Two week itinerary starting and ending in London.

Have you been to England or Europe before ?
My 2 cents would be to spend more time in fewer places!!!
London has a lot to offer esp with kids the ages of yours.My 8 year old and i spent 4 full days there and loved every second!
We also spent one week in British countryside - we chose York and Yorkshire as I wanted to see York and mt son loves trains
Last year we spent a week in Paris/Normandy (he is now 16) . Again lots to do and see .
I would maybe plan one week England - drive to one of the ferries that can take you to the Normandy region and spend a week in France.

If you have not made your flight reservations, you might want to reconsider flying open jaw out of another city. London Heathrow has additional taxes flying back to the U.S. And backtracking long distances is very costly and takes time you don't have.
I've rented a U.K. car and taken it over to France/Netherlands/Germany. A left hand drive auto is best if you're traveling Europe.
You'd really do best to go by Eurostar down to Paris--2 1/2 hrs. and you won't lose a full day in transit.
Paris and London are 4 day cities each. The balance of your time could be spent rambling through the countryside in a rental car.
If you're locked into leaving from London, Venice, Salzburg and Milan are simply unattainable destinations.
A good itinerary would be visiting London, taking the Eurostar to Paris and later taking their new fast train (6 1/2 hrs.) to Barcelona. Then fly on a budget air carrier back to London for departure to the U.S.

I have never been to Europe before but my friend who we are visiting will be touring with us. Even if we do not stop in all those cities, would getting all the way to Venice before we loop back still be a stretch? I would like to visit at least three European countries for my first visit but I have no problem cutting out a lot of stops or making the loop a shorter one to get back to London with a day or two to spare. thanks for your response.

I am locked into leaving and returning to London. Regarding mode of transportation with a family of five at such short notice, I automatically assumed it would be more economical and convenient to rent a van rather than fly or travel by train. Can we consider driving to Paris and one other place, return the car there and then continue by train from there? If the budget air carriers are really budget, I guess we can consider flying back to London from somewhere on the route? I guess I have to weigh economical vs spending my whole european trip driving from place to place. Not sure.

I too tend to want to go as many places as possible when I travel on my own, but you might ask yourself if your kids would rather be seeing things they can interact with instead of seeing countryside out of the car window - because that is what they would be doing if you try to go that far. I also help plan (and take) trips for groups of middle school and high school kids for my job. Our next trip is 10 days to Paris and London and we already know we just can't squeeze everything in that would be interesting for them to see and do. You know your own kids, but the 70 or so kids I have traveled with don't spend much time gazing out at the countryside in wonder. London easily has a full 3 days of sights to interest kids that age, plus the day (or longer) trips you could make from there, like Stonehenge & Bath (add Avebury?), Salisbury, Oxford/Blennheim Palace, even Harry Potter. :) Paris is much the same. Take 2-3 days there and a day for Versailles. And fewer destinations makes for easier planning when time is short! Just my thoughts!

Thank you Gwynn. It helps that you responded from the perspective of having dealt with middle schoolers. I do know my kids and looking out at the countryside is not their cup of tea. We recently drove 14 hrs straight from Toronto to North Carolina and I was begging them to take their eyes off their handheld devices and appreciate the beauty of nature outside. I guess I really would have to narrow down my trip. England and France mainly, interactive tours. Another commenter recommended to same, wapecially with kids. Appreciate the recommendations for both countries and I will look into them - I like the Harry Potter recommendation. If we decide not to drive, might consider the possibility of a train to Barcelona and flying back to London as someone suggested..

I think the extent of your ambition should be something like this ...
Day 1-3 London
Day 4-5 Brussels & Bruges
Day 6-7 Amsterdam
Day 8 Cologne
Day 9 Heidelberg
Day 10-12 Paris
Day 13 London
Personally I would find it too stressful to drive, plus you would probably have to stay on the outskirts of cities which diminishes the experience severely.

Think you're really trying to see too much...this "might" work using easyjet.com.

Day 1 Travel.

Day 2-4 London.

Day 5 Travel to Paris. Car? Train?

Day 5-6-7 Paris.

Day 8 Fly Paris Orly-Milan Linate 1H25min. $113.44. Train to Lake Como or Maggiore.

Day 8-9-10 Como/Stresa.

Day 11 Milan Linate-London Gatwick. 40 min. $91.61.

Day 12-13 London. I would add one of these to Paris or the Lakes.

Day 14 Travel.

Budget airlines, book asap, prices go up as cheap seats are sold.

It sounds like you could not plan further in advance, but you are going to find certain issues that you will need to address before you commit to anything.

A minivan here is a commercial vehicle, with no windows, which is presumably not what you want to hire? I presume that you need a people carrier. A minibus is larger again and will seat say 15 people. Most cars here are manual and you may struggle at such short notice to get an automatic. I would not recommend hiring a car in the UK if it is going to be driven mostly on the wrong side of the road in mainland Europe. Insurance will be expensive to take it abroad too.

Day 1 - you will be jet lagged and will need to take it easy and recover. Spend the day in Kent - plenty of castles, gardens, shops etc that should suit the whole family. You could spend a whole week just in Kent! I am biased because I live there but there is lots to see.

Day 2 - It sounds like you are staying in Kent, so Bath and Stonehenge is a very long drive if you are still a bit jet lagged. Go up to London instead.

Day 3 - go to Rye or Lewes or Brighton, as the Cotswolds from Kent will be a minimum 3 hour drive in each direction and more likely 4 hours with traffic.

Personally, I would spend a bit longer in the UK.

To get to the continent, you have several options: fly London return to Paris is likely to cost upwards of £1,000 return for 5 even on Easyjet plus the cost of getting to the airport; Eurostar to Paris - all the cheap tickets have gone, so your dates are showing just over £1,000 for all 5; ferry or Eurotunnel, which will be cheaper to cross but you have the car hire price and insurance to consider. There have been a number of weekly strikes in France which have closed the ferries for several days at a time and caused huge delays to haulage and holidaymakers - the latest was just a few days ago and the issue is still ongoing (google Operation Stack to see the impact).

If travelling on the continent, you would be better hiring a car over there, but this will need some research on your part for costs/availability etc.

If you want to spend time other than just sitting in a car, I would suggest that you limit yourself to the UK, Paris area and Belgium/Holland. Road congestion here is far, far worse than anything in the States (I have driven in San Fran, LA, NY and Washington), so allow plenty of time for your journeys, despite what online websites may quote you. You do not want to be driving in Milan or Paris. School holidays are now in full swing in England, so accommodation will be more difficult to find, but there will still be accommodation available. Most hotels will not permit 5 in a room, so you will probably have to take 2 rooms. Alternatively, for a different holiday than you have suggested, look to stay in the UK and find a last minute cottage rental for a week then do a few days in Paris. Good luck.

Thanks for the excellent advice. I am leaving in three days and I have changed my itinerary to exclude Switzerland and Italy but include Germany, Belgium and Holland on the recommendation of one of the posters(David from Brisbane).My itinerary is in the form of a loop as follows:
(My days are likely miscounted below but the itinerary is rough draft)

Days 1,2,3 (July 1,18,19): London(visit Cambridge day 1, London tour day 2 and Stonehenge,Avebury,bath day 3)
Day 4,July 20: depart for Paris for two nights
Days 5,6: Paris
Day 7: Early departure for either Heidelburg or Cologne or both (?unsure whether to stop here for two nights)
Day 9: Amsterdam(maybe a night?)
Day 10; Brussels
Day 11:Back to london

Fortunately we are driving and the schedule can be flexible. I am now reseaching whats to see in Heidelberg, Cologne Amsterdam and Brussels to interest my middle and high schooler kids. Still tweeking and accepting recommendations for the next two days. So excited!

Excited for your looming adventure.
With only 11 days I would choose Cologne over Heidelberg for 1 night, and spend 2 in Amsterdam.
Have a great time. Safe travels.

Hi Jennifer. Thanks for the post! I saw it just after I posted my updated itinerary. I did hear about the congestion so we may consider renting the vehicle from Paris (or outskirts) and returning there to avoud the ferry. The car we plan to rent is a seven seater(hopefully with windows).The consolation I have is that I will be staying at a friend's in Kent and she has done a lot of touring with rentals with her US family in the past so she is taking care of that part and accompanying us on the trip. My husband and I live in America but we were not born here and we both learned to drive manual vehicles on the left side of the road and it has always been an easy switch for us(takes about a day to adjust). I appreciate all your recommendations and it makes me all the more prepared for any snafus. Thanks!

Hello hvduncan. I recommend : do not rent a motor vehicle. I suggest : travel in England and France, only. Be at London 2 whole days. Ride in a Eurostar train from London to Paris. Be at Paris 5 nights. That would give you three whole days at Paris, and a day trip from Paris to the Versailles palace. Eurostar train from Paris to London. I think the best place to visit in Kent is Beduin castle. It is a genuine Medieval castle, its walls are an orangey color. And the countryside in Kent is very pleasant to see. In England, if your overnight accommodation will be in Kent, I do not recommend going on a day trip from there to Cambridge. (it is north of London). And I think you will not have time for going to the Cotswolds (in Gloucestershire).

Double triple check the requirements of your hire company if hiring in the UK and crossing the Channel. Most prohibit it or require a very large fee to allow it.

You need to have the ORIGINAL registration documents (log book) and the ORIGINAL insurance documents.

I know this because I cross the Channel with my own car several times a year.

Be prepared for delays no matter if you are going by ferry or Eurotunnel. The migrant issue at Calais is no joke. A few weeks ago I was returning to Calais and there were migrants running all over the autoroute and on side streets, climbing into and onto vehicles and running (walking) in front of traffic. When the traffic stops others jump on.

There was a man this morning who was fined £2,000 when he asked Border Control to check his truck and 4 migrants were found in the mixer of the cement truck on his flatbed. A couple of days ago everything through the tunnel stopped for several hours after a dead migrant was found on a freight train in the tunnel.

I hope you are traveling with no luggage on the drive through Europe, because a 7 seater will virtually NO space for luggage. The back row of seats will be right up against the back window, with maybe room behind for one or two soft carry on pieces.

I hope you get a diesel vehicle. Whilst it is considerably more expensive than petrol by usually around 5 pence a litre in the UK, it is always dramatically less expensive on the continent.

I know it is your first trip, but hopefully it won't be your last.

Less is more.

I seem to remember that rental car insurance is not in force during the Channel Crossings. If something happens on the boat or in the car train that will be a big headache. Double triple check and be sure to obtain the correct insurance(s).

I'd suggest forgetting the car idea altogether. Also stop and take a breath. With your plan all you will do is drive between places, never really get to see them, much less enjoy them. You are trying to do WAY TOO MUCH! If you must do more than one place, I'd suggest a week in London, 5 days in Paris, then return to London. Use the Eurostar to get between London and Paris or take a cheap flight. Do some day trips by train (or with day tour groups) from each city. From London you could do 2 or 3 of these- Canterbury, Dover, Bath, Cardiff, Stratford-upon-Avon, Winchester, York, Windsor, Greenwich. Others can suggest day trips for Paris- 1 or 2 would do.

Personally, I'd stay in London the whole time. Do several day trips. With 2 weeks, you could easily do 4 to 6. IF you plan on that many, check out getting BritRail passes. The flexibility is great, you can change day trip plans based on weather, etc. There are also other good rail deals, like 2 Together, and Family cards, etc. If interested, as Nigel- he works for one of the UK Rail companies. You could also save some cash by renting an apartment for while you are in London (I assume some time in Kent with the friends).

You have received excellent advice from everyone who has posted here. Go back and read all the posts again, especially those from Diane, David, Emma, Jennifer, Nigel and Toni. Cannot say it any better than Toni has. You are--sadly--overlooking all the great things that there are to do in England. There are some castles in England that the kids would like ten times better than a long drive all over Europe.

Your latest posts asks "Day 9: Amsterdam (maybe a night?)"--Yes, spend the night if you go there.

All your posts seem rushed and frantic. I know it's only a couple of days until you leave, but it just doesn't have to be that way. When you get to England, take some time while staying with your friends in Kent to say "Now what do we want to do next?"

There will be plenty of time for planning also on the flight over to London. Believe me, you will have plenty of time to read a guidebook or two, and make notes in a notebook.

Another thing to consider. Riding the trains in England, Scotland and Europe is one of the most fun things to do. I haven't been to Germany yet, but the number one thing I am looking forward to is riding the trains. If you can include a train ride somewhere along the way, I think you would all enjoy it.

Wishing you a great trip, wherever you decide to go!

We honestly aren't beating you up, but I agree, you're packing in way too much especially with driving. My first trip later in life to Europe a few years ago, I got so excited I packed way too many cities in to the itinerary, and didn't really enjoy it. You will go back, so try and do less. Full days in cars are wasted days, the less travel between destinations the better. Thinking about active kids and what they would want to do - would your family be in to hiking? Explore England's countryside.
It's so easy to get drawn in to the "you must do this...", but people say that without thinking about your groups dynamics, you're right that your kids are likely to not care about the Louvre, as much as it is a great place, so maybe save that until you and your husband can go just the two of you. The line up to go part way up the Eiffel Tower in summer is long, so just going to see it gives you a thrill for a minute or two and then, it's over.
You've had lots of good advice on alternative itineraries so I won't suggest any places, just make your choices around fewer destinations, not incredibly hard to get to, and places your kids will be interested in for fun, or they can be active.

Agree with mpeacock. We are all wanting you to have the best trip possible! No criticism. We just want to point out some of the changes in your trip that may make it 100% more enjoyable for you and your family.

Remember that you will return to Europe! This first trip will just whet your appetite for more travel. I am betting that you will soon be planning another trip for next year. So if you don't get to half a dozen countries on this trip, just put that into the plan for next year. Whatever you don't get to see this time goes onto next year's schedule!

Thank you all so much! I guess I have to sit back and take a deep breath. The congestion at Calais is the scariest part. I honestly am going to consider these options and be flexible. I will likely settle for a minimum of England and Paris (without a car )and for the most, the itinerary with England,Germany and Amsterdam. . Believe it or not, I do have the Rick Steve's 'Europe through the backdoor' guide book for 2015 and have gone through it almost completely, some parts more than once! I have already limited our packing to one carry-on per person. My kids are packing right now and we have all learnt a lot of titbits like how to be smart and avoid pickpockets etc. I guess reading the guidebook was part of the problem as I saw EVERYWHERE as interesting, and with this being my first time to Europe, I wanted to at least say that I have been to 'x' amount of countries! Whew! I guess the general consensus of this wonderful forum is to either stay in England or at the most, visit France by train. I think I will humbly call my friend in Kent in the am to share this advice I have received and we will see how to adjust our plans based on all the info and the update on the congestion at Calais. I hope I remember to return to this site on my return to let everyone know how it turned out. Thanks so much.

Hello all!
I am back from my two-week European visit and we had a wonderful time! We visited England, France,Belgium and Holland. We did not get a rental of the seven-seater because there were non available so my friend gave us her two cars small cars. I drove one and my husband the other and we had no problems and I actually enjoyed it!I led and he followed behind. We took the ferry to Calais and avoided the eurotunnel and had no delays.
My itinerary was as follows:
Days 1-3: England .Visited Tower of london(did the Yeoman tour), Stonehenge and Bath, Royal Observatory of Greenwich and sailed down the river Thames and rode the cable cars over the Thames at O2
Days 4-6: Travel to France via ferry to Calais. In Paris, we took the subway from the hotel to the Champs-Elysees, walked to the Arc de Triomphe, climbed up and enjoyed the views, walked over to the Eiffel tower (my kids read the map and guided us along). Visited Versailles.
Days 7-8: Went to Antwerp Belgium(on the way to Amsterdam): Did not do much,spent the night, just went to a mall and enjoyed good food, kids rested, played their video games.
Days 8-10: Travelled to Amsterdam, did a canal tour and went down the main tourist street. Rode the tram to and from the hotel which was very scenic. Toured the red light district with my husband(while my friend watched the kids at the hotel).
Day 10-14: Return to England to my friend's house, went to a church service at Westminister Abbey,rode the tube,self styled walking tour to see Big Ben and the Parliament, Trafalgar square and Picadilly circus. Looked at the London Eye-didn't ride. Took a day to go to Cambridge University, went punting on the River Cam(wonderful),had a picnic there.
Overall, a wonderful trip and all of us including the kids had a splendid time! As for the driving, that's when the kids slept - giving them the energy for all the foot tours we did. took lots of pics. Plan to do spain and Italy next time.Couldn't really fit in Germany as planned

Thanks for all your help!

Good to hear all went well and you had a great time.