Question about the tours vs following an itinerary in RS books

With your itinerary I don't think I would plan a tour with your family. You can easily book for each city:

-place to stay
-a half day walking tour as introduction
-tickets for a couple of the highlights that you would want to book in advance if you want to do at all
-transportation between cities

Then enlist the "kids" to each plan an activity or two in each city based on their own interests. Maybe it's a museum. But maybe it's a boat ride. Or maybe it's a football game.

I wouldn't over-structure. One of the great pleasures of a first trip to Europe is being temporarily European, walking pretty streets, having a drink in a cafe, wandering a market.

they won't be 'into' (like, a "stuffy old museum," I can hear it now),
so can you maybe skip some things on the tour?

I've only taken one RS tour so my sample size is small, but my only complaint was that we rushed through some sites so quickly that there was no time to get bored...or engaged with what we were seeing. On the other hand, having a guide with a narrative was also helpful at times. We loved our tour, however I don't think my kids at 22 and 17 wouldn't have been as interested. Luckily the tours build in plenty of free time every day, and unless you're changing locations and hotels, there is nothing to stop you from skipping something.

I would be a bit stressed to plan a multi-country trip, too, because the travel part is the only part that is ever stressful to me. But you would know already if your sons would be amenable to a tour --it does not sound like it, and I would not recommend it to a family in your situation. Instead, forge ahead with your plans, but get help here (people are extremely generous with advice and even will look up specific things for you), and also consider delegating some things to your family. If I was taking two near-adults on a trip, they would be contributing something--even if only planning one day in each location, or making a list of things they want to see.
Port your plans on the general Europe page of the forum, and I guarantee you will get some clarity on the planning!
As the parent, all you need to do is book the transport, make sure everyone has a passport, and book the accommodations.

My children now young adults have been going on RS tours since the youngest was 10. She is now 22. Sometimes they were the only kids on the tours but they didn’t care. They are museum kids though.
Your 4 cities mentioned are not on any tour together. How long is this trip? How are you getting between cities? Our last trip to Europe was about a year & half ago while daughter was studying in Italy. I planned it all. It did take a lot of time & energy and money. . No RS tour. Headed back this summer first trip Ireland & we are doing his tour. It is the best bang for your buck.

Enjoy your trip. Good luck with the planning

I've used the books to plan independent trips to England, Switzerland, Germany, and Austria, but never considered them to be prescribing an itinerary. And we've taken RS torus as well. I don't think it's accurate to say the tours follow the guidebooks. The guidebooks were initially (way back when) written as giveaways to tour members, but Rick has often said his goal is to teach and encourage independent travel.

I think they're intended to give an introduction to someone who's never been to a country before, and ideas on places they can choose to visit on their own. There are many places covered in each book that are not on the tour, but could be options of interest to an American tourist. That's why they're not comprehensive. And they aren't written in an itinerary format, but more of a regional layout.

has anyone used a RS guidebook for their entire itinerary (on their own) vs. taking a tour?

I've never taken a tour. I use RS books (and other books, online, and this forum) to plan independent trips. It can be done. A tour is a lot of money to be skipping activities and to be taken to places you don't really want to go to. Also, your kids are adults so don't feel that all 4 of you need to stick together the whole time - they'd likely enjoy wandering around on their own at times.

We’ve been on 3 RS tours and you can look at the tours and look at the itinerary for each tour. This will give you ideas for your own independent itinerary. You are taking on a lot of locations for a first time trip. Our first international trip with our kids (who were about the same age as yours) and we only did London and Paris. It was perfect! Hopefully you have a lot of time on your vacation because the moving and getting settled takes up a lot more time than you imagine. I would consider a RS My Way Tour in the summer as there may be other families on a My Way Tour. I would never have taken my kids on a regular RS or otherwise at their age. They wouldn’t go on one now in their 30’s, but on one tour we had a newlywed couple, and once we had a 30ish something guy traveling with his family, Always welcomed and popular with the 55+ RS tour crowd.

I think you will be more pleased with a family trip planned by yourself and family members than someone else's idea of what a visitor should see. The kids are certainly old enough to be involved in the planning, at least as far as identifying spots or activities of interest.

Don't use RS Guides exclusively. They are limited to what RS likes - literally Rick Steve's Europe.

With that caveat, RS Guides can be a good place to start as he generally hits highlights that most will be interested in visiting. He also includes a lot of "how to" info like a travel Blog does. Do check that everything is up-to-date by going to official websites for changes in hours, closing for renovations, etc.

If you lay out a basic list of must-sees from RS Guides, you can then take a look at other standard guides, Lonely Planet, Fodors, DK Eyewitness, etc. to see if there are other places of interest. Your library may have some travel guides. TripAdvisor is another place for quick one-stop looking for day tours, sites, reviews, etc.

What are your travel dates?

Hi, I have taken 4 RS tours and traveled on independent trips 12+ times. Last year I did the RS Adriatic tour in June, and there was one teenager on that tour.

Since this is your first time, how many days are you planning to be in each city? Plan that other than your Florence to Rome travel day, the traveling & moving to another location will take most of a day.

If you share some of the activities you want to do in general, our forum can assist with some recommendations, also. For instance, you have picked busy tourist cities which is fine - just would be helpful to hear what you’re wanting to do when you are there can help.

I'm just imagining, if we took a tour, there'd be no one their age,
and maybe they'd be bored and annoyed

Have your adult and nearly adult sons been "bored and annoyed" without their friends on your past trips? I have to chuckle a bit here as my parents were not concerned about their offspring being "bored and annoyed". Travel was a privilege they'd had to work and save for - the budget didn't allow for trips abroad - so whining definitely was not tolerated. HA! We did a LOT of museums, historical sites, and scenic drives; zero theme parks. :O)

Aside from this being your first trip to Europe, how have you planned your trips within the US? Do you generally settle in one state/area or travel between multiples? How easily do your adult and nearly-adult sons travel with you currently? Can they get up and going in the morning? What sorts of things do they enjoy doing on your trips, and are they tolerant of things mom and day want to do? If no to getting up, and no to tolerance for what they personally do not enjoy, then a tour isn't for them.

This:

...enlist the "kids" to each plan an activity or two in each city
based on their own interests. Maybe it's a museum. But maybe it's a
boat ride. Or maybe it's a football game.

Yes! You should not be doing all the work your own! They're plenty old enough read a guidebook, use the internet, and even make use of travel forums like this one. That's also how they're going to understand what goes into trip planning when they have to do it for themselves. It's a valuable learning opportunity so take advantage of it! As well, if they research and choose some of the activities (within budget) then the agreement should be that they accept cheerfully what others in the family have chosen.

But this is also a possibility? For your own sanity, what if instead of trying to plan for 4 major cities in 3 different countries, what if you choose just two which offer oodles of things to do and/or umpty day-trip opportunities? We've spent a week in London, including a day trip to Windsor, without running out of things to do. Florence? Yes, it's full of museums we personally found of interest but it also offers day trips to Lucca, Pisa, Fiesole, Siena, Pistoia and some others. Rome? Another one with a lot of ground to cover and day trip possibilities to Orvieto, Ostia Antica, even Pompeii (a long day but people do it). Choose from the possibilities or not according to whim and weather.

The thinking here is to trim the accommodation bookings down to just two - rent apartments that can accommodate all of you - and the research down to just two locations as well which have a lot to offer. Once they get their bearings, your offspring can go off on their own now and then too, maybe for some activities/sightseeing that don't appeal to mom and dad?

So, less can be more. Less packing up, checking in/out, keeping track of all the stuff, catching trains/planes, getting to the next hotel in a new city, and trying to fit everything you want to see in on breakneck schedule; more leisurely sightseeing without the family being overtired and cranky. That last is especially important if planning to travel during high season when you'd deal with heavy crowds and the heat in some locations such as Rome and Florence. Europe isn't going anywhere, and hopefully there will be another trip in the future.

Just a thought?

My first RS tour was Heart of Italy. My brother, SIL and their 2 sons (ages 25 and 20) went on the tour. I suggested the tour because I was being "stuck" with being the planner and didn't want that stress nor did I want the stress of getting the guys moving every morning. They are not museum kids (really...raised in Idaho with nary a big museum in sight). They had an absolute blast! They interacted with everyone, even went out with one couple on a bar crawl of sorts. They enjoyed the museums and in fact during the 1st day introductions the younger one said he was interested in the Medicis (who knew he even had HEARD of them??). Anyway, I was looking around the group when we were in the Uffizi, missed that kiddo then spotted him across the gallery with our tour guide (a local guide was leading the museum tour) who had taken him to a painting of Lorenzo (??) Medici and was talking to him about it. They were also the first ones down to the morning meet ups (thank you Basketball coach who went with the Vince Lombardi rule) and thoroughly enjoyed themselves.

What you might consider is doing London and Amsterdam on your own, then flying to Italy and hooking up with a shorter tour like Heart of Italy.

IF you decide to use Rick's itineraries, know that his tours move very quickly and are able to do so because they are a well-oiled machine. The experienced and awesome bus drivers know exactly how to get to the hotels, where to do the drop offs, how to get their groups around efficiently. Ditto the tour guides who can get a group thru a city with no wasted time trying to find their way.

How much time do you have? You may be overreaching on trying to see a bunch of big sites on your first trip.

AND yea to another Pam!

If you think your kids would be bored traveling with a bunch of 55+ then don’t take them on a RS tour. Maybe a My Way tour where there could be a younger group but we’ve never done one just the regular tours. The RS tour books are meant as a reference guide. If you want an idea of his itineraries you should check out the different tours, they all show the itinerary. As others have suggested, I would start on what your family’s interests are and go from there. London is great because it offers a whole variety of things to see and do. From the Tower of London to rib boat rides to Harry Potter to yes, museums but some of the best in the world with amazing exhibits, again, depending on your interests. I would skip Florence if museums with paintings and sculptures would produce yawns and go to Rome. Again a large city with a lot of variety of what to see and do. We haven’t been to Amsterdam yet but are in the planning stage for this summer which includes younger grandkids but it’s shaping up to be a few museums for the adults and a lot of outside activities including a food tour that is geared in part toward the kids. These are just my opinions based on taking 16 and 18 year old daughters to Europe years ago on a Tauck tour. If you give people an idea of what the family is interested in, I’m sure people on here can give you a whole lot of ideas.

Your sons might not like getting up early as required on tours. If you really want to go to Florence(and it's my favorite city in Europe), you do the museums without them. They can walk around Florence or take a day trip to Pisa without you. They can climb the dome of the Duomo. There is also a science museum in Florence that they might like. You should do a food tour while in Italy-it was our college-age daughter's favorite thing in Paris(Secret Food Tours). We took one in Florence-I think with Walks of Italy-and loved it.
Your sons should watch the videos on this website for the cities you're visiting and see what appeals to them(they probably would prefer that to looking at guidebooks). I think you've made great choices of cities for a first trip. They can ride bikes in Amsterdam. If they're into Harry Potter, be sure to reserve the studio tour months in advance.
Rick Steves tours have a "no grumps" policy that you should adopt for your trip. I would also assign your sons tasks to plan certain things before leaving home-a lunch or dinner in each city and something they want to see or do in each city.

We have taken our two daughters on two European trips: one 3-week trip to England and Scotland when they were in their early to mid teens and one two-week trip to France when they were 23 and 26. The trips went very well. In both cases, we found longer stays in cottages or apartments were better for us because they gave us room to relax at the end of the day and occasionally make a simple meal when we were too tired to go out. I used Rick Steves' guidebooks to plan both trips, but I always allow longer in any destination than he does on his tours. For example, the first trip was a week based in a cottage in Scotland, a week in a cottage in Bath, and a week in a London apartment. In France, we spent 5 nights in a cottage in Normandy and 8 nights in a Paris apartment. The apartments in London and Paris were located in places where we could go out in the morning while they slept in a bit--that worked well.

You haven't said how much time you will have--your locations are far apart, so how well it is likely to work will depend on the time you have in each location. If you post a draft itinerary, forum members will be very helpful in letting you know of any concerns with your plan.

The tours gave several drawbacks for my family (including a 17 & 20 year old):

1) They move too fast. We like to be in one place for 3 nights.

2) The mornings are too early. We stayed in a hotel while a RS tour was there. We were woken up by their suitcases along the cobblestones very early (before 8am). We don’t sleep all morning, but a 6:30/7:00 breakfast time is too early for us.

3) We prefer what we prefer: fewer churches & museums, more nature & food.

You can certainly use an itinerary as a guideline, but tailor it to what works for YOUR group.

Have you and the guys checked out all the good online resources right here on the RS website?

They include:
Travel Tips for basic European trip planning and especially to learn about things you didn't know you needed to know.

Explore Europe for country and city see and do specifics.

Travel Forums for discussions and advice on both destinations and travel practicalities.

It would probably be good for all of you immerse yourselves in some of the advice found in all three.

My experience with RS tours has been that there are younger people on the summer ones. For example
there were teenagers on the Spain one in 2019.

My experience on all 6 I've been on has been similar to what some other folks have mentioned -- often not enough time in some places. Having said that those tours have also made it possible to do/see some things I could never have done on my own. My style is to sandwich an RS tour between time on my own before it begins and after it ends, in an apartment if it's 5 or more nights.

Have fun with your planning!

Thanks everyone for the great tips!!! HI TO PAM FROM IDAHO!!!!!! :)

I do think a lot of my planning-anxiety is coming from us "planning waaaaay too much" (maybe not too much, per se, but too many cities).

For those who've asked to help with things, we're planning a 2 week-ish trip. We're thinking either January or perhaps October. My husband and 2 friends backpacked Europe for a month in January - and according to him, queues were shorter, and it was less crowded. I'm concerned about weather - we'd be flying out of Chicago and my biggest fear is being weather-delayed!! Being from Chicago, we're used to 'colder weather,' but I certainly don't want to fly (or walk-about) in a big ol' winter coat!! So our other date would be October. I'd be open to March, as well.

We'd like to fly into Heathrow, stay in London primarily, and see all the 'big sights' (Big Ben, the Eye, Buck Palace, etc). We'd like to see Stonehenge, and I'm a big Man City (football) fan, so we'd love to go up to Manchester to see a match (if we could even get tix). Maybe stay there about 4 days...?

Then head to Amsterdam for a couple of days, then take a train to Florence (with day trip(s) to Pisa/Lucca), stay there a few days and then train it down to Rome for another few days.

I absolutely LOVE everything Britain, but I feel like maybe London should be it's own trip, ya know? There's so much I want to see there (the Cotswolds, Wales, Cornwall, Bath, even Edinburgh). I guess my thought was we'd hit London first, since it's an English speaking country, get our bearings, and then head onto Amsterdam, et al.

So would you all recommend maybe just starting in Amsterdam...? And then hitting Italy? We're all sort of thinking of different things - I'm big into Britain, while the rest of my fam are into Amsterdam and Italy. Not that I'm not into those places, but they're ALL about it. So that's why I thought we should at least hit England for a little bit (to appease me) and then onwards and upwards (to appease them). Decisions, decisions!! So that's what's causing me some stress over planning, too; I know I have to get EVERYONE on-board with what exactly they want to see and do...

Another thing that's stressful to me is not knowing where to stay. I've looked into some of the accommodations in each area from the RS books and looking them up and a lot of places don't have rooms for all 4 of us. Which isn't such a bad thing - my kids are certainly old enough to look after themselves in their own room, but I'm not sure what areas are safe ones or whatever, you know?

Thanks to everyone who responded (and who might respond some more). I really, really appreciate it!!!

Pam :)

What you might consider is doing London and Amsterdam on your own, then flying to Italy and hooking up with a shorter tour like Heart of Italy.

I think Pam has come up with the perfect solution. This takes some of the burden of planning off of you. And I believe there will be zero chance of your sons getting bored on this trip.

You will find it easy to plan the London portion of your trip yourself using Rick's guidebook and this forum.
In the British Museum there is something for everyone. I would be very surprised if your sons aren't interested in the Egyptian mummies and other artifacts there. Keep moving on through the exhibits. I think they will be fascinated with what they see.

Planning trips is a lot of work! And since you said this is your first time over I think you're under-estimating how long it takes to change locations. Especially when it takes an airplane; that's going to take much of the day when you think of the elapsed time from when you walk out of your hotel to go to the airport to when you've gone from the destination airport to your hotel. Even just a change from on city to another (eg. Florence to Rome) is going to take half a day. So there will be less days of sightseeing in your two week trip than you might first think.

As for planning each city the RS guide is helpful and people do follow/use it. But what we like to do, after reading the guide to get an understanding of what a destination offers, is offload some of the work of sightseeing by taking tours. London has an excellent set of guided tours in London Walks, they've all been amazing. You can choose from area walks, museum tours, even a pub walk. Other cities (Florence, Rome, Amsterdam, etc) have guided walks available. Many museums offer tours a few times a day. You can book daytrips such as Stonehenge as well so instead of figuring out all the logistics of visiting on your own you just need to get to the starting bus location. Many people also enjoy food walking tours.

We are a family of 4 with a 17 yo and 20 yo. You won’t easily find rooms that sleep 4 in actual beds. They are not like here in the US where it’s very easy to find 2 queen beds. You may find a family room with 4 twins, but those are pretty few and far between. Apartments will be easier, just beware that any room with a sofabed is considered a “bedroom”, so if you want two “actual” bedrooms, you may need to search for 3 bedrooms. Finding lodging can be a challenge. In some places it was just easier to get two rooms. Sounds like that is an option for you.

Our sons are grown now, but when they were pre-teens/teens, we traveled with them in Europe on trips to Spain, France and England. Hotels are difficult and expensive for a group; in Spain, we used Untours, which I highly recommend, for a two week stay in a farmhouse in the countryside, with a car to take day trips to all the nearby larger cities and Gibraltar. In England, we spent a week in London, seeing all the famous sights (adding things like the Jack the Ripper night walk), and a week renting a narrowboat and navigating that ourselves on the canals near Wales; still a trip that we all talk about, fantastic memory! Renting a cabin, farmhouse, townhouse, cottage or even boat is less expensive, and more fun, than 4 hotel rooms! And yes, there were times that we thought they weren't actually absorbing all the great art, rushing from one gallery to the next to find a seat with their Gameboys:), only to be amazed when they got to college and recounted to their professors the details of the great works of art we thought they barely saw! Good luck and have a great trip!

Have you read Europe through the Back Door in addition to guidebooks pertinent to your chosen cities? Do you belong to hotel network loyalty program? They may not be as charming or centrally located but if they’re easy distance to transit then staying with your program (especially if you can use points) may save you money and booking decision angst. My young adult niece travelled all over Europe on my sister’s Hyatt program, doing day tours, and had a great time! I hope you and your family do too!

Every RS tour I’ve been on has had several people from 18 to 76. My 20 something son took the 21 day best of Europe tour with me and he had a great time with all the young adults.

RS offers "family tours" - 13 days from London, through Paris, the Alps to Florence. Family tours have mostly kids and their parents, fewer retirees. The downside for you is that they are offered only from May to July. Tours manage to see so much in that time because everything is well-organized, dawdling and being late are not acceptable (and not imposed by parents!), transportation is door-to-door for hotels and some sights, when that's not possible the guide knows the way so there are no wrong turns or wrong trams. There's usually no waiting in line because everything is prearranged, including meals at restaurants. Tours don't usually spend more than a couple of hours in a museum and it's always possible to opt out of an activity, your guide will help you plan an alternative.

Here are some things to consider. How much time is in 2 weeks? Let's say you take two calendar weeks plus an additional weekend. Fly to London on Friday evening (which I won't count). You land in London in the morning, but since the flight is only about 7.5 hours. After drink and meal service, you'll have maybe 3, at most 4 quiet hours before breakfast service. So you are not only jetlagged but very short on sleep. So Day 1 doesn't really count - you're zonked, maybe someone's cranky. If you're lucky, everyone is excited to start a new adventure. Get to your hotel, check in, maybe unpack and have a shower. Then head out to explore. There will be culture shock and disorientation. Signs are different, money is different, enough words are different to cause a little more confusion. never mind traffic rules and tiny, twisty streets. Try to stay awake until evening so you have a better chance of getting a night's sleep. Day 2 is often a foggy day as well, as you get over jetlag and catch up on sleep. Being on your own in London means learning how to use public transportation. The Underground is easier than the el, but coming out of the station can be disorienting. Buses do not stop at every block and the routes make lots of turns.So that's 2 days in London and you've seen walked by some of the sights. Stonehenge is a day trip and you'll need to take a tour.

Count nights, not days. You need one more night than day to have a full day in the city. (The rule is X+1 Nights = X days). Changing locations will use up at least half a day. It's about 4 hours by train from London to Amsterdam, then add time to pack get to the train station, then get to the hotel in A'dam, that's easily 6 hours. Amsterdam means a new currency, new transportation, in other words, getting oriented all over again, this time with a new language thrown in.

Florence is about 850 miles from A'dam - going by train will take well over 12 hours, maybe as much as 20+, with 2 train changes. If you keep Italy on the agenda, you'll have to fly.

So Day 1 was Saturday arrival in London. Let's say you fly home 2 weeks later on Saturday, Day 15. You'll probably arrive back in Chicago Saturday evening, giving you Sunday to adjust somewhat to the time difference and the jetlag. That gives you 13 full days on the ground (Sun-Fri). With your proposed itinerary, you'll have lost most of 2 days in transit, another 1/2 day getting to Rome. That gives you 10 full days, split among 4 cities.

January is not a good time to go. The weather is likely to be dismal and in the UK and Amsterdam days will be shorter than Chicago. London is about the same latitude as Calgary, A'dam is even farther north. October is a much better choice for those two countries. But don't expect them not to be crowded, both London and A'dam suffer from high tourism even in October. Of the months you suggest, I would choose March for Italy. The weather is generally mild and often sunny.

All in all, I suggest you either most of your time in the UK with a few days in Amsterdam at the end, spend it all in Italy or maybe start in London, then fly to Italy.

"For those who've asked to help with things, we're planning a 2 week-ish trip. We're thinking either January or perhaps October."

Oh Pam! For 2 weeks....to me this is WAY too much. I would do Amsterdam + Italy OR England + Amsterdam. Time of year can be in issue although the weather in Northern Europe will probably not be worse than Chicago but you would likely be more out IN it on vacation.

• Yes, I would be concerned about weather delays in January. One of our local RS Meet up members, Jean, got held up at our local airport (Spokane) in Feb due to fog and was delayed by a day getting to her destination in Spain. They had a flexible schedule so not a terrible impact but for you with just 2 weeks and a lot you are wanting to see, this can throw everything off.

• Days will be VERY short in Amsterdam in January. From sunrisesunset.com, here are the daylight times for Amsterdam on Jan 1 2025:

Twi: 8:09am
Sunrise: 8:50am
Sunset: 4:37pm
Twi: 5:18pm

Here's Chicago for the same date:

Twi: 6:47am
Sunrise: 7:18am
Sunset: 4:30pm
Twi: 5:01pm

• Some of the things you want to see in Britain are better in a nicer month - "(the Cotswolds, Wales, Cornwall, Bath, even Edinburgh)". Yes, you can do the big cities and maybe Bath but Cotswolds, Wales and Cornwall will not be the best in the off-off season. IF the others are not interested in Britain, I'd save this for a spring or fall trip on your own. If you don't want to travel alone, consider a tour perhaps thru Rick Steves or Mark Seymour's (former RS guide) Seymour Travels. Yes, Mom can travel independently!!

• For lodging, with older teen/young adult kids, I'd go with 2 hotel rooms. You'll really want 2 bathrooms anyway and the European hotel rooms are small. My nephews are fairly tall guys - when we traveled the oldest was 6'5" and the younger was an even 6'. No WAY could they have shoehorned into a family room.

• Once you decide on an itinerary the forum members can help you with hotels in each city. The city centers of Amsterdam, Florence and Rome are safe, especially in the hotels suggested by this forum.

• Since you are not going until next year if you don't have a list of people's Top 3 sights, I'd do that first. Then narrow your focus. You do NOT need to see it all in your FIRST trip. Rick says "assume you will return".

I'm from Chicago - been to London in January multiple times for both work and pleasure.

The point is well taken about short hours of day light, but London is easy to traverse after dark. As a solo female, I've never felt uncomfortable moving around - tube or walking - after sunset. Whenever I have been, it has been warmer than Chicago.

The other concern about weather delays - Chicago ORD has multiple daily non-stops to LHR. A couple different carriers. Probably (without verifying) this is more options than non-stops to your other locations.

Eurostar from London to Amsterdam.

I met my young adult son (slightly older than your 20 year old) in London one January. We both really enjoyed Bletchley Park - WWII Enigma codebreakers - even in January. https://bletchleypark.org.uk/plan-a-visit/

I do agree with those above who think you have taken on quite a bit with London, Amsterdam, and Florence/Rome.

For over 25 years we've traveled independently with Rick Steves guidebooks. Keep in mind that you will most likely return. For your first visit, pick your highlights in each city and leave some free time to just enjoy Europe. Travel days can be stressful so don't pack too much in those days. Your sons will want to do some exploring on their own. We met a grandson one year in Italy and we took in the sights together and he went out on his own in the evenings.

Be sure to book your must see sights in advance. Last time we were in Florence, it was packed. I suggest book the museums you wish to see for early in the day. One of our favorite spots in Rome is the Borghese Gallery and everyone we've taken there, including our 19 year old grandson, has been blown away by Apollo and Daphne!

In Rome there are some nice hotels walking distance from Termini train station and then you can easily catch the train to the airport to go home. In London we have stayed many times at Luna Simone Hotel (from RS guidebook) and love the location, bus stop in front, walking distance to so many sights and Victoria Station.

I start my planning with how to get from airport or train to hotel. Rick's books give very detailed information on that. I then pick my must sees and make reservations on line. I also buy my train and/or bus tickets on line ahead of time. The train stations all have restaurants, food to go and bottles of wine to purchase for your trip. We bring a bottle of wine, some fold up glasses, a knife, cheese and bread and picnic on the train. Your boys will love that, so European!

I highly recommend traveling independently and Rick's guidebooks make it easy. You will have so much more flexibility. Also use ATMs for cash if you need any. London will be pounds and the rest Euros. Have a fabulous time!

Our first trip to Europe we took with our kids ages 18 and 20. We considered RS tour—Best of Europe but decided that getting up in the morning might be an issue. We took the itinerary and bought Eurail passes. We made a few changes—an extra day in Amsterdam, Rome and Paris. We also stayed in Munich and booked a day tour to the Neuschwanstein castle (big discount as we had the Eurail pass). It was a great trip and made the very comfortable with using trains and public transportation.
A couple years later we booked our first RS tour—Spain and Morocco. We enjoyed our tour mates as well as the local tour guides. It was also much easier planning for me. We booked several RS tours after that.
Ten years after taking our first trip we booked the Best of Europe as I had enjoyed the local guides and wanted to see the sights from the past. It was enjoyable. The walking tours with the local guides for me is the biggest plus of the tour. (And not having to book everything on my own). Of note, we usually book several days ahead of our tour as well as several days at the end —retirement is a travel blessing.

It was many, many years ago but we took our two kids 18 and 17 on a European trip. We went to London and Paris for 5 or 6 days each and Amsterdam for 4 days. We also spent a couple of days in Brussels because we were flying home from there. You can’t imagine how this trip opened up the world for them, it was life changing. It made them citizens of the world. And gave them confidence to engage with all sorts of people and situations.

We also found out the kids sometimes needed a vacation from us, at least one day in each city. So they could go out and explore on their own and do their own things.

You are giving them a great gift. I would spend 5 days in each city even if you have to keep the trip to 3 cities.

Yes, the wife and I did a diy tour of Italy in 2019 using the RS guidebook (as well as Fodors). We pre-booked online some major sites such as the Ufittzi Gallery in Florence and St. Peter’s in Rome. We also pre-booked the longer distant train segments on first class to guarantee seat assignments. We also have done three RS tours. Looking back I would say we spent more time outdoors enjoying the scenery and wandering the towns in Italy than the organized tours being walked around in groups with earplugs and visiting historic cultural sites indoors. Both styles are fine, but it sounds like for the cities you are planning with your family, you can modify, adapt, and change easier on the fly if you do it yourself.

Oooh, not that it matters, but I really like Pam’s idea of a combo!

I do agree with Laurie Beth that it is entirely possible to do your own trip - and include the things you and your family want to. And everyone here will help, if you decide that.

But a combo might let you see the countries you want, cut your planning responsibilities in half, and let you sample both. However, whether there are tour openings or not is another question.