Help narrowing down stops for 2 weeks with 4 teens Summer 2019

Too many locations for the time you have. And some of your proposed stops are geographic outliers that don't make sense (eg Prague). Don't feel compelled to go someplace just because you've heard "everyone loves it".

Pick 4 locations, which have some reasonable geographic congruity. Get out a map and look at where your ideas are...find some logical grouping that work well together, via train.

Hint: Paris does not pair well (by train, on a short trip) with Florence (or any of Italy) or Prague. Paris does pair well with Amsterdam, and lots of other places in the neighborhood (Bruges, Ghent, Brussels, other parts of France...) If someone wants to go to versailles...why do you think you can't make that happen?

Be careful about trying to squeeze in too many places, especially places that are distant from each other.

Let's say you have 15 nights. As David says. you are spread quite thin. Lots of transit time across long distances means lost time and high expense.

You could easily spend two weeks between Paris, the Netherlands (more than just Amsterdam!), and Belgium. I'd give Paris alone a full 7 nights, then you could manage to do Versailles.

Gimmelwald is cute and the greater Jungfrau Region spectacular, but you need time to get there and enjoy it. You could combine Paris with the Jungfrau Region and travel by train, but it is a long transfer day. Then you could transfer to Florence on another longish train day. You could do 7 nights Paris, 4 in the Jungfrau Region, and 4 in Florence, if you have 15 nights...

I hope this is a "family" decision. We have taken 3 11-12 YO grandsons' to Europe on trips they designed, not that we designed. Believe me, you'll have a lot more fun letting them drive the train!

I just listed the place that we are discussing, not planning on visiting all of them!
The kids are certainly part of the discussion, but they want to spend 2 nights in each place and go to 7 places....ummmm NO!
Thanks for the feedback thus far. Interested in feedback based on our interest & travel style.
We enjoy National Parks, we have done 17 nights in New England. Kids favorite was Maine in a small fishing village exploring quaint towns. They also loved NYC and seeing sites. We almost always do VRBO/Air B&B/Bed&Breakfasts b/c we need two hotel rooms.
I prefer go fewer places & stay longer, soak it in. But husband and kids are voting go to as many places as possible.
Please keep offering feedback! Appreciate your time!

As suggested above, get the kids very involved in the planning. You are much less likely to have unhappy campers if they have a hand in setting up the itinerary. And that means mom and dad are less likely to be unhappy as well. Personally, I'd restrict the trip to three (or four at the max) places and do day trips from each location. My reasoning is that it almost always takes longer to change locations than anticipated even when everything goes well (and often times they don't). It's not just the actual travel time, it's the packing up, checking out, getting everybody to the train station (perhaps two taxis), finding the track and waiting for the train. Then, upon arrival, you have to clear the terminal, get a taxi(s), get to your hotel, check in (if your room is ready), and unpack to some degree. You want good memories of unique sights, good food, and people you'll meet. If you try to cover too much territory, you might wind up with only blurred memories of taxi rides, train stations, and riding the rails. If your locations are far apart, you might consider flying between them as there are some inexpensive air lines that are really pretty good. Just offering food for thought.

Oops, did not see your last post before posting my own.

Paris then ATV to Barcelona. The high speed train is an excellent experience for all ages.
Barcelona offers a huge menu of opportunites and a variety of day trips. One day you can go to Montserrat, up the mountain on a tram and take a great hike. Another day you can spend on the beach swimming in the Med, a place for the whole family to chill. Then by train to Madrid, AVE high speed of course, where you will experience a totally different culture of Spain.
Consider the journey:
Paris - international capital and big menu for all
Barcelona - I will suggest Barc is the international capital for another country with a culture not to be found elsewhere (also great metro system)
Madrid - another international capital, great metro system and excellent day trip opportunities.
If it were me I would do:
Paris five days
Barcelona seven days
Madrid five days
Consider you are traveling a great deal of geography with only two days of transfers.

Here's one possible itinerary:

Amsterdam 4 nights. Train to Paris
Paris 6 nights. Train to Berner Oberland (Warning: This is at least a 5-1/2 hour trip).
BO 4 nights. Early train to Zurich for afternoon flight home.

That might leave an extra day in play.

The Alps are a little harder to reach but in my view worth it if you are able to spend at least 3 days on the ground there.

Amsterdam makes a great introduction to Europe.

There are lots of contrasts in this itinerary to make each experience distinct.

Although I like Marbleskies' destinations, summer is not ideal for either Madrid (hot) or Barcelona (moderately hot and possibly humid). Weather-wise, Amsterdam (art) and other spots in the Netherlands would probably be fine. Maybe somewhere in the French Alps if you don't want to spend the time traveling all the way to a place like Murren.

Hint: Paris does not pair well (by train, on a short trip) with
Florence (or any of Italy) or Prague. Paris does pair well with
Amsterdam, and lots of other places in the neighborhood (Bruges,
Ghent, Brussels, other parts of France...) If someone wants to go to
versailles...why do you think you can't make that happen?

I'm in this camp although Versailles doesn't appeal due to the mob there (we skipped it on our week in Paris and didn't miss it at all). Although I'm allergic to "quaint" anything, you'll find plenty of atmospheric charm the architecture of Paris, Belgium and parts of the Netherlands, and we explored some wonderful art in Paris, Bruges, Ghent, Antwerp and Amsterdam.

Save Italy for a trip which concentrates JUST on that country as there's so much to absorb there, not that France, Belgium or the Netherlands don't offer enough. It's just not a good choice for a 2 or 3-day stay.

Prague: I don't know, never have been but everyone loves it?

Not a good reason to put it on your list. Do the research and decide if what it has to offer appeals to YOU. You have too many locations which are too spread out for an efficient 2-week trip so try to narrow the focus.

But husband and kids are voting go to as many places as possible.

There is blowing through a bunch of locations and spending more time dealing with transport, checking in and out of accommodations and acclimating to new cities than seeing much anything at all, and there is choosing fewer places and getting to know and experience them. I think you'll find that most of the folks here will vote in favor of the latter. Besides, with 6 people and all their stuff, fewer versus more moves is going to reduce stress: you're only going to move as fast as the slowest, least organized person in your group.

My husband & I went to the Netherlands, Belgium & France this past June. You could include these 3 countries flying in/out of Paris & Amsterdam.

Amsterdam you could spend 4 nights with even a daytrip to Haarlem or the Waterland area. Some interesting sites could include Anne Frank House, Rijksmuseum, Van Gogh Museum, Canal cruise, Hermitage Museum & Ons Lieve Heerp op Solder (the hidden church).

Belgium- You could base in Brussels with a daytrip to Bruges or Ghent. I wasn't thrilled with Brussels on a previous visit so we based in Bruges this visit. Quaint yet bustling. Recommend Huis Koning for a wonderful B&B. From Bruges you could daytrip also to the Coast (Coastal Tram & Atlantic Wall)

Alternatively you could stay in Delft or Rotterdam, Netherlands and in addition to those lovely towns themselves you can use them as a base for several daytrips. (Kinderdijk windmills, Den Haag Muritshuis Museum with a beach visit to Scheveningen)

Paris at least 5 nights There is so much to see and do, L'Orangerie, D'Orsay, the Louvre, Rodin, Picasso Museum. As long as you are prepared for crowds and leave early, I think Versailles would be enjoyed by all. The grounds are enormous! A daytrip that blends outdoors (walking the gardens and to all the other buildings) and viewing the magnificent buildings.
Happy Planning!

OK! I think we are settling on some choices! Convinced the family to "station" ourselves in 3 spots and explore from there.
I will start researching these areas and things to do. But haven't settle exactly where in Switzerland to land. Here is what thinking.....
1. Amsterdam 4 nights
2. Possible train/stop 1 night in Burges or somewhere in Belgium?
3. Paris 5 nights, Versaille day trip one day
4. Train to ?? Basel? Bern? Where to go in Swiss Alps? 5 nights in this area. I would LOVE to get a daytrip to Italian lake region if possible?
Also looking at different flights wondering which is best city to fly out of?
My questions:
1. Do our nights look spread out correctly?
2. Should we rent a car in Switzerland so we can explore villages, get to Italy, etc?
3. Where would you recommend staying in Switzerland? I was looking at Gimmelwald? Other ideas?
4. Can we do a day trip to Italian Lake region, not Como but maybe Maggiore?
5. Any ideas best way to get home? Which city to fly out from?
THANKS!

"Train to ?? Basel? Bern? Where to go in Swiss Alps?"

Go to the Berner Oberland. Take the train directly there. There will be many changes, but these are all coordinated and easy. On the Swiss Rail site https://www.sbb.ch/en/home.html, just put in (for instance) Paris to Mürren, and let it find the best connections.

The reason for the many changes is that trains go up, down, or around mountains, but (unless they've blasted a tunnel) not through them. However, as I said, the trains are all coordinated, and they run frequently, so it's easy to make the connections. Your train from Paris to Switzerland (may be to Basel or Bern) will be reserved, but once in Switzerland, trains are unreserved, so if you miss a connection for any reason, just take the next one.

"5 nights in this area."

Great choice!

"I would LOVE to get a daytrip to Italian lake region if possible?"

No need, particularly - you'll be around lots of great Swiss lakes! A day trip to Italy will be expensive and time consuming - just stay in Switzerland for this part of the trip.

"Also looking at different flights wondering which is best city to fly out of?"

If you're ending in the Berner Oberland, the closest airports are Zurich and Geneva. If you have an early departure, you may need to spend your last night closer to the airport than the Berner Oberland. If leaving from Zurich, consider Luzern (a lovely town just 70 minutes from the airport) or Winterthur (has several nice museums, as well as being close to the airport and with hotels cheaper than those in Zurich).

"Should we rent a car in Switzerland so we can explore villages, get to Italy, etc?"

No. It will just stay parked in valley of the Berner Oberland (at Swiss parking prices) while you explore the area with lifts, cogwheel trains, funiculars, etc. No cars are allowed in the best parts of this area.

"Where would you recommend staying in Switzerland? I was looking at Gimmelwald? Other ideas?"

The four main Berner Oberland villages - Gimmelwald, Mürren, Lauterbrunnen, and Wengen, in ascending order of size - each have their supporters. You really can't go wrong with any of them. For me, Gimmelwald is too small, with no grocery store and very few food options, so I wouldn't stay there. I've stayed in Mürren and Lauterbrunnen; I liked the village of Mürren more, but Lauterbrunnen is more logistically convenient for both sides of the valley. Again, you can't lose. Just don't stay in Interlaken, which is near but not in the Alps.

I agree with Harold. If your kids like National Parks, then they should love the Berner Oberland. I took each of my kids there when they were 13, and they liked it so much they returned as adults. There's trails, cows, goats, waterfalls, quaint towns, sweeping vistas, trains, cable cars, summer luge (see Pfingstegg), and lots of options.

Click on my name and in my profile is a link where I have the trails we took, with maps and pics. Show it to your kids and see what they think.

As Harold says, I too think Gimmelwald is too small, espec. with kids. Murren or Lauterbrunnen (or Grindelwald) are better choices. Yes, I know Rick Steves likes it, and I would too if I were a famous writer trying to get away from tourists.

My typical route with my kids was 5 days in Paris (including Catacombs and Sewer Tour, and also check out Chez Janou with unlimited chocolate mousse). Then we'd take the bullet train to Geneva and either stay one night (there are free bikes at www.geneveroule.ch) or continue on. 3 hours Paris to Geneva, 3.5 hours more to Lauterbrunnen or Murren.

I thought Prague was just ok. Castle ok, but the weird language characters made it confusing to navigate the city. Sort of like reading hieroglyphics. But if you do go, the kids would like the 45 min train ride to Kutna Hora to see the bone church.

I loved Prague, and didn't find the navigating or signage difficult at all (Czech was much easier for me in this regard than Polish), but Prague just doesn't work well logistically on this trip. Save it for another time.