What would you do? Euro Family Vacation

[wags]

Here is a challenge for you Euro-experts.

If you were taking 4 children (ages 2-10) to europe for a 2-3 week vacation, what would you do?

There are an endless amount of choices for destinations, tours, activities, transportation, etc. We would like to give our kids a nice overview of a few european countries (Italy for sure) and are having difficulty narrowing down our options. We could use the collective TUG wisdom to get us headed in the right direction.

 

[DeniseM]

Quite frankly - I would wait until the 2 year old, and anyone under 5 is older. For a 2 year old, this trip will just be an ordeal, and they won't remember any of it.

 

[gnorth16]

They are kids after all, so keep it simple. A beach somewhere, a pool, children's museum and anything with animals will keep them happy. The rest is really to entertain and keep the adults happy. I also agree with Denise that it would be more of an ordeal than anything...

 

[LAX Mom]

Our sons have traveled to many places and we started in Europe when the 2 oldest were in 3rd & 5th grade (9 & 11). We left the youngest at home that trip. The 9 year old had a jet lag melt down a few hours after landing and I thought we'd made a big mistake! He adjusted and the rest of the trip was great! The first night none of us slept and we gradually adjusted to the time change.

You know your children and their limits in travel situations. Go with your instinct and decide if it's really worth the time & expense to travel that far at such a young age. I would be hesitant to take children younger than 8 to Europe. I agree with Denise....they won't remember the trip and it would be a big ordeal!

 

[stmartinfan]

We've traveled extensively with our daughters but didn't consider Europe until they were about junior high age. They had a great time, but before that just couldn't have handled the long flight and jet lag. When they were younger than 8 they mostly wanted a swimming pool or a beach, and the Holiday Inn down the block would have been fine in their view!

If you feel you must do the Europe trip, I could limit the stops to 1 or 2, and spend enough time in each location to just relax and pretend you live there - do the grocery store, walk to the park, etc., rather than trying to really "see Europe." You might even try a beach location; although the best seem to be in places like Majorca, rather than on the continent itself. We spent a week in Costa del Sol, but I didn't think the beaches compared at all to some in the US or Caribbean. I can't imagine taking four kids that age to museums, cathedrals, etc., that are the focus of must European tourists.

There's a good travel book we used called something like "Paris for Kids" - with versions for lots of different locations It's a small book, and each page talks about an activity, museum, site, etc., that would be of special interest to kids. We used those books to find appropriate attractions and would pick something from there that focused on kids over the more famous museums.

In Italy, I wouldn't think of Rome as being very kid friendly, but they might like the canals of Venice. Otherwise, I guess it depends on what kinds of things interest them.

 

[amycurl]

We're taking our 6 year old to Europe for two weeks over Spring Break. We're doing the first week at Marriott's Marbella, and the second week with family in a VRBO in Barcelona. She's an extensive world traveler, so I'm not too worried about the flight over, but was more concerned about the logistics of trying to country-hop with three of us, luggage, etc.

I thought Marbella would be great because it will be low-key, with maybe just one or two day trips away from the resort. Multiple European aunties will be coming to us (we scored a 3BR,) and then we just need to get up the coast to Barcelona, which will be a much more "active" part of the trip. We've never been to southern Spain, and are excited to see that part of the country (have been to Barcelona before, but pre-kid.)

We'll see....we did ten days in Australia when she was 18 months and she was *amazing,* so my expectations are pretty high, I guess! :whoopie:

 

[Pompey Family]

It really depends on what you want to do. We took our two sons aged three and five to New Jersey / New York and they loved it. We spent two weeks mainly in the pool, beaches and bus tours in New York. They were absolutely fine with the travelling, slept most of the time on the plane and adjusted quickly to the time difference. Likewise this year to Hilton Head and Orlando where they are five and seven now. Like stmartinfan suggested, treat it more as a relaxing break and immerse yourself in the day to day living. Shopping for food and wine in France and Italy is always a joy.

Both children enjoyed Rome this summer, it's not all ancient history and museums. Activities like pony rides in the parks, the childrens museum or the crypts (kids loved the mummified bodies). Spain is really geared up for timeshares, Italy less so. A week at Marriott Son Antem would be great for the kids, excellent villas with shared pools, a fantastic water park ten minutes away plus the sights of Palma and the coastline. You can then combine this with a week in somewhere like Bournemouth where you're in easy travelling distance to London, Bath, Stonehenge etc but you're also on the coast should the kids simply want to spend time on the beach.

At such a young age traipsing them round to cram in all the must sees is too daunting and stressful and they won't enjoy it. Yes you can stay in the US and do the beaches there but it's all about the foreign experience. From the food even to the TV kids are fascinated with being in another country.

I say do it but take it easy. My advice would be a week in Spain followed by a week in Southern England or if that appears to be too cold then Italy, Greece or Turkey.

 

[beejaybee]

Our grandsons were 5, 8, and 10 when DD & DSIL met us in Austria for a timeshare week at Marco Polo Club Alpina. They rented a car and started their European trip in Belgium and traveled through Germany before meeting up with us. They included mini-Europe and Legoland in their itinerary which the kids thoroughly enjoyed. In Austria, they took a mine tour and we all ventured to the Swarovski complex, Salzburg and hiked around the timeshare.

I'd suggest you plan using the hub & spoke method. Have a base and do short day trips from there. Make sure your hub is well-centered. This past summer we stayed at Chateau du Maulmont in Auvergne France, an incredible t/s resort in an old castle, but a downside for a family was its remoteness.

What about England & Scotland, or England & France via Chunnel? If you choose Italy, the Venice area is close to Austria. Pack light (under 44# for a checked bag) and you can use Europe's low-cost carriers to fly from one region to another.

No poster has mentioned cruising as a way to get a great "taste" of Europe. You unpack once, get a relaxing sea day or two, don't have to worry about where you'll have breakfast or dinner (finding a restaurant that offers something for everyone can be a hassle-try traveling with a relative with a very limited palate:ignore, there are kids' clubs so you can have couple time, and there are many varied itineraries to choose from. We like Celebrity which reportedly has an excellent kid's program, but Norwegian and Royal Caribbean are lines that have amenities, such as bowling and rock-climbing, that appeal to the young.

Good luck & Happy Planning!

 

[elaine]

I agree that under 5 is just too young--but if you must (I took 3 yr old twins from East coast to HAwaii for 2 weeks), here are my suggestions (having done a tween/teen trip to Europe for 3 weeks):
Pick 2 places to "Base" out of and resist the temptation to see more places with more stops and more trains (mistake our 1st trip). Get places with kitchens and space to move around. We loved everywhere in Italy--so take your pick--I would stay in a city and day trip to small towns. Then, you can take a train to the next spot. There are also night trains that might work, as kids would sleep.
I would also consider a cruise. Royal Carib. has family rooms that are very reasonable that can sleep 6 persons--you can't book them online--you must call. When you price out food, hotels, etc., a cruise can be very cost-effective. My kids loved going to the kids club in the later afternoon when we got back on the ship and even the option of staying in the kids club one day while we went into port-(but this might not be available for under 3yrs old).
Our next trip is a Med cruise out of Rome for 1 week, followed by 5 days at Marrriott vacation club at Disneyland Paris, then chunnel to London for 2 days. Good luck. Elaine

 

[Passepartout]

What about England & Scotland, or England & France via Chunnel? If you choose Italy, the Venice area is close to Austria. Pack light (under 44# for a checked bag) and you can use Europe's low-cost carriers to fly from one region to another.

No poster has mentioned cruising as a way to get a great "taste" of Europe. You unpack once, get a relaxing sea day or two, don't have to worry about where you'll have breakfast or dinner (finding a restaurant that offers something for everyone can be a hassle-try traveling with a relative with a very limited palate:ignore, there are kids' clubs so you can have couple time.

This would be my exact suggestions for a first trip to Europe with small ones. A fairly brief overview, then in subsequent trips (there will be more) a more concentrated stay in targeted locales. Like Alps, Paris, Italy, Holland, Scandinavia. There is waaay too much to see in Europe to do justice to in a couple of week trip.

Jim

 

[Carolinian]

Try Schloss Grubhof in Austria. They will enjoy staying in an old castle, and there are so many things to do nearby, Salzburg with its own castle on the hill and its old town, Bertesgaden with its salt mine, castle, old town and lake, Innsbruck, Munich, and of course the Alps.

 

[Laurie]

Also in Austria, the painted skulls in Hallstatt, and lots of lake cruises.

Alps in Austria, Switzerland and Italy: cable cars and funiculars.

In Siena Italy, you can go see St Catherine's head (and many other body parts in various locales...)

Venice and Paris: boat cruises on canals, lagoon and river.

 

[Carol C]

France! I would take them to Disney near Paris; if you're an II member and/or Marriott owner you could exchange into the Marriott near that theme park. Then you could tack on some days in Paris to show them major sites like Eiffel Tower. If they like castles you could take them to the Loire Valley to see some of the big chateaux, some of which still have moats and drawbridges. (Use Tours, France as your base.) If you want to experience more than just France, why not start the trip in London to see major sites like Big Ben and that ferris wheel thingie? Enjoy!

 

[Denise]

I'll Second That

Consider a cruise....the ease of visiting the different places with younger children will be great for everyone. There are many different options with all the cruise lines. The "unpack once" option and the numerous choices for dining and entertainment would make your life much easier.

 

[Ron98GT]

Here is a challenge for you Euro-experts.

If you were taking 4 children (ages 2-10) to europe for a 2-3 week vacation, what would you do?

There are an endless amount of choices for destinations, tours, activities, transportation, etc. We would like to give our kids a nice overview of a few european countries (Italy for sure) and are having difficulty narrowing down our options. We could use the collective TUG wisdom to get us headed in the right direction.

I agree with others, their too young. Go somewhere warm with beaches and pools. Go to Florida or Hawaii, they'll appreciate that more, although you may not. When they are older, then consider Europe. Italy = #1

 

[Talent312]

My advice is not to take them. Your trip would be memorable for one thing - misery.
But if there's no choice, definitely I suggest hub+spoke with 3-5 days in one place.
You mentioned Italy, so I say - Rome, Florence & Sorrento (not Naples).

Rome: The Vatican, Colosseum, Forum, Pantheon, Spanish Steps, the
fountains, and a day trip or tour to Tivoli (Villa d'Este & Hadrian's Villa).

Sorrento: Pompeii, Vesuvius, Capri, Amalfi Coast, Paestum (greek ruins).

Florence: La Acadamia, Uffizi Galleries, Palazzo Vecchio, Il Duomo, and
day trips to San Gimignano, Siena, Pisa, Cinque Terre, and winery-tours.
.

 

[Ron98GT]

My advice is not to take them. Your trip would be memorable for one thing - misery.
But if there's no choice, definitely I suggest hub+spoke with 3-5 days in one place.
You mentioned Italy, so I say - Rome, Florence & Sorrento (not Naples).

Rome: The Vatican, Colosseum, Forum, Pantheon, Spanish Steps, the
fountains, and a day trip or tour to Tivoli (Villa d'Este & Hadrian's Villa).

Sorrento: Pompeii, Vesuvius, Capri, Amalfi Coast, Paestum (greek ruins).

Florence: La Acadamia, Uffizi Galleries, Palazzo Vecchio, Il Duomo, and
day trips to San Gimignano, Siena, Pisa, Cinque Terre, and winery-tours.
.

Hah, memories, good memories. But not with kids aged 2-10.

Italy is not ADA friendly, meaning lots of steps. Lack of bathrooms: what are you going to do for the kids. Lots of walking: LOTS. Very little to amuse the kids. Slow paced, not good for hyperactive kids. Your looking at old things that are 700 to over 2,000 years old, not really interesting or amusing for kids. You'll be going into museums and churches that require silence and that dreaded slow pace again. Very little English is spoken. Little TV for amusement and probably only the BBC channel in English. No video games. And oh, don't forget the lack of fast food: No Happy Meals except maybe in the train stations in Rome and Florence, but nothing in places like Siena, San Gimignano, Cortona, etc. No 7-11's, Walgreen's, or other convenience stores to buy snacks and other goodies for the kiddies: it's old world.

I can't wait to get back to Italy in 2014, but it's me and the wife celebrating or 30th wedding anniversary for 3 weeks: no kids in tow.

 

[Pompey Family]

Hah, memories, good memories. But not with kids aged 2-10. Very little English is spoken. Little TV for amusement and probably only the BBC channel in English. No video games. And oh, don't forget the lack of fast food: No Happy Meals except maybe in the train stations in Rome and Florence, but nothing in places like Siena, San Gimignano, Cortona, etc. No 7-11's, Walgreen's, or other convenience stores to buy snacks and other goodies for the kiddies: it's old world.

I'd disagree with you on some parts. Yes, there is lots of walking in Rome and many of the sights are old and uninteresting to some children however we took our 5 and 7 year olds to Rome this summer and they loved it. The 7 year old loved the colloseum, the Pantheon etc, they both loved the Trevi Fountain and the crypts. They also enjoyed the childrens musuem and the villa gardens where you can hire golf carts to drive around if walkling becomes too much. English is widely spoken and in varying degrees of competence. There are McDonalds around, just not on every street corner thankfully. What there is in abundance however are pizzerias, gelatoria and hundreds of little bars and restaurants selling good reasonable food. Show me a child who doesn't like pizza, pasta and ice cream. Italy is one of the better countries to feed your children in and of course there are convenience stores to buy snacks in, you'll not find everything that you find at home but that's part of the fun of going abroad. I agree with you on the TV front but it's not a big issue. I found my boys watching Ben 10 in Italian one morning and they'd been watching it for 20 minutes and still enjoyed it. Also, it's probably quite rare that travelling parents these days don't possess a netbook or tablet stuffed full of kids films and games. Rome is certainly a place to take young children if you're prepared to accomodate them and curtail some of the walking plus the Italian's absolutely adore children. My kids have never been kissed or had their hair tussled by so many strangers.

 

[DeniseM]

I'd disagree with you on some parts. Yes, there is lots of walking in Rome and many of the sights are old and uninteresting to some children however we took our 5 and 7 year olds to Rome this summer and they loved it.

Yes - but the OP's youngest is only 2! NONE of it will be interesting to a 2 year old.

 

[Ron98GT]

Yes - but the OP's youngest is only 2! NONE of it will be interesting to a 2 year old.

Don't they refer to that as the terrible 2's?

 

[Pompey Family]

Yes - but the OP's youngest is only 2! NONE of it will be interesting to a 2 year old.

Yes but there are three other children aged up to 10. Nothing is going to be much interest to a 2 year old anywhere but why let that stop the other kids enjoying a trip to Europe where they will enjoy the sights?

 

[DeniseM]

Yes but there are three other children aged up to 10. Nothing is going to be much interest to a 2 year old anywhere but why let that stop the other kids enjoying a trip to Europe where they will enjoy the sights?

Because dragging along a 2 year old will make the trip far more difficult. They would be much better off to wait until everyone is over 5.

 

[Ron98GT]

Because dragging along a 2 year old will make the trip far more difficult. They would be much better off to wait until everyone is over 5.

It's also going to make it miserable for everybody else at the airports, on the airplanes, in the hotels, at the restaurants, on the tours, etc....

Have some consideration for other people.

Europe isn't going anywhere, wait a few more years.

 

[Pompey Family]

Because dragging along a 2 year old will make the trip far more difficult. They would be much better off to wait until everyone is over 5.

By that logic why take a 2 year old anywhere? Why deprive the older children of a trip of a lifetime simply because one of their siblings is 2? My 7 year old was fascinated by Rome and it really brought to life what he was learning at school, so much so that I am so glad that he managed to experience it and put it into context and it has resulted in a more immersive learning experience.

Besides, the OP was after suggestions on Europe in general not specifically Rome and my earlier suggestions centred more around beach/pool holidays. I really don't see where the difficulty lies in taking a 2 year old on holiday. When our children flew long haul at that age they spent almost the entire flight asleep. Our youngest was three when we went to New Jersey and a walk around New York City and through Central Park in a pushchair suited him and everyone else, we experienced no problems whatsoever. Likewise with the bus tours. Simply because the Statue of Liberty might be lost on him the zoo certainly wasn't.

It all boils down to how you cater for the children in your party. Only the parents know what their child would be interested in and for the younger ones you just have to adapt your sightseeing itinery. Personally I would have liked more time to stroll around The Forum in Rome however I knew that my youngest was desperate to go on a pony ride at the Villa Borghese so that's what we did. The Forum will still be there in a few years and fortunately, so will my son's memories of his time in Rome.

A 2 year old isn't a burden and is actually more easy to travel with than a hyperactive 5 year old.

 

[Pompey Family]

It's also going to make it miserable for everybody else at the airports, on the airplanes, in the hotels, at the restaurants, on the tours, etc....

Have some consideration for other people.

Europe isn't going anywhere, wait a few more years.

Aren't you a bundle of fun. Why is travelling with a 2 year old going to make life miserable for everybody else?

I suspect that you're one of those people who tut tut when we take our children into the business lounge and yet become acutely aware of their ignorance when the kids sit at the computers quietly and politely without pestering anyone else. The same can't be said about some of the boorish adults who proceed to guzzle as much alcohol as they can and bore everyone within listening distance with their 'just too loud' conversations.