We are a family of 4 planning a 10 day trip, interested in 3 days in a major city and then 6 days of driving out of the city. Our children are young (2 and 5) and so we would like to either find a nice place to headquarter ourselves outside the city or keep our daily drive times to no more than a couple hours. Currently we are reading about Copenhagen, Paris and Lisbon. Can anyone comment on some of the more picturesque drives they have taken in Europe? We plan to travel in late June and have some flexibility with flights so are open to other recommendations. Most of our travels have been to major cities, so I am excited to learn about areas outside of the big cities.

France is one of those countries like the U.S. that has a very wide variety of geographical sites -- mountains, beaches, lush areas, dry areas, etc. It all depends on what you want to see.

If you rent a car, you absolutely want to return it in the same country to avoid outrageous drop off fees.

Of the 3 places you named, I would choose Paris. It appears, however, that you might want to see some more scenic places than can be easily reached from Paris. (Meaning perhaps big mountains and lakes)

Since you will apparently be returning to the city where you arrived, I suggest you consider flying into Munich. You will be able to enjoy the city, and then a visit or two to some of the castles and the neat Bavarian villages will be easy. Returning to Munich will be easier with little backtracking, which might be more likely if you go to Paris.

However, if you do go to Paris, I'd suggest you just head upstream on the Loire to an area around Lyon and then a bit south, then circle westward and back northward to Paris.

France would be great. Go to Amazon and search for the Michelin Green Giude series. They are arranged by region as well as nationally. Each green guide has about a dozen different recommended driving itineraries. Thomas Cook (UK) has their Signpost series as well.

I agree with Munich. From there you have both the Sound of Music lakes region in Austria and the castle country of Bavaria. Perfect for driving and for kids.

Copenhagen: is surrrounded by flat green country. Two or three destinations in the countryside (Roskilde, Helsingör), but hardly scenic drives.

Paris: Driving in and around Paris is a nuisance. And, again, hardly any scenic drives, although Fontainebleau and Chantilly are worthy destinations.

Lisbon: Don't know the vicinity, just the city.

Other options:

- Madrid is surrounded by beautiful landscape with many options for daytrips and scenic drives: El Escorial, Avila, Toledo, Oropesa.. and driving is lovely in Spain. However not suitable between June and August (too hot).

- München would make a good base: A wealth of destinations in all directions (Romantic Road, Würzburg, Bamberg, Nürnberg, Salzburg, the Ludwig Castles, the Alps...). Many scenic drives.

- Cote d'Azur would fit your criteria: Breathtakingly scenic drives along the coast in both directions, many attractive destinations.

These would be my first choices, but there are, of course, many more options.

I'm a bit confused. Do youmean to return to the city each night?

Thank you for all of the suggestions. Munich is a great idea and will be my focus for the time being. I traveled there years ago and do remember many scenic areas nearby. Would you recommend we stay in Munich the full 10 days and take day trips out of the city, or stay in Munich for a few days and then move to other destinations for a few days at a time? I cannot remember the distances to Salzburg, Innsbruck, Alps etc... We would like to drive, but would prefer to minimize "commute time". If driving in and out of Munich is anything like driving in and out of Boston, then HQ'ing outside the city may be best!

Do not get your car until you leave Munich. I would spend 4 nites on the Wolfgangsee near Salzburg and day trip from there, and then 3 nites in the castle country---Oberammergau is my favorite base location. Buy the Rick Steves guide book for that area--hard to beat.

If you stayed a bit South/SE of Munich in the Schliersee/ Bayrischzell area you would have a base at the foot of the Alps. Easy access to motorways to Salzburg or Innsbruck, an abundance of scenic mountain drives in Bavaria and neighboring Austria, incl. Grossglocker Alpine Road or Krimml waterfalls/cascades in Tirol or Achensee/Tirol, Herrenchiemsee palace, and so on. Plus a direct train every hour to downtown Munich for city sightseeing without driving and parking hassles.

We had a great driving holiday in Austria last year (if you click on my name you should find a short report). The mountain scenery in parts of Austria is wonderful and they have good roads. The best day we had was driving the Grossglockner Pass, a trip that took all day but we had great weather and took our time and have some spectacular photos.

You need to be sure to buy a vignette which enables you to drive on the highways in Austria. They sell them at the border crossings, you stick it on to your car windscreen.

Kay

We were unable to get reasonable flights to Munich, and have ended up with flights to Geneva. Our plan is to spend 2 nights in Geneva, 2 nights in Lausanne and then we have a week remaining.... Would you recommend Interlaken area, or perhaps driving into Italy (and returning to Geneva for our flight home? We had planned to stay in Switzerland the entire 11 days, but Northern Italy looks really interesting. Ideally after 4 days in 2 cities, we'd like to drive and see some really picturesque areas. Thoughts?