multi generation trip to Europe in August 2013
 

Trying to plan a late August 2013 trip to Europe with multiple generations (two 60-somethings, two 30-somethings, one under-12). We're looking to spend about two weeks in 2-3 cities in Northern Europe (though I'm including Paris too).

I have some city combinations in mind, but would love to get feedback on any favorite multi-city trips of members that include at least some of the following cities:
Stockholm
Copenhagen
Berlin
Amsterdam
Paris

Right now I'm just looking for general itinerary recommendations. Thanks so much!

Paris-Amsterdam-Copenhagen
Stockholm-Copenhagen-Paris

Paris_Amsterdam_ Copenaghen..

Paris - it looks like a done deal for you, and it is Paris

Berlin - a truly unique major European city because of it`s 20th century. You don`t find what Berlin offers anywhere else

Copenhagen - because I find Amsterdam a little repetitious in appearance, and slightly grimy, and Stockholm is quite a trek from the other two and does not afford many day trip like excursions. It is also a little calmer, I think, than the alternatives and would be a nice contrast to the grandeur and scale of Paris and the urgent vitality of Berlin.

Paris - Berlin - Stockholm (if a cheap flight can be found) otherwise Amsterdam. Some of the choice, aside from Paris may depend on the convenience/cost of the return flight, assuming an open jaw arriving in Paris.

Part of this will depend on your budget - as well as yuor interests.

Copenhagen and Stockholm are wonderful cities - but the prices for everything are sky high.

Berlin is a wonderful with a lot of great museums and if on the budget side of moderate - while Paris is just fairly expensive.

(As an example, a big mac meal that is $8 in the US is about $20 in Scandinavia - and prices for other things are similarly sky high.

Thanks all. We've been to Scandinavia before and are well aware of the prices :) I have become very good at making my budget fit my trip (instead of the other way around!). I personally prefer Stockholm to Copenhagen, although I find this is an unpopular opinion!

Michael - A combination of Berlin-Stockholm-Paris is my personal wish, but I wondered if it was too strange of a combination. So thank you for suggesting it, I feel vindicated!

We haven't been to Amsterdam, and really would love to see, but feel it doesn't warrant its own separate trip, which is how it got added on here. Thoughts?

Have the others been to Europe? If not, I'd do "Europe" and not Scandinavia.

I'm not sure what "Europe" as opposed to Scandinavia means. In any case, I would say that both Paris and Berlin count as "Europe," or would you care to clarify? Not being snarky, just really don't understand the comment.

For Berlin, consider Peter Fritzsche and Karen Hewitt's <i>Berlinwalks</i>, 1994; it's an excellent guidebooks that includes social history when taking the reader through neighborhoods.

Stockholm, unlike Paris and Berlin, is a seaport which gives it a completely different atmosphere. Do not miss the Wasa museum and the <i>skansen</i>.

To whet your appetite:

http://www.flickr.com/photos/mksfca/...74831107/show/

http://www.flickr.com/photos/mksfca/...71349528/show/

Yes, Berlin is "Europe" to me. As others have said, Stockholm is a trek to get to--and then come back. You have two weeks, a nice amount of time for traveling around western Europe.
I don't agree with NYtraveler that Paris is expensive. It can be done on a good budget without feeling pinched if that is a concern.
OP, you are the one that brought up if Stockholm, Berlin, Paris was "unusual". I am agreeing with you that it is. BUT anything is possible for YOUR trip. But what about your fellow travelers, and their desires and memory of a trip to Europe?
There is also the possibility of day trips around Paris which would be good additions to an intro to Europe if you allow enough time IN Paris in the first place.
Or if you did go to Amsterdam and drove toward Paris for the end of the trip, there is the Normandy coast that could be included for a few days of countryside "color".
What is going to be of interest to the child. Maybe Amsterdam would be for its "charm".

Traveling from Amsterdam to Paris does not really take you near Normandy.

It would add 2.5 hours to the 5 hour Amsterdam - Paris journey just to detour to Dieppe beofr proceeding to Paris, and double the trip length to about 10 hours to reach the heart of the Normandy beaches at Courseulles-sur-Mer.