We are a family of 4. Mom and Dad are 40 years old and 2 boys age 12 and 10. We have 2 months of vacation from mid june to mid august. We are planning to tour around Europe using the eurorail pass.

Any tips/suggestions/past experiences will be greatly appreciated!!!

Thanks!

Yikes! This could get expensive!

Do you want to stay at a specific area for a substaintial time or do you want to hit all the places in the two months?

If you want to go a more relax route, try getting a summer rental in south of France -- it's cheaper than staying at different hotels every night. From south of France, you can do weekend trips to Italy, Spain, Germany, etc.

The rest of the time, commune with the locals and enjoy a relaxing family vacation.

Obviously, that's what I would love to do.

Good luck and enjoy! Your kids are extrememly lucky.

One theory is to stay in "base" cities and journey out from there every day so you don't have to pack and unpack every day. The book Europe by Eurail deals well with that.

For long trips, DH and I used to make reservations whether they were needed or not (a couple of bucks pp), so we were sure to get on the right train (and the right portion of the train) to get where we wanted to go.

Do take picnic lunches on train trips and lots of water because food and water are more expensive on the trains. (You must buy water because train water is nonpotable.)

Before you shell out for the Eurailpasses, think about a "lease" (actually "buy-back&quot arrangement on a car - for example look at www.renaultusa.com - as it may be cheaper and way, way more flexible, especially with kids.

The train is a good way to cover long distances quickly, and in some areas it will go into scenic parts of countryside, but once you're off the train you're either on foot or have to take supplemental transportation, such as cabs or buses, and the aggregate cost for four can quickly negate any savings you think you're making by using the Eurailpass.

As to an itinerary, with 2 months I'd be inclined to look for cottages or "villa" rentals; pick two or three areas and stay in each for a week or two in order to get the feel of life as a local. If you pick smaller communities that are day-trippable by commuter train, say, from large, interesting cities, you can get the best of both worlds.

Reinforcing the suggestion to consider a leased automobile before you shell out a few thousand dollars on "rail passes". They are VERY, very unlikely to represent a good value for your situation.

I would also urge you to consider cutting this trip down to 15-25 days, bank the money - - and see just how (incredibly) much you learn that will enable you to make another 15-25 day trip in the near future with the money you save away. You will know "how to do ti" so much better after this year's trip (even if you have been before - - you have never traveled to Europe with your own near-teen boys - - that seems safe to say).

I'd choose the two (or three) countries that seem most important to you (perhaps, ideally with some language commonality!?), regardless of the length of your trip.

Best wishes,

Rex

I think your decision should largely hinge on what you are planning to see and do. If you're interested in out-of-the-way places not served by trains, then a car is the way to go. If you're thinking in terms of seeing the capitals and their sights, then train and public transport is preferred.

In either case, staying in one place for several days at a time and taking day trips is good advice.

Don't forget to factor into the equation the operating costs of the car - fuel, insurance, and parking. The latter is a HUGE expense in most European capitals, sufficient to encourage you to park the car outside of town and use public transport. But why even rent a car if you have to use the subways and buses anyway?

Train passes aren't really all that expensive - the German rail line, for example, offers a pass valid 4 days in a month for two adults traveling together at $270 (for <i>both</i with additional days at $36. Even a 10 days in two months three-country* Eurailpass would only cost $480 with the boys at $367 and $240. With gas going for over $6 a gallon, it's worth thinking about.

Go to <b>bahn.de</b> and hit the &quot;Int. Guests&quot; tab.

* Belgium+Netherlands+Luxembourg counts as one country.

IMO you need more of an itinerary before deciding on if and what type of train pass would be best. For instance a single country pass might be more useful/economical at some point of your trip.

With 2 months I assume some places you will stay for a longer time?

I think Rick Steves Europe thru the Backdoor is a good guidebook at this stage of your planning.

I'd take a close look at the www.slowtrav.com site and the associated www.slowtalk.com message board. There are several families that have taken extended trips in Europe that post there.