Tell me if this is crazy

See all the things!

With three days I presume "all the things" means all the things in Covent Garden, not all the things in London:-)

Are your 12 days on the ground or including travel? From where do you travel? Since you says it is your first trip to Europe, I assume you are traveling over seas - from America (North or South), Asia, Oceania?

Will you be jet lagged on your first day?

I would skip Switzerland and stay 4 more days in London - taking a few day trips, then go to Paris (but only because your flight back is from there). But only you can know how important Switzerland is for you.

Does anyone know an estimate cost?

Try an earlier day (but the latest date which will give you a price. Some trips are cheaper to buy early) and see which price comes up. It won't be very different from that.

“See all the things” being facetious! ;) I should have said, in reality we will be running around trying to see as much as possible. Plan on a hop
On hop off bus to cover most of it. I’m really trying to balance everyone’s needs and wants for the family. My daughter will love art, shopping. My son will like history. We will all enjoy the hiking and nature activities in Switzerland so that, for us as a family, is important.

And yes my timeline includes travel days. We will be coming from Florida.

I will chime in quick before others. What you are proposing is fine for a general plan. Two big cities with some mountains in between. Some will try to tell you to just concentrate on the UK or just London, but for a first trip, this gives you a nice variety, and you are not trying to see ten location in two weeks.

As for planning, figure your first day there will be mainly lost, even if arriving early, you do not know how you will react to jetlag, so plan lower key things, lots of outdoor and walking plus an early night. Also figure that any travel day, as well as your last day are mostly consumed with moving (out of hotel, getting to airport or train, checking in, etc.) so no big plans those days. All that said, I would stick with three spots, you could break up Murren and locate somewhere closer to a larger city before heading to Paris. If you have an extra day, I would add it to London, lots to see, and it can be done cheaply as many museums are free.

As for flights to Zurich, yes you can get some cheap flights, my only advice would be to add in the price of a checked bag to each ticket, they are strict about bag size and weight, much more so than US carriers, and the allowance is not much.

I would take off a night from Paris and add it to London. London has more appeal for children and teenagers (and adults) than Paris.

Personally I don't care much for Paris but I know that I'm quite unique in that respect but I can find so much more to interest and occupy myself in London than I can in Paris.

Ok thanks for replies. I think, considering the jet lag on first day, that is a good call to add a day to London. Thanks!

So regarding trains and cost. I have read it gets more expensive the closer to the date of travel, but iticket cost does not vary depending on time of year you are traveling? It would be the same prices to travel now vs summer?

It is not a bad plan, but you are still fairly young (with children that age). Since you are likely to travel to Europe in the future, by jump around so much.

I advise you to save on travel and travel time and go with only two places for 12 days.

For example, four days is probably not enough to thoroughly "do" Paris. I have been to Paris about 5 times and spent a total of about 25 days there. I could still go back and see things that I have missed.

Think about visiting London, then the British country side. The UK has some amazing countryside and scenery. Go to the Cotswolds, Wales, York, Scotland, etc.

If you don't want to do the UK, the France. Paris, then go to Normandy and the Loire Valley for Chateaus. If you don't want to do Normandy or the Loire, take the bullet train to Lyon and head on down toward the South of France.

By the way, Switzerland is wonderful, but very expensive. Most things in Switzerland are at least 50% higher than nearby countries like France, Germany, Austria and Italy.

But if you do go to Murren, four days is barely enough time! Combining London and Paris works very well. Our grandkids didn’t want to leave London to travel to Paris. We did and they liked Paris but still loved London best!

Hi veens34698, I too am a parent of kids that age. Mine are now 11, 14, and 16. We have traveled in Europe for the past few summers (bc we found that once we did it, its hard to not want to go back. And once you have that in mind, you reorient priorities and budget differently, including for the hoped-for trip). Which is to say, you may find that you enjoy it enough to figure out how to do it again, and with that in mind, you may feel less anxious about seeing all the spots you dream of on this one trip.
I definitely like your city-smaller town-city schedule. I find that site seeing in a city is exhausting, especially when negotiating the wants and needs of kids, and then having that psychic space in a smaller town is a good re-boot. I do question the distance you are trying to cover in 2 weeks. I agree that you should maybe consider a location less far flung than Switzerland for this trip, but understand that if Swiss mountains are a real draw, then you have figured out a good plan (alternately, you could go to Normandy and/or the Loire valley). I think 4 days in Paris is about perfect. I wouldn't do more, and taking away 1 will make it feel a little rushed. My kids really enjoyed Paris. There are so many kid-interesting things to do (Eiffel tower, Catacombs, Notre Dame, Napolean's Tomb, Luxembourg gardens, museums, just wandering the streets to and from these...).
I would try to plot out your days in each place, to put yourself there mentally and imagine what you will want to do. This will help you with how many days to spend in each place. I usually schedule (whether with tickets or just in my mind) two things per day (yes, thats it), one a.m., one p.m., and then have several "in my back pocket" and plug in additional activities as our mood and energy determine. So for example, what will you do each of those 4 days in Murren? Dont just say "hike". Where? How long will it take? How hard will it be? What will happen with the rest of the day given the last two questions? I planned a trip last year where I relied on beach time to fill in gaps in activities, and it was too saggy of a plan. I might like to "wander the city", but with kids, I find that my wandering has to happen between point A (Eiffel Tower, lets say) and Point B (Napolean's Tomb). So thats how I get a stroll and lunch around Rue Cler ;)

Also, have you looked at Seat 61 for train info? It is early to get actual prices, but he offers a great overview and practicalities about train travel, so may have some insight that pertain to your plan

To get solid advice, you need to stop speaking about your time in generalities - eg "12 days" total, x nights here, X nights there. It's best to post specific dates, otherwise it's too easy to "cheat" (an act of willful self deception that is all too common for first-time travelers).

This is important:

And yes my timeline includes travel days. We will be coming from Florida.

Depending on your flights, you probably have 10 (maybe just 9) full, usable days on the ground. Once you face that stark reality, the degree to which your plan is realistic or not usually quickly comes into focus. So begin with specific real (or at least proposed) flight days.

As a rule, do not count your day of arrival in Europe, nor your day of departure for home, as days that you can get any meaningful sightseeing done. Your arrival day is not the "jetlag day" - this is the day when everyone has been awake for over 24 hours and is pretty much a shuffling zombie looking for a bed. The NEXT day afyer you arrive in Europe is your jetlag day...where you're just out of step with the world around you.

Each time you pick up and move from one location to another that's going to consume most of a day, so account for that (when you say you have 3 days somewhere, you actually have 2 days there and maybe a few hours later afternoon/evening after arrival, not ideal for sightseeing activities, often spent getting oriented).

9 or 10 days is a very short trip to Europe IMHO. Looking at your list of things, it seems way too ambitious to me for the time you have (and I tend to travel at a much faster pace than most folks here are comfortable doing). On your list, what's "must have" and what's "nice to have if you can pull it off" seems fairly obvious to me (at least from the point of logistics and practicalities).

With just 9 or 10 days, I'd do London, and Paris (take the train), with perhaps a day trip or two tossed in. I don't think you have time for traipsing to, from, and around Switzerland.

Best plan would be to add more days to your trip, if there's any way you can. If not...well, London and Paris plus day trips is about as perfect as you can get for a first-time trip to Europe. That would be an ideal introduction to the biggest European signature sights and experiences for you and your kids. You will get a good taste and be hungry for your next time.

Hope that helps. Good luck!

Ok great advice and suggestions I will take into consideration. Thanks for all the detailed responses. Most people here suggesting to leave out switzerland. :( really looking forward to that leg of the trip, but I will seriously consider advice from people that have done this. Just an added bit of info. I, myself, traveled extensively all over U.K. and much of France. So, the Switzerland part was a teeny bit of selfishness wanting to see a new place;) my family, husband included, have never been to Europe so seeing it with them will be amazing too.

For now, as requested(David) here is a more detailed itinerary:

1 travel day London
2 London
3 London
4 London
5 travel day flight to Zürich, train to murren
6 murren
7 murren
8 murren
9 travel day train to Paris
10 Paris
11 Paris
12 Paris
13 travel day home

Are your plane tickets already purchased? Maybe work your way in one direction, London - Paris - Switzerland or vise versa.
Fly into London, Eurostar or flight to Paris, then train to Zurich. Purchse train tickets from Zurich to Murren BLM then fly home from Zurich. Or, fly into Zurich, trains to Murren BLM & return, train from Zurich or elsewhere to Paris, Eurostar or flight to London.

This coming May I am flying from San Francisco on Air France through CDG to Zurich, train to Murren BLM for 4 nights, 1 night in Lucerne & train from Zurich HB to Paris. The train is actually cheaper than a flight & in the first class carraige. Then I fly out of CDG after a week in Paris.
Enjoy your trip.

I/We dont experience that first day as a loss. I dont feel wasted with exhaustion. The adrenaline of being in the place goes a long way, I find, to keeping you going that first day. But I do like to be outside and moving.
I/We also do not take long to move out of one lodging. (Although I think we are low maintenance compared to the average RS forum people). We can be packed and out the door in 15minutes. But then, we dont really unpack (we travel with Osprey 46 Porter backpacks, carry them on, and keep things packed neatly, through rolling and compartments). My mother comes to visit with a big suitcase and hangs her clothes in the closet. My MIL does her hair for 30 minutes. So I understand that some people need more time. Know thyself. Happy travels--

Unless you know that you do get jet lag upon arriving, keep in mind that not everyone does, , ie jet lagged, when they arrive. I don't get it after a non-stop 10 hr flight to London so I don't factor that in.

family of 4. Kids are 12 and 16

A useful axiom to remember, especially when traveling with a group composed of a wide range of ages:
Any group moves at the speed of its slowest member.

Some of your group may be super-efficient, eats quickly, remains cheerful when banging their way through a complex day, enjoys and embraces things that are different and unfamiliar. Others may need more time in the bathroom, restaurant, they may get cranky, finicky, moody, etc. Your group will move at that speed. Just something to remember.

David (above) has said a lot of what I would say. I’ll just add that if you are planning to stay in a hotel family room or some sort of apartment, you will likely have just one bathroom. That will significantly impact the speed at which you can get going in the mornings. You know your kids, and we don’t. However, teen-agers are (in)famous for not wanting to rise early. Jet lag is unpredictable and may affect some of you and not others.
I like to maximize my time at destinations and minimize time traveling between them. On such a short trip - - 9.5 days max, as one poster pointed out - - my advice is to limit yourselves to London and Paris. With the in between travel day, you will have 8, maybe 8.5 days. By adding another destination, you will have, at most 7.5 days for 3 locations. To me, that would not be an acceptable ratio. London has innumerable sights that will appeal teens, in addition to many day trip possibilities that are pretty close by, interesting, and attractive. I’d give it the most time.

A few specifics.

• Gatwick to central London is not the tube, the tube doesn't go that far out. It is a normal train to London Victoria station (plus some others), then the tube.

• Flying to Switzerland. This can be done from Heathrow, Gatwick or Luton airports to Zürich or Basel. Check all airports and all airlines. Cut price airlines are not listed on consolidator sites, go direct to websites. Easyjet: https://www.easyjet.com/en/ is currently quoting £40-£60 per person to Basel or Zürich for mid June. Prices only ever go up.

• "Should we go to Bern or Basel or Geneva to get train?" - No, you get a train from Mürren. You book this as one trip, no need to split it up. Go to the SBB (Swiss Railways) site: https://www.sbb.ch/en Mürren to Paris takes 6-7 hours. It will involve multiple trains, the SBB website will tell you the details. Ticket sales start 3 months before travel date. For early April (3 months from now) prices are from CHF 50 per person. I you have a spare day on your Swiss Pass, you only need to buy a ticket from the border station (probably Basel)

"All the trains and subways and planes have me questioning my sanity" - YOU ARE SANE ☺ It is all logical, just approach each leg individually, and ask specific questions here and you will get specific answers.

You only need two trains and/or planes outside of Switzerland. Those two links are among the next puzzle pieces you'll be able to check off. Once you've settled on the outline of the plan, go ahead to book a flight from London to Zurich. Common choices for nonstop flights are EasyJet from Luton or Gatwick for $50-60; British or Swiss Airways from Heathrow for $70-80; or Swissair from London City airport for $100 per person with advance booking.

When traveling with kids, departure time is probably more important than a $50 price difference. Rather than a flight at 6 or 7:00 a.m., you'll probably prefer a mid-day departure, which is pointing me more toward Swissair from London City Airport. After landing, you need about 3.5 hours to get through Zurich airport (easy) and arrive by train to Muerren (which you probably want to do in time for dinner, but you also could pick up food at the airport or near Interlaken train station).

The DLR to London City Airport is covered by Tube passes or this distance could be a reasonable fare by taxi when you have for 4 people with luggage. The larger airports are farther away and have direct train service from different London train stations; Rick's guidebooks have maps and summaries of these.

I think your time allocation is fine, but note that your latest plan requires travel spanning 5 days in Switzerland. Choices for a Swiss Travel Pass are 4 consecutive days, 4 days spread out, or 8 consecutive days. In some years, they've had extra-day promotions in the spring, which would be an ideal way for you to cover 5 continuous days, but none have been mentioned yet this year. Unless you re-allocate a day from Switzerland to either London or Paris, then check back for possible Swiss pass deals, perhaps in March or later.

Reserved train tickets on direct TGV "Lyria" from Swiss cities to Paris will probably go on sale in a month or two for most summer dates. The most direct schedule options from the Interlaken area usually include connecting to the TGV at Basel, which is also the border of your Swiss Travel Pass coverage. Muerren to Basel takes about 3 hours, but don't cut your connection too close to the reserved TGV departure, which you'd book ahead from Basel to Paris. Prices are cheapest when they first go on offer, with limited seats discounted, and full-fare tickets get expensive, well over $100 per person.

You all have been so helpful!! Definitely many things I didn’t think of or even realize with traveling in between countries. Thank you! I will check back in with more questions as plans evolve. 👍

The London tube does not run out to Gatwick...it's quite far south of London - about 40km - so too far.
You can take a Southern train to London Bridge Station and then take the tube to Covent Garden.
OR - and this is what I would do with 2 kids who may be completely "over it" after a long flight - you can take the Gatwick Express train to London Victoria. It takes 35 minutes which is usually faster than the Southern train that stops at multiple stations. You can buy the tix online and they send the QR codes/tickets to your email. You just scan them in at the turnstiles at the airport and get on the train. A ticket-taker will come through and scan the QR codes for each passenger straight off your phone, and that's it. Plenty of luggage space and it's a quick, smooth, non-stop ride. I use it EVERY time I fly to London and never regret it.
Grab a cab at Victoria and get to Covent Garden that way - less stress and hassle after a long flight.

From Gatwick you can take the train direct to St. Pancras, the Thameslink. Since I stay in Kings Cross re the B&Bs, it works out most conveniently flying to Gatwick from OAK.