2 weeks in Europe
 

Taking my daughters to Europe for the first time in May 2018. We would like to go to France, but would like to visit other countries. Any suggestions? Hotels etc...Also is train the best way to get to other countries. We are flying from Orlando, Fl to France, but can fly back from a different country. Thanks much.

I'll be the first to pose these questions to you, and we can get them out of the way:

a. What are your interests? Europe is made up of a lot of different countries, and I would never presume to recommend one or more to a person I've never met and know nothing about. Now, if you specifically ask me, for instance, "What do you like/not like about Italy," I can answer, but your question does have to be specific.

b. Budget for hotels? No one here wants to recommend hotels, only to have you come back with, "Oh, we don't want to spend that much."

c. Train is generally the best way, but what do you hope to see/do? Some people want to visit small, out-of-the-way places that require a vehicle for transportation. Also, you don't say how many people are in your group or whether one of you would even consider driving.

to add to vincenzo's
ages? interest? food restrictions?

Give us an overview

"one likes hangliding and oriental art and the other is 4 and likes Disney"...

No one can possibly answer a 'which country' question. Is there someplace you've always dreamed of visiting . . . or do you merely want to tick another box/country off a list?

Two weeks (if you mean exactly 14 days) will only net you 11.5 days free on teh ground. So - what do you mean by 'France'? Just Paris? Or Paris plus Normandy or Provence or some other region? If so, spend the whole '2 weeks' in France would be an option.

Two weeks is not long enough to 'do' any whole <u>country</u> (except maybe some very small ones). But it id long enough to do 2 or 3 destinations . . . Like Paris and London, or Paris/Brussels/Amsterdam? Or????

You are really jumping the gun here and need to settle in with a bunch of guidebooks and internet sites and maps and do your homework. Having a vague idea that you'd like to visit France and "other countries" isn't even a start. WHY do you want to visit France? WHERE in France? WHICH other countries? WHAT is your budget? WHAT are your interests and those of your daughters?

When you've got even the shell of a realistic plan, come back here and many people will be more than happy to help you refine it.

Also is train the best way to get to other countries.>

Depends on how far away they are - cheap flights can be a better option or overnight trains too to cover long distances rather than sitting on trains all day. But if you plan your itinerary right and take train trips no more than 4-5 hours or less trains are the best.

Maybe
Paris
South of France - Avignon and Nice areas
Italy
Genoa
Florence
Rome
Venice

fly home from Venice or take train from there to Munich or Vienna and continue.

One of many options obviously

another
Paris
Bruges Belgium
Amsterdam
Germany Rhine Valley around Koblenz
Switzerland
Italy

Oh for lots of info on European trains - www.seat61.com; www.budgeteuropetravel.com and www.ricksteves.com. For railpasses if doing several longer trains check out Eurail Select Saverpass.

For this kind of question I'll always reply: Lichtenstein . Because, why not? It's an European country.

(For more helpful input, refer to the above posts.)

Dadelle, I see you had a thread back in July 2017 about visiting Switzerland in April or May 2018. Is Switzerland still in play?

You should plan on at least 2-3 nights per stop, so with 14 nights that means 4 or 5 different cities/towns.

Fly into one city and home from another to save time. Although super-saver deals in and out from the same city can multiply the savings with kids in tow.

Sample trip, flying into Paris and home from Zurich:

Paris - 4 nights
Beaune - 3 nights
Montreux - 2 nights
Lauterbrunnen - 3 nights
Luzern - 2 nights

We would like to go to France, but would like to visit other countries.>

have you any idea of which countries you would like to visit?

London and UK only about 3 hours all told by Eurostar train thru Channel Tunnel even possible as a day trip.

Paris-Venice overnight train could be handy - Venice and Florence and Rome- fly home from Rome.

But do you have any inkling of what countries?

Paris could do day trips to Normandy and D-Day beaches; Loire Valley; Reims and Champagne tours, Chartres for great Gothic cathedral - get out of Paris a little and into a more typical France.

Or Paris to Burgundy - say train to Beaune and spend few days in heart of Burgundy wine district - then onto Switzerland.

Or Paris-Strasbourg (great city)- Germany - etc.