Help with October Family Trip Destination

Just want to mention that travel dates are common with Berlin's Festival of Lights. Prague is in good reach by train.

To me, this sounds like a family project to review guidebooks, identify sights and immersive sites for each, and a family discussion rather than a forum discussion.

My only other comment is that there is some pretty good food in Vienna and Prague. And famous cakes and pastries. So I’m not sure why you say the food doesn’t stack up, even though I suspect my cardiologist would agree with you.

As an east coast person, I’d rule some of these out due to travel time. Andalusia in October seems perfect, and Madrid to Cordoba/Sevilla is a snap on the train, but you could check flights to Sevilla, Malaga, Jerez if you want to bypass MAD entirely.
Save Croatia for a better time of year with more time, ditto Greece. Naples and Amalfi I’d want more time as well.
I have not been to France yet, but I’d pair Nice with a car trip taking in Verdon gorge, no need to travel all the way to Cinque Terre.

Mark, thanks for that tip re: Berlin. I'm actually very interested in Berlin, but my wife less so. Perhaps this could make it more interesting for the family. My recent trip to Budapest and Prague really sparked my appreciation for visiting places with recent historical significance--feels more relatable.

Fred, oh trust me--I've bombarded the kids with inspiration, trying to get a feel. That's played a role in this list. My main feedback was: food, scenery, not a lot of museums, not cold, not a ton of driving. Pompeii was especially appealing.

Valadelphia, most of these are actually pretty similar in terms of travel time, due to nonstop vs layovers. For example, Athens is nonstop while Andalusia would involve a layover. (Again, we're constrained by award seat availability--we can't blue-sky it.)

Zaragoza's Fiestas del Pilar is in the 2nd week of October, beginning the weekend of or before Oct. 12.

https://eurotravelo.com/explore/pilar-festivals-zaragoza-spain/

I see these two specifications to be in conflict. Which is it?:

If possible, would like to stick to 2 home bases,

but don't want it to become a series of daily road trips

Without saying so, you seem to indicate that your travel style is a fully-booked calendar with lots of local transportation. I would never recommend two countries for a 7-night stay in Europe. You are not clear on whether you will give up the American freedom of the open road. Will you buy (as we did ... ) multi-town daytrips by 49-passenger bus from Madrid, for example. Efficient, no car worries, maybe costly for 4, but how much is a car and gas these days. We then rented a car to drive to Ronda and return in Granada, but we had almost 3 weeks.

Because it's October, I like the Andalusia idea, but it's ridiculous to plan for even a larger part of the region in 7 nights. Depending on whether you worship Barcelona (I mean, along with "Rick"), I would sleep in Seville or Madrid, and keep a car in a garage for two or three nights of longer trips (like Ronda, for instance.) Just way east, you have Seville, Carmona, Italica, Jerez, to fill out 7 nights.

A few ideas on your specific points:
1. Italy in October can be surprisingly stormy and rainy. It by no means has to, but it could rain horizontally for a couple of days, if you are at the coast. Not speaking for or against it, just so you can keep it in mind.
2. The same applies even more so to Nice/Liguria. Again, just that you do not expect sunshine and perhaps a little drizzle…
3. Madrid is about 5 hours by train or car from Sevilla or Cadiz. Doable in half a day. But as others have mentioned, the region is large so you need good planning.
4. Tbf I would assume the risk of a daily road trip is possibly lower than Andalusia, as it is smaller.
5. Croatia comes with the same caveat as Italy and Provence.
6. In what way do you feel Prague-Vienna is different? Because it is more inland? Or is there some other aspect I have missed? And as a stupid non-native speaker, what do you mean with that comment on food?

Addendum: Not that I want to add even more options, but technically October is the last month you can comfortably do outdoorsy stuff north of the alps up to Scandinavia. Depends on your weather preferences, of course.

Tim: I mean that I want to avoid packing up and moving every other night. Some of these options (e.g., Croatia, maybe Greece) seem to require that, which would knock them down the list. I realize the trade-offs that come with a circuital itinerary versus a hub-and-spoke. My cop-out answer would be a balance (1-2 bases, neither of which requires more than 1 long daytrip unless it's in transit). I'm comfortable driving in Europe, outside of the city cores.

l-b_m: Yes, we went to Italy two years ago in October and it was very rainy. I consider Vienna-Prague (or now maybe Berlin) different because I assume it would be colder, darker, and more urban ... a less "sunny," coastal option (even if it's not always sunny). Re: food, I simply mean that we LOVE the food in Italy and based on my experience, my kids wouldn't enjoy Central European cuisine as much. But obviously, great food can be found anywhere.

If Naples/Pompeii area, check out Ischia — whether as a day trip or for a couple of nights. Beaches, hot springs/spas, Aragonese castle.

The Lonely Planet pocket guide to Naples, Pompeii and the Amalfi Coast also covers Salerno, Paestum and the far less touristed Cilento region a little to the south with more Greek ruins, more coastal possibilities and inland hiking.

Andalucia is great. One week means you would need to make choices and cut something adrift. Not enough time for Granada and the Alhambra, Cordoba and the Mezquita, Seville, white hilltop towns and beaches. Maybe a different time when you have 11 to 14 days at a minimum.

Jake, what are the interests of your wife? I guess we can help to find something, especially if it is art, music, history or culturally related.

Mark, my wife’s primary interest is a vacation where our teenagers are happy and nice to her ; ). So, while I hate to prioritize my kids’ interests (unless they want to help pay), they are really the key to success.

I know it's not on your list, but what about Turkey? I went in early October and the weather was pretty decent. Total cultural immersion, good food, plenty to see. You could do a week in Istanbul easily, but could also peel off few days via a quick flight to Cappadocia or Izmir (to see Ephesus).

Turkey was on our list when Turkish Airlines was having an award sale, but that ended and is now beyond our budget. Good idea, though!

October can have surprisingly nice weather in Germany or Austria, it is proverbially „golden“. But you are right of course that it is probably colder (though apparently not much colder, looking at some climate charts) than somewhere on the Mediterranean (on average), though possibly not as rainy. The bad times start in November, when it is reliably cold, dark and drizzly.

As to the food: No worries, I just did not get the phrase. Italian food is amazing ;-) The good news is that Italian food, as well as Hungarian or various Balkan cuisines, should be easily available in Vienna :-). Although I would recommend at least once to eat real Viennese Schnitzel (the paper thin one made of veal that is larger than a plate) if you go there and are not vegetarian/vegan…

The idea of Central Europe is growing on me, partly because it's a much better deal using airline miles (which could change in five minutes!). That said, using miles is a different game and in this case, an open-jaw flight seems to work best.

Among these potential airport combinations, and assuming Saturday morning arrival and Sunday departure (so ~ 7 "real" days), do you see any that are completely illogical (either logistically or thematically)? I realize the best combo is likely Munich-Salzburg, but I'll be constrained by award ticket availability, so TBD if that will work. As I write this, the best deal is Munich-Prague.

Munich, Berlin, Vienna, Salzburg, Prague

P.S.: Andalusia and Croatia have slid down the list because of budget--there's just no great way home from Spain using miles. (We still might splurge for it, though.)

Berlin is a bit of an outlier to the others, and only well connected with trains to Munich afaik. It is also possibly problematic to rent a car in one country and drop off in another due to high charges.

Munich Prague is very reasonable. Medium train ride.

If it were for Berlin, you could consider Hamburg as the other end. A trip to the Wadden Sea might be nice from there, although the weather is not necessarily ideal anymore (but still reasonable, I was there in October years ago), some cute old towns like Lüneburg are close…

Have you considered Zurich? Just asking, since it might pair well with Munich. Spend time at lake Constance (the German or Austrian side, Switzerland is expensive) and in Munich itself. Could be a nice combination, if attractive price wise. Salzburg is an easy day trip from Munich. There is a Zeppelin museum at Lake Constance (the inventor was from a town there), and a Neolithic village on poles over the lake (museum wise probably as good as it gets), there should still be cruises, and a couple of medieval towns and castles.

I recently went to Athens with teens and they loved it. Very vibrant city and the historical attractions are knock out. You could hire a car and get to some of the surrounding areas for a few days as well.

Thank you for everyone's helpful input. I'll discuss with my wife this weekend and we'll make a decision.

I've realized these options fall into two categories: (a) bucket list places that, unfortunately, require a lot more miles / cash at the moment; and (b) other places we would happily visit and that are currently priced much lower. I realize on-the-ground costs could wipe out some of those differences, but that's more fixed and it would be nice to catch a deal on airfare.

(a) includes Andalusia, Naples southward, and Croatia, while (b) includes everything else.