ArtsyJudi

My daughter and I have travelled extensively in Asia, thanks to frequent flyer miles and modest hotel costs. I have been to most of Europe many times, but that was many years ago when I didn't mind long, uncomfortable flights, multiple awkward connections, and cheap hostels. Once my daughter is old enough to travel independently, she might give that a try, but in the meantime, we really want to go to Europe together and I would like to make her first trip to Europe comfortable for both of our sakes. We have thought of the obvious choices: Paris, London, Venice, because she is excited about going there, and I agree they are wonderful for a first trip.
There are certain constants we have to deal with, of course. I would appreciate any advice! Since my daughter is in high school and I also work in public schools, we are limited to specific vacation times. Sadly that means more expense, crowds, and less than ideal weather. We can go for the last week of March in 2012 (happens to be the week leading up to Easter - not an issue for us but probably will have an impact wherever we visit - OR we have time during the summer between the 3rd week of June and 3rd week in August - maybe 2 weeks at that point. Money is certainly a factor but I have not worked out my budget yet. My inclination is to go to one city, spend more on hotels and possible day trips, and not budget for travel except between the US and .... Wherever!
So - any thoughts for the best destination during school breaks, either in late March or the heat of the summer? Any great neighborhoods you would recommend? I will write in with more specific questions once I figure out where we are going!

MmePerdu

I think the best thing you might do to pare costs and exposure to heavily touristed areas would be to rent apartments for a week or more at a time in neighborhoods somewhat away but acessible to the sights you want to see. I like the quieter areas of cities and also smaller towns one can reach by public transportation. And also independence from the expense of eating in restaurants all the time and the fun of grocery shopping in local markets, bakeries, etc. If you haven't had that particular pleasure I recommend it highly. And I think it would be a more interesting experience for your daughter.

fbeifeld

Hi Judy,

I just spent a week on a Mother-Daughter trip with my adult daughter (older than your daughter but similar idea). This was her first visit to Europe since London with the family when she was 16. I gave her choices and let her select what to do and we booked everything in advance to be certain no hitches. We crammed in a lot and she was thrilled:

We flew into Paris and home from London. We prepaid small group sightseeing through before we left home. The guides can vary from tour to tour. We had a small group morning Walking Tour of Paris – only 6. The tour of the Louvre was 10-12 but the guide was just wonderful. For Versailles we booked a small group tour of the Palace and Gardens and traveled by train. I selected that one so we could have time to walk around the gardens on our own after the tour ended. (I turned down one that picked you up at your hotel so we could have more time). The guide was great, we did the gardens first and the weather was wonderful. However, it was raining when we left the palace so we did not walk around again. One evening we walked to the Tulleries which has the carnival until midnight. And we took a sightseeing boat on the Seine (not one with dinner). If you go late in the day you see the sights going up and the lights of the city coming back. In the summer it does not get dark until late so you can get a lot more sightseeing in than March. Also you can dine outside and do a lot of people watching. And restaurants are open late so no problems with late dinners. We stayed on a small street not far from the Louvre and found little bistros for dinner. I always avoid touristy places with pictures of the food in the window.

We took the Eurostar to London. London was crowded as we went for the Olympics but it was good fun as well. Here we skipped the double decker bus in favor of walking and photographing everything in site. We did take a Thames River hop on hop off boat ride that was wonderful. You can get off at one stop and walk to the next, or just walk around and get back on the next one. We found a nice hotel near Leicester Square as it is easy to walk or get a tube from this location. I like this location as it is near the discount tickets booth. But we watched the games on the big screens around London so did not bother with the theatre. Hope this is some help.

nytraveler

As long a you have to pay for airfare I wold go for two weeks. To me, London (cooler) and Paris (up for grabs) would be hte obvious.

But - have you considered what language your daughter is studying? Ours loved practicing their French in Paris - and it makes everything much easier when the travelers have at least the rudiments of the language - esp for restaurants and shopping.

For a first trip like this I would limit the number of cities - to allow her to get a feeling for some of the differences. Either city is well worth several weeks - and a week each with possibly one or two day trips would be ideal to me.

frogoutofwater

Something for you to consider that could be a great way to experience the culture of a country is to take a language course for one or two weeks. If your daughter is already studying a second language, then that language is potentially a good option for the course. She'll deepen her understanding of it, which will help her with exams and also with college applications. You could choose a homestay, and that would improve your language learning as well as providing low cost accommodation and greater exposure to the culture. The money you save could be used to splurge on shopping or tours. Language courses usually run for 3-4 hours (minimum), usually in the mornings, and then provide opportunities for organized sightseeing and dinners and evenings out on at least a couple of days, plus tours on the weekends.

In addition to the "usual" top destinations for a European trip, you might consider something a little more exotic, like Istanbul, Croatia, etc. Maybe pair a more exotic destination with a less exotic one (e.g. Istanbul combined with Paris or London).

mamcalice

If you go to London and Paris for a week each in late June, you will probably not have a lot of heat. Why not rent apartments for a week in each city and plan to see the cities in depth as well as taking several day trips into the countryside. From Paris, Chartres, Giverny and Versailles are a good idea and from London, Hampton COurt, Bath and Oxford are easy.

If your daughter really wants to see Venice, you might consider spending a week in Paris and a week in Italy but the transport will be more expensive.

Good luck with your planning. I agree that if you are spending the plane fare to go to Europe you ought to stay longer than a week.

Christina

I personally don't see why the heat of summer is a big problem unless you go to the most southern places, such as Spain or Italy. Otherwise, it's no big deal, it is no hotter than many places in the US, and possibly less hot. There are lots of advantages to traveling in summer, also, such as you can pack more lightly and it stays light later at night. I would much rather travel in summer to most places in Europe than in March which is kind of a blah time of year (in terms of weather) in many places, just as in the US. I love to travel to London and Paris in summer. Haven't been to Venice, but I suspect a trip in March solely for that reason doesn't outweigh other factors. Such as that most people don't have that much school vacation around Easter.

Are you seriously thinking of making some major trip to Europe in March for just one week? You can't see that much in one week, anyway. I guess if you just want to go to one city for that week, as you stated, it would be okay and then you can just go to any one you choose. But Easter week is also a holiday in many places so there are tourists in some major places just because it is Easter and also a holiday for lots of Europeans -- like Paris, for example.

I'm not a fan of August travel for various reasons, but just because it is kind of boring time to travel to many places, not so much going on. However, it is low season in many cities (Europe and US) so you can often get better rates on hotels.

nytraveler

The difference in heat is that in the US everyplace had AC and in most places in europe this is not true.

England usually is fairly cool - for summer - but Paris you can get 70s or you can get 95 (yes in June). So if you do that be sure to get lodging with good (US type) AC - so at least you can sleep at night.

(We love Paris - and have had great weather there in spring and fall - but twice - in July - go at least some days that were well into the 90s. However, many of the churches and museums are much cooler than outside (due to foot thick walls, etc.)

ArtsyJudi

Thanks for the feedback. It looks like the consensus so far is that summer is better than March, if only because we can have a longer trip. You remind me the weather is never totally predictable, and not ideal in either case. I just keep thinking there will be so many tourists in summer, prices and crowds will be ridiculous, but maybe we can find a way around that... Several of you mentioned apartments, and suggested a week in Paris, a week in London and some day trips.
As far as language, it isn't so applicable in our case. My daughter studies Chinese. I used to speak French and Italian, and could probably manage enough if necessary. I would like to try if anyone is patient enough with me! I do like the idea of taking some kind of class(es), in something though. cooking? Art lessons?
Does anyone have knowledge or reccos about finding apartments in either Paris or London? The Internet is helpful but so overwhelming.
I appreciate your ideas and feedback!
Also - any thoughts about adding a visit to the Dordogne, or another more rural area in France if we can play around with our time?

Christina

I think a lot of your assumptions about summer are false, especially regarding prices. Prices of most things don't change at all (museums, transportation, meals, etc.) and hotels are certainly not more expensive in summer, in fact, they are often cheaper at the end of July or August than during most of the year (such as Fall or Spring). The only difference in cost is the air fare, and it is true that will be higher in summer than March.

So that leaves crowds, which may be greater in some tourist attractions compared to March, I guess, although if you go during a holiday week in march, I don't know. Probably some.

Cowboy1968

From a generic perspective, I would refrain from taking lengthy or daily classes on whatever - unless it was the main reason I travelled to either Paris or London.
June can still be very changing weather - and I wonder if you liked to spend each morning in a classroom while it was sunny outside and spent the PM hours in the rain.
Less "duties", more flexibility is the key I would say.
Taking a cooking class for one evening in Paris could be fun, though. If the chef speaks English, in your case.


As there will be more tourists in June as in February you may want to find out ways to beat the queues.
Many times you can pre-book tickets and use special entrances, or you simply come in the afternoon. Many tourists have the idea that lining up as early as possible in the morning is the best way "to get things done". Sometimes monster queues vanish after 3pm - sometimes not. You may get a few tips here once you know what you want to see.
And for a LOT of things you don't need tickets at all, like browsing the markets in London or walking through Montmartre in Paris - just to state the usual suspects.
And many major sights are absolutely low-cost or no-cost, like the British Museum. London's TI website has a dedicated chapter on "london for free".

If you steer away from the concept of 1 week in London, 1 week in Paris you may lose the cost-cutting bonus of renting an apartment. There will be places that rent by the day, but often you have to stay at least one week. You just got to check prices to find out.
Apartments (in the right neighborhoods) are usually a good way to get some extra "local feeling"... get your croissant for the morning coffee and the fresh baguettes for later each morning from the bakery.. especially when you have a place with a balcony to watch people or just relax after a day on your feet..

MmePerdu

Regarding apartments, I've used AirBnB with good results. You'll find less expensive options than on other agency websites but look at all the aspects carefully as they are also not inspected as the more expensive options can be. But if you study the website and offerings carefully and read reviews you can get bargains. It's the first place I look now when I want other than a hotel. I currently have a booking for an apartment for a week in Malta and used it for an apartment in Paris in June. Pay particular attention to the "cancellation policy". https://www.airbnb.com/

I especially like paying on the website by credit card. No giving cash to a complete stranger with no guarantees. They're very quick to refund your money (less fees) where applicable (again, see cancellation policy for individual properties)