ANET01

My husband and I will be traveling to Europe, specifically Paris, Normandy, Switzerland
(undetermined), and Rome the first two weeks of June next year. What things do you recommend booking in advance and how far in advance specifically?

Also any specific suggestions for boys ages 15 and 10, would be great to know!

Jean

Several sights in Rome are easier and more efficient (time-saved) if you have reservations. How much time you'll have in Rome may determine how many of these types of things you can see, so you'd have to decide either what you want to see (which determines how much time you'll need) or how much time you want to spend in Rome (which will dictate how much you can see). This is your call based on your family's interests.

IMO, you need to figure out exactly what you want to see/do in the places you're contemplating so that you can structure a comfortable itinerary. With only two weeks to work with, you may need to drop something. Personally, I'd leave Rome for another trip when you can explore more of Italy. Many boys love the Berner Oberland area of Switzerland because of the activity options, but if your particular boys are not much into physical stuff and more into history, archeology, etc., they'd probably prefer Rome.

bobthenavigator

I agree with Jean--France and the Alps are a full plate.

nytraveler

IMHO you are trying to cover too much ground in a very limited amount of time.

You definitely should book your hotels in advance. If you are driving rent the car - and get full info about insurance costs etc. If you are training lay out an itinerary. Use bahn.de which has the best overall schedule for all of europe. But then you need to go to the site of each national reail company to buy tickets (if you want advance discounted tickets) or just buy them when you get there if you don;t mind paying full price.

In Rome you should get advance tickets for the Sacvi in the Vatican and the Borghese Galleries (if you're interested in either)

zeppole

You need to book your hotels in advance, because finding space for the 4 of you is harder than if you were just traveling as a couple. Also, price quality ratio is an issue in Rome and Paris, if you are traveling on a budget.

As to whether you should start dropping destinations, depends on how much energy the four of you have and whether various travelers in your group have their hearts set on seeing specific things in the places you've mentioned and won't mind dropping the "all-encompassing" tourist approach to "doing" a city. I would enjoy a trip with kids that cherry-picked some very specific highlights in each place they were already excited to see (including a scenic train ride from Switzerland into Italy,) and which that offered the opportunity to experience some sharp contrasts in cultures. But if you are thinking that you will be able to get an "general overview" of all the places you named in two weeks, I think you'll just be in a blur and prey to falling into tourist traps.

Many physically active boys love Rome, and Switzerland has been a refuge for many an author and bookish type. If your boys are easily bored, they might enjoy more of a sprint though the contrasting culture of Europe. But if they basically have been invited along for a trip that excites their parents, and aren't taking any part in the planning, you might want to do some Google searches for things like "Paris for kids" and "Paris for teens" and likewise with Rome and think about what, if anything, is going to engage them based on your knowledge of them.


But if you are thinking that going to Paris and Rome for 3 nights apiece is plenty of time to "do" Rome and Paris, then you should re-think.

ANET01

While I know the cities we are thinking of and time allowed won't allow us to "do" the entire city, I was hoping to let the kids hit a few highlights in each place. I want to enjoy the trip and feel like with the type of kids I have, it's best to keep it more as an "overview" trip. I am allowing the kids to give input on what they would like, And they are not museum type kids.

Ideally, since we are arriving in Paris, we would spend a few days there, then to Normandy by train for two days. After Normandy we would return to Paris, and are thinking of taking the high speed train to Switzerland, spend some time there, and then take a slower train to Rome to spend the remainder of our time, before flying home. We have 13 full days. Still may be a little to ambitious of an itinerary. I am trying to figure this out, with your wonderful tips and feedback.

Thanks.

Jean

I presume the purpose of your going to Normandy is to see the D-Day sights, but two days in Normandy without a car will make it extremely difficult to see even the highlights which are spread out in the region. You'll lose about a half day getting to your base in Normandy and another half day returning to Paris, so you're left with a day and a bit. My list of the top highlights for Normandy/D-Day would include the beaches (including Arromanches) and Pont du Hoc, the American cemetery (if you're U.S.) and/or one of the other national cemeteries, and the Peace Memorial in Caen (even for those who are not 'museum' people). I don't believe there's any way to hit all of these sights in 1.5 days using public trans, but you could probably find a guided tour that would take you to all but the Peace Memorial.

You'll lose a day training from Normandy to your base in Switzerland and another day training from Switzerland to Rome.

The train ride from, say, Caen in Normandy to, say, Interlaken in the Berner Oberland would take about 9 hours, 2-3 changes. To Luzern, an hour less. From Paris, it's about 6 hours to Interlaken and about 5 hours to Luzern.

The train ride from Luzern to Rome is about 8 hours, 2 changes. Interlaken to Rome is about 7 hours, 2-3 changes.

Here is a user-friendly website for checking train schedules in Europe:

http://www.bahn.com/i/view/DEU/en/index.shtml

Some tips for touring the D-Days sights in Normandy:

http://www.frommers.com/destinations...572010002.html

Jean

When planning how much time to spend in Paris, consider whether (and how much) you may all be impacted by jet lag.

Lexma90

I'll join in with the others who say that you have too many destinations; in addition, they're not very convenient to each other (except for Paris and Normandy), so it will be a bit of a hassle to get from place to place, in addition to taking up a good proportion of your precious vacation time.

Sit down as a family and consider why you chose the places you've chosen already, and see which is the least favorite, and drop that. Make a short list of the activities or sights in each of those destinations that made you put them on your list originally, then decide which are the most must-see for your familyu.

I can't help in deciding which to drop, as we tend to visit fewer countries per trip (ideally 1), and prefer history and culture types of activities. I do encourage you to try to include some rural AND some city locations.