Planning Ideas for a European Vacation
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Our family just got back from a 3-day road trip. While we had a fabulous time out of Dodge, we are tired and happy to be home. Our kids are pretty good travelers, packing their stuff and loading the car in pretty short order. We love the idea of traveling with our big family.
As happens when we’re away from home, we start talking about our trip to Europe, tentatively planned for this fall. While we have some vague ideas about what we want to do, nothing is in stone. It’s been so long since we were in France for our honeymoon, we know that much has probably changed in European travel.
I suggested to FishPapa that he and I could do a recon trip by ourselves for a week, but he wasn’t buying that.
My follow up suggestion was that we ask you.
I did this years ago when we were planning our first Disneyland trip with kids. I can’t tell you how immensely helpful your suggestions were back then! I benefitted so much from your hard-earned wisdom. So, today, I’m turning the mic over to you as concerns European travel with children.
How would YOU plan a European vacation?
Feel free to plan my family’s European vacation. Hypothetically speaking, of course.
Who: Two parents, Six kids, ages 6 to 17
Our kids have never left the country. They will be ages 6, 7, 10, 12, 13, and 17 when we go.
Where: Europe
The boundary lines are wide open. We were initially just set on France, and then France and England. For this exercise, we’re entertaining all ports.
When: Fall, after summer vacations end, for up to 5 weeks
We’ve heard this is the best time to go. Since we homeschool, we can make our own calendar.
How: Budget travel
Let’s say you have about $25,000 to cover transportation and travel expenses for eight people.
Feel free to leave me links, book recommendations, travel spots, things to pack, tips, etc.
Whichever European cities you end up visiting, check Frommers online ahead. We’ve found the most amazing free walking tours on their site. They all start from well known landmarks, contain very explicit “can’t get lost” directions, and lots of great info and commentary. Before we were device-happy, we used to print out and take with us, now we download. We’ve done Paris, Zurich, Prague, Amsterdam, and several others this way and we’ve never been disappointed.
Oh, and grab a half size expandable file to organize the trip while you’re there (the size for checks). It fits nicely in moms tote or purse and allows you to keep all the papers organized (passports, itineraries, reservation confirmations, receipts, etc). I haven’t traveled without one in 20 years–actually found a leather one designed for travel at a thrift shop one time. It has been a life saver more than once.
Love the walking tours suggestion. I’ve gotten lost in French cities before and walked for what seemed like hours. I’d rather not do that with the whole fam.
Thanks for the organizer suggestion. I need all the help I can get!
If you’re going to the Netherlands, their rail system used to have a rail/bike rental combo–and they have excellent bike paths–as well as a rail/museum combo.
If you’re into nature, hiking and biking trips throughout Europe are definitely recommended.
If I were anywhere nearby, I’d visit l’Abri. You would probably love it , but the littles might find it a bit boring…or they might enjoy the downtime.
I’m mostly here to read the comments too LOL – I’m hoping to do a trip to italy sometime in or after the next school year [school vacation dependent here unfortunately] so I want to hear the advice too!
But I will just pipe in with ‘get the kids’ passports – and yours – in order sooner rather than later!’
Ah, yes, passports. It’s going to cost about $1K, so I’ve been putting it off. Not wanting to cough up the coin yet. Then we really are committed! lol
Why not use this time as a lesson in your schooling. We did this when we were living in Germany and I was in sixth grade. We were given a budget and we set up itineraries, hotel plans, meals, even transportation. This way the children get to research and pick a few places they really want to see.
Great suggestion. Off to find books!
Do ever read the blog “Views from my Kitchen sink”? The author, Pam, and her husband moved their family of 6 to Paris from the States a few years ago. I bet if you popped over there, she would be able to give you some good info.
Thanks for the tip! I just added her to my feed.
Ok, so here are my random tips… Trying to limit myself because I could go on and on about this for ages:
1. Paris has an extremely efficient metro system, which I’m guessing you know, but thought I’d put that out there just in case. It can get you to anywhere you would need to get in the city.
2. I think the kids would love Notre Dame… going to the top and seeing all the gargoyles was fun for me, and I think it would be for kids too.
3. Versailles is just outside of Paris and again, I think anyone would love it. The buildings, the grounds, all of it. Go on a nice day weather-wise so that you can spend time touring the gardens.
4. If you’re looking for very budget accommodations, consider staying in one of the outer arrondissments (neighboorhoods that Paris is divided into). Again, the metro is efficient and you can get to what you need to very easily.
5. Take the kids to the Louvre & Museu D’Orsay to see all the art.
6. I had a book (I think it was Fodors) of top 10 in Paris and it gave the top 10 of everything (food, attractions, etc) and had maps in it. I definitely recommend something like this. The places we chose to eat out of the book were so much better than the places we chose just winging it.
Again, you might already know all of this from your honeymoon, but I thought I’d share just in case you or anyone else might find it interesting.
Yes, yes, and yes. We did those things pre-kids and loved them, so definitely want to do again. Thanks for the reminders and the book tip as well!
Jessica, Since I’m reading this in grey London, and like you studied in France as a Uni student, I had to leave a comment!!
If you are coming to Europe from So Cal, I would definitely visit more than just France. I like London and there are lots for the kids to do.
You may have your own plans for travel, but we go to France quite a lot. The tunnel with car is great as kids don’t need to get out, but I don’t like it 🙁
I really like the ferry, but only Brittany Ferries. This is the start of the holiday for me and we get a long enough trip for kids to see movie, and get food to eat – it’s french food!!
The other way is the Eurostar into Paris. BUT you have to get a taxi from the Gare du Nord as pick pockets are rife. Once you are in your accomodation, Paris is paris – small enough to walk ’round still 🙂
We did California last Easter – San Diego then drive up to Lake Tahoe and home from San Fran.
We are lucky we have family to stay with in San Diego and used Holiday Inn to stop en route. Big mistake we made was San Fran with 4 kids. They had more fun in the Golden Gate park sandpit!! – we have one not too far in London 🙂
As and auntie said, if you have kids you need a plan – we didn’t have a plan for San Fran
OOOh and our museums are free in London!!
You know how much BBC we’ve been watching, I don’t think we can go that far without visiting the UK. In fact, we’re thinking of expanding to Scotland and Ireland as well. Just depends on the funds.
On an earlier post about British TV, a commentor said that London had been portrayed inaccurately on TV. Any suggestions as to what resource would give us realistic expectations?
Ooh Scotland and Ireland are lovely. We spent loads of holidays in Ireland when I was a kid.
Not sure what has been said about London, I suppose it depends on the BBC drama. I think the modern stuff is fairly accurate! But as DH is always saying, London is like a mini country and is very different from the rest of the UK, which also means there are lots of different ‘bits’ to it.
I have a book that I’ve not used but looks great – “Kiddiwalks in London” Each walk has a park in it, which I think it perfect for kids, and we are really lucky that London has lots of big parks, both centrally and a little further out.
I love to go ‘into town’ and walk around or take kids to the museums, but I also like to visit the markets outside of the centre and eat local food there – being in a mixed marriage I have the advantage of native speaker and kids get to eat Desi food!
London has a bit of everything, you don’t have to see it all, go for what interests your family.
When we were in San Fran, DD1 wanted to see the earthquake exhibition. We went to museum, and the guide said the butterflies etc. were the best, do the earthquake last. My kids and I loved the earthquake exhibit!! But DH (ex Passadena!) said it wasn’t like the real thing. We don’t get earthquakes here.
Email if you want any specifics, I get very excited about London when people visit, but spend the grey months wishing I was elsewhere!
Kiddiwalks looks like a good book. Amazon only has it used with extra $ for shipping. Will keep my eyes open. Thanks. Send all your other recs my way. 🙂
Hostels! If you’re trying to travel on a budget, there are a few main hostel sites out there that let you book rooms and read reviews. Reviews are plentiful and accurate, and hostels are very common in Europe (unlike the US) with dozens to pick from in most major cities, and often at least one hostel even in small towns. While “hostel” conjures up images of mixed gender bunkrooms piled high with backpackers, many hostels have a nice family environment and offer private rooms and private baths with breakfast included and helpful staff. I stayed in many during a semester living in Europe, and they were generally pleasant, clean, and comfortable. If you’re staying somewhere for longer, renting a small apartment or studio can be cost effective so you can make meals at home. In France esp., stopping at a bakery for breakfast and grabbing crepes from a street vendor for lunch can make meals less expensive. Trains can be very comfortable, but don’t overlook flights within Europe. There are a ton of budget airlines (for tips on using them and a very long list of airline options check here http://www.ricksteves.com/travel-tips/transportation/budget-flights ). I frequently flew for as little as 20 Euros, packing my own meal and taking only a carry on. The key was being flexible with my schedule, and looking first for cheap flights. So, if I had a free weekend or break coming up, I’d look first at what flights were on sale, and be flexible with the order of cities I was hoping to visit. Austria –> Paris –> Barcelona –> Berlin might be 80% cheaper or 200% more expensive than the same cities in a different order. Austria is gorgeous if you choose to go that far East. Budapest is another favorite – much of the beauty of a city like Prague, without the hordes of tourists.
Oh, also, be sure to tell your credit/debit card companies you’re traveling so they don’t cancel your card at an unexpected purchase. I’d travel with a small number of Euros, but get the rest of your cash there. Don’t use airport currency exchanges – they’re a ripoff! Just stop at an ATM – they’re plentiful and they all have an English option.
Well, seeing as my bank gave me a hard time buying a computer a couple weeks ago, I think we’ll definitely need to let them know we’re traveling. I’ve read about Eurocash cards that you can preload. Do you have any experience with that?
Interesting about the hostels. We’re a family of 8. Would they be able to accommodate us? Thanks for the Rick Steeves tip. That seems to be a recurring theme. Will have to check out his books.
I’m from Sweden and I can tell you that everything is more expensive here in Europe than in the US. Gas is if not three times your price at least the double. Food is extremely cheep in theUS.
For Tour Eiffel I recommend you to buy tickets online.
Sorry if this was a bit negative but I love your country and we have been there several times with our crowd, four kids, and for us it’s less expensive to go to the US than travel around Europe!
Sandra
It was frightfully expensive 20 years ago as well. It’s all relative, I suppose. But, thanks for the reality check!
When we spent time in Europe, we found it much less expensive to rent an apartment than stay in hotels. Some will allow you to rent for just a few days, others require longer stays. In Paris, our family of six plus two guests all stayed in an apartment. I think one child may have slept on a couch, but still it was nice to all be together rather than in two or three hotel rooms.
Renting via homeaway.com or vrbo.com has been the way we’ve done most of our United States travelling and how we plan to do Europe someday. We have had friends who have done Europe this way with great success. It saves a great deal on meals as well, since most places have some sort of cooking facilities for you to cook.
It’s our plan to rent apartments or small homes wherever we go. It really doesn’t make sense for a family our size to do multiple hotel rooms.
Did you feel that everything was clean and up to par?