Where to go with a Family of Five to Europe

How in the **** do you expect anyone to answer that??? Give us something to work with!! What is "everyone's adventurous spirit?" What do people like to do or not to do? What did you do in S America???

Or to put it another way: More info about your family's travel experience and likes/dislikes from past travels would help us give more useful feedback. "Adventurous spirit" is a far-ranging term. What does it mean for your family?

We travelled to Europe in 2003 with our 2 sons, then age 16 and 18. They loved pretty much every place we went, though at the time they weren't as experienced in travel as your kids. We went to Paris, Provence, Cinque Terre, and Switzerland, then back to Paris.

I would think that the experience of travel to new places in and of itself is enough to satisfy even your more experienced kids. Hopefully, they haven't become jaded at this early age (that will come later ;>)).

If there are things that they are particularly interested in (history, scenery, beaches, etc etc) you can build on that. Maybe the 3 of them share a common interest that you can work from? Let us know, and more specific suggestions will undoubtably come your way.

Have a great trip. You'll all love it no matter what you decide.

Actually Croatia is in Europe so they already traveled to Europe.

I have to agree with the above comments. You are way more qualified than anyone on this board to know what your family wants to do. Doesn't it make more sense to ask your adult children what THEY want to do than to ask a bunch of total strangers? If they can't come up with their own suggestions you are probably wasting your time and money by taking them on a trip planned by someone who knows nothing about them.

Well since you are paying for everything for adult children( can someone explain why I did not get such parents,, I even had to buy my own car,, ) why don't you get your adult children to do some research.
I took my 14 old to Paris and London, and I made him find three sites he wanted to see, I also took my 12 yr , seprately, and she was also able to do some online research and find some sites she was interested in.

Have a family meeting and work it out, you may be surprised what they come up with..and btw .. Paris is a treasure,, your youngest is obviously an intelligent and gifted person!!

Remeber, everyone may have to compromise, I had to go down the Catacombs and I am claustrophobic!

I have to qualify that I work for an airline so that they were able to travel independently for very little. I wasn't quite expecting the negative tones to the emails. I think it may be the first time I have been sworn at in an email.

I don't anyone is being negative. but you asked such an opened end question, how can you expect anyone to answer within 400 words. A lot of experience here and lots of people willing to help but you have to be a participant. Instead of complaint about the prior postings, give us something to work with. Otherwise you are just wasting people's time.

Especially when you're asking us to guess what adult "children" might like.

Here's our last big Europe family trip. We flew to Amsterdam, leased a car and did a one month tour through Netherlands, Koln, Rhine, Romantic Road, Neuschwanstein, Munich, Salzburg, Hall in Tirol, Brenner Pass, Verona, Venice, Cinque Terra, Pisa, San Gimignano, Sienna, Florence, Orvieto, Rome.

It was a pretty good tour but as you can see, didn't include France, Spain, Northern Germany, Portugal, Switzerland, Other low countries or any of Central (former Eastern) Europe, Balkins, Scandinavian or Baltic countries.

You have to decide what your top priorities are then build an itinerary that cuts a logical swath through those areas.

I highly recommend leasing a car and bringing a GPS from home. We leased a seven-passenger Grand Scenic II by Peugot. It worked well for us (two adults plus 16,12, and 8 with one carry-on each) but would have been too small for five adults with luggage.

Goodness, fellow posters, I know this sort of question can be frustrating, but isn't there something constructive we can contribute? Or at least a gentler way to react?

To Kathy, I would suggest that all the adults in your party--five of you--need to do some research and set some priorities. If everyone reads a different guidebook each person will have a lot to contribute to the planning process. I recommend Europe Through the Backdoor for the first-timers.

A party of five with differing priorities is not very nimble, so you may find that an ambitious itinerary of many destinations will not be very satisfying on the ground.

Consider as part of your 16 days a weekly rental in a small town as a base for day trips in some region with lots of different choices (Provence? Tuscany?). This strategy might make it easier to meet everyone's expectations and also provides a built-in respite from crowds, which are endemic to great places in June.

Or maybe there's a better plan. But with five people I think planning is essential to success. Good luck!

Kathy - I'll give this a try since I understand the desire to have a "last vacation" - my kids are 19-32 and we always talk about where we could all go that would be fun.

So - last trip with youngest & goddaughter (they were 17 & 19) we went to Sicily. Son had been to Italy before so this was sort of Italy, but not Italy - i.e. not the "big 3". He really enjoyed it, you get a different feel - the North African influences, the ancient Greek ruins (we have never been to Greece), so it it was pretty good. I'd suggest a good long stay here then travel up to see Pompeii - my son's top favorite site from this trip, and then end in Rome. Because crowds and all, who couldn't love Rome?

Daughter who was in France for the year - her top side-trip was to Morocco. Yes, this isn't Europe but so close so maybe you could combine this with another European country. She raved so much about it, it made me want to go. She did a trip on camels out to the dessert for one night. This is definitely something that should please the adventurous spirit. You could combine it with a France trip, since I'm sure there are good, easy flights from France. It would make for a good contrast. Also look into the Dordogne/Languedoc area for cool castles on top of cliffs, river float trips, etc.

My kids, now that they are older, really like to mix up some outdoor stuff with the city stuff. We are not "outdoor people" - i.e. we don't do camping, etc. but there is something about hiking in Switzerland/Austria that seems to appeal to them. There are also some water-sports resorts that my English friends had been to with their older kids. Places where you learn windsurfing etc. The ones they went to were in Mallorca. They were also trying to convince us to do a Greek Islands sail trip where you are part of a "regatta" and you learn how to sail and sail with the group - again a packaged type of trip that may or may not be something that appeals to the adventure seekers.

Hope this helps.

Let me give you one suggestion that is often not popular on this board -- a cruise. We found that when our kids were older a cruise solved a lot of logistic problems. Everyone could do there own sightseeing schedule and a ship provide a wide variety of activities. Everyone did not have to be together 24/7. And we generally found cruises to be very economical for a large group.

I'm going to go with Frank's last comment on this one. Perhaps a Mediterrean cruise that hits Barcelona, Cannes, Italian Riveria, Naples and then to Athens and Istanbul. See Princess tours or some other tour company. A friend just took her family (older children and grandchildren) on a cruise as a last chance family trip and they loved it. It may be more economical in the long run and you might satisfy a variety of tastes plus give each of you some space (cruise ships are big).

Kathy, my husband and I took our 3 grown children on a Rick Steves Best of Europe 14 day trip a couple of years ago. We added on 2 days for a grand total of 16. We adored every place we went, and every city was an adventure, with so much to see and do. All 3 kids thought Paris was the most beautiful city ever. They found the Alps and Switzerland to be magnificent. Italy is...well, it's Michelangelo come to life. Venice, Florence, Rome, you can't go wrong. Bottom line: let each family member do a bit of research to develop a plan, but do it quickly. June fast approacheth, and you need reservations asap. My husband and I just this past summer went back to Paris and added Normandy. We toured with many young adults who loved seeing the poignant sites in Normandy. Send your children to the nearest bookstore to spend a few hours. Scour this site for information. Go to tripadvisor for more. The fun of planning is only surpassed by the joy of GOING OVER THERE. Have fun. Ciao!

I have to confess I think this post was done as a joke.

It's the very first posting by "Kathy", clue number 1. The question is ridiculously broad ("where would my family of 5 like to go for vacation?"), clue number 2. Because of course we are familiar with her family, and/or all familes of 5 have EXACTLY the same preferences. And lastly to keep the fun going she posts a followup saying "I have to qualify that I work for an airline". Going out on a limb here, even if "Kathy" isn't part of the flying crew and works in support somewhere you'd think at an AIRLINE you'd be rubbing shoulders with plenty of people who've traveled all over the world. Given the ability to get such good advice right at work, why would someone turn to a cryptic post on an internet forum?

By the way Croatis IS in Europe.You work for an airline and you don't know that? Sorry, I am trying not to be rude, but I find it strange not to know that.
Well, I talked to a travel agent once and she didn't know that Nova Scotia was in Canada.
To answer your question is a hard task and I would never do it since first I don't know anything about you and your family and you are the only one who knows what you like/dislike. Plus the time involved in writing about such adventure.
I just find those questions very amusing and somehow disrespectful for the RS community.
How in the world would you expect a stranger to know where you wanna go?
Get a book, get online and do your own research!!!!

Thanks to everyone who sincerly tried to answer my question. I am sorry it was so vague but I am just having a hard time narrowing it down and hoped that someone with a similar predicament could help. I loved the suggestions I was given and will look into both the tours and cruise opportunities.

Yes I do know Croatia is in Europe but we wanted to concentrate in Western Europe. I guess I am surprised that there are people with nasty personalities cruising travel websites. (What next, correcting people's grammer?)

Kathy,

I'm sorry that your first post prompted such negative replies...that is unusual. Although, you really do need to provide more info about what it is that you and your family enjoy doing. Each of you doing some research and then making a list sounds like a good idea.

Anyway, I must second (or is it third?) the suggestion for a cruise, as you won't need to be together 24/7 if you have different interests.

Another thing you could do is a cruise that goes to Italy and then add Paris/other destinations to either the beginning or end of the trip if there are must-sees for your family that the cruise doesn't cover.

Kathy, it is, as many others have said, impossible for us to know what your family would like to do or where they would like to go. Even people in a "similar predicament" wouldn't be of much help to you (after all, they have the same problem). But you really should be asking your family about this, not strangers who don't know you. This board is really better at specific questions, not planning itineraries. We could all suggest many places, but in the end, how would that help you? Many times it has happened that people make suggestions only to be told, "We don't want to do that because...." or "We can't go there because...", which is tremendously frustrating for us. If we had some guidance in the beginning it would be much easier on everyone.

I personally would fly into Paris, spend at least 3 full days there, then train or fly to Italy -- go to Florence and the Tuscany area.. you could rent a nice house for you and your family to stay in for a few days and take day trips to Tuscan hill towns. Or stay in an agriturismo. Search the web or this website to learn about the many good ones out there.

Or fly into London spend a few days, perhaps take some short side trips from there, then take the chunnel train to Paris -- fly home from there. You can't go wrong with these 2 basics. If you have never been to Europe this is where I would start. Get guidebooks for these areas, surf the web, learn about them.

I personally think younger people might like being in cities with stores, clubs, pubs, cafes, and of course great and interesting sights and neighborhoods to walk through, rather than being on a ship. (but it is your call). This is my prefered travel experience and I'm not young. Also, go as early in June as you can to minimize the crowds - but in any case, go!

Kathy, I don't know whether this helps, but we are planning a 16-day trip for early June this year with 26 and 21 year-old daughters. The extent of our collective European travel experience was that the older girl has spent time in Italy, and many years ago I was in London, Paris and Munich.

We are doing the basics. Fly into London, train to Paris, some side trips from Paris, and on to Amsterdam, our departure city, with a quick stop in Bruges.

At one time, we were thinking about, after Paris, Germany or the Bernina Express to the the Swiss-Italian Lake Country, but decided--with the advice of many--that we were trying to pack in too many sites in too few days.

Richard, I took the Bernina Express to the Swiss Alps from a tour leaving from Milan, and was so wonderful!! I like the old trains the best so I can open the window to take good pictures. I made Xmas cards from a picture I took from the train that was breathtaking. This was in November 2008, and the higher we got, the more snow. Just beautiful! I would suggest that trip to anyone at any age.

Oh, one more bit of evidence to show this post was someone's idea of a joke. I guess they were waiting to see if anyone would look on google to see where "Woodinville, WA" was, figuring it was an obscure enough name nobody would know off-hand. Well I checked, and guess what? It's 11 miles from to Rick's Edmunds, WA office. Eleven miles!! Rick's office, where they offer FREE travel classes, have a library of over 1000 books, etc. You could bicycle there in under an hour. I guess nobody got that earlier, which is why there's a reply with "PS I work for an airline" because people still seem to take this post seriously.

<<"Woodinville, WA" .... guess what? It's 11 miles from to Rick's Edmunds, WA office.>>

Actually, it's Edmonds, not Edmunds. And many of us know exactly where Woodinville (as well as Edmonds) is.

On second hand, I think the idea of Rick's Best of Europe tour, the 21 day tour, would be great. Tour members are wonderful and you get a variety of ages and it is fun for all. You are often an independent traveler within a group.

Kathy, My suggestion is that you decide what country(our countries) YOU would like to go , then ask your Kids for their input on what to do and see. When we went away this past summer, we had 5 weeks, and narrowed it down to Holland,France and Italy. I then asked my girls 12+14 to do some homework and decide what they would like to do. Letting them help with the "legwork", takes the pressure off of you, and will let them narrow down the choices.(especially if they work it out amoungst themselves)

The more I have thought about the trip the more I agree with you Terry. We are going to fly through London from Seattle on BA (miles) so the layover is easy, then probably on to Paris for a couple of days to give her a taste so she will want to come back some day. We then want fly to Florence so that we can enjoy the smaller towns and stay at a villa in a central location. Three of us will fly home from there while the older boys stay and explore on their own.
It has been fun to hear of other people's trips and suggestions. Thanks so much for the advise.

While traveling with my 21 year old daughter, we loved having lunch and driving through the smaller villages, but staying in a college town or medium-size city was more fun for her. She could meet the locals and find other people her own age. We planned a trip with lots of flexibility, a car, a map and a tight budget. Came home seeing half of what we wanted to, half of what we had never heard of and the trip that changed our lives. Now, ten years later the memories of what we saw and learned are priceless. I am now taking the second of my grandsons on a trip to Germany and Copenhagen and letting him do some of the research. I think for anyone traveling the combination of big cities and smaller towns is important, and if your youngest wants to see Paris, he will probably come home disappointed if that is missed. I took my oldest grandson to Italy a few years ago (he was 10) and he wanted to see Pisa and Rome, so we made that happen. Also, Venice, Cinque Terre and Florence. Whatever you decide have a wonderful adventure.

(Sidenote.. I am astounded by some of the rude replies..if you don't have something positive to add...move on)

Our family of five (husband, 3 children - 18, 16, 12) went to Europe last summer and absolutely fell in love with Finale Ligura on the Italian Riviera, west of Genoa. We loved the castel hostel - great view, great food, great location. Beach was wonderful, town was lovely. I highly recommend it!