see_the_world7

We are trying to plan our trips for 2008 and 2009 and are looking for ideas of where to travel that perhaps we might not have thought of otherwise. We'd be traveling as a family (2 adults and 2 children ages 6 and 7), and we'd probably be doing most of our travels in Europe or northern Africa. The kids are great travelers.

I know this is a very general post, but I really am looking for some new ideas. Usually we travel for about 7-9 days, although sometimes we are able to do a slightly longer trip (up to 14 days or so).

Thanks!

Williamtje

I live in the UK - just south of London - and I would suggest
London - changing of the guards, the museums, Big Ben, London Eye etc - lots to do for children and adults
Paris - so full of well known things to see from Versailles, Eifle Tower etc
Bruges - lots to see and do and all within easy walking distance - fascinating history and even the nearby beaches at Zeebrugge are fantastic!! Look up festivals - they (the whole of the city!!) sing in the square at end July - there are also street pageants. Chocolates!! - you have to buy fresh hand-made - my favourite shop http://www.oldchcolatehouse.com
Rome- what more to say
Sorrento on the Amalfi coast - peaceful and restful, visit Capri and go to Pompei
Barcelona - culture, sun and sea and a fantastic variety of restaurants and night life - at good prices.
Tel Aviv - Sun, sea and the Soukhs - I love the beach there and going to some really fantastic historic places in Israel.

My favourite of them all - Bruges

swandav2000

Hi see_the_world7,

Can you help us narrow it down just a little? Are you thinking cities or countryside? Mountains, lakes, beaches?? Summer or fall?

Ok, but for me it is

Switzerland
Montreux
Brig
Zweisimmen
Gstaad
Wengen
Luzern
Guarda
Pontresina
Sils

Germany
Mittenwald
Dresden

Good luck!

s

see_the_world7

Thanks for the response Williamtje. We are currently living about 3 hours from London, so we have seen quite a bit of the UK. We've been to several of the places you've mentioned (in fact, Bruges and Sorrento are the favorites so far in our travels), but we haven't traveled to Spain at all and haven't seen Tel Aviv. I'll look into those a bit more.
Thanks again!

We'd love to hear more suggestions!

see_the_world7

Thanks swandav2000. Actually we are looking at anything. We try to mix up our trips so that one might be a very relaxing trip including hikes, etc... (like the Lake District in England), but others might be more touristy and hit the main sites (like when we traveled to Paris and Normandy).

We usually take several trips a year. Since we live in England we can get cheaper flights to Europe (or drive if it is close enough), so we travel on quite a few of the kids breaks.

Switzerland is on our list, but I didn't have any particular places in mind. Friends had mentioned Luzern. I'll check out the towns you mentioned. Is there a particular time that is good to go (if we aren't going specifically for skiing)? I was considering a trip there in late March. Would it be too cold for general site seeing and nature hikes, etc.. at that time of year?

Thanks again!

swandav2000

Hi again,

Yes, those towns I mentioned are good ones generally for scenery, etc. You can get some basic information on each at www.myswitzerland.com or of course by googling.

March is a good time of year so long as you don't mind hiking in the cold (or sometimes rain or snow). Usually some walking trails are kept cleared of mounds of snow, so walks out into the countryside are still possible. There will still be skiing at the high ski resorts (Wengen, Pontresina, Sils).

My favorite time for everywhere in Switzerland is the fall -- late September through October.

Have fun!

s

bettyk

We are big fans of Germany. Lots of medievel castles and palaces to visit as well as scenic lakeside and mountain villages.

You can check out some of our photo albums if you'd like at www.webshots.com. Do a search for dkubiak.

see_the_world7

Thanks bettyk. We've been to Garmish and also did a long weekend to Koln for the Christmas markets. We've thought about other places in Europe but weren't sure where. Are there particular spots you'd recommend?

Thanks

WTnow

We have a child that same age, so you might want to check out our blog archives for ideas of what worked well for us:

www.soultravelers3.com

I HIGHLY recommend Fez & the Sarhara in Morocco and Cappadocia and the ancient sites in Turkey which have been our favorites. Although I think you would probably need at least two weeks to fully enjoy them.

They are not quite Europe, but we included them in our European tour and so glad that we did.

Greece is great too, especially if you like to combine travel with education the fun way.

Spain is also wonderful, with endless places to see. A Moorish tour of Seville,Granada, Cordoba and white villages & old bull rings and flamenco can be great fun & educational for kids & adults.

Salzburg, Hallstat & Vienna are fun destinations for kids with opportunities to learn lots about Mozart & see wonderful concerts. We really liked the Alps in the autumn.

Croatia is a fantastic country that should not be missed and Lake Bled is beautiful and close by. Croatia or Turkey are great places to do a sailing trip together and go island hopping ( cheap in Turkey on the Turqouise coast & GORGEOUS!).

Prague is also very special.

Surprisingly we also had a great time wine tasting in Burgundy!! I never would have thought that was fun for a 6yo, but my daughter loved it ( as well as our time in Umbria this fall). Perhaps because she grew up on a vineyard.

Barcelona ( especially based at the great beaches of Costa Brava) is a fun destination for families.

So is Ponte du Gard is also a fab place to base for Provence. The museum there is fabulous and it is in nature on a river that kids enjoy. Go in off season to avoid crowds.

Brugge is fun...ah the chocolate, but there are also lots of great places in the Netherlands. We especially loved Edam slightly off season and the outdoor museums.

maytraveller

hi stw7:

we don't have children, but these are places we have visited recently that I imagine would make great trips and provide much of interest for a traveling family:

larger cities:

Berlin
Istanbul
Stockholm
Budapest
St. Petersburg

smaller cities:

Prague
Tallinn
Krakow
Arles
Lisbon

countryside:

Salzkammergut
Andalucia
Lake Como
Black Forest
Tuscany

I noticed you mentioned N Africa, so hope you are considering Fes/Marrakesh, but can't personally recommend as we haven't visited (but planned for 10/08).

happy travels!

maytraveller

see_the_world7

Thanks for all the ideas...please keep them coming! I'm making notes and doing research based on your responses.

To bettyk, I meant to say we've considered other places in Germany, but didn't know what places in particular to go.

Thanks again...I appreciate the ideas.

Luisah

<<I HIGHLY recommend Fez & the Sarhara in Morocco>>

Ditto. Morocco, Fes, Marrakech, a night camping in the Sahara -- a camel ride. Check the Africa threads. There have been trip reports about families with young children traveling in Morocco.

Debi

Luzern is very cool in Switzerland - VERY old city.... I would go in the May timeframe, and couple that with a trip through Austria - (not in specific order) - Vienna, Innesbrook, Salzburg - then go to Switzerland, and I would go to Luzern. You should be able to do all this by train (which is a great adventure in itself), or by car.... Out of all the European countries I've been to, Austria is one of my favorites - very beautiful, very historic - really nice people....

semiramis

If the kids like castles and scenery - North Wales.

bettyk

see_the_world7, we just visited Berchtesgaden in September and loved the area (German Alps). Much to see and do including Hitler's Eagle's Nest and the Documentation Center as well as boat tours on Koenigsee.

We also loved the Mosel River and Rhine River towns and villages. Lots of castles and vineyards. Also, the town of Trier has much to offer in the way of Roman Ruins.

You can see our photo albums on www.webshots.com. Do a search for dkubiak.

GSteed

Instead of churches and museums and shopping..A river tour..the Rhine or the Danube or whatever..Maybe the St. James Way (by car). Africa? Tour the Mediterranean shore by car or boat!

clz

We have 3 kids just a little younger than yours. A few places that stand out with us as being great for adults and kids:

Barcelona/Costa Brava
Rome/Tuscany
Vienna
Amsterdam (take the first May bank holiday and see the flowers blooming)

I'm guessing you've been to Paris?

We haven't been to Egypt, Morocco, or Greece but really want to so I'd put those on the list too!

suze

another fan of the Lac Leman area of Switzerland (outside Geneva, Lausanne, Vevey, Montreux...)

see_the_world7

I'm so glad I posted this question. I'm getting such great ideas. Yes, we have been to Rome and then south to Sorrento where we visited the surrounding areas of Capri, Pompeii, etc. We also have been to Venice and Tuscany (northern to mid-Tuscany). We really didn't get to the southern part of Tuscany or Umbria so we're thinking of going back for a trip there.

We have been to Paris and it wasn't one of our favorites although we were there when in was 100 degrees farenheit during July of 2005 so perhaps that affected our view. It was nice at night (we were at the Eiffel Tower at 10pm just as the lights came on and stayed out til 11:30 or so). We did the main Paris sights including the Catacombs and then headed to Normandy which we liked much better.

We've also been to Greece. We visited Athens for a few days and then did a cruise of several Greek Islands and also hit Istanbul and Kusadasi on the cruise. That was without kids though.

Right now I'm looking very closely at Morocco and Switzerland as some of our next trips, but I really like having a list.

clz, thanks for the tip on a good time to visit Amsterdam. We could easily do that as just a long weekend on the bank holiday you suggest. I'll look at that a bit too.

I love all the ideas. Also, I mentioned we are currently living in the UK and have visited many sites here. We're still looking for 2-3 day trips around the UK for weekends so if you have specific suggestions that would be great. We live near Gloucester - about 2.5 hours west of central london, about 20-30 minutes from the Wales border, and about 2 hours north of the southern coast.

Thanks again for the suggestions!

4texans2go

We live in Naples...you can skip that! lol! Our kids (11 and 8) enjoyed Florence and Pisa. Really they *could* enjoy anywhere knowing gelato was a strong possiblity.