Best European Places To Take Our Son In 2012

I agree that you should go where you want to go, not where you can fly without connections. When are you planning to take this trip? This summer? If so, you are way behind in planning. What are you interested in seeing? I would use that as the criteria, since you can find kid friendly things to do anywhere. How long do you plan to go for? That would dictate if you can go to multiple locations. Maybe do a London (not during the Olympics of course) and Paris combo. They are easy to pair together. If you choose those cities I would start in London. It isn't as 'foreign' and it would ease him into the trip. Germany has castles. The possibilities are endless. Think about the weather. You aren't used to HOT in Portland. Southern Europe can be very hot in the summer. For that matter, so can Northern Europe. My first trip to Europe was a July/August trip. We landed in Germany and the first week we had 100+ degree days. Nothing was air conditioned except the car we were driving. It was miserable, and I am used to the hot weather. Two weeks into the trip and I had to buy a sweater in Amsterdam because I was cold. Later in London I actually forgot it was summer. Temps fluctuate. Good luck on your choice.

Rebecca - we have often picked a city/country to visit based on convenient non-stop flights - especially when traveling with our family of 4 (two children). So if Amsterdam is a good landing point for you then I think that would be a great choice to begin a family trip. In general, especially with a child that age, I would pick whatever the adults wanted to see/do and he'll have a great time. Personal favorites for our family have been England and Italy, but we did other trips (based on flights...) with them as well that were fabulous. A trip to Amsterdam/Netherlands could include some countryside biking (so flat!), boat trips on the canals, maybe a farm stay? Depending on your time it is also short distances to Northern France, Germany, Denmark, etc.

I really think most places in Europe could work, as long as you take the time to prepare your son for the trip he's about to go on-i.e. watching films about the location, reading children's books together, get him excited about where you're going! That being said, I personally have a dream of taking my (someday) children on their first European trip to London and Paris. London could be a good starter as the culture arguably is the most "similar" to America, and there's so much to explore related to the monarchy that could fascinate younger children. Paris has tons of playgrounds, a small amusement park (at least in summer) near the Louvre, and of course, Disneyland Paris. Good luck with your planning!

Rebecca, your question is akin to a European asking which part of the United States she should visit with her child. First order of business would be for her to decide what general area and activities she's looking for, right? Same goes for your family and your European vacation. Do you have a preference between Northern or Southern Europe? What kinds of experiences are you hoping to encounter? Every region offers things that can appeal to adults (and kids) of all ages. My five guys are history buffs, so things like Roman ruins (which aren't limited to Rome & environs) are always a bonus. We spend most of our time in Switzerland, and they always enjoy the trains, gondolas, and so on. There are scores of living history museums that offer appeal to children. I'm sure my kids would enjoy Legoland ~ I've heard good reports about the one in Denmark ~ although I've never been because it's not my cuppa. Really, just about anything goes, which is why you first need to narrow the focus to your own preferences.

Hi guys, yes we are planning late in the game (we just sold our house so we had unplanned good luck!), yes, I'm sure it does make sense to take him to places we are interested in and that reflect his sensibilities ... I guess I'm looking to folks who have had particularly successful trips with similar aged kids (almost 8). He can be a pretty good traveler (we recently went to DC) but I also don't want to push it for the first trip. So, I guess I'm really asking, which places have worked especially well for you and your families.

Hi Rebecca, I don't have any experience taking an almost 8 year old to Europe, but I do know what my daughter disliked at that age. So, for our family vacations, we kept car trips to 5 hours or less, did not center our trips around fancy dining or shopping. This meant we often went camping and hiking in Canada with plenty of time at the natural hot springs for swim time. Has your son read any books with historical characters or locations? Mythological or medeival locations? That would be a great place to start. Les Baux in Provence has a demonstration of the medeival weaponry they let kids participate in. Easy enough to fit in the sunflower and lavender fields. They have festivals with renaissance re-enactments too if you are lucky enough to catch them.
If he has seen the Percy and the Olympians movie (a great book series), he would enjoy all that Greece has to offer. The history in Greece is BIG and right there, as opposed to culture we adults love at museums like the Louvre. Wonderful food, super friendly locals, and lots and lots of island adventure. I hope this gives you some ideas for brainstorming the location of your adventure. Enjoy!

Hi, I just returned from Germany with our eleven year old. We didn't have much time to plan either as most of this trip centered around my husband's training for work. Sometimes it's the simplest things that make the trip memorable. My son was on the European pretzel tour. :) He loved trying out every bakery we came across. We took a trip to the Ritter Sport chocolate factory in Waldenbuch. He attended a chocolate workshop there with about 15 other German children and I know he'll never forget that. We also visited Neuschwanstein Castle and he is excited to read more about King Ludwig and his castles. We were fortunate to visit the Eiffel Tower and that was also a hightlight. We stayed by the Swabian Mountains and hiked to the top where they had a lookout tower. Also something he continues to talk about because we discovered some interesting animals along the way. He enjoyed trying to learn the language to converse in shops and restaurants. And to order ice cream! Hope that helps. Germany was our favorite!

Rebecca-our first family trip to europe was with kids 9&11. We picked Denmark and Norway because we wanted somewhere cooler than atlanta. We have also done England/wales, Italy, france, Ireland, austria/Germany, Italy again. If you are completely wide open, here are some thoughts: Mix city time and country time-my kids loved the sights in the big cities but too many cities at one time and they all run together. Limit to one or two countries so that you are more truly immersed in a single language/culture. Kids will want to see the famous sights-mine loved the Eiffel tower, colosseum, tower of London. Try smaller museums-d'orsay instead of the louvre, Copenhagen' natural history museum instead of the British museum-easier to handle museums in smaller chunks. Do outside, active things- we swam in every country, biked the English countryside, canoed the dordogne, hiked in Ireland. There are wonderful open air museums to be found and my kids liked castle ruins that they could "scramble around" more than pretty palaces. Eat often-don't make the mistake of trying to power through from breakfast to dinner. Sit for a proper lunch. Take a drink, snack break by eating French pastries, Italian gelato (every day, twice a day). Food is not just fuel, you are giving him a cultural experience. Every day possible, return to your hotel for rest/downtime. No talking for anyone-nap, read, maybe play video games (taken out only for that reason). Stay out later than usual, but get up early to see things before lines get too long. Specific ideas: England is familiar with language, knights and castles, children's literature. Italy has familiar food (important). Ireland was our most outdoorsy trip. France has many separate regions with wonderful contrast-WWII history of Normandy, prehistoric cave drawings in the dordogne. You'll have a great trip no matter where you go!

Like everyone else who replied, I don't know which of the many great places in Europe would be best for your family. However, Amsterdam (and northern Europe) is not necessarily a bad choice, especially during the summer. For really better advice from this list, tell us more and be specific. When are you going and for how long; where have YOU been; what is your travel style; what sorts of things do you think you and your son would most enjoy doing.

Certainly nothing wrong with Amsterdam and Barcelona, but if your son were 21 instead of 8, he might enjoy certain aspects of these great cities much, much more! You haven't really provided any information about your interests or his, so I'll suggest London and Paris. Both are great for kids and parents alike, but London can be kind of expensive (exchange rate and Olympics). If you prefer something more laid back, Bavaria might be a good option...lots of outdoor things to do and some powerhouse sights, too. Maybe we just need a little more info from you, because virtually all places can work well...just depends on your interests.

Thanks everyone especially Karen in Atlanta, very helpful. We (my husband and I) have been to France and Italy. My son is a typical kid and likes to read (lately Tin Tin and the Hardy Boys) and he likes Legos and that kind of thing ... When my husband and I went to Paris, we were doing a self-guided Rick Steves tour. When we ended at the department store, we discovered the news about the 9/11 attacks, so that was really an unforgettable experience. I'm looking for something a bit less intense and really as someone said, I think we'll have a good time wherever we go, but just wanted to get a few suggestions. Thanks all.

London is a good choice. Kids like the Tower of London, riding the red double decker buses all over town, and Tower Bridge tour. Seeing the horses at horse guards; be there at 11 am in the summertime, and see the horses and uniformed riders leave on their way to Buckingham Palace for the Changing of The Guard. A ride on the River Thames to Greenwich to see the Maritime Museum is fun. A ride on the London Eye would be fun. Also fun for kids: a trip to a castle that has suits of armor and swords and stuff to see, such as Warwick Castle. They sometimes have jousting in the summertime. Also the Zoo is good. And you can take a canal boat ride right by the zoo. A great book to get if you choose London is "Take The Kids London" by Cadogen Guides. It has great maps of each area of the city, and kid friendly restaurants and cafes listed and reviewed, also tons of great stuff for them to do. Lists free days at museums (some are already free) and attractions for kids.

Rebecca, there is nothing wrong with flying to the city that is easiest to get to, nor with planning a trip this late. We do this all the time. Our last trip to France was in 2009, and we planned the whole thing in about 6 weeks. When your kids are that young, you want to minimize the air travel.

Germany & Austria... Castle tour...I took a 10 year old boy (my grandson) there and we had a great time. We did have a car, which was really a plus, as its hard to figure out just how long a child will be interested in a particular site, so when we were bored, we could move on.