Can you dream up a 2 week itinerary for KIDS 10 & 15 for Spring Break 2010?

If you're going to do castles, you should hit Neuschwanstein in Bavaria. Find a farmhouse to stay in, the kids'll love it. If you go along the Rhine, too, in Bacharach there's a hostel with family rooms in a castle.

Peter, you didn't say which countries you plan to visit besides France and Italy. Also, what are the girls interested in? The five-year age difference is a lot. The younger girl would probably love Legoland. My nieces did (similar age difference), especially the younger one, when they were that age. (Went to the one in Denmark). From Paris, you might make an overnight trip to Mont-Saint-Michel and once you're in Italy, why not go to Florence and/or Rome? There's plenty to do and see for both girls. Is the older girl fashion-conscious? She'd have plenty to admire in Paris and Rome. Perhaps you could spend a few days outside of Florence, do an agroturismo thing on a farm with animals to pet if the girls would like that and make day-trips into Florence. Or go to one of the lakes, Como or Maggiore, do boat rides and visit the small towns. Maybe the girls will be inspired to study French or Italian and later go back as exchange students. I'd equip them with digital cameras before the trip and encourage them to keep a brief trip diary, maybe with illustrations, even it it's just "today Paris, saw some cute shoes". This trip sound like lots of fun for the whole family and I agree, they're going to get a lot more out of it than a week of school. Hope you'll keep us posted as your plans develop!

Smaller museums tend to go over better than big ones. I'd try the Musee D'Orsay rather than the Louvre--most folks find impressionist paintings more accessible than most other European art, and its less of a long trudge of a visit. Likewise, if you go to Florence, make sure you see David--they'll likely be fascinated to see something in person that they already know from pictures. Have them keep notes on the best gelato flavors they try.

How about Venice? Canals, gondolas, little bridges, murano glass factories and inexpensive glass necklaces to buy as souvenirs spells "cool" to me.

And speaking of water, do the Bateaux Mouches in Paris--my kids loved any boat trip anywhere when they were that age. Angelina tearoom for the best hot chocolate in the world and delicate mont blanc meringues. Sainte Chapelle for its breathtaking stained glass. Eating Nutella laced crepes from a sidewalk crepes vendor. Paris is full of delights.

And how about a day trip to Versailles? Not really a castle but pretty spectacular.

Why not have the kids research some of the places you are thinking about on the internet and help setting your itinerary? If they've picked a sight, they're less likely to complain about it than if you've picked it.

My 10 year old loved Prague and Krakow - we had a blast. That part of the world is so different and so great and not so expensive.

While he didn't LOVE Amsterdam - he really liked Haarlem. We don't go very heavy on museums. Do more castles and historical buildings. Also, a private guide is a great wat to see a city with kids - in Prague we hired a great gentleman (Martin) - having someone take you into building you would normally skip and show you all the neat places you would never find is a great way to spend a morning with kids.

To add to what Peter of Florida has to say about the Science Museum, you can get there by boat on the Canal St. Martin, which is fun.

For two weeks in March, I would suggest minimizing travel--so France and Italy would be just about right without adding too much boring travel time. (Though my youngest adored European trains--she couldn't get enough of them!) I would think about Pisa if you are doing Cinque Terre, too. My kids at those ages particularly liked seeing things in person that they already knew about--so the Leaning Tower of Pisa, David in Florence, even the Mona Lisa in a quickie trip to the Louvre were all hits.

Keep in mind that weather in March is both changeable and still pretty cold and wet as a rule, so I would emphasize cities with the possibility of indoor activities over countryside where a cold wet day is no fun at all.

If you decide to go to Germany during your trip I would take them to Rheinfels castle in St. Goar. My kids loved this castle ruin. It's the one thing they actually didn't find boring on our trip. My son and his friend are 17 and my daughter is 13. They weren't thrilled about the cute little villages and all the grapes vines. My daughter told me yesterday that Rheinfels was the best part of the whole trip, better than the cruise down the Rhine with fireworks, better than the ride on the Seine in Paris, better than going up to the top of the Eiffel tower.

P.S. I forgot to mention that they didn't care too much for Burg Eltz or Cochem either. The guided tours were ok but they like the freedom to go wherever they wanted in Rheinfels and the cool tunnels.