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Need inspiration/ideas for long-awaited vacation
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Anonymous
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DH and I would like to take our kids (five & Eight) away for up to 2 weeks in August.
We're thinking Northern Europe (ample direct flights, less sweltering than DC) We like walking and hiking (pedestrian friendly cities or locales with kid-friendly trails), people watching, good local cuisine. DH and I were avid backpackers before DCs, but obviously need to revisit foreign travel with a new perspective with DCs in tow. We'd prefer to stay in a central place as a our homebase and take day trips We've been saving up for a while now, borrowed some Rick Steves books, and have so many ideas (Bruge? Bavaria? Swiss Alps? Normandy beaches?) We are overwhelmed and would love suggestions! |
Anonymous
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DH and I honeymooned by camping throughout northern Italy one August (and staying at bed and breakfasts) and I saw a lot of families and children and remember thinking -- we could come back with the kids! (-;
It was really mellow, and we met a lot of Italian families. The Dolomites are beautiful and there are plenty of family friendly hikes. And Lako Como is very relaxing. I think we stayed in Ravenna. DELICIOUS seafood. We spent the entire three weeks just in the north -- never felt the need to go to Rome or Florence... maybe next time. Rick Steves on Lake Como: http://www.ricksteves.com/plan/destinations/italy/498lake.htm |
Anonymous
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OP, I'm the PP, and I'm hoping other people have some ideas for you!
I'm having a fun time daydreaming about being able to take my kids to Europe ... some day... 
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Anonymous
| How about the fjords of Norway? Beautiful hiking among those little towns, and breathtaking scenery. . . . |
Anonymous
| It sounds crazy, but with the dollar the way it is over there, I would go to Alaska. The MOST beautiful place in the world, great hiking, great eating, trip of a lifetime! |
Anonymous
| You should check out the forums of a travel site. The boards at Fodors.com are usually pretty active - lots of people post trip reports. I love fantasizing about wonderful vacations after reading the real-life accounts of others. |
Anonymous
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OP, I'm going to plug Northern Italy again!
Dolomite Mountains for kids: http://www.travelforkids.com/Funtodo/Italy/dolomites.htm * fossil dinosaur prints * cool rock formations * nature trails for families *good weather *maybe some lake swimming * ski lifts if you don't feel like hiking * mix of German and Italian *prehistoric petroglyphs *rock climbing classes for children over 7 * Ice Man mummy *castles |
Anonymous
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I would fly into Milan, rent a car, and drive east to Venice. Stay there for a day or two and let the kids walk all over the city and be tourists, then head north to the Dolomites for a week, stay in one town, but do hikes and explore the various towns, hikes and see castles and ice men and fossiles. Then drive to Lake Como and enjoy a few days of the mellow walks, ferry rides, swim at the public beaches, etc. Then a quick trip back to the Milan airport to fly home.
I must say the Lake Como area is more for adults than kids, so it might not be a place to stay for long. If your time at Lake Como gets a bit boring, you can head down to Milan less than 1 hour away -- there's a nice water park there, and much more stuff to do -- shopping?!? Oh -- One of the towns around Lake Como has a hotel where the wedding scene from Star Wars 23nd movie was filmed, if you have any star wars buffs... All these driving distances are very, very short. Good luck, and i'm done fantasising about my Northern Italy vacation.... |
Anonymous
| OP here. Thank you for the wonderful ideas. Northern Italy Dolomite region is definitely high on our list (ditto the Ticino in Southern Switzerland, which is right nearby). I will also check out the Fodors board. Investigating Norway also led us to consider Denmark--biking along their thousands of miles of level shoreline and visiting Lego Land. Thanks for the suggestions and keep them coming! |
Anonymous
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We just got back from a 2 week safari in South Africa. We saw all of the Big 5 animals. Our kids LOVED it. It was the most amazing experience of our lives.
I suggest though, going in the dry season, animal watching is spectacular. As far as your dollar goes? it goes a LOOOOOONG way. |
Anonymous
| Maybe it's ho-hum to you well-travelled folk, but I'd take my family to Paris. So much to do, such great food, so beautiful. Two weeks in Paris (rent an apartment), day trips to the Loire Valley, Chartres, Dijon, Giverny, so many others. Walk your feet off. What's not to love? I could live there for a year or two and never run out of things to do. My kids (younger than yours) loved Paris, and I'd return in a heartbeat. In August, Paris is slower, emptier (except for tourists), which I like a lot. |
Anonymous
| Another suggestion is Krakow. You fly through Munich (don't go through Warsaw if you can help it). A family we know spent a week there last August and loved it. Their kids are 6 and 8. The language was not a problem, food was fabulous, history marvelous, people friendly, tons of art, music, theater for children. They said it was a beautiful city and very easy to negotiate. |
Anonymous
Tell us more! Are there direct flights from Dulles, and where did you stay? |
Anonymous
| I am not the SA poster but went there on our honeymoon. South African air has a direct fllight once or tice a week from Dulles to jberg. We went to Cape Town and to a a game resort. HIGHLY recommend it. |
Anonymous
| There is NO WAY I would take a five and eight year old on safari. S. Africa yes. Safari in South Africa, no. Even though the animals you see are mostly sleeping or moving slowly, they are still unpredictable and wild. I remember being requested to call for an escort from my room to the main safari dining hall because it was dark and animals were out. If I remember correctly, the group we went with wouldn't even take children under 13 or so. |