car costs then it becomes more budget friendly, in my opinion. On the other hand, if where you want to go is not served well by public transportation, then it makes more sense. I'm still curious how many days the OP is going to have. It's much easier to give advice if we have all the pieces.

Thank you all for all your help! After happily ruminated on it, I am thinking that it might be fun and most relaxing to make our way from Rome to Paris by train, stopping in village-y, scenic spots on the way that have easy access by train. So, any advice about picturesque, quaint, 'real Europe' stops along this route would be great. Does not needs to be a major tourist site - hidden gems would be appreciated. We'll have about 19 days total (4 for Rome, 4 or 5 for Paris, rest for in between), so we can go just about anywhere. Also, any advice about really special/scenic train routes? I'm imagining a nice paced adventure with some romantic/restful train travel. Thanks again for your suggestions!