Europe for 2 weeks with kids

[Anonymous]

I would do 2 cities, and then plan to do some day trips. London and Paris are perfect!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Are European cities really that great with kids ages 9 and 7? I think of these museum-heavy destinations with a lot of summer crowds and think it wouldn't be my kids favorite.

If you are an outdoorsy family, Switzerland/Southern Germany/northern Italy is so great. The infrastructure there is just different and much more kid-friendly. We hiked a trail in the Dolomites that had playgrounds sprinkled throughout: https://outdoorfamiliesonline.com/exploring-italys-alpine-playgrounds-family-adventure-dolomites/

We've also had an extended stay in Munich with little kids and found the biergartens (many with playgrounds) really fun with kids.

The Lake Garda region in Italy is also great for kids. Garda Land (theme park) along with lots of old castle ruins.

Yeah I'm not sure about this either. If you are only going to do 1-2 European trips with them, maybe it's better to wait til they're a bit older and can enjoy more museums and historical stuff. But then again a lot of the more off the beaten path/outdoorsy type stuff and theme parks people have listed in this thread sounds pretty fun for kids!

NP but I would lean towards a less city-heavy itinerary for this first trip and then do the big cities with the museums for trip #2 when they’re a bit older.

Agreed, and I was an earlier poster suggesting that. I think for kids this age that's the right balance- my experience is that after 2 or 3 days of museums/history, many kids that age are DONE. It doesn't benefit you to push them to do more of it. Although each kid is different, right? At that age I loved that stuff (and still do), but one of my siblings hated it after only 1 day, and still today doesn't like to travel like this. The nice thing is that you have access to some things which are tough to find in the US, like nice quaint beach towns where everything is right up against the beach, and you can take a train there easily, and it's not trashy or super bougie. And warm water lakes surrounded by mountains. So you can give them unique outdoor experiences that everyone will enjoy, and they are actually often cheaper than in the US in terms of renting a place, sometimes not needing a car in the beach towns, etc.

[Anonymous]

Do your kids like castles? If so, I recommend England and Wales.

[Anonymous]

Mediterranean cruise. You see a lot, don’t need to move your stuff around. You have kids club so you can relax. Your budget is easy to manage.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Fly to London, stay 4 nights, train to Paris, stay 4-5 nights, overnight train to Venice, stay 3 nights. Could also do in reverse. Or so Spain and France only (flying between), or just Italy and France. It’s easy to get around but don’t try to fit too many cities in one trip over only 2 weeks. We also LOVE Copenhagen and Sweden but it’s less “iconic Europe”, very fun with kids though.

Yes, I would choose 3 destinations over 2 weeks. Otherwise you'll feel like you're constantly packing and unpacking.

Or if you really want to hit a lot of places, do a Disney cruise.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Fly to London, stay 4 nights, train to Paris, stay 4-5 nights, overnight train to Venice, stay 3 nights. Could also do in reverse. Or so Spain and France only (flying between), or just Italy and France. It’s easy to get around but don’t try to fit too many cities in one trip over only 2 weeks. We also LOVE Copenhagen and Sweden but it’s less “iconic Europe”, very fun with kids though.

Yes, I would choose 3 destinations over 2 weeks. Otherwise you'll feel like you're constantly packing and unpacking.

Or if you really want to hit a lot of places, do a Disney cruise.

ETA: We did this when our kids were 9 and 7. We flew to Paris, spent 4 nights there, then took the train to Barcelona and got on a Disney Cruise there. The cruise stopped in Nice, Florence, and Rome.

[Anonymous]

Olympics is in Paris 2024. Something to think about

[Anonymous]

LOTS of great cities in Europe with kids. TBH, I really, really love so many european cities with kids AND there are ways to do it on the more affordable side so you can go more often if you want.

With your restrictions in mind, I would also be leaning towards London-paris +1 other spot. Perhaps just break it up with a night or two in the ENglish countryside and a night or two in a small town outside of Paris so you can get a bit of the big city and smaller town feel but Amsterdam would be great too!

The only thing that gives me pause is that the 2024 Olympics will be in Paris and I think it will be a MESS and you will want to avoid it. If that's the case, perhaps go to Italy and you could do week 2 either in Switzerland, another area of France, Germany, ect so get a different cultural feel. I'm not sure if all of France will be more overloaded with tourists because of the Olympics....I'd do some digging into that!

I hear you on the limited PTO and the expense of such a trip. I have a much lower budget than most on here BUT I LOVE traveling. What I do is to plan FAR ahead and book budget flights (but only with layovers in smaller cities like in ICeland or copenhagen but NOT NYC) and then book lodging as far in advance as possible (apartment or family hostel if one exists with a private room) and pack ONLY carry-on. I've found travel to be MUCH more in our reach, the better I've gotten with planning budget travel. WE try to minimize how often/far we travel too and that helps. Ex: DC-Copenhagen with large personal items +2 carry-ons and a 10 day stay including buffet breakfast a nice family hostel with a play room, ect. total $3,500. That's over Christmas. Spring break DC-London $350 pp for flights.

[Anonymous]

What about Belgium? Brussels is only two hours from London on the Eurostar. Your kids will love the chocolate and the waffles. Bruges is also really nice. Make sure you take a canal boat ride.

[Anonymous]

Definitely do not just do cities, especially with children!

Kids love nature, castles in the countryside, fields of lavender or sunflowers, boat trips, mountain activities, village festivals and parades. All of that is imbued with culture in Europe. Also, smaller and single-subject museums can have more impact. I just got back from Paris with my 6 year old and we only did two museums she adored and will remember: The orangerie to see the water lilies and new galerie dior for the epic dress displays. We prepped for them with books and took our time. She has her whole life to tackle the Lourve. (Side note: if you so want to do the Lourve, keep refreshing their website to register for an English kids tour. They sell out fast)

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:LOTS of great cities in Europe with kids. TBH, I really, really love so many european cities with kids AND there are ways to do it on the more affordable side so you can go more often if you want.

With your restrictions in mind, I would also be leaning towards London-paris +1 other spot. Perhaps just break it up with a night or two in the ENglish countryside and a night or two in a small town outside of Paris so you can get a bit of the big city and smaller town feel but Amsterdam would be great too!

The only thing that gives me pause is that the 2024 Olympics will be in Paris and I think it will be a MESS and you will want to avoid it. If that's the case, perhaps go to Italy and you could do week 2 either in Switzerland, another area of France, Germany, ect so get a different cultural feel. I'm not sure if all of France will be more overloaded with tourists because of the Olympics....I'd do some digging into that!

I hear you on the limited PTO and the expense of such a trip. I have a much lower budget than most on here BUT I LOVE traveling. What I do is to plan FAR ahead and book budget flights (but only with layovers in smaller cities like in ICeland or copenhagen but NOT NYC) and then book lodging as far in advance as possible (apartment or family hostel if one exists with a private room) and pack ONLY carry-on. I've found travel to be MUCH more in our reach, the better I've gotten with planning budget travel. WE try to minimize how often/far we travel too and that helps. Ex: DC-Copenhagen with large personal items +2 carry-ons and a 10 day stay including buffet breakfast a nice family hostel with a play room, ect. total $3,500. That's over Christmas. Spring break DC-London $350 pp for flights.

This is the way.


But seriously, PP, I love it. It's all harder to pull off with kids instead of adults only, but it's absolutely doable.
My mom did this for me (traveled a lot, including itineraries considered "exotic" at the time) and it's been *the* priceless gift of a lifetime.

[Anonymous]

We are doing two weeks with similarly aged kids this summer. Going to just London and Paris - may do a day trip from each, like say to Versailles.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Olympics is in Paris 2024. Something to think about

Oh snap! I'd avoid Paris next summer!

[Anonymous]

I remember Paris being a total let down as a teen. It was so dirty and the food wasn’t that good to me.

My favorite European country by far as a child and an adult is Switzerland.

[Anonymous]

I think Edinburgh and the Highlands is a great trip, but maybe not enough for two weeks? Maybe throw in London too.

Mentioned earlier was Stroudsbourg and Alsace, I love this area of France. You could easily do this with Munich and some mountains.