Itinerary help for family - first time with kids overseas

I cannot comment on the Greek portion but I can say that 5 nights in Paris, in my opinion is not too much. We did 6 nights last summer and loved it. My kids are 13 and 10 and I find that adding cities and the travel time just tires them out. As you area already travelling for a month, I would stick to what you have.

Let me know if you need some ideas for activities :)

I think this is perfect. So many people try to see places with 1 or 2 nights and that is usually unpleasant. Sure, some people like this pace, which is fine, but for s first visit it’s really good to slow down.

So no, not too much. I would advise you to look into day trips to nearby smaller towns from Paris or Rome. Spending one of your city days in a small town an hour or so away lends a different perspective than the big city. If you get to the city and love it, no need to go on the day trip (don’t book ahead, just know where could be good and how to get there - usually a train). But if you want a change of pace it’s good to have a basic idea ahead of time of what might be interesting.

I wouldn’t try to take any nights off Paris or Rome. Personally, as your first couple of days maybe wiped out with jet lag, I would be more tempted to spend longer in Paris than in Rome. Venice doesn’t fit with the rest of your trip and your children are too young to fully appreciate it, so I would save this for another trip.

When my brother travels back to the UK from Perth, it takes him at least 10 days to get over the jet lag and get more than 4 hours sleep a night, but I suffer more when heading east.

At that time of year, you can easily spend 5 nights on Naxos with children. I dislike Santorini, as I prefer my Greek islands to be less full of tourists and have a higher proportion of locals and somehow feel more Greek!

I have stayed near Nafplio in late May, when it was quite hot. It’s a beautiful part of Greece.

Have you not booked your accommodation or flights within Europe? If not, the best deals will have gone, so you need to get busy ASAP!

Thank you so much ladies. I appreciate your time and comments. So helpful!

Hi Sharon, I would love any suggestions for activities. Anything that your children loved...or didn't ? :)

Hi Mira, Thank you for your suggestion about day trips to smaller towns. I had considered fast trains to either Florence or Naples/Pompeii but thought that my kids may put up a protest with yet another museum/historical site. Any suggestions are most welcome.

Hi Jennifer , Thank you for your suggestions. I imagine we will all be wiped out after a 25 hour flight but i have read that walking and fresh air will help us acclimatise so I plan to spend the first day quite leisurely.
Originally we were going to go to Kefallonia and Ithaki to catch up with family but one of my sons asked to see Santorini and Having been there before, I knew he would love it. It therefore made sense to stay in the cyclades and go to Naxos. I have been to Paros and loved the relaxed island feel and after reading on this forum , it seems that Naxos may provide a similar feel.

and yes, i haven't booked my tickets yet. We have been wating for a work situation to sort itself out to see if we could go this year or next and it looks like this is our time. I have picked flights and transfers and accommodation (everything is still available) but I suspect I have missed the reasonably priced family rooms. I keep hoping that people have put a hold on 4 places and will choose at the last moment and that more options will open up for me. I live in hope :)

Your family is lucky to enjoy a relatively relaxed experience, with time to absorb the sights and sounds of the places you visit. Using a multi-destination search to set up your intercontinental travel is also practical. My only suggestion is that your children are old enough to get on the Internet now and join in the planning, so the vacation starts before you even start packing.

6 nights in Rome mid summer with kids is a big ask. I’d also take a night offf Santorini to slot in Venice.

21 June - Depart from Sydney
22 June - Arrive in Paris - 5 nights
27 June - Fly from Paris to Venice - 3 nights
30 June - Train from Venice to Rome - 4 nights
4 July - Fly from Rome to Santorini - 3 nights
(Vueling fly direct at 12:45pm)
7 July - Boat from Santorini to Naxos - 5 nights (consider days by ferry to Mykonos & Paros)
12 July - Fly from Naxos to Athens ....

I've found my children were more cooperative when they helped with the planning. We used Cynthia Harriman's "Days to Choose" method (see her book "Take your Kids to Europe" for details) but the general idea is everyone comes to a family meeting with ideas of maybe two or three things each person wants to see (bring some picture books home from the library for the eight year old). Everyone gets some input and agrees to participate in the choices of others. From these suggestions you build an itinerary. Sometimes it works better if an adult lays out the route then the family contributes suggestions of activities in those locations. We use a Captain for the Day approach where the captain plans meals (chooses restaurants) as well as activities.
It takes some "group mindedness" but in my family at least everyone is willing follow the Captain's plan knowing that each will have a turn. On our trip to Japan we saw some of the sights everyone sees but we also went to a bird refuge, a baseball game, a video arcade and a Samurai house.