Seeking Europesn Lodging Advice With Kids

That is such an opened question that it is very difficult if not impossible to answer in the limited space provide by this sight. Obviously, you will need to request family rooms for the hotels and B&Bs. That will present some difficulties since many place will not offer family rooms.

Second, you might consider renting apartments but that generally works better with stays of one week or more. However, with three kids I am sure I would not want to shift locations every three or four days. You will have a lot of luggage to handle because the kids cannot carry much of their own luggage. Also, we found that we were much slower traveling with our two sons than by ourselves. Personally I would plan longer stays with day trips to surrounding areas and using apartments. Apartments would allow some options for eating in that would save some cash and give everyone a little more space.

I agree with Frank, apartments are the way to go. It will be difficult to be on the move that frequently unless you have a car. That would make the traveling a little easier. With six weeks you might want to find six places to base yourself out of. It is easier to move around doing day trips without the luggage. We saved a lot of money staying in an apartment by eating in. Also, hotel rooms in Europe are much smaller than here.

Where do you want to go?

We stayed at a farm in the Black Forest for a very small amount. I don't know how it would have worked out without my German relatives being there, as the farmer didn't speak English. I'm sure there are many places like that to rent. We were only there three nights, so not every rental requires a week. We had a car there, as it would have been impossible to travel in the area without one.

If you do plan to drive I would recommend leasing. If you do this you will save money by picking the car up and dropping it off in France.

Please let us know a little more specifically when you are going and where you would like to visit.

I'd definitely recommend going the apartment route. It usually costs less than getting a family room in a hotel or b&b, plus you get access to a kitchen and washer and dryer. We've found that usually by the end of a big day, the kids didn't want to sit still without whining in a restaurant.

That being said, you haven't said where you want to go. In some countries, it's hard to rent an apartment for less than a week. I've found that usually the German-speaking countries let you rent by the day.

I'm also a huge fan of farmhouse stays. It's fairly easy to find farmhouse apartments online. It's great for the kids, there's animals and usually playgrounds and bikes there, and typically other families staying there, too.

Going to Europe with your kids doesn't have to break the bank. Especially since you're going for a while, I'd definitely recommend getting Cynthia Harriman's book, "Take Your Kids to Europe." It's got tons of practical information on planning your trip. You'll definitely save more than the $20 you'll spend on the book.

Parker, i agree with the apartments, leasing a car and farm houses suggestions. Depending where you go, some places will let you do less than a week. In Italy you can also look at places called Agriturismo (farm houses) a lot of them have pools, kids love water, so you could do some museums and go for a swim at the end of the day.

You will definately need to consider leasing a car. Train travel for five( even with discounts for kids) can really add up. Leasing is best option for anyone needing a car longer then 17-21 days..

Personally I think car travel with kids is great. You can come and go at will, stop play time or picnics when you want,, and they will pass out in car for naps occaisonally,.

Not too sure that leasing is the way to go. Just spot-checked a couple of leasing programs out of France vs renting (comparable cars, 1 May to 15 June) and it looks like regular old renting is better by a couple of hundred bucks.

It is definitely worth looking at a lease, especially if you can pick it up and drop it off in France. I used Autoeurope, but there is another company that leases too. I think it is Europe By Car or something like that. Advantages of a lease - new car, all inclusive (no hidden costs), and a brand new vehicle. With 5 people you will probably need a station wagon or minivan. We had a minivan for 4 - 7 people (numbers varied throughout the trip), and we loved the room, the freedom to stop and go when we wanted, etc. Trains have their place, but in your situation I think a car is the way to go.

When we were in a city we didn't drive around. In Munich we parked the car and didn't drive it for the few days we were there. In Amsterdam we stayed at a hotel next to a train station outside of the city center, then trained into town. Besides that we were in smaller areas. We dropped the car when we arrived in Paris.

As a wife and mother, I have something to say. Whether Stateside or in Europe, the thought of taking 3 kids under 10 for 6 weeks, and moving every 3 days just makes me tired. Every 3 days-find every shoe and favorite toy/blankie. Why are your dirty underwear in with your clean shirts? No, I didn't get your swimsuit from the bathroom. Then drive/train/fly to new destination, find lodgings, do it all over again. Please make it a new place every week, with some day trips in that area. That's still 6 places in Europe-a great trip. Unless you would willingly do that kind of fast pace in the US, don't do it there.

We took our three children to England in 2007 when they were age 4, 8, and 11. It went so well, we went to Scandinavia in 2008, France in 2009, and Central Europe this coming summer. All for stays of 3-5 weeks.

I have to strongly suggest you consider at least 2 or 3 1-week stays in the same apartment/cottage/farm-stay. There are three very compelling reasons;

1) The children (especially younger than 10) need a sense of stability. Nothing tears that up more than going from place to place every 2-3 days. Over 6 weeks, you are talking about 12-15 changes. I will flat-out guarantee that they will remember very little of that whirlwind a year from now. Mental snapshots that fade with time, at best, unless you provide more stability.

2) You will save A TON of money. With a family of 5 you will likely not find any single hotel rooms or B&B rooms that will house you. Rooms for 4 are hard to find. Now you need 2 rooms each night at $200 each for urban areas or $100+ for rural. You can get twice as much space for half the price in a weekly rental. PLUS, if you have the gumption to cook yourself, you can save $100 a day or more on food. PLUS the kids can run around without being shushed all the time.

3) You will get a tiny taste of what it is like to live in that location. Driving "home" every night, getting groceries, going for nightly walks nearby. All that makes for lasting memories. That's what the trip is all about, right? Memories. 42 days of moving place to place will blur more memories than it creates.

You can still cover a lot of ground. You just choose places that have a lot to see within a circle with about a 80-100 mile radius, and then do day trips.

You may be right that ordinary car rental for several weeks is less than a lease, if you pass on the super-deluxe insurance. Most people who advocate leasing are comparing it to a fully-insured, mid-size rental.

If you are in a large urban area, don't have a car. Take day trips by rail.

Ed,, one shouldn't consider leasing for only 2 weeks. I am pretty sure if you check out the leasing rates for 21 days or more, versus rental, there you will see the advantage.

Here are some of the places we stayed at that worked really well for budget minded and kid-friendly vacations while still giving ample opportunities to discover European treasures.

Switzerland

Switzerland and budget don't really go together well but there are ways to make it work. We rented an appartment for a week in the Emmental region. Very rural and less touristy and therefore also more affordable. But you're in Lucerne, Bern, Basel or Interlaken within an hour. Good location for daytrips. AND it feels more authentic. Not sure if this particular appartment would work for 5 even though it's about 900sqf but you can ask and the owner used to teach in Canada and speaks excellent English. He could probably recommend something else in the area if necessary. Wonderful location for daytrips, walks in the area, go swimming in the Emme ... The grocery store in the village is not super expensive, even the restaurants in the area are affordable.

http://www.kapfschwand.ch/english/holidayapartment.htm

France

We explored Brittany and Normandy. Again, it's not quite as touristy as Paris or Nice and thus more kid-friendly and affordable. We had the biggest family room ever in a B&B just outside Dol-de-Bretagne which is also close to Normandy. Used to be a farm house built in the 13th century so the kids loved the atmosphere there. Great to explore Normandy from there and the Eastern parts of Brittany like St Malo or Fougeres (largest medivial castle in Europe). The family room is listed for 4 but is big enough to add an extra bed for the 3rd child.

http://www.manoirdelagrandemettrie.com/

We also stayed further west in Brittany in a vacation home very close to a secluded beach. Large house with 3 bedrooms and yard with play equipment

http://www.gite-saint-gonven.fr/

Italy

An agriturismo is really great when travelling with kids. Make sure you get one with a pool. We stayed in the Chianti region of Tuscany which was very central to also explore Siena and Florence:

http://www.poderepoggetto.it/IndexHomeEng.html

Germany

Many many options for farm stays here. Couldn't even start to mention any. However, we decided to choose one week in a castle overlooking the Rhine. Schoenburg castle in Oberwesel has a posh hotel but also a hostel type part. They do offer a medivial themed week for families there that was just great in terms of programming and price. We had 2 bedrooms, ALL meals for 6 days, programming for the kids in the morning (parents could leave them), a castle tour and a boat tour on the Rhine included for about $1000 for the four of us. The website is in German but the manager speaks English very well.

http://www.kolpinghaus-auf-schoenburg.de/

I've done the same as you are talking about.

My technique is first to lease a car. It will be cheaper than training or renting and gives you the abiity to go and stop when you want, which is a good thing with kids.

For lodging, we get reservations only for the first and last night. We're happy with about any lodging as long as it's clean and quiet. We never feel like we need to pay extra for luxury.

Generally we call ahead in the morning to a list of places I researched on travel sites. I tell them what I need (e.g. a place for my spouse and I with our three children for three nights). I let them suggest what they have available that will meet my need. If it works, I'll ask the price. If the price is reasonable, I'll book it and let them know when I'm arriving. If I'm running late, I'll call again to be sure they know I'm still coming.

We travel spring and fall instead of the more crowded summer months. If you're going in the busy tourist months, you can call ahead now and book ahead. I suggest calling, online is simpler and free but a phone call often accomplishes more in less time.