Our family would like to visit Poland with side trips to Germany or possibly Czech Republic or other areas. We definitely want to include a day or two in Warsaw with some free time to visit friends who live there. We have never traveled to Europe before and are English-speaking only. What is the best way to travel with 8 and 10 year old children? We are looking possibly at guided coach tours (excluding Auschwitz due to children) or vacation by rail. Any advice about kids friendly ways to tour?
Posted by
Germany, Germany
813 posts
Train travel is your best option. As you have never traveled in Europe before and do not speak a foreign language, driving a car is not a good option. Train would be my preference over a bus. With the train you can get up and use the restroom, walk around a bit if it's a longer ride. With the bus, you're stuck in your seat, but worse than on the plane, since you can't get up to stretch your legs. Also the restrooms on the tour buses rarely work in my experience, especially in the winter (too cold to use it, pipes frozen). A bus tour around a town is a different story, I'm all for that with the kids. Depending on your vacation length and time of year, from Warsaw you could go to Berlin and Prague. Also look at intra-Europe airlines to hop to another part of Europe on your way in and out.
Posted by
Atlanta
97 posts
I agree that train travel is your best bet and I would stay away from big bus tours (unless it was a Rick Steves tour bus). I have never been to Poland, but have been to Europe 4 times with my young boys, who are now 6 and 3. They love train travel, it is part of the fun for them. Look for typical kid things to do, like going to the zoo, go to the park, museums, etc. There are plenty of kid friendly things to do in Europe.
Posted by
Philadelphia, PA, USA
552 posts
I'd suggest train travel. Involve the children in some of the planning so they know a bit about the places you will visit. Talk ahead of time about travel on trains, staying in hotels or b&bs, different food, etc., again, so they know what to expect. Mix up sight-seeing with low key fun like visits to parks, the zoo, etc. Tell us how many days you have for travel and any special interests, and maybe other readers will have suggestions for specific places to visit.