Where to go next? (Family with two kids)

Thinking of your daughters, your desire for natural beauty and places you haven't been to, how about one of these?

London and the Lake District or Cotswolds

Norway and the fiords

Switzerland

Southern Germany and Austria

Amsterdam and country bike rides/ canal exploring

Thank you!! These are great ideas and so different than what we had on our list. We had brainstormed Sardinia, the Azores, Menorca, southern Italy and Greek Islands.

I'd say Croatia, Southern Spain or Istanbul.

Barcelona and different areas in Catalonia (Cadaques, Girona, the Pyrenees)
Southern Spain (Sevilla, Nerja, Granada, Ronda)
Lisbon and south Portugal
Sicily/Malta
Norway fjords (I haven't been but it's on my mind right now!)

Fly into Munich and stay in a town near Neuschwanstein
Mürren, Berner Oberland, Switzerland
Disneyland Paris
Home from Paris

Thanks all!! We aren't Disney fans but LOVE the idea of Switzerland! And Sicily I know my girls would enjoy. They have both asked about going to Italy. Appreciate all the responses!

In the high summer months, two itineraries come to mind for me. The north coast of Spain and the Baltics.

For those who read here often you know I enjoy Central Europe and especially Budapest. We come 2.5 times a year so I am always looking for new experiences. We have done Bulgaria, Romania, Slovakia, Austria, Czech Rep, etc. This trip, in progress now, was fly into Dubrovnik: a magnificent setting that I am glad I experienced although, like Venice it is a town that has become a museum. Still, for a day and a half it was magnificent. Then overland to the Bay of Kotor. Astoundingly beautiful. Even found time for a little fishing. Escaped the tourists by staying in Perast where we dined on the edge of the bay as great sailing ships sailed past. On to Kotor the miniature walled city twin of Dubrovnik, that was still a living city. Finally into Titograd for a night before an Air Serbia flight to Belgrade (60 euro). What a city! Wish we had gone years earlier. Then another 60 euro flight to Budapest where I now sit. Of course I can spend the next 10 days here with no chance of boredom. And Budapest is a magnificent place for families and children with zoos, Bath houses, water parks, castles, aquariums, parks .......

What about Scotland? Lovely cities (mostly smallish), beautiful villages and towns. But the natural scenery, especially in the Highlands is AWESOME!!! Lots of great walks, or Munroe bagging (mt. and large hill climbing), castles, crofts (small farms/cottages), lochs, rivers, streams, the ocean, islands- with their own culture, stone circles, standing stones, 2 languages (English- of a sort, and Scottish Gaelic), kilts and plaids, whisky distilleries, and a fair number of microbreweries, steam trains, reindeer, sheep, eagles, puffins, whales, dolphins, deer, and others, heather moors, etc. ..................

It's beauty is absolutely amazing. You can get around by train or bus (or drive if you want to). My husband is only an amateur photographer, but he has taken some wonderful pictures in Scotland- mountains, valleys, Jacobite stone bridges, wilderness, lochs, and many, many more. And our kids loved it at that age, too.

Edinburgh- fly into here and spend 2-4 nights.

Train to Aviemore- 3-5+ nights (lots of good walks/hikes and climbs up Mt. Cairngorm, and on the Rothemurchie estate which also has canoeing, horseback riding and other 'outdoor' activities, makes excellent base for some distillery tours- has heather center and reindeer preserve, local microbrewery gives tours and samples, easy to reach Blair Athol castle, restored steam train does roundtrips along the River Spey to see countryside and sheep, ...)
Train to Inverness- 2-5 nights (lots of very good / excellent day trips- including Isle of Skye, Ellien Donnan Castle, Great Glen, Glencoe, etc. and Ft. William and some Harry Potter scenery, plus a LONG day trip to Orkney is possible), cruise on the firth for dolphin/whale/puffin watching, cruise on Loch Ness and visit Urquhart Castle and Drumnadrochit, home of Nessie, etc.
from there decide if you want to head higher into the highland or hit some of the islands- Iona, Oban, Skye, Orkney, etc ..... This part could be as short or as long as you wish.

Then eventually head to Glasgow for 2-3 nights. Fly home from there or train back to Edinburgh (just about 1 1/2 to 2 hours, I believe) and fly home from Edinburgh.

What a fun question. I have two girls who will be the same ages next summer. We decided to visit national parks (Yellowstone and Tetons) next summer since they're old enough to do longer hikes now, but I've taken them to England, Spain, France and Italy so far. Anyway, here are some ideas and thoughts for spots to go in Europe:

1. Ireland or Great Britain. This is a relatively short flight and there would be no language barrier. We did a week in London two years ago as an add on to a business trip and my kids loved it.

2. Italy. You already mentioned this above. It would be easy to pick a couple of regions or cities to use as a base and explore. This could be even better if your daughters like pizza and pasta.

3. Turkey. Hit Istanbul and then head to the western coast, southern coast, or to Cappadocia. You could stay busy for weeks just visiting those areas. This would be a fun and more exotic option.

4. The Alps - Switzerland, Germany, Austria. This would give you wonderful mountain scenery, castles, palaces, etc.

5. Azores - OK, so this is your idea, but I think you've identified a really cool option, especially if you have an interest in biology/ecology.

6. Malta - you have several islands on your idea list. This one is a bit busier, but has boatloads of historical and pre-historical sites.

Have fun!

I would second Toni's suggestion of Scotland. (Toni, I should have known I could count on you to add it to the list!) There are some lovely places to walk and things to see. With two kids I would think about driving rather than the train, but that is me.

And, I would push for you to do more than a day on Orkney if you can. It's a fascinating place (see the NY TImes article on Nordic Scotland in this weekend's travel section. I link to it on the Scottish forum.) You and your girls can walk among the stones of the Ring of Brogdar. You can drive down to the Eagles Tomb and slide in on your back on a trolly and then walk back along the sea cliffs.

I really enjoyed Cawdor Castle near Inverness. There are some easy walks in Culbin Sands east of Nairn. You walk out through the woods to the beach. There are lots of birds and seals. There is an area above Loch Ness with some easy walks as well. It's Abriachan Forest. Here's a link to the map. And down below those walks is Urquhart Castle which has lots of places to climb around on. You can also do a Nessie boat tour.

Hello Christie2014. You said some of your ideas are three islands, and southern Italy. Therefore, I recommend going to Sicily and Rome.
* Sicily. I think Sicily is a better island than any of the three islands that you mentioned. Go to the city Taormina. It is at the east coast of Sicily. The airport is to the south of Taormina. Fly to that airport from an airport of Rome. Taormina has good hotels on the side of a hill above the blue Mediterranean Sea. I know of one hotel at Taormina that has a swimming pool. It is Belvadere. It is a wonderful hotel, it has a big patio that is 1500 feet above the Mediterranean Sea. A lunch buffet is served on the patio. You could walk from hotel Belvadere to a cable gondola for a ride down to the beach. Taormina has an ancient theatre with a view of Mount Etna. And old churches that have artistic interiors. And a botanical garden on a hill. And a produce market (outside). And you could visit one other place on Sicily, but I do not think that is important.
* Rome. For a family to like being at Rome, I think being at a hotel that they like is important. Choose a hotel that has big rooms, and a place for eating breakfast in the hotel or very near the hotel. I guess you will want two rooms for your family in a hotel. And you would have time for a day trip (via train) from Rome to Orvieto. You said the girls wish to go to Italy.
** Girls at those ages might not enjoy being in Rome. You could fly to Rome, and have your overnight accommodation at Orvietto. And visit other small towns from Orvietto.

Thanks all!! I never expected to get so many thoughtful and interesting answers, especially for places that weren't even on our radar. We had really just been thinking warm island/coastal locations. I showed my husband and daughters this post and now we have some research to do!

We traveled to Europe when my daughter was 9 and her favorite country was Switzerland. The alps are truly magical with fun, family hiking that includes better than Disneyland lifts and trains! My daughter loved meeting dairy cows and goats all wearing bells and then stopping for a lunch of farmer's cheese and drinking fresh milk. The Berner Oberland is like being in a fairy tale. We also loved the riding beautiful old paddle boats on the lakes and visiting castles. I also remember the Swiss Family Card allowed my daughter to travel free with our Swiss train passes.