trip with grandkids...

I would choose either London or Paris and spend the whole week in one of those cities and make day trips. There are lots of great day trip options from either city, not to mention all there is to do in either city. Both cities are very kid friendly offering so much to do you'll run out of time. I'd rent an apartment which is a good budget option. You'll have more room, a washer/and possible dryer and can save money by not eating out as much. Staying in one place, considering you have so little time, will also save you money. Moving locations costs time and money.

Can you help us with some specifics? Has anyone in that bunch - child or adult - expressed any interest in a specific site, city, country, or activity? What would YOU like to see? Are you a bunch of outdoors types? Or history buffs? Museum-goers? Shoppers? What activities and interests are the kids into that might help in planning the trip? Have you looked at the Rick Steves tours here on this website? Not so much in terms of taking one yourself, but to see what you think of the various destinations. What's your budget, for example, how much per night do you have to spend for the group for hotels (or apartments)? Will you be traveling in the summer? You mentioned you'l have "probably 7 or 8 days." Does that include your flights to and from Europe, or will you have 7 - 8 days there not counting your flights?

we are really in the initial stage of planning. kids (2 boys 1 girl) are pretty open minded - I have taken them to museums and sculpture gardens which they have enjoyed. but they love outdoor stuff too. ( I am a little limited in that area) probably will be in early summer (late June) I have looked at tours to get ideas...but would like to hear from people who have actually traveled with kids. Budget - flexible but an actual tour with 3000 per person cost would be too much. would prefer medium level apt. or hotels. even bed and breakfast. we would all love a day on a river boat. also, pls feel free to let me know where to NOT travel with kids. After thinking for a minute, lets go with ideas for a fairly low budget and work up from there> thanks

Well I have travelled with my then 11 yr old and on another trip ,with my then 13 yr old.
First off you only have a week , 7 days, maybe a week and one day 8 days,, so really you are not going to be able to "visit Europe"( which is a continent) but rather with that short time and 3 kids in tow, perhaps visit one or two countries. So I would choose two countries max. Personal tastes/interests are main factors. My kids enjoyed London, Paris, Rome, Venice , and visiting Switerzland( Wengen). So you could choose something like , fly into London, 3-4 days, then fly to Rome, or take Eurostar to Paris for last 3-4 days. Arrange airline tickets so you fly into one city from home and out another , no backtracking . This would be a mulit destination or open jaw flight. This maximises your time on the ground and you use only one day to travel between your two chosen cities, important with a short trip. In each "base" city there is more then enough to keep you busy. If you decide to rent an apartment you need to start looking to book at least by jan -feb, good apartments , with reasonable rates and that can accomadate 5 people and are willing to take less then a week rental book up fast. Once you decide on two main bases you can built itinerary ..there is always kid friendly /interesting sites in each place.

Keeping budget in mind I would suggest Germany. I have taken a few of my grandkids there and they loved it. Castles, rivers, beautiful countryside, lots of villages, etc. If the budget is an issue I would definitely avoid London and Paris. You could also look into the south of Spain...very beautiful and cheaper than many other locations.

Hadn't thought about Germany....any particular city? I should have made it clearer that I intend to stay in one city only with day trips. I am new to this site..haven't figured out all the logistics yet...could you tell me more about Germany, especially about budget issues and recommendations..Thanks

Get a copy of a book such as Rick's "Best of Europe" and let the kids look through it and decide what looks most interesting to them. In addition to giving them an opportunity to decide on what will keep them happiest it will give you lot of useful advice.

thanks...letting kids look thru guidebooks is good idea. maybe I can get some videos from the library too,,,,

Another idea is to go to hulu.com where you can watch all of the Rick Steves shows for free. Seeing videos of the various cities might help you and your grandkids decide which places you'd like to see! I'm sure whatever you decide you'll have a great trip!

London would probably be the best place for your trip. Communications are good, and it's easy for American kids to find food that suits them. If you could take two weeks, the Eurostar down to Paris might be a good move. The city's scenery is just breathtaking. Then fly home from there.
I started my daughter in Amsterdam at age 12, and she absolutely soaked in the Anne Frank Haus. We went to Cologne, up the Rhine River settling in Munich. Then, we went over to Vienna. All of these cities are great for kids, but we pushed a little too hard traveling so far. With gasoline so expensive, we've found that working out of a central location each week is much preferred travel.

If you are seriously thinking about Germany I would post it in the West and hopefully some of our experts who live their will pop in with suggestions... Jo, Sarah, Tom and a few more who know about public transportation better than I. If I had to be there without a car I would probably stay in Frankfurt and see what I could from there... Heidelberg, and some surrounding towns as well as Frankfurt, then I would move to Munich and see some castles and visit Salzburg. My grandkids love Germany and we never had a problem with the food. There are plenty of choices everywhere... plus most hotels in Germany include a beautiful German breakfast which is a real bonus with kids. You can spend a lot in london and Paris just on breakfast alone. Give us a great German spread versus a traditional English breakfast any day. There are so many ways to save money when traveling in Germany and I think of it as a real bargain, as well as lots of things kids love.

Having traveled all over with kids those ages, and having done several trips with my parents along as well, my first suggestion would be Rome + Venice. You may stretch the budget on Venice, but it was one of my kids' favorite places in Europe so far. They also really liked Rome. (Who wouldn't like a country known for pizza and gelato?) Book far enough in advance, and you can get some good train fares between the two cities when traveling with kids. And the high speed train through Italy is definitely an experience in itself. Second choice would be Paris in an apartment for the whole week. French Riviera area could be good for a mix of museums, culture and the beautiful Mediterranean. Book far enough in advance and you can get some good prices on stays in residence-apartments in the Cannes LaBocca area - which makes a good base for exploring the region via train and bus. Plus, going to the public beach is a free, kid-friendly experience. London could be an absolute budget-killer. One good thing for you is that if your kids are those ages next year (and not already 11), they'll travel free on public transportation when accompanied by an adult. If you want to see more of "Europe" versus just one city, my off-the-wall suggestion would be to look for a good deal on a Med cruise. Kids sail free, or 99€ fares on an inside cabin could net you a really good deal. DIY it in ports to save money and it can be reasonable. We've done it for under $100/person/day, which included our costs with getting to/from the ship, but that was within Europe.

Well here's a different thought: Switzerland. Yes, I know Switzerland as a whole is expensive, but if you were to choose someplace like the Chalet Fontana in Mürren and get the apartment with breakfast included, you'd have a fantastic cheap place with scenery unparalleled. This area is loaded with cows, goats, chickens, sheep...what kid doesn't like their own petting zoo? This area is loaded with waterfalls and cable cars, kids and adults alike LOVE cable cars. Mürren is such a quaint little village with local kids to play with your own kids - as I observed on one of my many stays there. The local 7 or 8 year old calls out to his American buddy "goodbye my friend" in his best English - what a moment! There's a summer luge just across the valley in Grindelwald, a roaring waterfall inside the mountain just below Mürren. Fields of wildflowers, cheese huts, playgrounds, swimming pools all in an idyllic paradise. The Jungfrau is a spectacular trip with ice palaces and sledding in the snow - a kids paradise. There's a little supermarket across the street from the Chalet to grab ingredients to cook in your own apartment. Probably best of all the kids travel absolutely 100% free everywhere in Switzerland with their parents. Even the expensive Jungfrau trip is totally free for them. What more could you want? Can I go, too?