Vacation to Europe - Anyone done this? (1 Viewer)

[kutta]

I am considering taking the family to Europe this summer. We've taken a lot of pretty cool vacations but never on this scale. I'm not even sure where to start planning this thing.

My initial thought is to hit the highlights - start in London, head down to Spain and France, over to Germany, and then to Italy. Maybe fly home from Italy. My great grandparents are from Sicily, so that's a must stop place.

Any suggestions? Where's a good place to find deals and such? I use Travelzoo, but I'm not sure if those deals are really good or just fluff?

Also, any suggestions on what to see and do are welcomed.

TIA.

 

[ArbyMelt]

Our family (5 of us, 3 kids 18, 20, 22), did a 10 day trip over Christmas to Europe. Flew into Amsterdam, spent 2 days there, got rental car, drove to London for 3 days, then drove to Paris for 3.5 days, then back to Amsterdam to fly back. Not sure I would do the rental car again, probably just as cheap to take trains if you book far enough in advance. We all liked Paris and Amsterdam the best, London the least.

Used Google Matrix to find cheapest flights, and then mostly used tripadvisor and hotwire/priceline for hotels. Just remember the rooms are much smaller in Europe, we had to get 2 rooms to sleep 5 of us, and even then one kid had the floor most nights. We did find a place in Paris in in the Latin Quarter (great location) that had a quint room, 5 beds in a not so big room.

 

[Rick James]

Our family (5 of us, 3 kids 18, 20, 22), did a 10 day trip over Christmas to Europe. Flew into Amsterdam, spent 2 days there, got rental car, drove to London for 3 days, then drove to Paris for 3.5 days, then back to Amsterdam to fly back. Not sure I would do the rental car again, probably just as cheap to take trains if you book far enough in advance. We all liked Paris and Amsterdam the best, London the least.

Used Google Matrix to find cheapest flights, and then mostly used tripadvisor and hotwire/priceline for hotels. Just remember the rooms are much smaller in Europe, we had to get 2 rooms to sleep 5 of us, and even then one kid had the floor most nights. We did find a place in Paris in in the Latin Quarter (great location) that had a quint room, 5 beds in a not so big room.

I'm finding rental cars for as cheap as $10-$15 per day for my trip to Spain. How can trains beat that?

 

[ArbyMelt]

Our family (5 of us, 3 kids 18, 20, 22), did a 10 day trip over Christmas to Europe. Flew into Amsterdam, spent 2 days there, got rental car, drove to London for 3 days, then drove to Paris for 3.5 days, then back to Amsterdam to fly back. Not sure I would do the rental car again, probably just as cheap to take trains if you book far enough in advance. We all liked Paris and Amsterdam the best, London the least.

Used Google Matrix to find cheapest flights, and then mostly used tripadvisor and hotwire/priceline for hotels. Just remember the rooms are much smaller in Europe, we had to get 2 rooms to sleep 5 of us, and even then one kid had the floor most nights. We did find a place in Paris in in the Latin Quarter (great location) that had a quint room, 5 beds in a not so big room.

I'm finding rental cars for as cheap as $10-$15 per day for my trip to Spain. How can trains beat that?

I had 5 people, needed a bigger car. Tolls, Ferry/EuroTunnel, Gas (~$8/gallon), Parking (in the city where we stayed), Car insurance (my credit card didnt' cover). These all add up. I think my one-week rental was $550 (with taxes, fees, insurance), probably $200 gas, $250 to get to/from london eurotunnel, $150 parking, $60 tolls to/from paris).

 

[Dentist]

No, I don't think anyone has done that. Pretty original idea.

I used Costco Vacations in 2010 for some of the booking, Viator for the rest. Flew into London, took the train to Brussels, then to Paris. Wish i would've spent more time in Brussels.

 

[(HULK)]

I've done Europe a bunch, but never with kids.

My advice, try and give each place a few days at least. You need time to get a feel for each area and to enjoy it.

Not sure if they still do them, but they used to have month long Eurorail passes. Unlimited train usage for a month. Great way to get around.

Driving in Italy is not for the faint of heart.

Go to Palermo in Sicily.

 

[cstu]

Our family (5 of us, 3 kids 18, 20, 22), did a 10 day trip over Christmas to Europe. Flew into Amsterdam, spent 2 days there, got rental car, drove to London for 3 days, then drove to Paris for 3.5 days, then back to Amsterdam to fly back. Not sure I would do the rental car again, probably just as cheap to take trains if you book far enough in advance. We all liked Paris and Amsterdam the best, London the least.

Used Google Matrix to find cheapest flights, and then mostly used tripadvisor and hotwire/priceline for hotels. Just remember the rooms are much smaller in Europe, we had to get 2 rooms to sleep 5 of us, and even then one kid had the floor most nights. We did find a place in Paris in in the Latin Quarter (great location) that had a quint room, 5 beds in a not so big room.

I'm finding rental cars for as cheap as $10-$15 per day for my trip to Spain. How can trains beat that?

I had 5 people, needed a bigger car. Tolls, Ferry/EuroTunnel, Gas (~$8/gallon), Parking (in the city where we stayed), Car insurance (my credit card didnt' cover). These all add up. I think my one-week rental was $550 (with taxes, fees, insurance), probably $200 gas, $250 to get to/from london eurotunnel, $150 parking, $60 tolls to/from paris).

Tolls are the big one. I took a lot of day trips when I stayed outside Florence and they really added up.

 

[saintfool]

Ryanair could be a godsend for you.

 

[Spock]

Planning the same trip with my family for next summer. Only difference would be Ireland instead of London.

Anyone give me a ballpark price range what it would cost a family of 4 (kids 12, 10) to do a two week trip?

 

[Dentist]

When I was growing up my parents won the Pig in a Poke contest and we got a free vacation to western Europe.

Man that trip sucked.

The hotel in London sucked, my dad drove us around the Parliament building and Big Ben like a million times because the London traffic was so bad.

My sister ate like a fatty the whole time because Johnny Lawrence broke up with her via a letter.

Dad filmed mom in a nude scene and when our camera got stolen, mom ended up as a star in a porno.

The only entertaining time I had was picking up a girl in Paris... but come to find out she was a prostitute.

We stayed with some family in Germany, then mom got kidnapped, but Dad saved her.

All in all it was like something out of one of those National Lampoon's movies.

 

[kutta]

Planning the same trip with my family for next summer. Only difference would be Ireland instead of London.

Anyone give me a ballpark price range what it would cost a family of 4 (kids 12, 10) to do a two week trip?

I just priced some flights. Looks like round trip is about $2K per person. That's all I got so far...

 

[Limp Ditka]

No one has ever vacationed to Europe

ETA - glossed right over dentist's post

 

[Osaurus]

Why not narrow down your trip to the continent or UK? Or narrow it down even more. I am doing Switzerland by train next Summer. I have been on trips where you cover a bunch of countries. Seems like I was travelling more than actually experiencing the places I went to. My

 

[kutta]

Why not narrow down your trip to the continent or UK? Or narrow it down even more. I am doing Switzerland by train next Summer. I have been on trips where you cover a bunch of countries. Seems like I was travelling more than actually experiencing the places I went to. My

My kids are getting older so I'm figuring this is our last "big" trip all together (kids will be 16, 18, 20), so I want to see as much as we can on this one. We can go back and get into more details on places we liked in future trips, but I'm pretty set on seeing a lot of stuff on this trip.

 

[kutta]

When I was growing up my parents won the Pig in a Poke contest and we got a free vacation to western Europe.

Man that trip sucked.

The hotel in London sucked, my dad drove us around the Parliament building and Big Ben like a million times because the London traffic was so bad.

My sister ate like a fatty the whole time because Johnny Lawrence broke up with her via a letter.

Dad filmed mom in a nude scene and when our camera got stolen, mom ended up as a star in a porno.

The only entertaining time I had was picking up a girl in Paris... but come to find out she was a prostitute.

We stayed with some family in Germany, then mom got kidnapped, but Dad saved her.

All in all it was like something out of one of those National Lampoon's movies.

You are being really helpful. Thanks.

 

[Mr. Cross]

Europe is a cesspool of communism that is being taken over by Muslims. I do not know why anybody would want to go there.

 

[Rick James]

Planning the same trip with my family for next summer. Only difference would be Ireland instead of London.

Anyone give me a ballpark price range what it would cost a family of 4 (kids 12, 10) to do a two week trip?

I just priced some flights. Looks like round trip is about $2K per person. That's all I got so far...

What dates are you looking at? Prices are going to be high if you're looking too far in the future. Sweet spot is 2-3 months ahead of time. I'm seeing RT tickets from ATL to Madrid at $1,300 but that's in May. If I search for March, they go down to $1,000. Hopefully in about a month the May tickets will go down near a grand, too.

Also depends on where you're flying.

 

[=Smackdown=]

Taking my 3 kids to Europe this year as well - ages 10-7-5.

Vienna will be our base and we'll be doing 2 - 3 day trips from out of there. Booking airfare over the next 2 weeks.

 

[Spock]

Planning the same trip with my family for next summer. Only difference would be Ireland instead of London.

Anyone give me a ballpark price range what it would cost a family of 4 (kids 12, 10) to do a two week trip?

I just priced some flights. Looks like round trip is about $2K per person. That's all I got so far...

Thanks GB

 

[Dentist]

You are being really helpful. Thanks.

oh com'on.. not even a chuckle?

Skip the London Eye - waste of money

Westminster Abbey was great, St. Paul's Cathedral was amazing... Look right when you cross the street... always remind yourself of that.

Get your money exchanged before you go if possible... Pounds in Britain, Euros everywhere else. Taxi's are ridiculously expensive.

The British museum is a hidden gem.. I liked it more than the Louvre.

The Crown Jewels have ridiculous lines to see them... it was insane... yet I still found it all pretty interesting...

London is seriously one of the most expensive cities i have ever been in... and I wasn't terribly impressed with the food... so I would take as many granola bars or snacks as you possibly can to save money.

Also it rains in london.. a LOT... we went in July.. it said it would be in the 70's so i took shorts... well that was dumb because their 70's aren't the 70's i'm used to... you'll pretty much always need a jacket and umbrella.

Brussels was a dirtier city than London or Paris, but I really like some of the hidden historical gems (great war museum, the atomium was cool!), the beer, the waffles, the chocolate... The main quad in Brussels had some cool parliament buildings and a pretty fun street party atmosphere.

 

[Mad Cow]

Spent most of a longer run this morning talking to a guy that has gone a few times. His suggestion would be to fly into a city, spend 3 days or so, then take a sleeper train at night to the next, hit the next city, repeat and fly out of a 3rd. You can do 3 cities pretty well in a 10 day trip. London-Paris-Barcelona, Paris-Monaco-Rome, etc.

It is our 20 yr anniversary and we are planning a trip, as well. Probably September. We were thinking Italy, say Rome and venturing from there, but might do Paris, Barcelona, something else.

 

[jamny]

Spent most of a longer run this morning talking to a guy that has gone a few times. His suggestion would be to fly into a city, spend 3 days or so, then take a sleeper train at night to the next, hit the next city, repeat and fly out of a 3rd. You can do 3 cities pretty well in a 10 day trip. London-Paris-Barcelona, Paris-Monaco-Rome, etc.

It is our 20 yr anniversary and we are planning a trip, as well. Probably September. We were thinking Italy, say Rome and venturing from there, but might do Paris, Barcelona, something else.

Got our 20th coming up too in October. Planning a trip to Australia for it. We've been to Rome 4 times. One of our favorite cities. Rent a car for some day trips. Beautiful country.

 

[17seconds]

You've never been to Europe?

People like different cities so it's hard to recommend. Some people like the British isles but IMO, France and Germany are a must. If I was to go to only one country over there it'd be France, especially with kids. You've got so much to do in in Paris and Normandy (the cemetery) is a life-changing experience.

 

[Mr. Cross]

You've never been to Europe?

People like different cities so it's hard to recommend. Some people like the British isles but IMO, France and Germany are a must. If I was to go to only one country over there it'd be France, especially with kids. You've got so much to do in in Paris and Normandy (the cemetery) is a life-changing experience.

You are so cool.

 

[17seconds]

You've never been to Europe?

People like different cities so it's hard to recommend. Some people like the British isles but IMO, France and Germany are a must. If I was to go to only one country over there it'd be France, especially with kids. You've got so much to do in in Paris and Normandy (the cemetery) is a life-changing experience.

You are so cool.

wtf

 

[Somebody]

You've never been to Europe?

People like different cities so it's hard to recommend. Some people like the British isles but IMO, France and Germany are a must. If I was to go to only one country over there it'd be France, especially with kids. You've got so much to do in in Paris and Normandy (the cemetery) is a life-changing experience.

You are so cool.

wtf

 

[Thorn]

You are being really helpful. Thanks.

oh com'on.. not even a chuckle?

Skip the London Eye - waste of money

Westminster Abbey was great, St. Paul's Cathedral was amazing... Look right when you cross the street... always remind yourself of that.

Get your money exchanged before you go if possible... Pounds in Britain, Euros everywhere else. Taxi's are ridiculously expensive.

The British museum is a hidden gem.. I liked it more than the Louvre.

The Crown Jewels have ridiculous lines to see them... it was insane... yet I still found it all pretty interesting...

London is seriously one of the most expensive cities i have ever been in... and I wasn't terribly impressed with the food... so I would take as many granola bars or snacks as you possibly can to save money.

Also it rains in london.. a LOT... we went in July.. it said it would be in the 70's so i took shorts... well that was dumb because their 70's aren't the 70's i'm used to... you'll pretty much always need a jacket and umbrella.

Brussels was a dirtier city than London or Paris, but I really like some of the hidden historical gems (great war museum, the atomium was cool!), the beer, the waffles, the chocolate... The main quad in Brussels had some cool parliament buildings and a pretty fun street party atmosphere.

don't "exchange" money at all. Use ATMs or debit cards, just make sure your home institution knows you are going over.

 

[msommer]

Your kids are practically adult so you need to take their thoughts into consideration if you truly want it to be a vacation they would remember fondly.

Do they like sun and fun - then Spain, Portugal, Italy and Greece are the tickets

Historical stuff - lots of that all over. Real castles, buildings from before the pilgrims came to the US galore, battles, cemetaries, Holocaust museums, you name it..

Art - Netherlands, Germany, France, UK have awesome museums, so nice ones in Spain as well

So many things to chose from, so we really need a bit more information.

 

[jamny]

You are being really helpful. Thanks.

oh com'on.. not even a chuckle?

Skip the London Eye - waste of money

Westminster Abbey was great, St. Paul's Cathedral was amazing... Look right when you cross the street... always remind yourself of that.

Get your money exchanged before you go if possible... Pounds in Britain, Euros everywhere else. Taxi's are ridiculously expensive.

The British museum is a hidden gem.. I liked it more than the Louvre.

The Crown Jewels have ridiculous lines to see them... it was insane... yet I still found it all pretty interesting...

London is seriously one of the most expensive cities i have ever been in... and I wasn't terribly impressed with the food... so I would take as many granola bars or snacks as you possibly can to save money.

Also it rains in london.. a LOT... we went in July.. it said it would be in the 70's so i took shorts... well that was dumb because their 70's aren't the 70's i'm used to... you'll pretty much always need a jacket and umbrella.

Brussels was a dirtier city than London or Paris, but I really like some of the hidden historical gems (great war museum, the atomium was cool!), the beer, the waffles, the chocolate... The main quad in Brussels had some cool parliament buildings and a pretty fun street party atmosphere.

don't "exchange" money at all. Use ATMs or debit cards, just make sure your home institution knows you are going over.

I'll usually exchange $200 or so just for tips and really small purchases.

 

[Somebody]

I haven't gone with my family on vacations of that degree but I did take a month to explore Europe a couple of years after college. I had a good job so it wasn't backpacking and staying hostels. I played it by ear for most of the trip except for Munich for Octoberfest. I didn't have any problems finding a good hotel when I got into each city, but it may be a lot harder in the middle of the summer since more people are on vacation at that time than in the fall. The tourist offices in the train stations were great for finding a hotel when I did that trip. If you are going to be in a city at the same time as a big event you should make reservations ahead of time, though. I started in London, then Paris, Brussels, Bruge (Bruge is much nicer than Brussels IMO), Amsterdam, Munich, a few days in the Bavarian countryside, Innsbruck, Lucerne and then Zurich. We flew back home from Zurich. The only city on the trip I didn't particularly like was Brussels, so playing it by ear was useful for us since we decided to leave early and spend a couple of extra days in Amsterdam.

One thing I have done with family is rent an apartment instead of staying in a hotel. If you know you are going to be in a city for a week or so and you want to make reservations ahead of time, I thought having an apartment in a nice residential section of a city like London, was really interesting and fun. When we did that in London we got to see some nice parts of London that we wouldn't otherwise go to and the accommodations were very good.

 

[Somebody]

You've never been to Europe?

People like different cities so it's hard to recommend. Some people like the British isles but IMO, France and Germany are a must. If I was to go to only one country over there it'd be France, especially with kids. You've got so much to do in in Paris and Normandy (the cemetery) is a life-changing experience.

I agree with you about France. There is so much to do there, you can spend a month and still leave without seeing everything you want to. Paris is amazing, wine country, Versailles is the most opulent place I have ever seen outside of the Vatican, Normandy, and the south part of France with some of the nicest beaches and summer vacation cities and towns in the world.

I thought the Bavarian countryside was beautiful but I was less impressed with the Munich as a city to visit. Octoberfest was fun but there wasn't much else I wanted to do in Munich. I do want to go to Berlin at some point, though, and I would like to go back to Bavaria with a GF instead of drinking buddies.

 

[Rick James]

I haven't gone with my family on vacations of that degree but I did take a month to explore Europe a couple of years after college. I had a good job so it wasn't backpacking and staying hostels. I played it by ear for most of the trip except for Munich for Octoberfest. I didn't have any problems finding a good hotel when I got into each city, but it may be a lot harder in the middle of the summer since more people are on vacation at that time than in the fall. The tourist offices in the train stations were great for finding a hotel when I did that trip. If you are going to be in a city at the same time as a big event you should make reservations ahead of time, though. I started in London, then Paris, Brussels, Bruge (Bruge is much nicer than Brussels IMO), Amsterdam, Munich, a few days in the Bavarian countryside, Innsbruck, Lucerne and then Zurich. We flew back home from Zurich. The only city on the trip I didn't particularly like was Brussels, so playing it by ear was useful for us since we decided to leave early and spend a couple of extra days in Amsterdam.

One thing I have done with family is rent an apartment instead of staying in a hotel. If you know you are going to be in a city for a week or so and you want to make reservations ahead of time, I thought having an apartment in a nice residential section of a city like London, was really interesting and fun. When we did that in London we got to see some nice parts of London that we wouldn't otherwise go to and the accommodations were very good.

never even crossed my mind. checking airbnb right now for places in madrid

 

[Fennis]

that's a lot of places with a family in tow. How long are you going for?

 

[Somebody]

Also, Italy is another country where I think you can easily spend a month and still not see everything you want to see. Beautiful and very fun country with so many layers of history that you just can't get in the Americas.

 

[kutta]

that's a lot of places with a family in tow. How long are you going for?

I'm not sure yet. I'd guess about 10 days or so, but that might change. Maybe we skip Spain and just hit London, Paris, Rome/Sicily. That would give us more time in the "main" places.

 

[kutta]

Also, Italy is another country where I think you can easily spend a month and still not see everything you want to see. Beautiful and very fun country with so many layers of history that you just can't get in the Americas.

Italy is #1 on my list because of my family history. I actually have a great uncle who runs a bed and breakfast in Sicily. That would be really awesome to check out.

 

[kutta]

Your kids are practically adult so you need to take their thoughts into consideration if you truly want it to be a vacation they would remember fondly.

Do they like sun and fun - then Spain, Portugal, Italy and Greece are the tickets

Historical stuff - lots of that all over. Real castles, buildings from before the pilgrims came to the US galore, battles, cemetaries, Holocaust museums, you name it..

Art - Netherlands, Germany, France, UK have awesome museums, so nice ones in Spain as well

So many things to chose from, so we really need a bit more information.

That's a really good point. We did this on our Hawaii vacation - we let everyone pick one event they wanted to do. I'll have a chat with them all and see what they say, but I agree that's important.

The problem is that they are all so different. My youngest daughter would spend all day at the beach. My son would spend all day in a tea shop in London. And my other daughter would be happy site seeing and shopping. So it will be a challenge.

 

[Fennis]

that's a lot of places with a family in tow. How long are you going for?

I'm not sure yet. I'd guess about 10 days or so, but that might change. Maybe we skip Spain and just hit London, Paris, Rome/Sicily. That would give us more time in the "main" places.

For 10 days (assuming 2 travel days makes the trip 12), you could probably swing 3 cities. In general, unless you really want to see the Vatican for religious reasons, I wouldn't go to Rome.

 

[Somebody]

Also, Italy is another country where I think you can easily spend a month and still not see everything you want to see. Beautiful and very fun country with so many layers of history that you just can't get in the Americas.

Italy is #1 on my list because of my family history. I actually have a great uncle who runs a bed and breakfast in Sicily. That would be really awesome to check out.

If you like this kind of thing and are going to be in Rome or Naples, I highly recommend spending a day at Pompeii. Not only was it really well preserved because of the volcano ash, but the archaeological excavation began in the 1700s so basically the entire city has been dug out at this point. There is so much to explore and I think kids would really love it. That is another thing you can never find here, or most other places in the world. It's a few hours outside of Rome so it's a long day if you are going from Rome and then back the same day, but I still thought it was well worth it.

 

[kutta]

that's a lot of places with a family in tow. How long are you going for?

I'm not sure yet. I'd guess about 10 days or so, but that might change. Maybe we skip Spain and just hit London, Paris, Rome/Sicily. That would give us more time in the "main" places.

For 10 days (assuming 2 travel days makes the trip 12), you could probably swing 3 cities. In general, unless you really want to see the Vatican for religious reasons, I wouldn't go to Rome.

I loved Rome. Such an easy city to get around in too.

I took Latin in high school and we learned so much about ancient Rome that it's always been a place I wanted to see. For me it's a "must see" if I'm in Italy.

 

[msommer]

Also, Italy is another country where I think you can easily spend a month and still not see everything you want to see. Beautiful and very fun country with so many layers of history that you just can't get in the Americas.

Italy is #1 on my list because of my family history. I actually have a great uncle who runs a bed and breakfast in Sicily. That would be really awesome to check out.

If you like this kind of thing and are going to be in Rome or Naples, I highly recommend spending a day at Pompeii. Not only was it really well preserved because of the volcano ash, but the archaeological excavation began in the 1700s so basically the entire city has been dug out at this point. There is so much to explore and I think kids would really love it. That is another thing you can never find here, or most other places in the world. It's a few hours outside of Rome so it's a long day if you are going from Rome and then back the same day, but I still thought it was well worth it.

One of the best business trips I ever had was in a car from Palermo to Genova over a week or so. I second Italy as a place where you can spend a month doing many different things and not be bored.

 

[AK83NY]

Trains make travel very convenient (I'm sure that has been said already).

If you go to France try to check out Lyon. It's a very underrated city and it's beautiful and the food is amazing!

 

[Fennis]

that's a lot of places with a family in tow. How long are you going for?

I'm not sure yet. I'd guess about 10 days or so, but that might change. Maybe we skip Spain and just hit London, Paris, Rome/Sicily. That would give us more time in the "main" places.

For 10 days (assuming 2 travel days makes the trip 12), you could probably swing 3 cities. In general, unless you really want to see the Vatican for religious reasons, I wouldn't go to Rome.

I loved Rome. Such an easy city to get around in too.

well there you go. I feel most people don't like Rome, but I could be wrong. Maybe its just me, but I really dislike it. Its dirty and rude and IMO there is so many better places to get the taste of Italy than Rome.

 

[AK83NY]

The other nice thing about Lyon is that you're in France but the French people there are actually nice to clueless Americans! And the architecture is as amazing as the food!

 

[Somebody]

Also, Italy is another country where I think you can easily spend a month and still not see everything you want to see. Beautiful and very fun country with so many layers of history that you just can't get in the Americas.

Italy is #1 on my list because of my family history. I actually have a great uncle who runs a bed and breakfast in Sicily. That would be really awesome to check out.

If you like this kind of thing and are going to be in Rome or Naples, I highly recommend spending a day at Pompeii. Not only was it really well preserved because of the volcano ash, but the archaeological excavation began in the 1700s so basically the entire city has been dug out at this point. There is so much to explore and I think kids would really love it. That is another thing you can never find here, or most other places in the world. It's a few hours outside of Rome so it's a long day if you are going from Rome and then back the same day, but I still thought it was well worth it.

One of the best business trips I ever had was in a car from Palermo to Genova over a week or so. I second Italy as a place where you can spend a month doing many different things and not be bored.

That's some drive. There is so much to do and see between point A and point B. I prefer trains over driving, but whether you are driving or taking the train, going thru the Alps is one of the most beautiful sites I have ever seen.

 

[Worm]

London Noob tip #1:

Pubs don't have "servers" like we do here. You order and pay for all your drinks AND food at the bar.

If you go in and sit down, no one is going to come help you.

 

[Somebody]

I haven't gone with my family on vacations of that degree but I did take a month to explore Europe a couple of years after college. I had a good job so it wasn't backpacking and staying hostels. I played it by ear for most of the trip except for Munich for Octoberfest. I didn't have any problems finding a good hotel when I got into each city, but it may be a lot harder in the middle of the summer since more people are on vacation at that time than in the fall. The tourist offices in the train stations were great for finding a hotel when I did that trip. If you are going to be in a city at the same time as a big event you should make reservations ahead of time, though. I started in London, then Paris, Brussels, Bruge (Bruge is much nicer than Brussels IMO), Amsterdam, Munich, a few days in the Bavarian countryside, Innsbruck, Lucerne and then Zurich. We flew back home from Zurich. The only city on the trip I didn't particularly like was Brussels, so playing it by ear was useful for us since we decided to leave early and spend a couple of extra days in Amsterdam.

One thing I have done with family is rent an apartment instead of staying in a hotel. If you know you are going to be in a city for a week or so and you want to make reservations ahead of time, I thought having an apartment in a nice residential section of a city like London, was really interesting and fun. When we did that in London we got to see some nice parts of London that we wouldn't otherwise go to and the accommodations were very good.

never even crossed my mind. checking airbnb right now for places in madrid

I only did a very quick search and I would recommend shopping around, but this is the kind of thing I was talking about: http://english.dailyflatrental.com/flats/apartamento_6_personas_madrid_centro

I have never been to Madrid so I am not sure if this example is in a good location, but in general it's much more comfortable for a family and you can find good deals in any city.

 

[ZenMaster]

Also, Italy is another country where I think you can easily spend a month and still not see everything you want to see. Beautiful and very fun country with so many layers of history that you just can't get in the Americas.

Italy is #1 on my list because of my family history. I actually have a great uncle who runs a bed and breakfast in Sicily. That would be really awesome to check out.

If you like this kind of thing and are going to be in Rome or Naples, I highly recommend spending a day at Pompeii. Not only was it really well preserved because of the volcano ash, but the archaeological excavation began in the 1700s so basically the entire city has been dug out at this point. There is so much to explore and I think kids would really love it. That is another thing you can never find here, or most other places in the world. It's a few hours outside of Rome so it's a long day if you are going from Rome and then back the same day, but I still thought it was well worth it.

+1

My wife and I visited Pompeii on a cruise excursion a few years ago. Spent a couple of hours there and would have much rather had the entire day to wander among the ruins.

We went to Paris last year - spent 4 days and it wasn't nearly enough time to see everything we wanted. It was a great trip and we really enjoyed it but wish we could have stayed longer.

 

[Mr. Cross]

I still cannot believe you have never been to Europe.

 

[Fennis]

Also, Italy is another country where I think you can easily spend a month and still not see everything you want to see. Beautiful and very fun country with so many layers of history that you just can't get in the Americas.

Italy is #1 on my list because of my family history. I actually have a great uncle who runs a bed and breakfast in Sicily. That would be really awesome to check out.

If you like this kind of thing and are going to be in Rome or Naples, I highly recommend spending a day at Pompeii. Not only was it really well preserved because of the volcano ash, but the archaeological excavation began in the 1700s so basically the entire city has been dug out at this point. There is so much to explore and I think kids would really love it. That is another thing you can never find here, or most other places in the world. It's a few hours outside of Rome so it's a long day if you are going from Rome and then back the same day, but I still thought it was well worth it.

+1

My wife and I visited Pompeii on a cruise excursion a few years ago. Spent a couple of hours there and would have much rather had the entire day to wander among the ruins.

We went to Paris last year - spent 4 days and it wasn't nearly enough time to see everything we wanted. It was a great trip and we really enjoyed it but wish we could have stayed longer.

If you're going to Pompeii then go to Sorrento. Drive the Amalfi coast (or better yet have someone drive you) and end up in Sorrento. Beautiful!