ILTXCAUK

I am trying to plan a two week vacation for my family of 6 (3 adults, 3 children - 4, 2, and 10 months) for next month. I would like to see as much of the Continent as I can during that two weeks. We are currently living in England, so I was considering taking a ferry to Amsterdam and heading out from there. The other option is to take the chunnel and start from France. I'd really love to go to Switzerland but I'm not sure if that would be better kept for another trip.

Has anyone else taken a European road trip? Any suggestions/recommendations? I am having a pretty hard time coming up with a definite route.

steviegene

My family took a road trip through europe in 96. I was 16 and my sister was 13. Our trip was around 10 days or so. Your kids seem a little young for days spent all day looking out a car window? but heres what we did...

Our trip was fun and hectic. We joke that we spent 90% of the time in the car with our parents throwing bagettes and cheese at us. Our objective was to see as much as possible. We took the ferry from London (where we were living at the time) to France. We went to Paris, dijon, Lyon, Loire Valley, into Switzerland (through Geneva and onto Lake Annecy and Talloires), then into Germany, (Frankfurt) up into Luxemborg. then home. It was a whirlwind tour.

Budman

Steviegene, sounds like you did a drive by shooting.

ira

Hi IL,

>...two week vacation for my family of 6 (3 adults, 3 children - 4, 2, and 10 months) for next month. I would like to see as much of the Continent as I can during that two weeks. <

I think that two weeks on the road is going to be rough on the kids.

You will also have to consider the size of the car.

As to whether to start in AMS or Paris, what do you want to see other than Switzerland?

steviegene

Budman, we did!
I clearly remember stopping at a few towns and my parents yelling "ok stick your feet out of the car and touch the ground, so that we can say we were in ___".
It was crazy, but actually a series of great memories.

janisj

A two week car trip w/ three really young kids ans 3 adults - in the heat of August. Not my choice. I'd prefer to maybe do two one-week stays in villa/apartment/cottage and use them as bases for day trips.

Since the whole idea of 6 people being cooped up in a car for 2 weeks wouldn't appeal to me I really can't give any suggestions.

If you want to see Switzeralnd - why not go there and rent a chalet/apartment(s).

Alec

You have left your planning rather late. August is peak holiday time and traffic, congestion, heat (what heat!) and prices are highest. Also many accommodation are booked up and you may find it difficult to find affordable places to stay, esp for a family that big.
Remember a touring holiday moving from place to place does nothing for your young children and it will be tiring, hot (even with air-con) and boring for them most of the time. When our children were that young, we'd book a self-catering flat or bungalow for at least a week at a time, in scenic areas with swimming pool and playground, and do day trips. That way you always had a base to return to, a kitchen to prepare simple meals and picnics for the next day. It won't be easy to find places now, but you can look up on the net - esp campsites with caravans and mobile homes to rent. http://www.eurocampings.net/ has extensive listings all over Europe, with links to own websites.
If you can't or don't want to book in advance, Germany probably provides the best choice for ample accommodation and finding somewhere on spec. Many country areas popular with tourists, like the Eifel, the Rhine and Moselle areas etc have lots of 'Zimmer frei' and FeWo (holiday flats) signs, and local tourist offices usually know where there are places.
I'd take the short Dover - Calais and head towards Belgium and Holland (coastal areas have more B&Bs than inland and English is widely spoken). Enjoy a day or two on beaches for your kids and then do daytrips to the Hague (Madoraudam is great for kids - Holland in miniature), Delft and Utrecht - I'd stay away from AMS as it isn't driver-friendly and too crowded. Then head towards Germany, perhaps staying in Rhineland and Eifel, visiting Aachen, Trier, Cologne (Phantasialand theme park is great) and Rhine gorge. You can go further south towards Hunsrück and Pfalz (very peaceful), with daytrips to Heidelberg, and then stay in Northern Black Forest (trip to Rothenburg, Freiburg). Return via Alsace and Champagne region (wine villages, Reims' champagne cellars + cathedral) before catching the ferry from Calais. In France, you can stay at ubiquitous budget motels like Premiere Classe and Villages-Hotel - during the week you can probably find vacant rooms but for weekends you should book in advance online.