Family of 6 - June trip to Paris, Spain and ??

Twelve to 14 nights with the countries you mention and train travel is a lot. I would suggest at least traveling open jaw so you do not have to waste a day making your way back to Paris to head home. I really don't see how you can get to three countries in 14 days when no matter what you do if you land in Paris, you will have to go either east or west to one country only to double back to the third country and then return to Paris to head home and then still expect to have sufficient down time so you are not always on the the go. "Would like to build in a mix of famous landmarks, accessible small towns (don’t plan on renting a car), and at least one beach destination with sufficient downtime so we’re not always on the go." is just not going to happen in 14 days with these 3 countries.
I would consider landing in Spain, or Italy or Switzerland (if 3 really is the right number which I dispute because I think 2 countries is the more doable number) and then traveling east or west consistently (no backtracking) and then flying home from the last stop. Trains from Spain to Italy are going to use up a full day of travel.

So maybe if it has to be 3 countries, you fly into Spain and spend 4 days in Barcelona with a day trip to Sitges (1 hour or less each way) or Cadaques (2 hours each way). Then fly or take a train to Paris and spend 4 or 5 days there and then fly to Florence for the remainder of the trip. There are other ways to break up the days depending on how much you want to do in each place but I think the minimum amount of time for a decent relatively un-rushed visit to Barcelona is 4 days and 5 days for Paris. And really, consider doing only two countries.

I will also caution you that staying in Paris in June will be expensive this summer because well it's Paris in June and also the Olympics. You should finalize the days you will be in Paris ASAP so you can start looking for accommodations because finding accommodations for a family of six in June in Paris is not easy during the best of times and this coming June will not be the best of times cost and availability wise because of the Olympics.

I think that is too much. I understand first international trip people want to do everything as I did the exact same thing years ago. First off the Olympics are in France and I understand prices for hotels are already sky high in Paris. I think if you could pick two countries that would cut down on the stress of trying to fit too much in a short time. Secondly, whatever you decide be sure to fly into one country and home from another so not back tracking. Book multi city tickets not one way which would more than double the price. Italy can be hot in June as probably would be parts of Spain. Am sure others would have more ideas than I do. Most of our trips are to one country at a time or multi country ones are UK and Ireland. Good luck. Very exciting. Be sure to read Rick Steves Europe thru the Back Door. Very valuable for first timers. You learn how to pack.everything and then leave half of it home. my first trip with my teenagers I did so much "wrong" I wish I had read that book first.

Sorry, but you are trying to fit three separate two-week trips into one. I know that there are so many choices that you are having trouble narrowing it down, but your plan is really unrealistic. Maybe you could pick two that are easy to get to and travel around, but leave Paris out of the mix. Switzerland and italy would be good in that you've got the history and culture in Italy and the mountain scenery in Switzerland.

Train travel in both countries is a great way to travel. You could fly into Rome and spend time there, in Florence, and in Venice. Then take a train to Switzerland and go to the small town of Lauterbrunnen or Wengen.

Plenty of information on all of these on this forum, on FB, and in guidebooks. Look at a website called Man in Seat 61 for train travel. I must say that you are late with your planning so you should be making some decisions soon. And be prepared to fall off your chair when you see what plane fares are for this summer!

Thanks for the insight. We would definitely fly in and out of different cities. Totally forgot about the Olympics! At least if we go to Paris it will be before the Games. The kids likely won’t want to go to a ton of museums, churches, and the like so it’s more about hitting the highlights along with some relaxation and casual exploration. Thought a night train could make things more efficient from Spain to Italy or a similar distance between destinations.

4 kids, 15 - 20. Ask them to suggest a single itinerary ... or 4 separate ones. They're old enough. See what they come up with. Give them a week, ten days tops. You're off to a late start in terms of first choices for hotels.

Remember 12 nights means just 11 days on the ground; 14 night means 13 days. The other days are travel. AND, if you go from Paris to Barcelona to (wherever), you've just killed two more days as travel days. So 12 nights becomes 9 vacation days and 14 nights is now 11 (though you do get the two eves to enjoy your new location). You are right that a night train could claw back a day, if the timing works out.

Definitely open jaw.

Do consider that daytime temps will be 80s (Paris) to 90+ (France/Spain), perhaps even 100 or over (Spain). (Fahrenheit; 25 to 35, perhaps even 40 Celsius).

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Generally, have considered something like: 1) Paris, 2) Barcelona/Sitges (or Cadaqués or another small town), and 3) either heading to Switzerland (probably Lucerne area) or Florence as a base for travel around Tuscany and perhaps Cinque Terre.

This is entirely too ambitious for the time period you have. I think you underestimate the amount of time it will take to get from place to place, and potential jet lag. If you want a beach experience, start with that. Spend 2-3 nights at a beach. Just be prepared for some nudity at the beaches!

Don’t underestimate the heat. Spain in late June will probably be blazing.

Paris would be the last place I would go at that time. It will already be packed with people preparing: news teams, etc.

Be aware that finding lodging will be a challenge. It might be easier in Spain than Paris or Switzerland. You will probably need 2 or 3 hotel rooms. Finding apartments that sleep 6 on real beds will also be a challenge.

I would suggest combining Italy and Austria for a combo of beaches & mountains. Austria is much more affordable than Switzerland. The area around Salzburg is gorgeous. The Dolomites in Italy are a great option, too.

A few thoughts.

Flying open jaws will be helpful.

There are big mountains with cool mountain stuff between France and Spain (Pyrennes).

Your trip would flow better if you cut out Barcelona, or started.or finished there. As it stands you'd double back and waste days on the train.

You beach day/stay can be on a resort lake.

Think.about these two week itineraries, travel either direction

Paris, Colmar, Wengen, Munich

Barcelona, Amboise, Paris, Ghent, Amsterdam

Two countries is already plenty.

It sounds like Paris and Barcelona are your musts. Barcelona and environs have beach options (some right there in the city), but it will be hot. Italy will be worse.

Paris will be crowded. I lived in Atlanta during the 1996 Games, and in the weeks leading up to the Olympics the city was filling up with crowds--officials and coaches wanting to get a lay of the land, volunteers and support crews, and of course early bird visitors and tourists. Everything was packed. You may be early enough at the start of your trip to avoid most of it, but don't count on it. It will also be hot, so if your kids are not up for walking on hot streets, are used to sleeping with AC, or uncomfortable packing tightly on metros in the heat, keep that in mind. Nevertheless, Paris is of course a great city.

If you must do Spain, Barcelona is a good choice because it has the beach you want, and if you get a car you can go to the nearby natural parks. Here again, be aware of the heat. If it's important to "collect countries," you can hit Andorra, but I wouldn't make the special trip just for that; we didn't find it that exciting or special.