Sally

My husband and I are planning a trip with our two children to Europe for the summer of 2002. We've never been out of the U.S. before and have been saving for quite a while. We're very excited about seeing Disney Paris. Since we have a lot of time to plan, I'd love to hear suggestions on other things to do/see, especially in France but also in Italy.

vance

Sally, <BR>It sounds like you are at the initial stages of trip planning. I suggest the following, for starters, <BR> <BR>- go to a bookstore and purchase at least one travel book on your destinations. DK Eyewitness, Fodors, Frommers, etc. <BR> <BR>- use the search function on this forum to access and read countless postings <BR> <BR>- use a good internet search engine and research, research, research <BR> <BR> <BR>

Ursula

Sally: I second Vance's advice. <BR>Next to that, you can check out <BR>www.parisavenue.com <BR>for inputs what CAN be done. <BR> <BR>The official Paris website is <BR>www.paris-touristoffice.com <BR>You will find links there about how to prepare your stay and things to see. <BR>On this forum, you will find a lot of good suggestions for Paris, its surroudings and Italy. <BR>Make a list what you, your husband and your children are interested in. <BR>This will certainly include the Louvre <BR>(www.louvre.fr) <BR>There is a beautiful Egyptian section which is worth to be seen next to the "musts" and which might be quite attractive to your children. <BR>Come back and people will be happy to help you further. And yes, indicate your children's age, too.

gb

We did the France and Italy trip last summer with our two daughters. We stayed at Disney at Davy Crockett Ranch for one night, and wished we stayed for two. It was late into our three trip and a little familarity was comforting. At the ranch (mobile home in the woods like camping), there were lots of kid oriented activities to accent the Disney vacation. <BR>In France, we spent a few days in Paris, a few days in the Alsace area, and a few days near Chamonix. The kids were least interested in the Alsace area. Loved Chamonix. There were quite few activities there to engage the kids. And it was beautiful. Our first crepe was there and it was great. <BR>Our trip in Italy included visiting Venice, Padua, Pisa,Assisi, Pompei and Rome. Each place was unique and interesting. We had the best time in Rome. The reason-we had hooked up with a family on the internet and met them at their home. Spent a few days there. So, I would encourage you to find via internet, school pen pals,or any other creative way you can connect with a local European,to enhance your children's trip. The sights are great, but it's the people that make a difference.

oh my god

You don't have to travel to France to see disney,, go to CA or FL. Your children might enjoy lots of other things besides, start educating them now. Get videos, read books, unless they are 4-5 yr.old help them grow, there are other things beside M&gt;M&gt; and Goofy

david

look into futurscope near paris; this might be very interesting for your family

xx

And there is Parc Asterix also near Paris

gb

You know, I felt the same way about going to Disney in France. Didn't want to to do it. Why go all the way to France to see Disney? I relented. And surprisingly we had a really great time there. The reason-after almost three weeks of great travel, seeing new things, trying to understand and speak other languages, a little bit a familiarity was very comforting to all of us, but especially, the kids. When you travel with a family, it is fun, but tough. Especially for mom who seem to have figure everything out for everything (just like at home). So, before you all criticize someone for wanted to visited, you must look at the broader perspective and result. What's one or two days if the kids like it. It was amazingly re-energizing. We finished the last leg of our trip in Paris, and visited most of the museums without a complaint. So, I think if you want to spend a day in Disney, and the kids look forward to it, I second it.

m

How old are the kids? We've taken our kids to europe (2 10-day trips). They adored italy, everything about it. They are 10 & 12 and aren't all that interested in disney anymore (been to each in states once). in fact my son says that italy is the best place he has ever been to (his favortie part was the food). They've also been to paris and amsterdam. we try to mix the museums with some kid-friendly activites. and also find time for them to just run around. They really like the boat ride on the seine and going up in the eiffel tower in paris. for down time we would just hang out at parks. in paris they really got a kick out of all these dogs in cafes and restaurants. they tolerate the museums, not their favorites but they don't mind. also in paris, there are double decker merry-go-rounds in various locations, which is a nice break. in italy, they were totally caught up by the sites. they loved venice, they especially liked (besides the usually museum sites) going on the boats (water buses, etc). we took them to murano to see glass blowing. We also did an underground cave tour in orvieo and went to the history of science museum in florence. rome they enjoyed the liveliness on the streets. Borghese park is fantastic (the borghese gallery is stunning but maybe not that exciting for kids). when they needed to use up some energy, i had them go up and down and count the spanish steps. they actually did that more than once. They also loved pompeii. we would also rent the audio tours for all the musuems, they liked to type in the code and listen in. my son also enjoyed all the soccer games on tv. for both these trips we showed them movies that took place in some of the locations prior top the trip. Younger kids may need disney as a break from major sightseeing. the older kids i think could be entertained without disney.

Barney

I just hate it when people get all snobby about visiting EuroDisney.As culturally enriching as a trip to Europe can be, sometimes kids just need to have their kind of fun! And if you're going to Europe anyway, its cheaper to fit Disney in than to plan a seperate trip for here in the states. Kids can only take so much. As facinating as history and art to me now, I hated it all when I was a kid. <BR> <BR>WHEW! OK, get the guidebooks as been suggested. The science museum in Paris is fantastic for kids. Versailles would be interesting too. You don't say how old your kids are but if they're young, get "Linea's Garden" (I think?). Just ask at a children't booksotre for the book. Its set in Monet's garden. Visiting Giverny might have more meaning for them so would seeing Monet's in museums. Get ice cream at Berthillion's in Paris. Visit stree markets like the Rue Mouftard. My friend let's her kids pick one thing a day that's just what they want and it seems to work.

Tim

Oh I get it. <BR>This is a joke right! <BR>Funny! <BR> <BR>BTW I love Disneyland! Absolutely love it. But to make it the main reason for going to France? This is a great joke. You almost put one over on us! <BR> <BR>Good one!

jjj

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hohum

In reply to the original posting: I have bad news: There is actually nothing to do in France besides Disney Paris. Nothing. Not a thing at all to do. It's booooooring. No good food, no museums, no fun rivers to take a ride on, no cool cathedrals to visit, no charming street markets. <BR> <BR>Don't feel too bad, Disney Paris is a blast, so your trip won't be a complete waste. <BR> <BR>Okay, really--whatever you do, you will have a great time. Your kids are so lucky to go to France! Have a good trip!

Ben Haines

I have on disc a note on Paris for pre-teen children, drawn from ideas given on this forum over two years, and am copying it to you as an atachment by e-mail. When the children have read it, please would they or you write if I can help further ? <BR> <BR>Welcome to Europe <BR> <BR>Ben Haines, London

linda

Sally, I took my boys,ages 9 and 12, to France for five weeks. We spent a week in Paris. We took a day trip to Disney. Remember that it is only the Magic Kingdom equivalent. The boys loved it, but one day was enough. It was nice for them to be in surroundings which were more familiar, but even then you will hear many languages and little English(on our day). I do know families that were very interested in going to Paris for Disney-especially when it first opened. Usually this happened when it was the family's first European trip. My opinion is that once people get there they will understand all that Europe/Paris has to offer. They will likely come home talking about a lot more than Disney. <BR> <BR>Consider your own family and do what you think will work best for you. <BR> <BR>Have fun. <BR>linda

Lou

Sally-- We have visited both Paris and Italy with our two children over the past three years. I would certainly recommend the book "Paris for Families" by Larry Lain: he offers straightforward advice for a variety of tastes, and a lot of good suggestions for visiting Paris. Our kids enjoyed some very typical tourist things, such as the Eiffel Tower (we went near dusk: shorter lines) and a boat ride on the Seine. We did a selective tour of the Louvre (we had Rick Steves' Paris book), which stuck to some of the highlights, and then had a picnic in the Tuileries Gardens. In the summer there are rides and such at the Tuileries Gardens, which made for a nice break for the kids after the museum. The Orsay was also a good destination, as was Notre Dame (great view from the top-- our kids have gotten obsessed with climbing to the tops of various towers and cathedrals in their travels-- it beats shuffling around the pews). When we were beginning our planning, I was interested in Disney Paris, to give the kids some non-cultural fun in the midst of their trip. As I did a little study, however, we decided instead to go to Parc Asterix, which is based on the French comic book character. You can buy combination tickets at some train stations, which cover transportation and admission. None of us were familiar with the various characters at first, but we picked it up pretty easily, and it was a great way to spend a day-- our poor French was no problem, and the kids had a terrific day that they still remember, two years later. On the other hand, my wife stayed at Paris Disneyland for a business trip, and she did like it: if you are excited about going there then do so, by all means. It's your vacation, after all. <BR>In Italy, our kids especially liked Venice-- we bought the picture book "Vendela in Venice" for our daughter, who was then 10. The book functioned effectively as a guidebook for her, and she was very excited about seeing the various things detailed in the book. We took our kids to various sites in Rome, such as the Colosseum, the Forum, the Vatican, etc-- generally speaking, the kids enjoyed themselves, but I found we were most successful when we were touring in the relative cool of the morning, and when we had a bit of planning and structure behind us (to save wasted time and to minimize boredom). We did venture south to Pompeii, which the kids did enjoy very much. In Tuscany, the kids liked the walled tower city of San Gimignano, especially in the evening. They were not nuts about Florence (hot, but Mom and Dad liked it), but they did like Siena. I hope this proves helpful-- Lou <BR> <BR> <BR>

henry

At EuroDisney does Minnie Mouse have hair under her arms?

Brian in Atlanta

She's a mouse, Henry. Of course she does.

oh boy !

Your going to FRANCE and you have asked a question about what else is there to do other then Disney ??? <BR> <BR>Oh lord -- you are in PARIS !!! What can't you do ??!!! <BR> <BR> <BR> <BR>

jkj

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