Large Family, Extended European Trip advice needed...

Hi Jenn, which month are you thinking about for this trip? My first thought would be Paris.

Well, we're somewhat flexible. Most likely during the fall or spring.

I would suggest London so much to do.and great day trips available and can do.a.couple.of.days in Edinburgh or western part.of England. Just my opinion. We.went to Ireland with a family group of nine and had fantastic time. We did not stick together all.the time. We rented a double house outside Kinsale and met.there in the evenings to.recap our day. Then we moved on to.other areas for.four or five days at a time. It worked out well.for.us. Enjoy whatever you do!!!

Paris would be my selection. Direct high speed trains to Lyon, London, Brussels, Strasbourg , Reims, and more. LOADS to do and endless day trips.

Salzburg would be a great option. Tons to see in the town and the surrounding area is gorgeous. Two hours to Munich for a day trip/weekend trip.

https://www.touropia.com/day-trips-from-salzburg/

This is a little bit like a European asking when to stay in the US for 30 days. How would you answer that? It is too big to give a definite answer. You need to get a European map and put some pins in it.. Your question could suggest a lack of understanding concerning European geography. Second, I would consider two, two-week stays. That would make local day trips more convenient. I would pick a good secondary city in France or Germany. Need more info from you.

You do bring up a good point. :) I suppose we are leaning towards the UK only because our kids are somewhat interested in that area (our younger 6 have never been to Europe though). However, I'd love to hear from others who have been to different areas of Europe! Affordability is important as is proximity to activities. Ideally we will be in the same general area for around 30 days so we'd love an area that is fun to explore and will keep our kids engaged. Thank you everyone for the feedback, such great advice!

You need to consider the cost of rail tickets for your crew. Those day trips will not be free.

UK rail fares are higher, per mile, than those in many other countries. In some cases you need to buy the tickets well in advance to make them affordable. (How much are you willing to spend for the privilege of having just 6 or 8 hours at a different destination?) You can't do that if you want to match your activities to the weather.

It's not easy to balance lodging cost (higher in London than in many other cities) against the wealth of local attractions that would reduce the need for expensive out-of-town trips.

Day trips are costly in terms of time as well as money. What sounds like a 45-minute trip (because the train departs at 9 AM and arrives at 9:45 AM) could take closer to 1-1/2 hours, or even longer, by the time you get your travel party from your lodgings to the appropriate train station (which often means walking and a ride on the Underground), making sure to arrive in plenty of time to get to the correct platform.

I would consider two, two-week stays. That would make local day trips
more convenient.

I'm in Frank's Camp here, Francis. With the sort of time you have, you could easily make one location change to put day trips within a different region within reasonable reach.

A couple of questions? Could you share the ages of your tribe, and what sorts of 'amenities or things to do' you're looking for? Your family's collective interests can make a difference where to hang their hats for 2.5 weeks.

That said, I'll vote for Florence, Italy and maybe a smaller town in Northern Italy. Padua? Ferrara? Will have some other posters weigh in on the North. Florence has a ton of interesting attractions IF they're of interest to your family, and a good number of day trips within reach; Pisa, Siena, Lucca, Arezzo, Pistoia and some others. While I wouldn't go there on a weekend, you could do a night or two in the Cinque Terre for some hiking and swimming, if the season allows, or even go to Rome. Florence itself is heavy on Renaissance art, architecture and history - things which appeal to me - but may not to you?

Affordability: that's a tough one as I don't know what that means to you? Housing for 9 won't be inexpensive. Train tickets for 9 won't be either unless it is just short trips by regionale rail; those fares are reasonably inexpensive. 'Things to do' often have a price tag: museums and whatnot almost always have an entry fee, Italian State Museums are generally free for visitors under the age of 18, and civic museums may also be free or offer reduced ticket prices for minors so that helps. As well, not all but many glorious Italian churches are free for the looking and may contain priceless artworks; this is especially true of Rome....

...which is another possibility. It is a fascinating city with a great many corners - free and not - to explore. As previous mentioned, there are tons of those free glorious churches, many of them very old. Spend a day trekking an expanse of the Appia Antica and the many ancient, crumbling monuments along the way; free to do unless you want to get inside, say, one of the interesting catacombs along the way. Go to Salerno for a couple of nights to see Pompeii and Herculaneum and get a look at the Amalfi Coast. Go to the hill town Orvieto for a day or longer...

What I personally wouldn't do is book a villa or agriturismo in a rural area. While nice for a large family, and they offer things like pools and cooking classes on site, they are usually not good choices for taking lots of day trips as they're often not on train lines, and may only have infrequent bus service. Rental vehicles are really a must for most of these.

Anyway, another couple of possibilities to add to the pile. :O)

2 weeks London 2 weeks Paris. As much as I love Florence, it's too far from London.

For one 30 day stay that is economical London is rulled out as its incredibly expensive. Paris and Rome more reasonable.

You said Western Europe or I would suggest some very interesting affordable places where you could easily spend a month (I do).
For a really varied trip, and to ensure you don't end up stuck for 30 days in a place you find you don't like, maybe Prague, Vienna, Budapest 10 days each ... each city has reach to a lot of other places as day trips, affordable, and you experience at least 3 different cultures (with day trips 6); of course not all in Western Europe.

Italy can be surprisingly affordable and endlessly entertaining. Rome is a great hub for rail and tickets for high speed trains bought in advance are a real bargain. Looks for lodging at www.sabbaticalhomes.com for some rates on larger properties that are better than most vacation rentals.

You could spend a month doing and seeing everything in Rome and much is free as you wander around gawking at historical sites. Day trips as far as Florence are possible, a weekend in Sorrento allows you to see Pompeii, a weekend in Venice is easy, too.

Sorrento: that one would be great for a couple of days! I only mentioned Salerno as accommodations might run a bit less $ and the family might enjoy the beach if going during a warmer spring or fall month?

Yep, high-speed train tickets can be obtained at bargain prices IF not traveling on the fly: you need to purchase in advance to land those great rates. Still, it's another nice economy if you can plan ahead!

If you limit me only to one destination then I recommend staying near London. Ample number of nice towns, Richmond is an example, offering excellent transportation opportunities to a variety of day trip locations. Staying on the edge is less expensive and less hustle bustle. The trade off is staying within London offers superb "at hand" fun for all.

If I could convince you to stay in two locations.............

Stay in central London for two weeks and pay the freight for imminent access.
Then fly to Barcelona for two weeks.

Highly recommend May for first choice and October for second choice.

Great investment of your time and money paying a lifetime of dividends!

There are a number of good choices and I don’t think I would normally choose a large city - but close to one.

If you need to stick to a budget, with 9 people, you may want to just spend time looking at lodging expense for a month rental (for which you often get a discount over 2 two week stays) and see what you find. As mom, I certainly would prefer staying in one place as opposed to moving.

I would take a look at Ireland (easy to spend a month), Spain (outside of Madrid and Barcelona), or even Budapest. My niece is looking at doing the same with her four kids and is looking at Ljubljana (but plans to have a car). While places like Paris, London, and Rome would provide lots of activities, I would think lodging for 9 would get really expensive. But I certainly have not checked.

Here is an essential tool for planning trips by train: www.seat61.com

And here is a bit of sociological advice, based on a considerable number of group tours: Before going, agree that "togetherness" is unwise. However strong the kinship, it will be nearly impossible to satisfy everyone, every day. And whoever is acting as tour leader will be the most unhappy.
My friends and I pursue daytime activities on our own, in small groups or solo. Then we meet for supper together and discuss our adventures.
With nearly a month, you could consider renting a villa in two places. Those places will likely be outside city centres and you probably would need to rent a couple of cars, also for your sightseeing.

With youngsters on an extended trip, you're going to have to work hard to combat boredom. For a 30 day trip, you should consider going to 3 different places.

We were in London in June and found the city terribly expensive for just 3 of us. And we were not staying in luxurious accommodations. We were in Paris 2 times pre-Covid and found it to be comparable in costs. I doubt we'll ever return to either except maybe to fly through their airports.

We traveled to Madrid, Granada and Barcelona on that last trip to Paris, and we found it to be very inexpensive. There were also many travel sights to see and things to do.

Budapest is another very reasonably priced place to visit--and with many, many things to see and do. The food's very palatable to American's tastes too. It's our favorite "new' town to visit as we are very comfortable there.