Spain, Italy, Prague and Paris with teens

My two cents, you don't have the time for both Paris and Italy.

What is the order of travel? Can you travel in the most efficient route and visit family as it fits or do you have to be at the family locales at a specific time

We would like to see some of Italy

Can you be a bit more specific?

ideally avoiding flying, but I'm open to one or maybe two flights within Europe.

The only hope of pulling off what you suggest is to fly. I see 3 intra-European flights. The only transfer that might lend itself to a train is the Spain-Paris segment.

I'm planning to fly into London and out of Barcelona in September with my teen son and I got so much thoughtful advice here. We are planning to go to Prague as well but I'll be nailing down details for a while. We have 23 days on the ground and I'm tempted to do way too much and Paris calls to me too! In any case, we will have to fly from Eastern/Central Europe to Barcelona and I'd like to keep that as the only flight inside of Europe.

I hope you'll share your final itinerary and come give a trip report!

I'm headed to Italy in a few weeks, lord willing, with two teens (12 and 15!) and I will happily pass along how it goes. Of course I booked Rome and Venice and then my daughter starts learning about the Renaissance and begs for Florence now that I have the airbnbs booked and train tickets purchased.

Can you visit Paris after Spain then move on to Italy and save Prague for last or do this in the opposite direction? You can fly nonstop between Paris and Florence/Venice and Venice and Prague.

10 days in Spain will only get you 2-3 areas. You need four days for Barcelona and another four for Madrid (including Toledo and Segovia).
Don't waste so much time traveling, why not stay longer in Spain and add a city like Vienna or Munich.

I am with the last poster on this - and it will simplify Covid checks.

I took each of my kids to Paris when they became teens. Here's what they liked:

1. Catacombs https://www.catacombes.paris.fr/en Lines can get long (at least before Covid) but we had good luck showing up 10 min before closing. (Still get to take your time going thru.)
2. Sewer Tour (near Musee de Orsay)
3. Science Museum https://www.cite-sciences.fr/en/home/ (don't miss the revolving room)
4. Disneyland Paris
5. WALKING up the Eiffel Tower (cheaper and no reservations needed)
6. Street markets and also shopping in local grocery stores for snacks
7. Pompidou Museum https://www.centrepompidou.fr/en/ Enjoyed mocking what passes for "art".
8. Unlimited chocolate mousse desert at Chezjanou https://www.chezjanou.com/

From Spain to Prague will require that you fly on one of two budget airlines--depending on where you fly out of. I suggest your family travel extremely light.

From Prague to Italy is another itinerary best done flying. See: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/V%C3%A1clav_Havel_Airport_Prague

Italy is one of those places that can easily take 10 days. It's best to take in no more than 3 Italian cities as there's so much art, history, food and culture to see.

Paris can be visited on your next trip as it's another city worthy of a 7 day visit by itself. It's best when teamed up with London and the Eurostar.

Sometimes - even frequently - less is more. Definitely agree with those who say Paris, or Italy. Not both. Or, the alternative of adding Munich or Vienna.

Fewer destinations? Smaller cities? We were in Prague in 2018 and we were stunned by the numbers of global tourists, though we also found pockets with fewer tourists and areas/experiences off the tourist track that were charming, engaging and where there were friendly locals. BTW, the Mucha Museum - quite small - was a treat that we enjoyed a day or two after our early morning visit to the Prague Castle.

In Italy twice: 2003 and 2015. Florence, in particular, was so much more crowded and graffiti filled in 2015; both trips were shoulder season. (Late Sept-early Oct 2003; May 2015). In general, smaller towns with fewer travelers were more comfortable. Of course, if you have certain "must sees," like the Vatican Museum or Da Vinci's Last Supper, they are only in fixed locations. But, great Renaissance art may also be found in smaller cities. Padova, for example, not far from Venice has the Scrovegni Chapel with Giotto's early (early 14th c.) frescoes and Orvieto has a magnificent Cathedral with great, though haunting, frescoes by Signorelli. Should you go to Venice with its crowds, you might also want to and an extra day, so you can spend spend a half day on Murano or Burano...and just slow down, catch your breath and have some time to linger.

When you slow down, you might find the 'back door' experiences that Rick Steves talks about. When we were in Milan for the last three nights our our 2-1/2 week 2015 Italy trip, we spoke to a couple who lived there and we learned that 'Piano City' was happening that weekend. So, we made our obligatory trips to the Duomo and The Last Supper, but we spent more time listening to classical and jazz soloists and duetists in one of the city's parks, about a mile north of the Duomo. That unanticipated experience was a highlight of our trip.

Prior to the Virus, if I didn't have accommodations in Paris for 3 people during June by this date, I wasn't going to be visiting Paris. That is, unless I had an unlimited budget.