Europe with kids

6&2, huh? Not Brussels. The Rhine Valley has potential but maybe in combo with the nearby Mosel Valley, not Rothenburg, which is a long trip for what is basically a 1-day destination. There are lots of "rides" there - river cruises, chair lifts (Boppard, Cochem, Rüdesheim, trains between villages.) St. Goar's Rheinfels castle tour is self-guided - kids can climb and roam freely. Rheinfels Castle Cochem's chair lift Consider staying in Cochem. It's not only one of the most charming villages in Germany - it also has a waterpark with a baby-splash area. Cochem Moselbad / Freizeitzentrum Cochem photos More photos Take the kids to the falconry show at Reichsburg Castle in Cochem. PHOTOS. Lots of apartments are available in this area - we enjoyed the Rhine View apt. in St. Goar.

I would say Germany as well. I don't know that I would ax Rothenberg. The drive can be a time when you can stop for some roadside picnics and also let the children run. You can visit a few of the towns ... Dinkelsbuhl for one... if I remember correctly there was an area where there was a river and a little parks with a number of ducks/swans (? not sure) but my grandson enjoyed it and it's a nice walkable town. Definitely not CT... not sure Nice would be a good fit
London might be a good choice, especially if you venture out into the Cotswolds and some castles (Warwick in particular)

If you're sweating sorry weather, it almsost has to be a city. I had a three and a six in London for two weeks right before Thanksgiving. Stuff they liked (much of it inside): science museum natural history museum kids area at the army museum light stomping at the BBC plaza ferris wheel Kensington playground river ride hestitating so Gramps got caught in the tube flappers pigeon chasing zoo aquarium
top deck of a bus at night toy stores I took them on the Avebury loop one day. Not so good for all the sheep dung, but they enjoyed the hills and stones. The long barrow was a hit for some reason. The only dud was Ripley's.

I have to agree that London would make a great base. You could even take them to Lego Land outside of Windsor. Our kids really enjoyed London (but we didn't take them until they were at least 9 years old).

Strong vote for London here as well. We took our three there two years ago and could have spent far more time than the 4 days we had. So many great places to visit and the museums are mostly free for the kids which is a very nice benefit. In addition, there are loads of fun day trips you could do from London. I would recommend renting a flat so you have more space and a kitchen (handy with kids). I have had good luck with Flipkey but haven't looked specifically at London as we were there such a short time. Enjoy!

I agree that if you're worried about bad weather, then a big city is better. Although Brussels wouldn't be one of my top choices with kids. I'd vote London, just because there is a ton of indoor stuff you can do that would appeal to kids and adults alike. If budget is an issue, then Germany would be next, although I think you'd have to plan carefully for what cities and how much moving around you want to do.

I would counter that Brussels is actually a pretty decent destination for kids. It has some very kid-friendly museums, including the Musical Instrument Museum and Autoworld. It has several family-friendly parks where you can let the kids loose for an hour or so to blow off some steam. And MiniEurope has to be just about the best kid-oriented educational parks I've ever seen (although, it's closing permanently at the end of this summer, because the property is being redeveloped). Also, nearby Plankendaal is one of the better zoos I've seen in Europe. Finally, at Beersel they can explore one of the better preserved medieval castles in the region.

London's the place. Ed mentioned the top deck of a double decker which was always fun for my boys day or night sitting up front. Harrods' toy department was a must. Zia Teresa across the street from Harrods has good Italian food which kids like. Your 6 y.o. will be fascinated by the mummies at the British museum.

Thank you to all that posted. Looks like London was the overwhelming favorite, so we booked our trip today. When we return, I'll post a summary of the trip. Thanks again!