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Europe Itinerary Help!

Hi everyone, I'm Rebecca and I'm new to the forum. Glad to be here. I've purchased and am reading through Rick Steve's Europe Through the Back Door to help plan our trip next summer. I'm still having a bit of a brain block in getting started with an itinerary (the first step).

We are a family of 5 and the kids will be 11, 8 and 6 by summer 2026. We plan to have 6 weeks in Europe in July and August, flying out of NYC or a nearby airport. Must see locations so far are London and Paris. I have such a long list on my "maybe" list that I don't even know where to start narrowing down and I'm hoping some can lend a hand there.

My kids are good travelers, but we will definitely need/want down days. We love the beach/lake/swimming, exploring nature, cool museums. My daughter loves all things princesses, my oldest loves cars, engineering and how things work and my youngest is along for the ride (he just loves life lol). We are planning to do 3 days in Disneyland Paris as part of our time in Paris.

How many stops are realistic to add to London and Paris for a 6 week trip? Would 6 total be too ambitious if we did 1 week in each place (accounting for travel of course)?

On my list of possible places to add: Switzerland (unsure which cities), Belgium, Amsterdam, Brussels and/or Bruges. The Amalfi Coast is a bucket list for me, but I realize it's an outlier. Too much to add for this trip or doable? I'd love to see Italy but perhaps just northern Italy. Are the lakes worth a visit (lake Garda)?

If you're still reading, thank you and I would appreciate any insight and help in pointing me to the direction of narrowing down spots to start an itinerary ☺️

Posted by
9058 posts

We lived in Europe (Germany) for four years and have traveled with pre-teens and teens.

When I first traveled my son was 5 and daughter 11. My son is now 49 and says he doesn't remember much of what he saw on trips prior to age 10. Museums are a bit difficult with young children. I remember when my son was almost 8 after half an hour in the Lourve he was ready to leave. Still, on that same trip he was in awe of The Sistine Chapel at St. Peter's and wanted to know all about the frescoes.

You can still do a lot with kids, but need plan more for toilet breaks. Also, children ages 6 and 8 might not have the stamina to walk 3 or 4 miles a day touring. Most importantly, when traveling with young kids, make sure you keep them close to you and don't have them carrying valuable items. My daughter lost her camera to a pickpocket in Rome at age 14.

Sometimes hotel rooms for five persons may be harder to come by, so you and your husband might have to split up if you get two rooms. I recommend B&Bs over hotels, especially if you visit smaller cities. In major cities like London and Paris you probably will have to go with a hotel. I have never rented an apartment, so I can't help you there.

I suggest a minimum of 5-6 days in both London and Paris, more if possible. Still, it is good to visit smaller cities and towns.
In England, I recommend a number of places that I have been fond of visiting. Here are some you can do with day trips from London (Windsor Castle, Stonehenge, Oxford, Cambridge and Blenheim Palace (Churchill's birth place). Also, Bath, Winchester, Warwick Castle (this is a great place to take kids), Canterbury and especially York (plan 2-3 nights there), Take the train for most.

In France, I recommend Verdun if you are interested in WWI history. Normandy is great, don't miss Bayeux and see the 900 year old Bayeux Tapestry. Strasbourg is on the border with Germany and opposite the Black Forest and near Switzerland. For the Black Forest consider Friberg and Triberg. Versailles Palace is a little west of Paris, but easy to get to by train.

In Switzerland (the most expensive country in Europe) you have magnificent scenic places. Consider visiting Interlakken and Lucerne. Geneva is nice. The lake district, that you mentioned is great and near Milan, Italy.

Bruges is great and Brussels is worth a day. Amsterdam you could spend a week, but mainly because of the Rijksmuseum and Van Gogh Museum as well as Anne Frank Museum. Anne Frank would not be advisable for young children. The art museums are great, but with three young kids, not sure how long they would handle them. We spent 3 hours in each.

From Amsterdam, do a Windmills and countryside tour.

I suggest spending two weeks in England, two weeks in France then at least a week in Switzerland. You could do another week in Belgium and Netherlands, if you have time.

Regarding beaches in Europe, you would be disappointed if you spend much time there. There are some good beaches in southern Italy, Greece and a few in Spain and southern France, but they are usually very crowded in the Summer, especially August. Also, they are not nearly as nice as what we have in Florida or California.

Disneyland, OK, I understand you have kids that would love that, but you can do that in the USA.

You mentioned the Amalfi Coast, but that is way south in Italy near Naples and it really has no beaches there. Italy is my favorite foreign country with all its ancient, medieval and renaissance history and art, but you seem probably won't have time to do Italy.

If cars are an interest, if you are near Stuttgart, the Mercedes and Porsche factories are there. You can tour them.

One thing my kids loved was going up the Eiffel Tower and doing a Seine River cruise in Paris.

Posted by
3419 posts

Assume you will return to Europe when you can visit the places you miss seeing in 2026. One week in each place sounds like a good pace. Traveling from one place to another takes all day so I suggest going to: England, Belgium, Amsterdam and France. This will make the logistics easier to navigate than hauling three kids on long train rides, especially if transfers are needed. A full day on a train is boring and moving luggage from train to train is cumbersome and heavy no matter how light you pack. Furthermore, trains are not always on time so you spend a lot of time waiting.

Posted by
15729 posts

I'm glad you are already looking at cutting down your list, hahaha! THAT is the hard part.

I might think in terms of:

1 week London
10 days in England.
1 week in Paris (NOT counting your Disney days)
1 week in France
3 days Disney
1 week in Switzerland - And for this I would NOT choose a city, I would choose the Lauterbrunnen Valley which is drop-dead gorgeous. The hiking can be pretty easy so you do not need to be strong hikers for this and it's certainly accessible for your youngest. IF you are not an outdoorsy mountain-type family I might wait on Switzerland.
IF you skip Switzerland and its outdoor activities, I would divide time between Bruges and Amsterdam and fly home from Amsterdam.

What a fun time you will have!

Got passports?

Posted by
887 posts

How do you plan on getting around? Trains, car rental, a combination?

July and , especially, August will be hot the further south you travel.

What type of accommodations do you prefer? Are you hotel with dinner out or apartment with meals from your own kitchen type family?

The UK, including Scotland and Wales, and France will give your princess an abundance of castles to choose. Maybe even spend the night. Your engineer may want to see the artisans building Guedelon Castle in France. Do you see walks through meadows surrounded by mountains or a train journey with spectacular views out the window in Switzerland?

You could spend 6 weeks in each of the countries on your list. Think about what your family would enjoy most, a quick skim or a deep dive now and then. Do you like being on the move or settling in where the local boulangerie learns your little one's favorite treat?

Yes, it's overwhelming when there are so many wonderful opportunities to create memories with your family.

With your definites of London, Paris and Disney I would keep it to 3 countries max. Otherwise, introducing the family to a new culture and language might be overload for some (including adults).

Keep reading and keep asking questions. Enjoy your planning.

Posted by
8 posts

Wow thank you SO Much for the fabulous feedback and advice!

We plan to travel by train only (or land travel) once we land from our initial flight as my husband is not a good flier (to put it lightly).

As far as the first stop, any recommendations on flying into one city over another? Is London or Paris a better city to fly into, or does it more depend on price than anything else? London is North so I figured we'd start there and work our way south. But not if flights are significantly more.

For accommodations we've been thinking of a house swap. We usually do Airbnb/VRBO for all of our travels because, as mentioned, most places can't accommodate family of 5 easily. So we do like to stock up on groceries to cook in home. But we also definitely want to take part in the local cuisine! But a house swap would cut down on overall cost. Any experience there in these forums?

Posted by
2674 posts

You could start in Edinburgh then train to London and finally Eurostar to Paris and home from there or add a last week in Amsterdam all using trains. we did a similar trip September and August 2023 and really enjoyed the train systems. On other trips we rented apartments or houses when there were five or six of us and that was fun also.Just be sure to get places with AC especially for Paris.. Good luck. Planning is fun and just be prepared for a glitch here and there that is a good part of the memories.

Posted by
7523 posts

London and Paris will be challenging enough. For the other 2/3 of your trip I would opt for places that are much smaller, on the level of Bruges or smaller yet.

The Meuse River area in Belgium from Venlo to Maastricht is lovely for biking and just enjoying nature and small-town life. Maastricht is a gem:

https://www.visitvenlo.nl/sites/default/files/inline-images/fietskaart%20maasroute%202_0.jpg

From this area it's a short border-hop to some nice parts of Germany. The cities of Aachen and Cologne are close by, the castles, old-world villages, and the scenery of the Rhine River gorge (south of Koblenz) a bit further a bit further:

https://www.ricksteves.com/watch-read-listen/read/articles/cologne-perfume-chocolate-god

https://img.fotocommunity.com/marksburg-braubach-bc203e81-d606-4f2f-bb8d-17e275e8ba88.jpg?height=1080

http://www.loreley-info.com/eng/rhein-rhine/castles.php

https://i2.wp.com/herbert-piel.de/wp-44b92-content/uploads/2016/01/Loreleytal.jpg?fit=960%2C641

Many German hostels specialize in accommodating families. Some are housed in historic buildings. This one in Diez, near the Rhine River and Limburg, Germany, is a castle-hostel that we enjoyed as a family. Our young princess at the time thought it was cool, and we did too. It is easily accessible by train, too.

https://www.jugendherberge.de/en/youth-hostels/diez/

Posted by
9058 posts

You can book an "open jaw" trip. Fly into one airport, like London and fly out of another (Amsterdam, Geneva or Zurich).
If you want to spend more time in the UK, fly into Edinburg and spend a few days in Scotland, it is amazing. Someone else recommend that.

Posted by
3419 posts

Fly into one city and out the other known as multi-city when booking travel.

Posted by
887 posts

Rebecca,

For better airfares, try not to fly home from the UK. At this time, there are additional fees/taxes for flights departing the UK. This does not apply to flights connecting in UK.

So, far example, flying NYC to London and returning Zurich to NYC should be less expensive than the reverse, NYC to Zurich with return London to NYC.

Here are a few suggestions to help you narrow down potential destinations.

I've never done a house swap. I would start looking on the various websites to see which companies might be a good fit for you. Is there an abundance of possible homes in destinations that have good train connections?

In addition to Airbnb/VRBO, in larger cities, such as London and Paris, there are Apart-hotels that may work for you.

In France there are gîtes, self catering cottages, usually in a more rural area, requiring a car. You can find similar offerings in other countries, sometimes with pools, on a farm, ...

While many countries have good rail networks, some places are more public transportation friendly than others. Switzerland, for example, is easy to explore with trains, buses and boats. France has some areas where a car is not necessary, such as Alsace and the Riviera. However, some areas, such as the Dordogne in southwest France, are best seen by car. I've spent 2 week in northern Italy traveling easily by trains and buses. Southern Italy requires more logistical planning.

Good luck with your planning. I know it's hard to choose when there is so much abundance of wonderful places in Europe.

Posted by
41 posts

I think 6 stops with about a week in each would be totally fine, especially if you plan it so you can just take one direct train from city to city with no transfers. You could shorten stays in some places a couple days and lengthen others depending on your interest, ie if you're planning on Disneyland Paris for 3 days I would perhaps add a couple days to Paris. Hit up Versailles for princess vibes for your daughter! Have fun!

Posted by
41 posts

Also, people in this forum love to go deep in a particular place, and I totally get that, but if you're not expecting to get back to Europe anytime soon, as most people can't go every year, no issue or shame at all with traveling only to major cities or to dream destinations for your family. If your family's top priorities are Paris, London, Amsterdam, Brussels, and Bruges, by all means just go to those cities and don't worry too much about spending weeks in small villages in rural France or whatever.

I will give a warning that I have been in Amsterdam in both summer and fall and did not find it pleasant in summer at all. In fact if I hadn't happened to have friends who wanted to go I would never have gone back in fall and would have gone the rest of my life feeling that it's the number one worst city in all of Europe. That being said, it's gorgeous and with a week your family will be able to get out of the most touristy areas and enjoy quieter neighborhoods. Don't want to discourage you, but when you are traveling in summer unfortunately you do not always see Europe at its best.

Posted by
714 posts

I would scrap Amsterdam. I don't think it's as kid friendly or interesting as some other places (I mean, the museums are great and I love the city, but less so for kids). If you do go, the place for kids is Kinderdijk and its windmills.

Your oldest might like Munich, which is great for cars (BMW) and how things work (Deutsches Museum--great for all the kids). You could take a day trip to Neuschwanstein, which might appeal to your daughter. The German Alps might be cheaper than Switzerland, too--and the salt mines at Berchtesgaden or the Sound of Music sites in Salzburg can also be fun for kids. But of course I think Switzerland would be a great addition.

Bruges and Brussels are great cities. But of course we did them as adults, so less input there. The train between them is very short, so you could potentially stay in one and do a day trip or two to the other.

You'll have a blast whatever you decide!

Posted by
8 posts

Thank you! Yes it's sooo hard to narrow down because the list is endless. I'm 37 and this will be my first time ever in Europe, so it's hard to say when we'll be back. I'm torn between taking the slow route and really soaking in a few countries, or speeding up the pace to see more countries with less time in each.

I never thought hostels accommodated families so that's a neat tip! We are also already planning on flying into one city and out of another, to save time. Do most people fly overnight from East Coast US to Western Europe? It seems to me that it would make sense to fly during the day so we would be awake when it's daytime in Europe, and then land later in the day so we could go to sleep when we will already be tired. The longest time change I've done as an adult is NY to Hawaii, and my kids have never changed time zones. I'm sure it'll take a few days to adjust no matter what.

Posted by
263 posts

Switzerland is heaven for kids/families. We spent a week with our then 6 year old in Meiringen and Reuti. I got the location ideas from Untours which is a tour company that rents apartments and has a big focus on Switzerland. We booked apartments through each towns tourist office and the cost was reasonable. Reuti is a tiny place only reachable via cable car which was so fun. There are zip lines and great playgrounds everywhere. We did some great gentle hiking and had so much fun. Highly recommend!

Posted by
7523 posts

So we do like to stock up on groceries to cook in home... But a house swap would cut down on overall cost. Any experience there in these forums?

House swap: Hard to arrange for a specific time period. And would you be content staying in only one place for the balance of your time??

Costs: I'd avoid Switzerland. Everything there is pricey, with Germany and Austria being more reasonable alpine destinations. You mention Airbnb, an option most Americans are familiar with. In Europe, accommodations for 5 are less common than accommodations for 2-3, so it would be unwise to limit your choices by looking only at this one company (Airbnb.) The local tourist offices there provide the widest selection of rentals. And there are other commercial companies beyond Airbnb to consider as well.

My small family of 3 has used vacation rentals over many years in Germany and Austria. A Ferienwohnung or Ferienhaus (vacation apt./house) is the term there. We once stayed in the Black Forest rental listed below (page is in German) which had capacity for 5, a simple family-run farmhouse apartment with kitchen and a nice deck overlooking the idyllic green hillsides. We did not have a car - we used trains only across 4-5 nights for outings from the town (Steinach) to different Black Forest destinations. It was a fine little place. We shopped at the local market and made simple meals while there, went out once or twice in the nearby towns. The place curently rents for €39/night/2 persons base price:

https://www.traum-ferienwohnungen.de/13558/

The Black Forest is a scenic rural area with historic towns and a solid network of rail transportation. It's a good place for families with kids, generally speaking. An additional $-saving consideration is the free transportation that comes with your vacation rental in certain Black Forest towns. We paid nothing for our outings, thanks to the KONUS program:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KkgzMXQ7blQ

Maybe a week or so in a place like this one would be right for you too.

The site below (English version of the site in German above) is not as complete as the German site but may be helpful as you search for housing options - it covers other countries too:

https://www.vacation-apartments.com/europe/germany/

Posted by
2242 posts

Family of 5,
In France we have often used gites-de-france.com to find places for our family. In 2023 we had a four bedroom 3 bath large home for seven of us (5 adults and a 9 year old and 12 year old. It was $3000.00 for 10 nights (That's cheap for seven people. Three hotel rooms would cost way more than that.) We had a huge property, short drive to nearby villages and a modern kitchen, plus swimming pool and on site caretakers. Of course, a car was needed in the Dordogne, but we have used gites-de-France often for other locations and for shorter stays. They have been around much longer than AirBandB and are terrific for finding places in France.
Best of luck in your planning!

Posted by
1863 posts

Switzerland is heaven for kids/families ...

... with large budgets. A bit like Disney in that regard. Beautiful, though. (We'll be headquartered for a week in Geneva this summer.)

Posted by
8 posts

Thank you for the advice on finding housing, this is great! This is exactly what I need to know since we're used to travel within the US and Canada. I love personal recommendations so thanks.

Are the Alps "better" in Switzerland, similar to how everyone says if you see Niagara Falls only from the New York side you are missing out because they are way better on the Canadian side (which is true, we've seen both sides). Or are they pretty similar in the different countries in which they span?

Posted by
1107 posts

I took my son, then 12, to Europe in 2018. We were meant to stay a year, but we had to come home after 7 months. We visited 15 countries. These are my thoughts:
1. Amsterdam is not kid friendly. When they are old enough for Anne Frank House (probably 11 or 12+), take them there. Same goes for Bruges. If you want to visit this area, consider the Belgian coast. The Atlantikwall museum is very approachable, and your little guy will LOVE all the nooks and crannies of the bunkers, even if he doesn't understand what they were for. DeHaan is a nice, touristic beach town that would make a great base. You don't need a car because there is a tram that runs all the way along the coast. There is an aquarium a little further northeast that I didn't know about and regret not visiting. It could be terrible. We did the coast as a day trip from Bruges, but honestly, we could have done it the other way around and been very satisfied.
2. The Mercedes-Benz museum in Stuttgart was the best car museum we visited, hands down. We also toured Porsche while we were there (meh). BMW is good in Munich. Italian national in Turin was excellent (I loved Turin, BTW), the Prince Rainier car collection in Monaco was pretty good. The transportation museum in Lucerne was great. As was the mini-golf place next door.
3. Aquariums were our other common stop. We loved the one in Monaco that Jacques Cousteau worked at. Genoa had a pretty cool one, with areas modeled after different types of boats. The one in San Sebastián was good.
4. Castles. I prefer ruined castles, rather than ones that are full of dead rich guys' stuff (Versailles, for example, is a hard no for me). Our very favorite was Beynac in Dordogne. We also enjoyed the fortified city of Carcassonne. Dun Luce in Northern Ireland was another favorite.
5. Denmark is a very kid-friendly country with lots for kids to see and enjoy, especially the younger ones. All the Lego stuff in Billund, Thomas Dambo's trolls, Tivoli, on and on. It does run more expensive, so this would be a good place for house swap (see below).
4. Germany is a very kid-friendly country with castles (real ones and fake ones like Neuschwanstein), car museums, inexpensive groceries (my experience, YMMV), mountains, you name it.
5. Ireland is a kid-friendly country with castles, cool geology, fairies, beaches, weird ancient burial sites of all varieties.
6. The Dordogne valley offers lots for kids to enjoy: Beynac and other castles; caves and cave paintings; river trips. Best seen with a car. It's not expensive to rent a car, especially if you get a small one and just use it for day trips without your luggage.
7. Speaking of luggage, small people wear small clothes and even smaller ones in summer. Pack light. Carryon only for everyone, especially important for train travel. Everyone should be able to handle their own luggage.
8. House swapping. There is simultaneous house swapping, which is a challenge to arrange, but sites like HomeExchange.com work on a point system. The more people you can sleep and the more popular your location, the more points you earn letting your house out. You use those points to stay at someone else's house. You get a certain number of points for joining and for referrals. Of course, you can also do simultaneous exchange through that site if the dates line up. You can sign up now and start earning and using points during this year's shorter vacations to see if you like it before relying on it for your big trip.
9. I made traveling in Switzerland and Austria more affordable by staying in very nice campgrounds on the outskirts of Lucerne, Innsbruck and Salzburg, as well as smaller villages. Many campgrounds offer glamping tents or cabins and require no special equipment. All of the ones we stayed at offered fresh baked goods every morning, and some had restaurants. All had European children to play with.

Posted by
2084 posts

A year out you have to keep in mind things change. For example, the Bayeux Tapestry that's been mentioned will not be available for viewing next year; that museum's closing in SEP for two years.

I'd suggest you look at working the kids into the trip more than just time at Disneyland, and I really can't see that being a 3 day destination. Look at staying in a castle for your princess, a really good car museum for the boy, and something fun you can all do for the youngest. Consider a rodelbahn, basically a really long sled ride downhill. Or a Zeppelin ride. Or a boat ride. Or just a day at a waterpark/therme.

Someone mentioned the Mercedes and Porsche museums in Stuttgart, both are very good, especially if you like cars. Both also have displays for kids. But Stuttgart also has a great zoo, and excellent museum full of dinosaurs, and is just a short drive from Legoland. It's not a common tourist destination, but it's very family friendly.

In Paris there's an excellent Aviation Museum that's a big hit with kids. They have flight simulators and other stuff specifically for younger enthusiasts. https://www.museeairespace.fr/

Another family friendly place I'd suggest would be Lake Constance, where you have the Alps, the great castle at Meersberg, the aforementioned Zeppelin rides, beaches, dinosaurs, the fantastic garden at Mainau, and a lot more. I took a couple teenagers down there last summer and they really had a good time.

Something else you might consider, that's just renting a place for a week or two and getting to know the area. This is one of the better sites for that I know: https://www.fewo-direkt.de/

Here's an excellent castle to stay in: https://www.burg-rheinstein.de/

Here's a rodelbahn: https://www.sommerrodelbahn-saarburg.de/

Do a little thinking and research and you're going to have a really fun time.

Posted by
869 posts

real ones and fake ones like Neuschwanstein

I almost find it funny. What is a fake castle?

I find it funny because most tourists from overseas flock to cities like Rothenburg ob der Tauber and melt away because it's such a beautiful old medieval town. I'd rather call it at least partially fake, since 40% of the town fell victim to a bombing raid. Just as much of what you see in supposedly old cities in Germany is simply fake because it was rebuilt after the war.

Neuschwanstein is the fantasy of a Bavarian king who had the castle built exactly as it is today. It suffered zero damage during the war and it doesn't say it's older than it is. So it's not to everyone's taste and unfortunately, it's become a tourist trap for me too, but what it certainly isn't is fake.

Posted by
225 posts

Oh this is very cool! I totally get being so excited -- and overwhelmed -- by all the options. I've read through everyone's comments and thought I'd chime in with more lol.

I'm basing this idea off of 1) it being hot summer months, so preferencing the north, 2) other people's recommendations to skip Amsterdam for now with the kids' ages, 3) Italy being worth its own trip later, 4) other outdoorsy nature options other than pricey Switzerland, and 5) easy public, ground transit:

  • fly into Edinburgh, ~7 nights (recover from jet lag, see Edinburgh, do day trips to Stirling Castle, small coastal towns, and to Leith to see the royal yacht)
  • train down to York, where there can be some low-key days (and a train museum your kids might like), ~3 nights
  • train down to London, 10 nights. Could do Windsor Castle as a day trip for your princessy daughter
  • train to Paris, 10 nights
  • Disney, 3 nights
  • if I've got my math right, that leaves you still with about a week, which you could spend either in other parts of France OR you could add initial time in Scotland to include the Highlands, Isle of Skye etc for more nature
  • fly home from Paris

I was also thinking (am I remembering correctly this is your first trip to Europe?) that keeping it to "just" the UK and France would help with overwhelm, especially since six weeks and three kids is already wonderfully ambitious!

I hope you'll keep us posted!

PS.

my youngest is along for the ride (he just loves life lol)

This made me smile :)

Posted by
8 posts

Thank you Hannah! So many wonderful recommendations from everyone, I'm unsure how I will choose! It's a wonderful problem to have☺️

I've taken Amsterdam off the list for now.

I have:
London
Paris
Switzerland (still narrowing down where exactly)
South of France

As our new possible places. I think this would be a good mix of city, mountains/hiking in Switzerland and beaches in South of France.

Any specific recommendations on beaches or areas in South of France?

I know this still covers quite a bit of land considering we're sticking to land travel, but I'd like to see as much as possible while keeping our sanity!