elwhy

Would greatly appreciate itinerary help for month-long trip with husband and 11 year old daughter in June/July.

June 11 Arrive Rome
Ostia Antica daytrip

June 14 Train from Rome to Florence
Vinci/Museo Leonardiano di Vinci daytrip

June 18 Train from Florence to Venice

June 20 Fly from Venice to Paris
Versailles day trip
Fat bike tour one day

June 27 Train from Paris to Brussels
Tintin walking tour

June 30 Train from Brussels to Bruges

July 3 Train from Bruges to Amsterdam
Bike tour one day
Volendam or Zaanse Schans day trip

July 8 Fly home

Would really love information on whether to book trains/flights before we leave or once we’re in Europe.

Also, any tips on things to do/see in any of the places above. We are interested in history, music, museums, walking/biking, good food, and unusual/off-the-beaten path experiences without having to rent a car.

Originally I thought about staying in an agritourismo place outside of Florence but have decided against renting a car.

Lastly, we are looking for suggestions of good central areas in which to stay in all of the places above. (no more than $125/night if possible)

Many thanks!

charnees

Are you saying that you have no idea what to do in these places? Paris for a week, for example? Or are you asking what special tips people might have for unusual things to do there? Because I cannot imagine that you haven't heard of the Louvre, Notre Dame, the Eiffel Tower, boat rides on the Seine, etc. and so on for all these cities.

As for accommodations, since you are staying 3 or more days in each place you can look for apartments. Google "vacation rentals Rome" or Paris, etc. You can get more room, even have a little living room with kitchenette, etc with an apartment. VRBO.com is a good place to start. For Italy look at sleepinitaly.com.

Get a good general guidebook such as Rick Steves's books and get acquainted with the maps of each place, as. that will help you figure out what areas to stay in. It will also give you some good overall insight into European lifestyles that will help you.

elwhy

Sorry, yes, what I meant was things outside of the usual in those cities, and specifically things that might appeal to an 11 year-old.

kybourbon

Trenitalia(Italian rail company) does not have their summer schedules loaded yet. You might check their website in May to see if they are loaded (start about June 10).

>>>Vinci/Museo Leonardiano di Vinci daytrip<<<

Are you booking a tour? There isn't a train station, but there might be bus service if you don't have a tour arranged.

lavandula

A short while ago there was a thread about someone who wanted to find things for kids to do in Brussels - i suggested at the time maybe the museum with old armour at Porte de Hal, the Autoworld museum in Cinquantenaire park, and the castle at Gaasbeek (short trip outside Brussels). She additionally came up with Océade, which is a water amusement park, not on my radar. You might also think about the Musical Instrument Museum (a splendid example of Art Nouveau with views over the city) and the city walk that takes you past all the comic strip murals (not sure if that is what you mean by the Tintin walk), as well as Mini-Europe and the Atomium.
Just a few ideas, lots of which are palatable for adults.

Lavandula

indy_dad

Sounds like quite a trip -- exhausting though! If it were me (and it's not), I'd cut out a few places and stay a little longer at others. That will help with the pace and the budget (less travel cost, more opportunities for apartments, etc.).

I think you will have a difficult time finding "centrally located" for you stated budget. I'd get cracking on those reservations too.

Other than Paris, it almost looks like you've allocated equal time to the other stops. If that's a thought out plan, that's fine but I'd make sure that's what you want. For instance, Rome looks to be getting the short end while you have quite a bit of time in Bruges and Brussels. Florence, generally speaking, is not as 11 y.o. friendly (enjoyable) as Rome/Venice, etc.

We have a 12 and 9 y.o. You can see what we did in Rome and Paris. Check back after Easter for Bruges and Amsterdam!

http://www.fodors.com/community/euro...log-photos.cfm

http://www.fodors.com/community/euro...rip-report.cfm

Blog links with photos included in each TR.

Good luck!

Vttraveler

this is the Brussels with kids thread mentioned in an earlier post
http://www.fodors.com/community/euro...k-of-april.cfm

elwhy

Thanks much for all the links.

It sounds like I can't even think about booking trains until a little closer to the summer so I'll stop stressing about that for now.

I'm still tinkering with how many days in which places. We've tried to whittle down the itinerary but we can't agree on which place to cut out so I think we're just going to go with the places we've got and maybe re-allot time once I figure out more what we'll do in each.

indy_dad I'll be looking out for your Bruges/Amsterdam report.