Unless they are excited about some place or some sorts of places this could be a very bad idea . . . or a great one.

But don't expect fairy tales. If they are not enthusiastic (or at least happy) travelers it could be a nightmare. Be sure you are not transferring YOUR likes/expectations on to them.

Do they have some European heritage? That might be something to build around.

My first thought (other than not doing it ) was to spend the time in the UK. They might feel more comfortable with the language and more 'familiar' surroundings.

You could spend a week in 2 or 3 different cities -- Or something like 10 days in London and 4 or 5 days in York, or London and Bath or London and Oxford and take day trips either by train or bus.

I think it is a wonderful idea. During the last few years, I have also brought my parents with me on a few trips. Sometimes it was my mother only, as she is the most enthusiastic/adventurous of the the two. My mother is younger than yours, by 10 years. But yes, with every trip she loves it more and more. She is even now fluent in Italian and goes back to Tuscany (Val d'Orcia) every year. I collect a lot of airmiles points so I can fly them business class when possible, especially my father who has a bad back.
I would alternate between villages and cities. You are flying from Montreal, so you should have a lot options regarding your flights.
I second the idea of staying in Verona and Venice. You could pair that with Lake Como, like Varenna. A lot of the sightseeing could be done from the ferry for your father.

You know...

What I would do possibly is float the idea of a week or two somewhere that your mother would like. Whether that's gardens and grand houses in UK or Rome and its monuments or villages in Germany.

If your mother is interested and your father isn't, your mother can go with you. If she has a blast, she might want to drag your father along next time. Because if you succeed, there will be a next time. If your father is interested, or becomes interested as the planning progresses, he can come as well.

But my idea is that a small bite would be the way to start off. That way she can get involved in the planning with you, and you can get her excited about one particular place (or theme). The food, the parks, the churches, the neighborhoods. The longer you are in a place the more you get to enjoy it. Somewhere like Rome- a week or two is barely scratching the surface and that's without Day trips.

Sleeping in hotels can get old. Long trips can look unwieldy. I don't think you should do a domestic trip to "prepare" for this. It's so easy and relatively inexpensive to fly to Europe. This really doesn't need to be your only trip with them.

Where would your parents like to go? They must have some preferences. I would start with whatever country/city appeals most to them. I think London is a great place for first timers as there is so much to do there. I would avoid the tube as sometimes quite a bit of walking is involved and stick with buses or taxis for transport. From there you could fly via one of the inexpensive airlines to another location that might be more of a relaxation/natural beauty stop.

As a child with parents who don't often travel due to time and money constraints, I just want to say that I also have dreams of taking them to see the world while they still can. My dad will fuss about the jet lag and my mom about the foreign food, yes, but they are already asking that we stop by the Nobel Museum... cue my groans as a non-museum person (We're going to Stockholm btw, if that passes for a recommendation). Point is, we know our family best and with compromises everyone will still have fun. My parents didn't say yes just because I wheedled them. They know perfectly how to say no and have done so many times. Give them a few choices and let them pick. My mom picked Stockholm over an Alaskan cruise, so you know I'm not dragging her along on anything.

Given what you've told us, I'd really, really re-think feeling the need to visit multiple places. I know you feel like if you just stayed in one or two places you they'd be "missing out" on seeing a variety of locales, but your dad thoroughly enjoyed his Mexican beach vacation. And both of your parents may have trouble with uphill walks and tire easily. I would do one or two places, where your dad has the opportunity to relax at a cafe or on a terrace or a park or a pub with a cigar and wine, and you and your mom can do a little shopping or museum-ing if you so desire.

Anything you choose will seem exotic to them, just by being overseas.

We have been traveling independently for 45 years but now we are slowing down. Two years we took a car trip through Belgium and parts of The Netherlands. In the past we could have walked it with the luggage on our backs, but it become tiring.

1. If all possible travel between May 1 and June 1 or Sept 15 and Oct 15. The weather is usually fine and the crowds smaller.

2. Stay at a AIRBNB or similar place with a washer so they can pack less and do their laundry. Remember their washers are different and the dryer can be part of the washer and take hours to be effective. Do not be put off by this.

3. For a month four cities is not unreasonable. Depending on their interest they could chose the biggies-London, Paris, Rome, Barcelona or Madrid. Remember the biggies can be expensive but they have excellent transportation and good day trips. Rome is the most difficult to walk of those. We have visited each multiple times and if you wish to eliminate one, there is still much to do for over a week in each.

4. Encourage them to stop at cafes and bars and watch the world go by.

Given the way you described your folks, If you want to go to Italy, I would take them to Venice, and not much more. It's true that Venice has lots of stairs, but you can limit the exposure by staying certain parts of the tiny city rather than others, and by using boats. Your father could have all the kicking-back and having a drink that he enjoys, but your mom & you would have an entire world of fascination and fun, loads of variety & surprises, pretty much right at your finger tips.

What you might consider is combining a scenic Swiss train ride with Venice. Your folks are surely going to be impressed by the jaw-dropping scenery, and a scenic train is effortless.

Your parents probably are immensely happy to have a daughter who wants them to share her dreams & passions. Many parents don't have that at all. I bet they will be happy to be with you in Europe, but I suggest you dramatically lower your expectations about changing your parents homebody personalities into travel bugs. I wouldn't give them "a push". I would talk up your enthusiasm for being with them and sharing with them just a few things that give you so much happiness. If they warm up to joining you in Europe, you are right that you need to make it very easy for them. Don't make it a long trip. Go for one or two big wows they can't see where they live. Keep it cheap and let your dad relax. Figure an activity or 2 just to make your mom happy and get your Dad to go along with it (or stay at the apartment with a fun book about Venice and a good bottle of wine.)

Reading all the replies and understanding all perspectives indicates some hard soul searching for you. Is it your dream or theirs?
I propose engaging your Mother's attention and interest in this endeavour - I expect dad will go along and enjoy what you dish out.
First, bring Mom on a train trip to Ottawa - though soon, what about Tulip Festival this month? Train is 2 hours and Ottawa is similar size to numerous European 'second cities'. You can do it over one or two days, or to really test her buy in, do it in one day. That way both of you can gauge the realities of whether a smaller city and taking day trips would work for them.
3 weeks might be pushing the time they want to be away from home, but not an unreasonable consideration for the effort to get to Europe.
I propose that you research where you can fly from Montreal directly in order to reduce fatigue. Consider an 'in one city, out another' international flight approach, but again - direct flights - if possible.
Italy is lovely and is often manageable, but some considerations. If parents are gregarious, then a rural apartment may be isolating for Dad if you are off doing day trips with Mom. Small cities like Bologna are big enough to require several days, have plenty of squares for Dad to sit with a drink and people watch while you and Mom are catching the local market. There are walks a little out of the city and many other interesting cities an hour or two train ride away - including Venice. I try to like Venice, but I found it tiring. I expect it was the influence of travel fatigue but trying to find a laundry and internet cafe was time consuming and frustrating. It seems Venice is a 'just over there, but you can't get to it from here' sort of place. That being said, I would consider it as a first stop for a few days, stay in a hotel so you can draw on their kindness and services; then move on to say, Bologna to an apartment. I love Florence and would encourage a few days there, but it takes you further from a 'tidy' return to Montreal airport.
As to time of year, a consideration is what accommodation you may want. If an apartment, know that often heat is extra and can be quite expensive. I had a lovely inexpensive apartment in rural Chianti that we only heated when we got home at end of day and energy consumption still cost as much as the daily rental rate. In Spring houses are damp and colder, so will cost more to heat; particularly if you anticipate being in it all day. Sept/October will be dryer and easier to heat, but know that a lot of cities mandate no heating between specific months. If considering Venice, it is damp in April, but mosquitos linger well into October. October is still high season for prices and as they have the art Biannele there this year, it runs into late November so has a draw of its own - but also means more interest for the tourist.
Spain is supposedly the 'hilliest country in Europe' though I don't know what that is based on.
Amsterdam is still high season into November.
Unless there is an underlying health reason, both parents might be willing to embark on improving their health and endurance for this trip - if engaged to really participate.

Wow guys thanks a lot for all these comments, a lot to think about. I noticed a lot of suggestions for Amsterdam which surprises me because I always thought that it was mostly younger people who go there to party and of course the bicycles which is not going to be for my parents. I'm curious why a lot of people are suggesting it. What makes it different from let's say Venice?

We are in Montreal and they've done day trips to Ottawa, Quebec City, Niagara Falls (while visiting family in Toronto) each a few times. Last year I took them to 2 nights in Gananoque, did a little bit of casino for my dad, walked around the waterfront parks with a variety of big bird species roaming everywhere, and did the Thousand Island cruise of 5 hours that included a 2 hour self-visit of the Boldt Castle. It was a great peaceful getaway. They both enjoyed it. I guess I'm hoping to duplicate things like that but on a larger scale and visiting even more picturesque and great destinations.

The thing about going only 1 week to Europe is that because of the time zone change and getting used to sleeping, it might seem too short of a trip. Also because the cost of the plane is the biggest part, it seems that the 2nd additional week would not double the cost of the whole trip so it's definitely worth it to say longer. A lot of suggestions here, I guess I need to ask them if they have certain destinations that might interest them more and what are their expectations & preferences.

I think a lot of our replies are based on 'landscape'. Belgium, France and Netherlands are flat. You can also get to these easily with one flight. Spain, Austria, Portugal and Italy have more hills and hill towns and may well require transfers.
Personally, I am not a big Amsterdam fan, but then I tend to see it very early in the morning before the partiers have gone to bed and before they have cleaned the streets after the partiers - enough said. But it is a good hub for other places....it is also very expensive. It has canals and bridges, but wider streets than Venice and seems a little more organized for finding your way around. Netherlands is also compact with excellent train connections and metros.
Personally, I think everyone should see Italy, and we are giving you options of some amazing cities. There are pros and cons and you need to engage your parents of what they want. As I mentioned, there is a the ability to increase endurance, even a little bit, before travel.

Spain, Austria, Portugal and Italy have more hills and hill towns and may well require transfers.
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Madrid and Barcelona are relatively flat. There are many hilly towns in Spain, but those are not among them. As far Barcelona is concerned there are Monjuic and Tibidabo, but they are easily avoided.

I'm still trying to wrap my head around 72 and 74 being too old for travel. Sorry.
We're 2 years younger. We didn't start international travel until after retirement 10 years ago. We plan and take our 30 something daughter with us when she has time. Our trips are usually at least 3 weeks, as long as 4. The shortest was 10 days, staying in Paris the entire time. We've gone every other year since 06.
We have adjusted over the years. We've decided to no longer drive on our trips overseas. Too many issues (read the long thread about mistakes and how many of them involve rental cars). We each take a small roller bag that we can easily lift and carry. We try to stay at least 3 nights in each place, but sometimes do a night between cities.
We've learned to slow down. See an interesting sight, then sit and watch the world go by for a while. My husband can't walk as much as he used to do, but is willing to occasionally sit and rest or read while I walk. We've learned to use public transportation in addition. Don't be afraid to split up and do your own thing.
We've been to Amsterdam and enjoyed it, didn't really run into loud partying. We've also been to most of the other places you've mentioned plus Scandanavia. Just pick a few cities and go for it. I'm sure your parents will love the time with you no matter where.
On a side note, our trip this year is to Canada; Toronto and then Quebec.

" unfortunately my parents are not confortable to go to France because it's been targeted by many violent acts in recent years. I know saying this is kind of unfair and I know that tragedy can strike anywhere anytime, but I think if they are walking in Paris, crowds, etc. this would be in the back of their mind"

I have a similar view everytime I visit the USA, all those people shot, certainly never go near a school.

I'd look at the UK just to get over the "everything is different bit" and maybe a AirBNB in London for a week.

If France really is out then Amsterdam or Rome is easy (but really ..... all these spaces are so much safer than the US)

Flats in Rome are easy to get to but getting around will need a taxi to make it easy.

I might look at second tier visit places, like Florence is very small so walking is very limited.

Tricky, so much is best accessed by foot or with taxis which of course cost a bit.

Let's start again. Look at say second tier cities in Italy. Padua, Modena are both flat and wonderful cities, not too expensive.

We took my parents (both are in their 70s) to Slovenia and it was a fantastic trip. I know its not the first country that pops to mind for a first visit to Europe but may fit your parents needs. The capital Ljubljana is a wonderful quaint European city. Not crowded and very walkable. Price wise we found it cheaper than other European countries. Side trips to Lake Bled and Lake Bohinj will certainly meet the scenic criteria. In addition a drive through the Vrisic pass and nearby villages will meet the dramatic scenery requirement. It is a very drivable country and the people are super friendly. My parents thoroughly enjoyed our trip to Slovenia. Given time you an combine this trip with either Austria to the North or Croatia to the South. Check out pics on Google images to see if this peaks your interest.

https://www.google.com/search?q=slov...&bih=935#spf=1

I'm still trying to wrap my head around 72 and 74 being too old for travel. Sorry.
We're 2 years younger... blah blah>>

Where did the OP or anyone else say those ages are too old to travel???

well, good for you, you're a marvel, but did you ever consider that everyone in the world isn't like you, and you aren't 74 yet? Surely you know a lot of people in their 70s just like I do, and many of them are not that healthy nor fit nor do they walk for miles every day, and they don't like being away from home a lot or traveling, or being in hotels, etc.

First, I don't think anyone said 72 and 74 was too old for travel, in fact, I think the sentiment was the OP wants to plan some big travel trips with them exactly BEFORE they get too old to travel.

And these are people who have never ever wanted to do this kind of travel in their entire life, and never have. Their biggest trip was going to an AI in Mexico for a week or so.

I think two weeks max would be enough. IN fact, I sometimes run out of steam when in Europe for that long, and I'm just not enjoying it any more. I do get tired of sleeping in places other than my home and often not getting proper sleep due to noise or discomfort and not eating as balanced meals as I do at home.

Amsterdam was just because of the flat idea, it's not my favorite place either, to be honest. From what you've said of your parents, I actually think Spain would be good, heck, just chill out in Malaga, they have beaches and plenty of culture and places you can visit for variety.

I think a lot of this is being driven by what the OP wants to do, not the parents. It wouldn't be my thing, but some cruise sounds like it would fit them, actually, but those would be more expensive than budget DIY. So I'm still voting for Spain, that's my opinion and I'm sticking to it.

Right, it wasn't that her parents are too old to travel but A) she's said her dad gets tired on hilly terrains B) they're not used to traveling, especially overseas.

A river cruise would have been my suggestion as well. It would have solved the packing/lodging issue and given them a lot of variety. But definitely expensive.

If Italy were high on everyone's list (is it?) I would probably opt for at least one week on an Italian lake. Maggiore is the one I know best, and it would not be hard to enjoy a relaxing week on its shores in some place like Stresa and traveling out to the Borromean Islands and other towns around the lake. Good food, spectacular scenery, not need to traipse up the hills surrounding (though if I recall there is a funicular at least certain months of the year. Plenty of cafés and leisurely walks to be enjoyed. You could pop north to Switzerland for a few days, or head south to some other destination.

Firstly I think it is really lovely that you want to take your parents overseas.

My heart is in Italy, so I would go anywhere in Italy ( well maybe not Ferrara) but my DH is a bit over going to Italy. So this trip we have included Spain. I was a bit reluctant to visit Barcelona and Madrid but they are absolutely beautiful places. I thought Barcelona was only for the young as I had heard that it was the party capital. So I was surprised how beautiful Barcelona is and didn't feel it was party capital at all. It seems to be flat and easy walking. Oh and have I mentioned the food. Fantastic food and it seems everyone is so friendly.

Madrid is a very elegant and beautiful place. The food is also fantastic, and it is easy to get around. We are travelling with someone who has mobility issues and when she gets tired she hops in a taxi as they seem to be cheap. The people don't seem to be as friendly in Madrid but we aren't here to make friends.

For me the shortest flight time would be the first consideration, then the cost of staying in two destinations for 7 days.

Good luck with your planning.