Need some help - Netherlands, Belgium, Germany, Luxembourg
 

Hello!

new to forum as a poster but have been reading for years. Planning a trip with my kids to Europe for a Taylor Swift concert in July. Concert is in Gelsenkirchen. But we want to visit a few more places. Any help with itinerary and planning would be so appreciated.

We’ve travelled to Europe before but we will not be driving. So trains mostly or planes if needed.

thank you!

How much time do you have?

What are your interests?

12 days ish. We enjoy soaking in the local vibes and beaches. lol history/cultre.

With 12 days, I'd only choose 3 bases, 4 max. And although you gave your interests, still not a lot to go off on to assist. What are your kids interested in?

I'd start with some guidebooks of the region, maybe also review the many trip reports and planning threads on this forum to give you a better idea. I'd also implore you to have your kids help with the research, assuming they are teens.

Given the concert's location, Amsterdam would be a natural choice. Perhaps Bruges and/or Brussles if those are an interest. I'm not familiar with Northern Germany so much, but I'd take a look in cities/areas near the concert if they might be of interest to you and your family.

Follow up question: does your 12 days include flights to/from home? If so, you'd only have 9.5 - 10 days on the ground, which I'd choose no more than 3 bases.

Where does the concert fit into the days available? Where are you flying into and out of or have you yet to organise that? As Travel_Nerd says does the number of days you quote include travelling to and from?

Thank you..I will take a look and ask the girls as well. They are 11 and 14.

I haven't booked flights yet - wanted to understand the itinerary and what's possible before booking the tickets.

Concert can be at the end or at the beginning of the trip. Early stages in planning right now. Would like to take advantage of flying to Europe and do more than just Germany.

My initial advice remains the same - get some guidebooks and read. You can probably even go to your local library, too. Also research transit, trains usually are best. Good resources are: seat61.com and Rome to Rio (is a good resource, but do need to check the embedded links, sometimes the schedules are seasonal).

Whatever your family decide, consider a multicity flight: in one city and out another. Saves from backtracking at the end and allows for a more linear plan. Round trip prices may seem "better," but you have to spend time and money returning to the original city, making the "savings" moot.

Gelsenkirchen is smack bang in the middle of a very big conurbation which historically has been industrial (the Ruhr district). In those parts you might think of visiting Düsseldorf, Cologne, Bonn and Münster (not Munster, that's a whole other place). Düsseldorf and Cologne are big cities, Bonn also, but has a more compelling old town, and Münster is just a nice visit with appealing architecture - gets lots of tourists from the Netherlands, particularly the Christmas market there. But really you could go anywhere from Gelsenkirchen by train, you don't have to be wedded to those cities.

Between Aachen, Cologne and Bonn is the water castles route. You could cycle it (or part of it) if your family is fit and active:

https://www.nrw-tourism.com/a-water-castles-route

Lavandula