JeanineMR

We are a family of 4 (children are 11 and 12) - and we are spending 15 (full) days in Europe. We already have the tickets (so can't change that part) - and I am wondering if you can give me advice on the options I have typed out below. If you have other suggestions, I am all ears. Thank you!

OPTION 1
Aug. 15 (am)
- Fly into LONDON
- Spend 3 nights in the city exploring
(would love any suggestions for things 11 + 12 yr olds would love there)
Aug. 18
- Fly to Milan
- Take bus to CINQUE TERRE
- Spend 3 nights
Aug. 21
- Train to ROME
(or drive? I would love to show the kids Tuscany)
- if we drive: spend 1-2 nights along the way in small towns
Aug. 22 or 23
- ROME
- Spend 3 nights
Aug. 25 or 26
- Train to NAPLES
- Spend 4-5 nights in Sorrento (or other town)
- Visit Pompeii/Herculaneum
(Would anyone recommend Ischia over of Capri?)
(Has anyone taken a sailboat ride down there - and could recommend a good co?)
Aug. 31
- Fly home to Boston

OPTION 2
Aug. 15 (am)
- Fly into LONDON
- Spend 3 nights in the city exploring
Aug. 18 (p.m)
- Overnight ferry from Harwich to AMSTERDAM
Aug. 19
- Spend 2 nights
Aug. 21
- Fly to ROME
- Spend 4 nights
Aug. 25
- Train to NAPLES
- Either stay in Sorrento for whole time with day trips or split up between Sorrento, Capri and Amalfi coast (what is better?)
- Visit Pompeii/Herculaneum
- Visit Amalfi Coast, Ischia and/or Capri
Aug. 31
- Fly home to Boston

OPTION 3
Aug. 15 (am)
- Fly into LONDON
- Spend 3 nights in the city exploring
Aug. 18
- ferry to CALAIS
- rent a car and drive to northern Italy via FRANCE/SWITZERLAND
(has anyone done this? Where did you stop? How long did it take you?)
Aug. 18-20
- driving/exploring
Aug. 21
- Return car in Milan or Pisa?
- spend night nearby
Aug. 22
- Train to ROME
- Spend 3-4 nights
Aug. 25 or 26
- Train to NAPLES
- Spend 4-5 nights in either Sorrento or another town - suggestions?
- Visit Pompeii/Herculaneum
- Explore Amalfi coast, islands etc.
* Would anyone recommend Ischia instead of Capri/would love to take a sailboat ride
Aug. 31
- Fly home to Boston

nytraveler

In all cases you are giving yourselves 2 days in London - which unless you have seen it before is not nearly enough. In the time you have I would do 4 hotels/cities - any more and you are wasting too high a percentage of your limited time just getting from city to city.

As to which to choose you and the kids (they are plenty old enough to do research on what they want to see) need to decide. But IMHO 3 days in CT is a big waste.

And are you flying home from Naples - if an early am flight you will need to leave Sorrento at the crack of dawn.

Grindeldoo

Whatever you do I would forget driving from Calais to Northern Italy. Even using the autoroutes/autostrada (which are expensive) you will need some 10 hours of pure drive time taking the shortest route of approx. 670 miles from Calais to Turin. And that's without allowing time for heavy traffic in the holiday season, accidents, etc. Certainly not enough time to explore much en route.

janisj

There are 30-ish responses on your other thread.

Since London and Italy are the only musts (due to the plane tickets) That is what I'd do. Nothing else. You are cutting London waaaaaay too short. Three nights is only 2.5 days and day one will be a jet lagged fog. There is <u>plenty</u> for everyone in London - and the kids will adore it. Spend a minimum of 5 days in London (a week would be better but that would cut Italy too short). Then fly to Italy and spend the rest of your time divided any way you want ending up in Naples.

This is still very rushed.

Hez

Of the 3 option 2 is the best - but I don't think you're considering what might be more fun for your kids.

Switzerland would be vastly more fun for them than Amsterdam. What exactly is it that you think your 11 and 12 year old are going to be into there? It seems like you're just desperate to take a ferry, at the expense of doing other things. Either that or spending long days driving - your kids are going to be bored senseless if you drive all the way across France and Switzerland.

But alas, it seems like you don't really want to take any advice as when everyone on the other thread objected to your three proposed plans you thought starting a new thread would get you positive responses to your ill advised plans.

Mimar

If doing plan 1, I'd fly from London to Pisa (by Ryanair or Easyjet) and take a train to the Cinque Terre. Pisa is much closer to the Ligurian coast. And buses are not good for the Cinque Terre; the road runs inland. Which is why the CT remained unspoiled until lately.

Option 2: have you checked the cost of renting a car in France and dropping it in Italy? Usually there's a big surcharge for cross-border rentals.

Back in London, do your kids like Harry Potter? There are Harry Potter sights and Harry Potter tours. Also many other walking tours at www.walks.com. Kids like the Eye, riding a boat on the river or on the canals, the zoo, the Tower of London, the Natural History and Science Museums, the double decker buses, the maze at Hampton Court Palace, and so on. Google London with kids and you'll get many, many suggestions.

janisj

Mimar: That is a week's worth of wonderful things to do in London - unfortunately they'll have 2 days.

jamikins

Agree with the above, all of these plans are way too rushed. Pick 3 (4 TOPS) hotel locations. Give London 5 days as there are so many things the kids will love and you will be jet lagged etc. then fly to Italy and do Rome and the Sorrento area and fly home. That is more than enough in your short time span!

mamcalice

All of your options are much too busy and rushed. I suggest, as have others, that you spend 5 nights in London, fly from London to Italy and plan 10 days there. I guess I would do Rome and the Amalfi coast. That way you sill actuall have time to see and do things other than from the window of a car or train.

Reading54

>> on Jun 15, 13 at 10:27pm Hez said
.... you thought starting a new thread would get you positive responses to your ill advised plans. <<

That's a bit harsh. The OP has the right to post a new thread hoping to receive fresh ideas from different responders. After all, we all have different travel styles and have different priorities in our travel plans.

Hez

Well, people were advising against those plans (hence ill-advised) on the other thread, and they've re-posted here hoping for more positive responses so I think my comment was quite correct. And I never said they didn't have the 'right' to post here, just as I have the right to call a spade a spade.

bilboburgler

it's deja vu all over again

JeanineMR

I did take the advice of many of the posters in my previous post. I narrowed it down and came up with 3 options. I am still planning our trip - and posting here was a way to gather ideas. I will probably narrow it down even more. But, I didn't expect to upset people - I have never been a member of a travel blog (or any blog for that matter) and I apologize if I did something wrong.

Hez - the reason I posted a new thread was not because I was hoping for more positive responses - it was because once I had a clearer idea of what we might do, I thought it would be helpful to the readers to see it laid out in a more organized, more readable format. And instead of having posters read through all the previous posts, the new post would have my Options on top and be easier. Again, I apologize if I did something wrong on the blog.

Thank you to the helpful posters

Cathinjoetown

Jeanine,

I think the concern is that it's not immediately obvious, at least to me, that you've taken any of our suggestions on board. That's all right, but I don't know what else to say other than I still think you are making this way too hard.

Once more, particularly with your children's ages, I really think you are selling London short. From London, I think you should fly to Tuscany, pick up a rental car and make your way to Rome then on to Sorrento.

janisj

There really aren't that many difference between your earlier options and these three and they are formatted in the same way.

No problem at all starting a new thread - the earlier one was getting pretty long and unwieldy . The issue for me mainly was that you didn't preface this new thread w/ something like "We got some advice on another thread and we've re-thought things. Here are some new ideas". Then posters could go look at the other thread if they wanted to see where you are coming from. Otherwise everyone ends up reinventing the wheel not realizing we've had very similar (or exact same) discussions before. Plus the old thread is still active and folks will likely post to it not seeing this one.

IMO the new/improved plans are only very slightly better than what you had in the first place. For the life of me I don't understand why you are flying into London if you aren't spending any time there. It may be the very best family destination anywhere. There are so many things for kids, so much history, and just plain fun.

If I had children the ages of yours and the flights were set - It would be London, Rome, Pompeii and one other place . . . the kids would be gobsmacked.

janisj

Should have said >>It would be London, Rome, Pompeii and one other place . . . <u> in Italy</u><<