rtac

I am wondering if anybody can advise about 2 weeks family Europian vacation in July (children 15 and 10)with few days in the end on the beach. Thank you.

janisj

You have several thousand choices (no exaggeration) of places to go/see. What sort of research have you already done, Which country (or 2 at most) do you want to see? What sorts of things do you enjoy? Do you want to travel by train or car?

Give us some help here . . . .

rex

Your desire to go to Europe must be driven by some inner urge(s) - - what makes you think you want to go to Europe at all? Tell us what you see... or how you would finish this sentnce, when you close your eyes, and think... I can't wait to get to Europe so thst I can...

Family ties? Ever study a language, or just think there is one you would like to learn? Drawn to the fashions of Europe? specific cuisines? Have an itch to learn more about the history of the 20th century? 13th? second? The beaches of Europe may not be as appealing as those of the Caribbean, Hawaii or Florida. In July, there can be much appeal to the Alps, or Scandinavia... or lakes from England, to Italy to Slovenia.

Or you can sweat your way through places that will rival Houston or Las Vgas in the summertime.

Fill "us" in... we'll help you with just any tidbit you provide.

Best wishes,

Rex

rtac

I am aware of the the amount of choices...that's why I was looking for some suggestions. I am completely open.
Reasons to go to Europe: Sightseeing with few days in the end to relax on the beach. I am leaning towards Italy but not sure if it's not too hot in July, may be France and Swiss.
I am looking for decent hotel accomodation, family friendly restorants and Sightseeing. Transportation will depend on the place we decide to visit, probably a combination of rail and car.

rex

No offense, but you have to define "sightseeing".

Here are two lists:

Westminster Abbey
Buckingham Palace
The Tower of London
Cliffs of Dover
Eiffel Tower
Arc de Triomphe
Matterhorn
Leaning Tower of Pisa
Colosseum
Pompeii

No doubt you would label this trip as featuring some of the very most &quot;famous&quot; <i>sights</i> of Europe. But this is a terrible trip.

Now consider this list... these destinations are all within a few hours' drive of each other:

Cathedral de Chartres
Cathedral de Lisieux
Chateau Gaillard
Chateau de Roche-Guyon
Bayeux Tapestry
Pointe du Hoc
Musee du Debarquement
Memorial de Caen
La Falaise d'Aval
Palais Benedictine

These are all fantastic &quot;sights&quot; and this would make a good skeleton framework for ten days in Normandy, and it has good beach options for July, at the end - - but it might cause you to turn up your nose at the list, because... perhaps... you haven't heard of any of them.

I think you need books... big fat coffee table sized books with mostly pictures... of two, three or four countries you think you'd like to see most (in the end, &quot;we&quot; will try to talk you into just one or two). Start at the biggest public library available to you. I'd recommend focusing on France and/or England - - but Luzern and Lausanne could make for a nice entry into the Alpine southeatern corner of France, finishing with Paris, and then a few days on the beaches of the English Channel (either side).

BabsB

rex, I wanna go on the second plan! Barb

Surfergirl

Here's what I'd do:
Be in Paris for Bastille Day
Spend the other week in the south of France, either in Juan les Pins or Ste. Maxime. From there, you can relax on the beach (both sandy!) or prowl around and town hop.

Surfergirl

And I say this having taken my son who was 12 when we last did this and he swears it was his favorite trip to Europe (and he's been 8 times).

nessundorma

It is going to be hot wherever you go unless you stick to the northernmost areas of Europe -- which isn't a bad idea since your kids might be quite taken with Amsterdam and Antwerp and Brugge, and then hanging out in the area's beaches. Lots of English is spoken there, but if you've got the time, you might consider putting London into the mix.

You might also consider a northern vacation that is really off-beat, like flying to Iceland to enjoy the midnight sun and the geo-thermal pools and other natural wonders (as well as Viking lore), and then flying to someplace like Glasgow and visiting the Highlands (or flying to Ireland and going sightseeing and biking).

For an Italian vacation, you can beat the heat by flying to Milan and taking a train to Turin -- where your kids might enjoy the movie museum and/or the Fiat museum, as well as the famed chocolates. Then you could head down to the Mediterranean. You could either rent an apartment just inland, is a beautiful hilltown like Apricale or Dolceaqua, or perhaps you could rent one right on the coast in Borghidera, with lots of good swimming and it's just a half hour to France.

Just some ideas.

nessundorma

One more idea: Hiking in Switzerland and spending time on the lakes can be cool and beautiful.