Right now we are booked for London the first week of July and Paris the second week.
We are looking to change the first week away from London.
We would like to be within train distance from Paris ( up to 5 hours) for the first week. Travelling with kids aged 12 and 9
I was looking at possible Amsterdam....
Any help/thoughts are appreciated!
How about the Alps or is it only the big city experience you want?
We are open to anything city or otherwise.... we just happened to pick London and Paris this year as we did Ireland last year (loved every minute of it) and were looking for something a little different... Alps would be different too :)
Any specific area you would recommend? Husband and I were in Austria but that was almost 20 years ago
If you are concerned about the terror attack that took place in London last night, calm yourself. Realize that a similar attack could easily happen in Paris or Amsterdam. Whether here in the US or in a foreign country, terrorists are a fact of life. Rethink your first impulse. DON'T LET THE TERRORISTS WIN!
I have put a lot of thought into this and have decided to forego London.. It is not a first impulse at all
Not looking to be 'talked into' reconsidering at this point... looking for alternatives
I appreciate that we all deal with these things differently and that for some, this doe not change their plans.
Amsterdam would be a fine choice as The Netherlands has an excellent transport system and a long stay will allow for a multiple of day trips.
-The Hague (41 mins by train)
-Haarlem (15 mins)
-Delft (60 mins)
-Rotterdam (37 mins)
-Utrecht (27 mins)
Barcelona is a train ride away from Paris.
I would head to Switzerland (my pick is always the Lauterbrunnen Valley where the hiking is good and the temps mild) or perhaps a scenic ride on one of the famous Swiss scenic trains. You could take the Golden Pass from Montreux to Luzern. Spend some time at each end of the train's route. It might be nice to be in the cooler mountains in July.
I agree with the recommendation for Switzerland. I would stay in Murren instead of down in the valley because getting up and down the mountain in the gondola is an adventure for kids all in itself. If memory serves there are discounted/free transport passes for kids. There are plenty of hiking opportunities, some of which are geared just for kids. Lots of spectacular geography and adventures like waterfalls, trains etc
If the weather is bad in Murren there is a big sports center with an indoor swimming pool.
It is probably a perfect contrast to the city experience of Paris during your second week.
Here are a couple of links I found about activities: https://www.triphobo.com/places/lauterbrunnen-switzerland/things-to-do/family-and-kids
https://ciaobambino.com/kid-friendly-hiking-on-childrens-adventure-trail-murren-switzerland/
Have a wonderful trip!
Having been to both Amsterdam and Murren, I would vote Murren. Your children will love the outdoors opportunities in the Alps.
You are having the city experience with Paris. Treat yourself to a different experience in the Alps.
Several years ago we did back to back Paris and the Berner Oberland ( staying in Gimmelwald- basically same as Murren) and it was an incredible experience to see the best of nature in contrast to the best man made beauty.
I love contrast and totally different experiences in one trip. I'd say go for the alps!
I am good with cities.. Appreciate everyone's help!
Sharon, I am guessing you already have your RT Tickets. So what you need first is a connecting flight in London to some other location. I would look into that first. I am not a big train fan. Anything more than 4 hours and I would rather be on a plane if I can find a non-stop discount carrier. So when you look for that connection out of London, look for places that have discount service to Paris (as well as the train schedules).
The tool I use for this sort of thing is Google Flights. First put in Paris to Europe and filter with non-stop and one way. This will show you all the cities that have direct connection to Paris. Not ever discount carrier flies every route, every day. So if days are flexible, check a few days. These flights by the time you pay for luggage and all the other little charges will cost $100 to $150, even though they may say $65. Still a bargain. I will send a little more info to your PM.
Then once you have selected a few cities that are interesting you can do the same exercise out of London. London has a handful of airports and not many (any?) discount carriers fly out of Heathrow (I am just guessing that's where you are flying into). So you will either end up with slightly more expensive flight or have to change airports which is a pain.
Sorry about the snarky comments from some of the posters. You have every right to go wherever you want in Europe. Enjoy this special family trip!
Assuming you are flying into Heathrow, an approximately 3 hour flight to Stockholm would be a nice comparison to Paris. There's much to do outdoors and indoors, depending on the weather. Then a flight back down to Paris. Quite easy really.
Amsterdam would be a great choice, in some ways the most logical. It makes a great introduction to Europe as everyone there speaks English.
You could also spend a few nights in Brugges on your way to Paris, if you or your kids like chocolate.
The Berner Oberland is spectacular, but is more than 5 hours from Paris.
If you arrive in London, you can take the "Dutch Flyer" to Amsterdam. I took the overnight ferry from Amsterdam to Norwich,UK and enjoyed the ferry, a smooth ride and comfortable cabin.
Read seat61 for info. It is a unique experience.
Enjoy the trip!
You have every right to go wherever you want in Europe
Sure. Yet, it would certainly help in making good suggestions to understand what it is that is keeping you from going to London.
Now of course I do not mean disclosing anything personal. But suggestions for alternatives will certainly look different depending on if it's the terror attacks or the British food that has made you change your mind about London.
Sharon, I would pick Amsterdam as well. Your kids are at an age where they would be intrigued with the Anne Frank Haus and the story behind it. Renting bikes would be fun also. Marken and Volundam (sp?) two little villages, outdoor museums of how Dutch people lived a couple of hundred years ago, I found it fascinating. Have fun whatever you do.
Anna, its obviously the food. So don't be an .....
sharon,
Would some place like Edinburgh work for you? It's an interesting city with lots of history and there should be easy flights to Paris from there. Amsterdam would also be good. I suppose it depends on what you want to see & do while there.
Edinburgh, great idea.
