Kids First Trip to Europe -input on itinerary, lodging and things to do
 

Hello, my husband and I are taking our kids (12 & 14 year old girls) to Europe in july 2008 for three weeks for their first time. While my husband and I have travelled there quite a few times to hike and tour, we've never brought the kids. I am looking for any suggestions folks have on our itinerary, specific accommodations and activities. I've read most of Rick Steves, Lonely Planet and Fodors books on these places but I always like getting personal recommendations as well.

I realize we are trying to pack a lot in -- I hope we are not totally crazy!

We are on a "thrifty" budget -- looking at staying at safe places a step or two above a youth hostel, like the pensiones they have in Italy, that are small and will help us get involved with the locals -- say a zimmer at a farmer's house in Bavaria. We realize this will be unrealistic in the bigger cities -- but we want to stay away from chain hotels.

We will visit some museums, but we don't want to overdue it, mixing it up with teen-friendly activities (e.g., Madame Tussaud's Wax Museum in Berlin) and outdoor sightseeing.

Here is our preliminary itinerary:)

Berlin -- 3 days
Prague -- 2 days
Munich -- 1 day
Salzburg -- 1 day (will not spend night)
Fussen -- 1 day
Austrian Alps -- 1 day
Italian Alps - 1 day
Venice - 1 day (will not spend night)
Florence -- 3 days
Sienna or San Gimignano or other Tuscan hill town -- 1 day
Cinque terre -- 2 days
Paris -- 4 days

I am going to try and make some lodging reservations by January in the major cities. We really don't know where exactly we will be going in the Alps so any suggestions here would be especially appreciated.

Finally, any suggestions on where to have a car and where not too would be appreciated. We figure we won't need one in the big cities but our plan is to drive from place to place in a rental car, except for the Cinque Terre to Paris leg, where we will take a train. Again, are we crazy to be driving so much? Just thought this would be a good way to see the country side and since there are four of us, may cost less than going by train from place to place.

Thanks everyone.

When I started reading this I was thinking how wonderful to be able to take a 3 week trip to Europe with your kids, but then I read your itinerary. You will be spending more time travelling between places, packing/unpacking, and settling in than sight-seeing.

I'd cut your list at least in half. There's way too much going on.

Far and away the easiest way to economize on this trip will be to cut down on actual travel and lengthen your stays in a smaller number of locations (ideally in apartments, where you have more space and can economize on food as well).

Or you might just consider sleeping in the car.

I liked the beginning of your post and HATED the ending bit.

The explanations/guidelines are good. The itinerary is horrible. Sorry, but that's how I see it.

1 day in any city lets you see almost nothing. By the time you get there, check in, and unpack 1/2 a day is shot all to be repeated the next day.

And the 1-day cities where you do not stay overnight are even worse. for instance how much of Venice do you propose you'll see when you have to get there from Italy and leave to Florence on the same day??

Cut out at least half of your destinations - which ones you cut really doesn't matter much. Remember - every time you change locations it eats up between 1/2 and 1 whole day.

If you leave the trip as planned now - I'd guess you'll never get your kids to Europe again (until they can do it on their own)

oops - should have said " . . . . you have to get there from the Alps and leave to Florence on the same day??"

"I realize we are trying to pack a lot in -- I hope we are not totally crazy!"

How can I say this kindly?

You are totally crazy.

Why even bother with the stops in Salzburg and Venice? You are basically doing just a photo stop. If you even have time to get out your camera, before it's back to your Death March through the Alps.

Have you even looked at the travel times between each of these places?

This is just my experience. In 1998, we took our then- 11 and 13 year old kids (their first time). It was a fantastic trip, but 1) the only place we were that was just for one day was York, and 2) in hindsight, we should have added a few days of downtime in the middle (instead of, or in addition to, the end). To me, you have too much driving/traveling in general, and too many days that are "drive-bys". You'll never even remember the places you go for only 1 day. Also, personally, I'd do 2 days in Berlin and 3 in Prague (actually, I'd do 3 and 4, but I'm not sure you have time for that).

FWIW, our trip consisted of: London 5 days, York 1 day, Edinburgh 2 days, London 2 days, Paris 4 days, Loire Valley 2 days, Interlaken 3 days, Venice 2 days, Florence 2 days, Rome 2 days, Viareggio 4 days. Very short shrift to Florence and Rome -- so we "have to" return.

I'm with janis.

For my similarly aged girls' first European trip, also 3 weeks, we flew into southern France, rented a car and worked our way over a few days to a gite in the countryside where we spent a week. Seeing the country by car was great. Then we had a week each in an apartment in Paris, hotel in London.

We all loved the relatively low stress of staying in and learning our way around a few places.

As said above, and do consider an agritourismo for your Italian portion, but I can't imagine spending less than a week there. We took our (then 16 year-old) daughter to Europe for a month and split it between France and Italy-that was more than enough.

Hamburger...

If you're trying to be thrifty, the best way to do that is to stay put for awhile in just a few places. That way you can rent apartments, cook meals there, etc.

Have you tallied up the cost of transportation between all of these one night stays? Must be pretty pricey.

Listen to everyone's advice and slow down. We're trying to help, not criticize. And we promise you'll have a better trip and it won't be just a big, exhausting blur, which is the way it's looking now.

Make a shortened list of your "must sees," (knowing you'll be back) involve your kids in the planning and just take it easy.

Have a great time!

You must be joking---you do not seem to understand travel times. In your time you will want half of these destinations. I would start in Munich and end in Salzburg with your Austrian and Italy destinations in between. I see a max of 7 destinations. That routing is ideal for a first trip to Europe by car--I often suggest it to clients.

Thi may help if you are cost sensitive:
CAR RENTAL STRATEGY FOR NORTHERN ITALY
BY BOB THE NAVIGATOR

How would you like to save perhaps $500 on your next car rental in Italy? Well, you probably can if you decide to start and end your trip in Germany or Switzerland. Here is an actual scenario that proves the point.

A recent client nearly had a heart attack after getting a quote for a mid-sized car with automatic transmission for Malpensa [MXP] airport in Milan. He was quoted over $1300 for a ten day rental, with the drop off also at MXP. Wow, over $130/day was about twice what he had budgeted. So, we changed his itinerary and saved him over $500. How? We decided to fly into Zurich and get the car in Lugano---not a bad diversion for any itinerary that includes the fabulous lakes region of northern Italy. After landing in Zurich he trained to Luzerne for two nights before continuing on to Lugano[LUG] by train to get the car. It proved to be an enjoyable addition to his trip that included two lakes destinations in Italy and several days in the wine regions of Piemonte.

Car rental prices in Italy are just much higher than adjacent countries, primarily due to the mandatory insurance rates. Lower rental rates are also valid in Germany with Munich[MUN] being a good choice as a launching pad for trips into most venues in northern Italy. Here are some examples:


TEN DAY CAR RENTAL PRICE COMPARISONS [in $$$]
COMPARABLE INSURANCE COVERAGES—THREE LOCATIONS

BROKER COMPACT/MANUAL MIDSIZE/AUTOMATIC

MXP MUN LUG MXP MUN LUG

AUTOEUROPE 729 584 496 1303 993 853

GEMUT 663 388* 378 1235 621 583

AVERAGES 696 486 437 1269 807 718

SAVINGS N/A 210 259 N/A 462 551

• *Price is for sub-compact with automatic upgrade to compact model.
• DISCLAIMER: Rental prices can vary by season and locations. These prices are a snapshot in October, 2007 for these two vendors only. Prices may vary when you actually get a quote, but the point is still valid. The prices will always be higher in Italy, especially for automatic models.


There are additional benefits to considering this itinerary strategy. You get to add more options in your quest to find the best airfares, or free seats using award miles. Besides the obvious destinations of Munich and Zurich, you can also consider Stuttgart as a viable choice to save on airfares. That gives you three other options rather than just considering Milan & Venice.

But the primary benefits to me are the wonderful destinations that you can add to your northern Italy itinerary. I have always loved an itinerary that includes the Salzburg area, the castle country of Bavaria, the Dolomites, or even Lake Garda with other destinations in Italy. That is especially true for any family trip or for those who are seeking the ultimate in natural beauty. And, the drive from Munich airport to Val Gardena in the Dolomites is only four hours and includes some great scenery past Innsbruck and through the Brenner Pass. The drive to Salzburg or Garmisch is only about two hours.

Any Zurich itinerary should include at least two nights in lovely Luzerne either going or coming, and one night in Zurich to enjoy this unique city. The additional rail costs will be offset by the fewer car rental days. Of course, you could get the car in Zurich, but I have always preferred using the very efficient rail system in Switzerland. And, Lugano itself is a terrific destination to enjoy for a few hours before driving an hour to Lake Como or wherever.

To me it is a win/win scenario. The only catch may be adding enough days to your trip to make it all feasible. You will probably need at least twelve days to include two or three Italy destinations with the transitional venues. I have included Tuscany in my own itinerary that began and ended in Munich, but it may be a bit of a stretch if your time is limited. But, saving between $200 to $500 on just the car expense for your next trip to Italy can sure buy you your fill of gelato and cappuccinos---always a good idea.

oooh hamburger,

I'd like to say that all those others are wrong, but sadly they're right - your present itinerary is a pig.

we learnt the hard way that what our kids most liked was staying put in one place for a few days - they liked going to the same patisserie for breakfast, saying hello to the same man in the grocers, getting their gelati from the nice lady up the road..

of course your kids may be different, but I'd put money on them getting VERY fed up with being in a car/train/airport all the time, especially in July, when it'll be hot. and all that travelling puts the cost up.

the cheapest options would be to rent one-bedded apartments in three or four places [the girls could sleep on the sofa bed most apartments have - look for ones that say 2+2] and to go to places like Munich that have cheap train tickets for exploring the area.

to fit in as much of your trip and give you as much variety as possible, I would do Munich, the dolomites, Venice and Paris, or [less varied] Berlin, Prague, Munich, Paris.

remember, Europe will still be here, but unless you cut your trip down substantially, your girls will never want to come back to see it!

regards, ann

regards, ann

Impossible. Why do you feel compelled to cover so much ground?

Nuts, just plain nuts. Those poor, poor kids.

Seriously, you need to scrap this idea and start all over again.

Oh, and if you're really on a thrifty budget, you'll probably want to scrap Madame Tussaud's too. If the price in Berlin is anything like in London, you'd be better off taking the kids to a Michelin restaurant.

I know you are probably going to feel clobbered when you read all these posts, but I think you should heed the advice of the many well-travelled posters on this forum. You're trying to do too much. I know a few people who have terrible memories of Europe because the first time they went, they were a teenager and their parents drove them around like maniacs for 3 weeks straight and they just remember being hot, uncomfortable and bored. Harsh but true.

I agree that 7 destinations should be your max. The other issue is that you will be charged a pretty hefty drop-off fee if you are using a rental car to go from place to place but never returning it to its original place of rental.

If it were me, I would start in Munich for a week with a car, basing in one or two towns that allow you to see the Bavarian Alps (Berchtesgaden would be nice). Then return the car to Munich and train to Florence (long ride but nice scenery). Spend a few days in Florence and do San Gimignano as a day trip (could even do a day trip to Rome if you really want). Then go to the Cinque Terre and do a few beach days with the kids (down time), then fly from Milan (Easyjet) to Paris and end the trip with 4-5 days in Paris...

you've gotten some great advice... what are your thoughts now ?

As a parent who travelled with kids to Paris (albeit smaller), we spent a week in one place. They loved it, we got to really explore. If you would normally spend 3 days in one city, I would add at least 2 with kids. Where are you flying into ? Plan at least a day or two of decompression time.

RS, LP, and Fodors are aiming at very different markets and travelers. Which type are you ?

One fun things that we did in Paris that I believe you can do in other cities is Fat Tire Bike Tour. I would imagine that would be really fun for your kids!

Hi hamburger, the previous postings offer a lot of good advice. THe longer you stay in the places you really wish to visit the better. One night only in any place is terrible , What are going to remember the kids? I agree with Bob the Navigator I always rent in Switzerland the cars to drive in Italy.
Hope you re think your itinerary. The idea to take the kids to Europe is wonderful. Good luck.

Hi ham,

Please do rethink this plan. It is a trek, not a vacation.

In addition, you are doing drivebys to places that warrant 2-3 nights (Munich, Salzburg, Venice).

You lose at least 1/2 day each time you change venues.

How do you plan to get from the CT to Paris?

((I))

Agree this is too much moving around. I haven't added up all your days, but you do realize 3 days in Berlin means 4 nights? Plus at least a half day to check out, get to the next town, find your next hotel/B&B and check in. And the more moving around you do, the more precious vacation time is spent in these transfers. It's better to plan your trip in nights rather than days.

You could spend 4 nights in Munich, do day trips to Fussen (by which I assume you mean Neuschwanstein) and Salzburg. Or stay 3 nights in Salzburg and take a bus tour of the Salzkammergut (Austrian lakes and mountains). I'm not sure what you mean by the Italian Alps. The Dolomites?

And why 3 days in Florence and only a few hour stopover in Venice? Are your girls fascinated by Renaissance art and architecture? Otherwise they'd prefer Venice. And who knows, the ways things are going -- aqua alta, global warming -- Venice may be permanently under water soon.

You can do a day trip by public bus from Florence to Siena.

In general you may prefer to stay in smaller towns and have a car. You could stay in Siena and daytrip to Florence instead of vice versa. But you don't want to take a car into Florence or other big city or town. So find yourselves small towns with train or bus transportation to the city.

We've deluged you with criticism and advice. I hope you take it in good part and take it in, especially the contributions from people who have traveled with their children.

I guess you've gotten most of the input that says you are doing too much.Here are some tips that might help you re-work your plan - background on us-many trips over the years with our kids who are now 21 & 19:

Go to www.viamichelin.com - this website allows you to plug in cities and get an estimate of driving times. This will allow you to see just how unrealistic much of your plan really is. You can play around with start and finish destinations and then try various stopover scenarios along the way.

Recognize that travelling with 4 people is MORE than double the trouble of traveling with 2. What I mean is that it can be fairly easy to travel with one other like-minded individual, but with an additional 2 (teens or not) everything becomes a little more complicated. It will take you much longer to get up & get going in the morning. Thus the need to cut down on as many 1 night stays as possible.

You are traveling during the summer so I HIGHLY recommend that you book each accomodation for each night now. Do not be tempted to "go with the flow" - if you are trying to go cheaply you will find it more difficult to find a Quad Room at the last minute. You will end up with 2 rooms at a substantial increase. And walking around with 4 people in tow as you look at various room options is NOT fun - IMO it far outweighs the advantages of being flexible. When you are looking at places to stay, email them and ask what they would have that would work for your family. I have gotten responses that include "family apartments" that were not listed on the website. Book 2 rooms at the smaller and less expensive B&B's - 3 weeks with all four together all the time can be tense.

Traveling with teens can be great - I'm sure you have done lots with them already and you know what kind of travelers they are, but there are some things you need to take into consideration for your Europe Trip:

First, they will probably want to sleep in. You need to alternate days when you all MUST get out early with days where they get a little break - i.e. all the travel days need an early start (again, cut down on these as much as possible). Some big sights are well worth the effort to get up early and see them before the crowds hit. But on the other days, let them sleep in while you two go out and explore a bit.

You are smart to look for outdoor activities to alternate with the city/museum thing. My kids LOVE museums and historical sights but we all do much better with some fun, active, even silly things - rent bikes, race each other on the luge, SWIM, hike. And BTW, our time at Madame Tussauds was a highlight of our England trip - very fun and silly!

Allow them time to explore on their own. 12 & 14 will be old enough to go down the street to get gelato without you or to go to the shops while you have a drink at a cafe. After getting up early and sightseeing, be sure to build in time to come back to your hotel for rest, reading, music, etc.

Do not underestimate the importance of food - 3 regular meals (if they eat breakfast) + snacks in between are a must. They really won't be able to handle skipping meals as well as you and your husband. Slowing down your trip will let you not resent the time you need to take to refuel. Consider also allowing them to drink beer/wine where appropriate.

There are a few really good posters here with detailed itineraries (bobthenavigator is my personal favorite!) and trip reports. Look at these & combine them with the simplistic layout of the Rick Steves books and you should get a much better Europe plan. Looking at your desired locations my teens personal favorites were Venice, Tuscany, Salzburg & surrounding mountains/lakes, Prague. We've never been to Cinque Terra and while I agree that it might suit you for the hiking, out of doors feel, I get the sense that it is mobbed in the summer. I'd leave it off. And we didn't enjoy Florence as much as others have, for probably the same reason - VERY crowded in the summer and so much smaller than Rome that it seemed to handle the crowds less well. We loved Rome, but were so-so about Florence on the same trip.

Finally - good for you for taking your kids. I am SO sorry that this time is mostly finished for us. Traveling with our kids/teens has been great but its very difficult now with university & work schedules. Have a great time!

Hi Hamburger,
The thing that will keep costs down is staying a week at a time in one place. That enables you to rent an apartment for much less than hotels and for your kids to get to know a place and bring back great memories.

Perhaps 1 week in Paris, 1 week in Tuscany or Umbria, and a week somewhere in Germany or Czech. If you rent an apartment in Tuscany or Umbria and have a rental car, you can do amazing day trips and return to your home base to relax.

I traveled w/ my family extensively in Europe as a teenager, but usually crazy car trips running from sight to sight. I don't remember that well. But a couple of times we rented places and stayed a week and I remember those times perfectly. It was so fun feeling like you can settle in and know a place! I remember the markets and riding rental bikes around and getting to know the ice cream vendor. Things like that make a trip fantastic for kids.

My DH and I have taken our kids to Europe 4 times now and we always rent apartments or cottages. When my younger child reminisces about our trips it's always things like walking to the market, or the dog that showed up at the back door every morning looking for bacon. Special memories!

You'll be glad you slowed down and stayed awhile at each place. You'll spend less and have a much better experience.

For 4 people the airfare cost also makes a big difference. Play around with multi-city trips to see what costs less: fly in to Paris, out of Munich for example. If you'll be renting a car there are big differences in costs depending on where you get it, so factor that in as well.

Good luck and let us know how your planning is coming along!

I cannot emphasize strongly enough how outstanding is the advice AtlTravlr gave you. Had I thought to write a post of that sort, I could have written every word she said (even the "if they eat breakfast" part - I have one that does, and one that does not, and well, maybe I don't agree about the wine/beer, especially the 12-year old, but that's one little thing out of many :-) ). Especially about the downtime and sleeping in. My kids and husband all like to sleep in. I'd rather get up and have a cup of coffee and read the paper. So that's what we do. While they're still sleeping, I go out to the nearest bakery/cafe, and return an hour later. I love it, they love it, we're all happy. Although we KNOW we are not the type to be standing in line at the Tower of London at 8 a.m., we also know we'll stay out until very late and our days will be very full regardless of when we get "moving".

Oh, on the breakfast thing -- if you do not all eat breakfast regularly, I recommend you get some cereal, spoons and milk and keep them with you -- that way, the ones who do eat breakfast can eat in the hotel or apartment while the others are getting ready, and you don't have to take a lot of time for that meal. We do that everywhere, because my daughter is the only one in the family who MUST eat breakfast. If you don't want to "bring in", then plan to stop at a bakery for a croissant and juice. Of course, if breakfast is a big meal for all of you, then just ignore this advice :-)

Oh, and just to clarify about the beer/wine thing - what I really mean is allow them to "try" it where appropriate - my kids loved having a sip at the Tuscan winery that we visited. I didn't really mean to imply that a 12 or 14 year old should be truly drinking.

hamburger,

How great you get to take your girls to Europe for three weeks! What a treat.

We were able to bring our two girls the summer of 07 for about 19 days or so, it was fabulous. Traveling to other countries teaches your children so much about life, love, and everything inbetween!

Now, onto your itineary -

How do you say "Scary"?

:)

Said in kindness...

We spent 3 nights in Paris (turned into two due to travel delays) 3 nights in Switzerland, 4 nights in Florence and 4 nights in Rome and THAT was too much moving. We were DEAD tired by the time we were in Rome and I just wanted to come home as much as I loved it.

S-L-O-W down. I know first hand how hard it is to do that when planning, you are super excited and want to get it all in! I would not do anything less then 3 night stays anyplace.

We are going back to Europe on December 22 and are spending 10 nights in an apartment in Paris - based on our last experience. No one wants to move as much as we did last time.

With 3 weeks I would do a week apartment rental in 3 different areas and take day trips as you desire from those places...

Best,
Dawn

Thank you so much everyone for noting our complete insanity!

Here is a revised rough itinerary (we are flying into Berlin and out of Paris (have tix already):

Arrive Berlin - stay 4 nights, then train to

Prague - 4 nights, then train to

Small Alpine town in Alps -- 4 days, then train to

Cinque Terre -- 4 days then fly from Genoa to

Paris -- stay 5 days then fly home

We may juggle the days a little, e.g. may spend one more day in Prague and one less day in Berlin.

Going point to point by train probably makes sense for most of the trip instead of driving, give all the border crossings and the long distances. And while the Genoa-Paris flight might not be cost effective, may be the best use of our time.

We are looking for suggestions for the Alps -- ideally we'd like to stay in a very "typical" alpine village far from the crowds where we can do brief day hikes and relax & just enjoy the beauty.

I know Cinque Terre will be crowded, but it is so picturesque being right on the sea and the hikes from town to town are the right distance for our kids (who are in shape but love to whine when it comes to family hikes:) and it is one of my favorite places -- I've been going there since 1980.

Surf mom, we are probably the most like Rick Steves now -- but we were Fodors on our honeymoon and Lonely Planet as single back-packers years ago (my husband and I are turning 50 next year, the excuse for the trip:).

For Paris, I think we definitely want to stay in the city, but not sure about Berlin & Prague -- feedback on that appreciated:).

Again, thank you for your invaluable feedback, everyone.

jes

Wow, that's a much better itinerary!

Atltravelr was spot on about feeding kids on vacation. Ours eat more than usual and get irritable if meals are late let alone missed!

I recommend an apartment for you time in Paris rather than a hotel. It'll give you more space than 2 hotel rooms and after that length of time together you'll appreciate it.

..slow down even more. Try to get an open jaw. I would stay one week in the city I landed in and do day trips. Then rent a car (or take public transit do the aritmetic) to some place in the country and again do day trips. Drive to city number 3 (or take public transit if you have rented the car for the second country week stay) and then again do day trips. I suggest a week as many apts are rented in high season for a week at a time only. If you decide on non apts/homes/gites ect for the country you could devide 4 and 4 days...

Not sure if this is what you mean by "small Alpine town", but we stayed 2 nights in St. Gilgen on the Wolfgangsee - small lake near Salzburg. We were able to go into Salzburg for the day - do your girls like Sound of Music? My daughter & I spent the day running around taking pictures of us at places where the movie was filmed - even got a picture of her "entering the convent"! Lots of fun.

It was also near Halstatt where we did the salt mine tour - very cheesy but again, lots of fun. And this is where we did the luge as well. My kids only regret was that we did not stay longer (so I think 4 nights would be great) - they wished we could have done some hiking there as well.

We did stay in the old city for our nights in Prague - the Hotel Maximillian is much more elaborate than the places we usually stay but friends of mine had been there just before we left and said it was HOT, so we cancelled the cute B&B and went for A/C - kids didn't need it, but husband & I didn't mind paying extra to be able to have closed windows (keep out the city noise) but still keep cool enough to sleep.

Your new trip sounds great!

travelbunny: &quot;<i>Try to get an open jaw. </i>&quot; They are flying open jaw - Into Berlin and out of Paris . . . .

hamburger: Much better - a quick study :) IMO though it still needs a bit of tweaking. You are dashing to five widely separated areas across 1/2 of Europe. Some of those are long journeys.

Maybe cut out one more destination so you can stay a week In a Paris apartment and add a day or two to one of the other cities.

I LOVE your new itinerary! I actually don't think you need to cut anything. Isn't the longest trip you've got between cities about 4 hours - from Berlin to Prague (I guess it might be longer from Prague to the &quot;little alpine village, since we don't yet know where that will be)? That's no problem - the train is fun and easy and relaxing, and you'll still have a good amount of time in each place.

my point was that some places require a week's rental for a flat. For a family of 4 a flat is usually a good option. So 4 days 4 days 4 days . . . Just makes things harder. Also 4 nights somewhere, does not net 4 days for sightseeing

..yes I know Paris /Berlin is open jaw. I just want sure whether Hamburger had already decided on these destinations or whether she was still in the very early stages of trip planning.

That's a great improvement. Glad you took all the criticism in good spirit.

Now the problem is getting between those stops. Look at www.bahn.de for train times. The July schedule will not be available yet, so look at nearer dates, just to get an idea. Maybe consult with train experts at www.budgeteuropetravel.com.

travelbunny, hamburger says they already have the tix (tickets).

I like your new itenerey. It combines city sight seeing with small town breaks. I would try to rent a centrally located apartment in each location. The convience of having the extra room, a kitchen, and being able to easily stop by to use the bathroom or rest durng the day worth the extra expense, if any. We have had good luck with VRBO.com all over the world. Finding rentals for less than a week is not a problem.

Of the places in your new itenery I can reccomend arcadiaoldtown.com for Prague. As for a Swiss alps town there is a great, less touresty, town not far from Interlaken that's name escapes me now but I am sure some Swiss expert will chime in on. When, or if, this senior moment passes and I come up with the name I will repost.

Have a wonderful time creating memories with your kids!

Our friends and their children stayed in Gimmelwald, a village in the Alps, and loved it. The postcard photos were amazing. There is a train station there, I believe, since that's how they got around.

Your trip sounds wonderful.

Though now that I look into Gimmelwald, it appears to be not so easy to get to: http://www.gimmelwald.com/getthere.html

Seems to involve train, bus and gondola. Or 1.5 hr hike up a 500 meter elevation. Our friends were there for at least a few days on a lengthy tour.

Rick Steves recommends Gimmewald &lt;sp&gt; as well...

hit send too fast. I really do recommend the one week in three different places as well - having done the 3 and 4 nights - for a little over 2 weeks - as I shared we were VERY tired in Rome and one of the days we went to the Hotel De Russie (I am sure I am getting the name wrong) and had spa treatments and the girls swam in the pool and we did NOTHING...
I also recommend apartments if staying more then 4 nights - many apartments as have been pointed out want 7 nights but some will rent for 4 plus nights.

We stayed in a hotel in Paris and Montruex (which we loved btw) both were pricey and then in apartments in Florence and Rome.

It might not be a big deal to you - but the other thing - the apartment in Rome was about five or six flights up with no elevator - nice to be on the top floor BUT man I dreaded those stairs at times...

Thanks everyone. I know we should cut out another location -- it's just so hard! Cinque Terre may have to go as this is way out of the way . . . that said, thanks barblab for the apt. suggestion in Prague -- I think we definitely want to look at apts at every location, as, yes, we are a breakfast eating family, and, my kids often like the bowl of cereal before they go to bed if they haven't eaten enough dinner.

Any suggestions for specific areas to stay in in Paris, Berlin and Prague appreciated, plus any apts. that you might suggest in these areas, as we will not cut these areas from our itinerary.

Meanwhile, back to whittling down the number of locations we are visiting . . .