Mom's First Trip Over

Where does mom want to go?
London and Paris work, as does the Rome-Florence-Venice.

Stretch to 2 weeks so you have enough days on the ground.
I vote London and paris - as you can add day trips to both countrysides easily . England is 'familiar'to us and Paris is Paris!!!

I might vote for Italy - Venice Florence and Rome - if Mom is esp interested in seeing the Vatican .
Ask Mom

2d, as others have said, London-Paris or vice-versa is great choice, and, it's pretty much guaranteed to impress. Flying into Heathrow, then hopping the Eurostar across to Paris, fly home from there. English is widely used in central Paris, you'd just need to have the common courtesy words and a few phrases to get by. Excellent easy day trips from both cities. I do think traveling in Italy is a bit more challenging, but certainly workable.

Two weeks ? First time ? London and Paris , no question !

Ditto London and Paris for a 10-day to 2 week tour. Not sure where you are flying from, but try to book your airline tickets so you have the fewest changes to deal with.

Go sooner rather than later.

And don't forget to pay attention to some easy to reach things around. Hampton Court and Versailles are the usual suspects, with good reason, and both are being served by direct train from the respective city centres.

London, Paris, Rome is the simplest answer.

But look at major tour company brochures, get a sense of what they recommend for that length of time. Consider if you find that doable, or desirable. If not, come up with your own.

Or find a company through AARP that says it's designed for seniors and see how much (or how little) they suggest. You'll be amazed how much walking and being on your feet you end up doing on a European tour, on all kinds of surfaces, it can be challenging for those of us still young at heart.

If I had only one, two week trip to Europe, I would do Paris and Florence and Venice. London is too much like home. Make it different and important. If that trip does not pass muster, I'd choose Amsterdam, Paris, and Florence. English is spoken too many places to worry about it. And it is fun, trying to speak another language

I'm with others...have you asked her where she'd like to go?
Or told her to do some research and try to decide if she doesn't know right now?

As for me...ROME! Now that I have seen it...I cannot imagine being older and not having had that chance. I really hope I get to take my parents there too. They also have never been to Europe. And so many different italian cities you could visit if you have 2 weeks. Or combine with a nearby country.

I liked London (and feel lucky to have been) but may need to go back to see all the love people have for it...First trip was great but didn't beat Rome for me.
Same thing for Paris.

Aside from Rome if she likes something more exotic...Istanbul is amazing.

And I understand what Wray is saying...Maybe it is the language...London didn't have as much charm as Rome or Paris for me.
:)

Do not worry if you are in main cities you will find people who can speak English! It'll be fine!

Bon voyage! Let us know what you decide and try to combine 2 countries or 3 if your mom is in good shape. Taking the train can be easy between some countries. And I love to do it over there!

Encourage your mom to watch some Rick Steves episodes and see what speaks to her. It's very subjective. I personally found Rome overwhelming, Florence just Ok, and have not yet been to London, but love Venice, Amsterdam, Paris, Bruges, and the little towns on the middle Rhine in Germany. But that may not appeal to her, so let her help decide. And go as soon as you can!

I would encourage more than just either London and Paris, or Italy only, figuring that this may be your Mum's only trip to Europe.

Fly into Rome (3 nts)
Train to Venice (3 nts)
Fly to Paris (4 nts)
Eurostar to London (4 nts)

London, if you want to stay in one place for the whole time. Some of the world's greatest museums (British Museum, National gallery), great theater, great music, tons of history, weeks and weeks worth of day trips by train, vibrant city.

You could easily do London and Paris.

Amsterdam would also work. Many day trip possibilities with excellent public transportation.

Rome. Countless things to see.

You could easily spend 10 days to 2 weeks in any of these cities. But if I had to choose for the only visit, I would go with London.

Personally I'd go to London for at least a week. Do day trips to some of the following: Windsor, Bath, Cardiff Wales, Stratford-upon-Avon, Canterbury, Dover, York, Winchester and possibly Oxford or Cambridge (see you could stay in London and do a day trip every other day or so and use your whole time). Then if you want to explore a bit more, take the train to York, spend 1 to 3 nights there, then train to Edinburgh and spend 3-4 nights there. If you want to spend more time in Scotland, then spend the shorter times in those places and head by train to Inverness. Lots of GREAT day trips from there- Loch Ness cruise with stop at Urquhart castle and Drumnadrochit (Nessie's village), cruise on the forth for whale, dolphin and bird watching, trip to Isle of Skye and see Eliean Donan castle, trip through Great Glen, Glen Coe or others, etc. Then train back to London, or on to Glasgow for a couple of days then fly home from there. Ireland would also be an option, but public transport is not a good there, so you'd probably want a group tour or plan to drive. Wales could be incorporated in the first option in place of Scotland.

Hmm ... are you really sure that Mom WANTS to go to Europe? If she can't express interest in anyplace (maybe after seeing some videos) perhaps this is your dream trip. My mother could never understand why we wanted to go outside the USA.

I know it's already been said more than once in this thread. But you should really figure out where your mom wants to go, and go there.

My mother (only a few years younger than yours) had not traveled much. When she had the opportunity to go with me, she chose Turkey (focusing on Istanbul) one year, and Berlin (with a side trip to Dresden) the next year. So while London, Paris, Rome, etc may be other people's first choices, she had other ideas. She loved both places, at least partly because they were the places she wanted to go to at the time.

If she needs help deciding, Rick's videos are here: http://www.ricksteves.com/watch-read-listen/video/tv-show

I'll add my name to the number of people who say that your mom should be the person who decides where to go and what to do. And I think you need to be the person who helps make that happen for her. Each of you can be the voice of reason when the other one wants to do too much. That's an easy trap to fall into and is already hinted at in your question. You really don't have the time to go to a "bunch" of places if you intend to see anything or get the feel of where you are. I totally agree with those who have recommended London and Paris, or the UK only -- unless your mom has a burning desire to go someplace else.

Regardless of age, it's a better trip for everyone when all involved participate in the planning. The more your mom participates in the planning, the more prepared she will be for the differences between "home" and "over there."

Also, please do not discount the amount of walking over cobblestones, up and down stairs, up and down hills, etc. that you will do no matter where you go. And that you will be carrying your own baggage where ever you go. So both of you need to pack light and do laundry along the way.

I'll be 70 in January, walk my dog daily, and work out at the gym regularly, but I still have knee problems and have difficulty with stairs. On our trip last fall, one place we stayed had 99 steps from our room, outside and uphill to where we were served breakfast. I manage steps okay, but I do go slowly sometimes. If this is an issue for either of you, be sure to get accommodations with an elevator, but be aware that sometimes elevators in Europe do not start on the ground floor or end short of the top floor, leaving a flight or two of stairs to climb.

One great thing is that you are starting the planning early enough to organize your trip well and for both of you to prepare both mentally and physically for it. Given that head start, you both should have a fabulous time.

With 2 only two weeks and older person maximum 3 destinations if little longer then I would add fourth. For first timers seems to be best the combo: London, Paris, Rome, (Venice).

Having done several trips to Europe with an elderly parent, I would suggest that you take a less is more approach. Even when my parents were in good health, traveling can be exhausting, particularly for someone in their 70s. I found this to be particularly true on a first trip to a foreign country. I think everyone is happier, when that is respected.

If I had 10 days to two weeks, I would pick two cities to save her some of the wear and tear involved in changing locations and give her time to orient in each location. This approach allows you to reserve her energy for sightseeing.

I think starting in an English-speaking city like London is a great idea. It gives her time to adjust in a more familiar environment. Also, if she wants to rest part of a day, it makes it easier for you to go do something and for her to venture out on her own later, when she feels like it. For a second city, I would pick something you can easily get to by the eurostar train. That should also save some of the energy involved in changing locations. Paris is an obvious choice, but there are other options if they would be of more interest to her.

Finally, while I think the suggestions about asking your mother where she wants to go are good, my parents and a handicapped relative with whom I traveled told me they preferred that I made the decisions. So if your mother is the type who would happily take a tour organized by you, I think it's good to respect that and do the planning yourself.

10 days to 2 weeks would be two or three cities, max. For a younger person with 2 weeks, 4 cities would be OK, but less would still be preferred.

Starting in London makes a lot of sense - lots of flights from the US and no language barrier. So I would start there, for 5 nights or more. Remember the day you arrive will need to be pretty low-key. Jet lag will be a strong possibility so take it easy that day. The rest of your time there could be spent exploring London, perhaps with a day trip. Options could be Oxford, Cambridge, Bath, Stonehenge or others.

After London you can do more England . Or leave the British Isles and head on to mainland Europe. That would be my suggestion. Take the Eurostar train. Paris would be the easiest, and most obvious. Other logical choices would be Belgium (Brussels is fine, but you'd want to head to Bruges or Ghent more) or Amsterdam.

So half your time in London (with day trip) and half in Paris (with day trip) would be logical, easy to get between, have only 2 different hotels, and offer a lot to do in a week in each. My suggestion.

However, if you or your mom wants to go somewhere specific, London will have plenty of direct, inexpensive flights to most cities in Europe. Rome, Florence, or Venice are often of top interest to first-time visitors, for example. So half in London, then fly to Florence for the second half.

I have traveled with my mother several times in the last twenty years. We started with a 10 day London/Paris trip that I organized. Since then, we have been on one more trip that I organized and five Rick Steves tours. We are trying to decide which tour to take next fall and she will be almost 80.

Like your mother, my mother is always reluctant to make an initial choice . I think when you have all of Europe to choose from, it becomes overwhelming. It's a lot of pressure to choose "the trip of a lifetime." I try to narrow it down to 2-4 choices and then we work it out. My mother prefers the tours because she likes having a guide/teacher. We can both read the books but it's not the same as having an expert who is also a story teller. My mother is always at the front of the group during tours because she doesn't want to miss anything. I like the tours because I don't have to be in charge and can enjoy the trip with her as an equal.

Her favorite tours have been the ones that spend time in less urban areas. When everything is new, and strange, cities and the faster pace can be a bit overwhelming. Last fall we went on the Loire Valley and the south of France and she said it was her favorite. She also enjoyed the Spain/Portugal tour a few years ago.

Good luck with your decision making and enjoy your trip. Traveling with my mother has been a great thing for us. We travel differently than I do with my husband but we have a great time together.