Europe 24 days next June - Itinerary feedback welcome
 

Looking to go on family's first trip to Europe next June, kids will be 17, 13, & 10. Good travelers, 3500 mile trips across US common. We are cramming in a lot of cities, but we are laid back and like wandering and enjoying without needing to see too many sights/museums in each place.
Please advise on what might be too optimistic, or what are better options.

Prague 2 nights (train to Vienna)
Vienna 3 nights (rent car, Melk abbey on way to Salzburg?)
Salzburg 2 nights (Grossglockner Rd on way to Reutte?)
Reutte 2 nights (Mad Ludwigs castles of course)
Rothenburg 2 nights
Beilstein/Cochrem 1 night
Paris 3 nights (Versaille on morning out?)
Beaune 1 night
Bregenz, Austria 1 night (then return car in Innsbruck, train to Venice)
Venice 2 nights (train to Rome)
Rome 3 nights

I know its a lot, but family doesn't want to cut anything out and we are content to see just a few sights each city and relax in cafes much of the time. Realistic or not? I don't want to be exhausted.

Biggest issue now is finding apartment/lodging in each place.

Thanks for any feedback.

There is less time than you think in each city because you do not seem to take into account travel time between the cities.

Your itinerary maps out a route that requires around 40 hours of transportation, assuming no traffic or train delays, and 11 hotel check-ins and check-outs. To me that seems like a lot of time not spent enjoying the sights, and by the end of the holiday I think I would feel exhausted. That said, you know your family's travel style and whether this would work for you.

If you are laid back and like wandering, that is exactly what you won't have time for. But, as advised above, if you are comfortable knowing that you have a very short time at each destination and enjoy this kind of travel, go for it.

Hard for me to give advice as I could never travel this way.

It reads like a Rick Steves tour book and is totally unrealistic.
You do not account for travel time--and with 5 people.
I would start over and drop all of France. I would fly into Frankfurt and home from Rome. And, Reutte is not a good location for the castle country. This trip has potential but you are jumpimg all over the place. Think geographically.

Okay I am cutting Prague and adding the two nights elsewhere. One to Venice and one to Beaune or Bregenz. I had decided to detour back through Austria between Paris and Venice to return the car to Austria. We are used to long car trip from traveling around the US.

Two nights in one place equals only one full day. You are taking a lovely Europeon tour of bus and train stations. Frankly I would tell family that things need to be pared down even more.

And no one will advise that keeping a car for Paris makes any sense at all, you should find a carpark outside Paris and train in, since parking in Paris will run you about 25 or more euros a night, and hotels almost never ever have it, and its never free ( unless perhaps you are staying in 1000 euro a night type places).
A car inside Paris is useless..

Do lots more research.

And being used to car trips in America is not quite the same as Europe.. gas is more expensive, tolls for highways add up,, really think each step through.

As noted , you want a laid back trip but have planned a Bataan Death march.

But why would anyone with three kids want long car trips in Europe? Sounds like a really unpleasant experience to me, especially given the ages of the kids.

Agree it sounds like a Rick Steves tour. Please do get a map.

I never intended on having a car in Paris. It will be parked outside of the city. And only 2 trains except for metro use in the cities. I'm not worried about the car time.
I just am not sure which cities really demand more time than others.
And if not Reutte, then Fussen? The kids want to see the castles and do a luge.

<<It will be parked outside of the city.>> At enormous expense, no doubt.

There are castles everywhere you blink in Europe. You don't have to do a Grand Tour with the kids in the back seat fighting for hours while you shepherd them from one place to the next. You say you want to sit and relax at cafés and such, but you haven't planned a trip that allows for that. At all. In fact, quite the opposite -you're taking your family on a forced march that will tax everyone's patience starting on Day 1.

Go to half the places you've got planned. And do check into how much it's going to cost you to rent a car in one country and drop it off in another - it will be a LOT! Besides, you are planning to go to some areas where rentals may not even be allowed.

You have a lot of work to do to make this work well.

Parking the car for 3 days outside Paris isn't really that bad. I am renting in Austria and returning in Austria precisely to avoid the high drop off fee. We did three summers in a row of 3500 mile trips and there was never any fighting...everyone reads. Thats why I am not worried about the car time.

What I don't know is which cities demand more time. Do I need to add another night to Salzburg? To Rothenburg? Is there anything to do in Beaune besides wine tasting? It currently is just a necessary stop on the drive back to Innsbruck. Is it worth a second night? Is Bregenz? It is also just a necessary stop unless it is worth a day.

Ok , alot is personal tastes, Paris, give it at least 5 -6 days, one of those days you hop a train for a short ride to Provins, an world heritage site , an old medival town, and take the kids to the hawking and catapault shows, a sort of living museum. Very fun.

Or consider skipping Beune and staying in Amboise and touring the Chateau for 2 =3 days.

I thought Salzburg was a one day visit.

Rome and Venice demand more time---you are spending one day each just to get there.

I see your car strategy and it is good. But, I see this trip as a north to south routing and Paris and Prague are the outliers to be dropped. I agree, drop the car in Innsbruck and train from there, But, give Venice 3 nites and Rome 4.

I agree - way too much crammed in. With 24 days (2 being travel days to Europe?) you have 22 days on the ground. I would drop half of what you have planned and pick 6 places you want to go to and actually see them. Rome and Paris I would give each 4-6 days, Venice 3 days.

I agree with dropping Prague and France altogether though as they are outlyers as much as I love Paris.

I would eliminate all 1 night stop overs, I like to give myself at least 3 nights per stop allowing me 2 full days to enjoy where I am (why spend all the effort and money to get somewhere and then just spend 1/2 day actually seeing it??)

Are you going to then drive from Rome BACK to Austria just to drop off a car? This confuses me...

With 5 people it will take more time than you anticipate - remember you are not in the US. Everything will be in a different language, traffic patterns and rules will be different, you will need to spend time figuring out how to get everywhere in another language, if you are taking trains you need time to get to the correct platform etc.

Travelling in Europe cannot be compared to doing a roadtrip in the US...

Okay a little tweaking. Dropped Prague.

Vienna 3 nights (rent car, Melk abbey on way to Salzburg?)
Salzburg 2 nights (Grossglockner Rd on way to Reutte?)
Reutte 2 nights
Rothenburg 2 nights
Cochrem 1 night
Paris 4 nights (Versaille on morning out?)
Beaune 1 night
Bregenz, Austria 1 night (then return car in Innsbruck,& take train to Venice)
Venice 3 nights (train to Rome)
Rome 3 nights

We will have a car basically in a circle from Vienna to Paris back to Innsbruck. Then train to Venice then Rome.
Beaune and Bregenz are 1 nighters simply to break the long drive up from Paris to Innsbruck. Tried to pick small towns so we can enjoy the evenings there.

Drop France altogether and spend some time in the Swiss Alps.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/mksfca/...th/4206244605/

If you have to see a Versailles, make sure you visit Schönbrunn palace in Vienna.

and I think that keeping Prague would make more sense in terms of distance than keeping Paris, assuming that you can take your car rental to the Czech Republic. We once did a three week tour (in 1975) starting in Munich going through Austria north of the Danube to Prague to Slovakia, Hungary and ending in Vienna.

I totally understand the dilemma of wanting to see everything and not make it too pressured! We have 6weeks with 4kids in March/April and are covering a little UK, Brittany-Paris-Northern France, Belgium, down to Switzerland, Italy and across to Russia via Vienna and Warsaw. Even after weeks of tweaking I can still see the potential problem areas and yet it's agony (first world problems eh?!) cutting things out! Even now my 7 and 13 year old introverted boys are requesting that the itinerary allows sufficient "down time"!!!!!!

I would wager, based on your schedule, that your laid back nature will be in tatters as you arrive in Paris. Imagine that you were taking a similar trip in the US, entering unfamiliar cities every other day. Having done extensive travel in Europe, it is far more enjoyable when visiting as few places as possible. Yes, you can say that you have been to these places but you'll probably remember them for the family arguments that took place. Cut back, way back, and take time to relax.

In looking again at your plans, and seeing this this may your first trip to Europe, I have to additionally advise that it is a mistake to compare travel in the US to Euro travel. To base your expecations on that assumption will lead to problems. Its crammed full of cities and towns, and on top of that you'll be traveling at a time of year when the continent is invaded by hoards of other American tourists all looking to fulfil their own plans, and all looking for directions, getting lost, and yelling at each other; the "loud American" has more than one meaning in Europe. Cut back, way back, and relax.