Four-week family trip - Netherlands, France, Switzerland, Germany

Just to clarify -- this is your first trip to Europe and you're planning to drive into Amsterdam and Paris?

By the way, "gemology" isn't really a thing, from a scientific perspective. Geology is, certainly. What a lay person might call "gemology" would more properly be called either mineralogy or crystallography, both of which are disciplines within the broader field of geology.

Bob -- Yes, I know some will be skeptical of the driving. I do think that for the Amsterdam part, we will stay in Haarlem and take the train into Amsterdam, but also drive to some places to see windmills, etc. For Paris, we will use public transport when in the city. We may stay a bit outside the city and not drive into Paris at all, or may just drive in to get the car parked. (So I know the car will seem like a waste there, but over the course of the four weeks, it will cost less than train tickets for four people everywhere.) I do a lot of driving in Chicago and have done some in Manhattan. I know Paris is especially intense, but I think I will be able to handle it just for getting into the city and out of it, if we do stay in a central location.

Thanks for the clarification on gems. I guess "gemology" is a casual term for study of gems, which is what my boys like.

Just Googled it. Gemology or gemmology are legitimate terms.

Boy, so many of the places you're going to are best done by train. Hope you're really saving a bundle on that car. I think you may find it difficult to find places to stay with included parking.

IMHO it would be a crying shame to visit Normandy but miss Mont St Michel. Consider a night on the Mont itself, and do NOT do this as a "day trip" where you're there mid-day. Stay the night in one of the small hotels ON the Mont itself. Book this soon, there are few places to stay (and they are all a bit expensive - suck it up, it's worth it). Arrive mid-afternoon, watch the crowds roll away, enjoy the evening on the Mont with few crowds, wake up early and enjoy a few morning hours, then get outta Dodge as the throngs of day-trippers show up. You will be glad you did this and you'll never forget it.

The Roman Ruins in Trier are OK, but not something I'd spend a half day on. Worth a quick look on a drive-by, but I wouldn't linger long. Plenty of more interesting stops along the Rhine, Mosel, or in nearby Luxembourg IMHO.

David -- Yes, I have seen lots of urging on this forum for people to use trains rather than cars. I have gone back and forth about this a lot. I will keep looking at details of how the Eurail 4-country flexi-pass would work. (That seems the most likely to be as economical or more than the car.) The parts that seem tricky by train are Normandy and getting to Idar-Oberstein. I might have to re-evaluate specific routes and days, but of course nothing is set in stone yet. I could also do a short term car rental at some point. If others on this thread have thoughts about train travel to cover some key Normandy sites (including Mont St. Michel), that would be great. I had MSM in an earlier version of my itinerary but cut it out. That's another one I will keep thinking about.

Why not rent a car when it makes sense and take the train when that makes sense? Best of both worlds will save you no end of bother.

And time. EG Paris-Lucerne, 8 hrs drive vs 4-1/2 hrs rail

Regular tickets usually better than a pass, if you buy ahead.

If you are interested in WWI and WWII history, consider visiting Verdun in northern France.

Also, if driving from Trier toward Amsterdam, consider a stop for a few hours at Arnheim, site of THE BRIDGE TOO FAR in the Market Garden Campaign. The bridge is still there and there is a British Army museum in the house that was turned into a hospital during the battle. While still in the Trier area, consider visiting the quaint Luxembourg village of Viaden on the border with Germany.

Rudesheim is a great stop on the Rhein.

The Bayeux Tapestry is amazing. Recommend reading the book 1066 which explains the story of each panel of the tapestry.

I would add a day to beautiful Lucerne, not sure where I'd take it from. Amsterdam, or Paris, perhaps.

We just did a similar trip in June, split 1/2 by car & 1/2 by trains. Certainly do-able all by car, but I must admit, I did enjoy the downtime on the trains! For your next trip - maybe fly home from your last destination? Lot easier.

Anyway, I would revise a few things:

Amsterdam - 3 nights
Lucerne - 2 nights
Munich - 2 nights
Fussen - 2 nights (can't recommend the area enough)
Bacharach (in lieu of Boppard) isn't a bad idea.
Skip the night in Trier (used in this scenario for the extra night in Fussen) - you can stop there on your way back to Amsterdam

Enjoy your trip!

I hope you understand that some of us recommend trains because they can increase your touring time and decrease boring, tedious superhighway driving, and traffic getting to expensive indoor city parking. Europe is not like the U.S. in "hotel parking." For me, tree-hugging is not part of the decision. Cars are better for smaller towns, and worse, even hindrances, in big cities. It was a big mistake for me to return our car in downtown Paris - I drive in NYC three times a week. I also disapprove of AirBnB, so I suggest you make sure your choices are reasonably "legal" and not likely to cancel when someone offers them a longer stay.

Because you mentioned a lesser focus on museums and a big interest in outdoors, I urge you to do enough study to find locations that are more than a green field where it's hard to imagine how many people died there. One plus for the Normany Beaches is the large number of sunken barges and deteriorating artillery bunkers. I think there is less of that in Belgium (but it's not my personal interest or experience.) Will you try to visit at least one Concentration Camp and at least one Nazi-era museum? (I just mean, for your consideration.)

I happen to like Belgium, so it's disappointing to see the country reduced to a stop at Ypres. I've always been struck by the huge number of war memorials (like in each city's train station, post office, police headquarters, and so on.) And most cities have multiple plaques of thanks to the country and regiment that liberated them. Some of them, like the one outside the (otherwise closed) Steen in Antwerp, are particularly heartfelt. Because it's not quite as devastating a visit as a Concentration Camp, you could consider a stop (much easier by car) at Breendonk ( ... Nazi) prison near Mechelen. (free audioguides include English. Government run and free, AFAIR) And the boys could read about the "Mechelen Trials", little known in the U.S. This is a lesser known detail about terrorizing occupied-country civilians and persuading collaborators, rather than exterminating certain groups.

One of my most moving "war stories" was when I went into a small, neighborhood bar in the Deurne section of Antwerp. I had been to a silly "folk museum" that they kept the key for. Anyway, it turned out to be "Liberation Day" (WW II) for that portion of Antwerp. The bar was full of (civilian dress, but mostly with ties) policemen who had just been to the cemetery to decorate their uncles' and fathers' graves. Few of them spoke English confidently, but my money was no good in the bar!

If you have been to the library to read our host (Rick Steves) Netherlands book, you will know that he loves Haarlem and recommends staying there. I always stay in Amsterdam. You might consider the travel time from your hotel to the Haarlem station and the time to Amsterdam each day. The other issue is superb daytrips near Amsterdam that (look at the rail map) you might have to go through anyway. Do not miss the Resistance Museum and the Hollandsche Schouwburg in Amsterdam, because they are very well done and informative.

On your way from Belgium and into France, you might look to see if it makes sense to swing by Etretat and Honfleur. In terms of appreciating the outdoors, Honfluer and Etretat are very visually appealing for different reasons. The harbor with many sailboats, as well as the old town area of Honfleur, is quite a cheerful sight. Etretat has the stunning rock formations but also the remains of German WWII bunkers. Not far from Bayeux, we really liked the artificial harbor at Arromanches with an excellent, but very small museum right next to the beach.

This trip takes me back to our first European vacation with the boys, then ages 8 and 11. One highlight was trading Magic: the Gathering cards with a Dutch 10 year old at a game store in Amsterdam.

That first trip featured too many hotels and too much time on the road trying to get somewhere. A family theme has become "you can spend time or you can spend money" and we try to strike a balance. Granted saving money gets you back to Europe again sooner. That being said, I'm not a fan of one-night stops - too much time is lost checking in, unpacking, briefly getting oriented, packing, checking out and lamenting lost items.

As far as the initial outline goes, it looks to me as if you have the right amount of time in Amsterdam and Munich, maybe not quite enough days in Bayeux and Paris.

Oh, and when people get bored or grouchy, look for a chance to get on the water.
Have a great trip!