pcook24

We are a family of 5, with three children who would be ages 4, 7, and 9 by the time we travel. We are just starting out with planning, and honestly are planning for waaay in advance (October 2015), because we want to do this trip right! So any helpful information would be greatly appreciated! This will be our first time and our ideal trip with be to fly into London. Then we want to take the underwater rail to Paris. We'd prefer to drive by car from Paris to Rome so we can see more things that we wouldn't normally see by air or train. We are a road-trippin' kind of family and would love to do what we do here in the U.S. on our first Europe trip! Then we would fly out of Rome.

We need suggestions for how many days to spend in each location (how should we break up the three weeks we would be spending there) and what sites/cities to stop by (considering our kids' ages) along the way on our road trip from Paris to Rome. Also advice on how to rent a car in Europe.

Anyway, we are starting out planning so suggestions would be greatly appreciated so we can map out a realistic itinerary/budget for our family. THANK YOU!

travelingwithkids

Have you thought about traveling by train? we are going for the first time in June and I am looking for help! I want to bring the kids to Rome, Venie, Paris, Germany but I am looking into euro rail... I just started doing my research so I hope we can help each other!

Judy

Renting a car in Paris and dropping it in Rome would be quite expensive. Train would definitely be cheaper

greg

First thing is be sure you have the key facts before going into this direction. It is usually not possible to do "road-trippin' kind of family and would love to do what we do here in the U.S." You will be traveling in Europe after all.

What you are planning is a cross boarder rental. There is a stiff fee for doing this. How much? For example, Hertz charges 600€ for this privilege ON TOP of all other usual rental costs. www.viamichelin.com says a simple straight trip from to Paris to Rome is about 160€ in toll and gas about 220€. The cheapest rental car, which is too small for a family, might run about 300€+ for two weeks. On top of this, you need to factor in parking. So you are looking around 1300-1500€ at least for this trip. Is this the assumption you made?

Also noted that you cannot get to certain destinations by car. Not that you don't want to, but you are not ALLOWED. This is the case for high mountain villages in Switzerland and any large cities and towns in Italy.

To understand just how much hassle you have to deal with car or train requires understanding of where you are heading to.

Michael

It's more feasible if you leave out London. Go to Paris, stay a few days in Paris, rent a car to drive south and drop off the car in Menton near the Italian border. You would probably want to rent a Renault Grand Picasso--check out prices on http://www.autoeurope.com/car.cfm

If driving, don't miss Guédelon: http://www.guedelon.fr/en/

From Menton I would take the train to Florence and then the train to Rome.

Getting a few guidebooks (Fodors, the Michelin Green Guides) might be in order.

bvlenci

For travel between Paris and Rome, Germany would represent a huge detour, and you really don't have a lot of time to explore three different countries. Also, have you priced the cost of the car rental? I've heard that there are huge costs for cross-country dropoff. You might be better to return the car in France and rent another one for further travel.

For travel between Venice and Rome, I strongly urge you to take the train, which will be cheaper and much faster. A car is useless in Venice, and an expensive nuisance in Rome.

Eurail is a waste of money. Look into single tickets, which can be found at large discounts if you buy well in advance. In Italy, your children will all travel at half price on all the fast trains, and often there are special offers so that kids travel free. There are also offers for family groups. Sometimes the deep discounts for advance purchase are better than these family offers, though. You can price your tickets at:

http://www.trenitalia.com/cms/v/inde...005817f90aRCRD .

If you enter the number of adults and kids, they'll show you the best price you can get on each individual train. The best bargains are usually for travel at off-peak hours. First class on the Italian trains is really very little different from second class; I never travel first class unless there is a discount that brings it down to the price level of second class.

You can get lots of sound advice about train travel in Europe at www.seat61.com .

You might want to consider taking a driving tour in France, and then proceeding by train to one particular town in Germany. Then you could take another train to Italy, starting the Italian part of your trip in Venice. The train trip through the Alps is spectacular, and in a car, the driver doesn't really get to appreciate it very much.

An example itinerary might be:

4 nights in Paris.

4 nights: Pick up car and drive toward Strabourg, making overnight stops along the way. Drop car on arrival in Strasbourg.

2 nights: Strasbourg, take train to Munich (4 hours)

3 nights in Munich, maybe taking a castle tour. Take a train to Venice, usually changing trains in Verona. The train trip about 6 1/2 to 7 hours. There's actually at least one direct train per day to Venice from Munich, avoiding the change in Verona.

3 nights in Venice

5 nights in Rome

That comes out to exactly 21 nights. If your three weeks include the travel days to and from Europe, you'll need to cut a few nights out.

The German rail site is www.bahn.de

Alec

Get a Peugeot or Renault tourist buy-back deal, known as Open Europe and Eurodrive respectively. You pick up a brand-new car in Paris and drop off in Rome, with a surcharge of around 150 euro. This should be cheaper than regular rental with stiff drop-off charge.
Think of your children's welfare and happiness first. Try to stay a few days in a few stops en route, not a series of overnight stops. Young children want routine, downtime, not non-stop sightseeing.

greg

Beware that unlike car rentals, buy-back programs have minimum day requirements with company specific policy on how they handle shorter than minimum use. They also require reservations further ahead, and they usually come with stiff cancellation charges less than 3 weeks before taking possession of the car.

travelhorizons

I think I would make the most of your three weeks and not spend several days of *boring* (from your kids' likely perspective) time on the road. Spend 5+ days in London with perhaps a day trip to Stonehenge/Avebury). Take the Eurostar to Paris, spend 5+ days in Paris (with perhaps a day trip to Versailles). Fly to Venice… you get there in a bit more than an hour, instead of several days by car. A few days in Venice and train to Florence. A couple of days in Florence, then train to Rome. The rest of your time in Roma.

Michael

<i>This should be cheaper than regular rental with stiff drop-off charge.</i>


A lease is generally not cheaper than a rental (I think even with a non-deductible coverage) for the simple reason that all the insurance and fees are front loaded on the first 18 days of the rental. It's easy to check. One can go to http://www.renaultusa.com/ and look at the price for a minimum lease and then go to www.autoeurope.com and look for the same number of days rental for a comparable car.

But the OP does not have the lease option with only three weeks for the entire trip.

hetismij2

If you are prepared to pay the one way drop off fee, then it is perfectly possible to do a road trip. You don't need to pay tolls. There are plenty of non toll roads to take, which will enable you to actually see the country and towns rather than seeing them whiz by at 130 km/h.

I can see that with three kids it is a more attractive proposition than trains. The chance to stop and explore and stretch your legs where you want, not where the train takes you makes sense.
If you are happy with chain hotels you can also do it fairly cheaply and probably eve wing it.

To save on the one-way fees drop the car off in France, and get the train, as Michael suggests.

bilboburgler

I'd start in London, have 4 days there then jump on the train to Paris. I'd spend 3 days in Paris and then hire a car. With this I'd set off for 2 sites (renting gites by the week is a great deal) and use each Gite as a centre for exploration. http://www.gites-de-france.com/ (don't worry about the language click on the British flag and it's easy) I suggest bases in any of
Southern Alsace, Northern Burgundy near Chablis/Auxerre, Western Loire, Tarn Valley.

Dependant on month book a pool.

Depending on where you end up fly back from their or Paris. For example you can fly back from Basel with a drop off in France if you holiday in Alsace.

If you really have to be in Italy then I'd catch the train over the border

Gretchen

I can see that with three kids it is a more attractive proposition than trains.

Are you kidding me!! Three quite young children driving from Paris to Rome!! I don't care how cute they are!! LOL

Train travel can not only be fun, but for an American VERY novel--have they ever even been on a train!!

I like the idea of adding Munich to the mix. Our kids loved it. There is the BMW plant to tour there. If Italy is still "on", maybe not go as far south as Rome.

hetismij2

Gretchen, what is wrong with three kids in a car for a long journey? Why would train travel be preferable to that?

This forum is obsessed with getting around Europe by train, regardless of cost, convenience or what the OP wants.
Europeans take their children on long car journeys. Everyone survives, and indeed usually has a really good time. I can't see why it would be any different for American or Canadian children, who, after all, are far more used to travelling by car over considerable distances, than European children are.

IF OP wants to go for it I say go for it. Don't just take the Peage though, take the non motorway routes and see something of the country. Be flexible. If Italy isn't an absolute for the trip then take your time and explore France by car. See parts of it you cannot see by train, other than as a blur through the window of a TGV.

baladeuse

Trains are more fun for young kids because of the novelty and the ability to get up and move around, go to the bathroom or the dining car etc. My 9 year old grandson (Canadian) will always choose a 4 hour train ride over a 4 hour car ride when he comes for a visit. Also, for the parents, being able to relax with the kids on the train is a lot less stressful than trying to keep them entertained while coping with unfamiliar highways and incomprehensible signs.

I think travelhorizon's plan above is the best way of doing what you want - London, then Paris by Eurostar, fly to Venice, then use the train in Italy. Just my 2 cents.

hetismij2

Buy what about for other passengers? Kids on trains can be ten times as annoying as kids on planes.

Give them the best of both - car to Italian border, then train if you must, but to see and enjoy France, rather than just passing through it you need a car.

Bamaman

When I was in Italy last year, we were paying $9.51 per U.S. gallon for unleaded gasoline. Distances in Europe are often greater than they appear on a map.
I know you want to see as much as possible, but so much of the French countryside really looks alike. And they toll you to death. To return a French rental car in Italy will cost you a small fortune.
I would suggest you fly from Paris to Venice by EasyJet.com, the big budget air carrier.
Take a 2 hr. train down to Florence for a few days before taking a fast train into Rome.
This itinerary will give your children time to see where modern world society came from--Central Italy.

Newbie00

for your children ... trains are MUCH more enjoyable than a car ride.

Because they can move around, you can have things to do with them (there are tables to play games, do activities etc), you can change activities often as you are not tied up with driving/navigating, bathrooms and shop are both available whenever you need them without having to stop ...

For sure hire a car for short periods during your trip - but I would certainly plan on major transfers by train.

Gretchen

For pete sake Hets, I didn't say NO car. I am talking about from Paris to Rome being a LONG way. Yes, the south of France by car. Mix it up. And yes, European families of course take road trips--they can come back many times.
Train travel in the US is really foreign to children these days so a train trip as a part of this travel would be something exciting and different.
Have you done car trips with young children? JUst curious.

nochblad

pcook24 - good on you!

You have an idea and I support it. I will give you my suggestions bearing in mind the age of your kids as there are many stops on route which will interest them and you.

It really frustrates me when posters suggest that you should not do what you have in mind rather than help you with your plan. I am sure it was not based on a whim.