mosey

My family and I are planning a trip to Europe either spring (first 10 days of April) or summer (first 2 weeks in June)2005. My children will be 11 and 9 1/2 at that time. My husband and I are somewhat older parents, and as a result, we do not wish to postpone our international travel until the kids get older. What would you suggest for a ten day or two week trip with kids this age? We like museums, beautiful scenery (great walks), good food, historical sites and architecture (my husband is an architect) and just letting our children learn about another culture. My husband and I (prior to children) have been to Paris, London, Scotland, Germany, Rome, Florence and Venice and he lived in Greece for six months (I have never been!). I was thinking Greece or Spain/Portugal, but I am open to all suggestions. I probably would not want to go back to Germany yet since I have been there twice and we did an all encompassing trip last time we went. We typically like more laid back vacations, meaning we don't want a whirlwind tour, but get to know a certain area and its people as well as you can in 2 weeks. Of course, with younger children they will quickly burn out from either too many museums or too many castles or whatever it is, so any recommendations for areas that offer more variety. Also, in your suggestions please let me know if it would be better in the April or June timeframe? Thank you so much!

ira

Hi Mosey

I suggest,

Denmark in June.

bardo

If you havn't beeen too recently, then I think Rome would have the most to offer your two pre-teens. Catacombs, ruins, the appian way, Castle, parks for kids. Museums, beautiful scenery, good food, historical sites and architecture for you and DH. Best of all you won't be bored after 2 weeks (or 4!). Either month would be a good time to go.

rex

I would recommend Lake Garda, Trento, the Dolomites - - all part of northeast Italy, and then an assortment of places in Austria and/or Slovenia.

In June.

<<and as a result, we do not wish to postpone our international travel until the kids get older.>>

AS a corollary, I would recommend that you go in 2004, not in 2005.

Best wishes,

Rex

StCirq

Rent your self a nice little cottage in the Dordogne for a week, see the prhistoric caves, visit the outdoor markets, take a canoe trip down the river, go to the acquarium in Le Bugue, check out the museum of medieval warfare at Castelnaud, see Josephine Baker's château and the falcon exhibit, swim at one of the beaches on the rivers, or just drive around and gape at the scenery.

jpie

I think for a first trip for kids this age-I might be tempted keep it simple, easy and classic-a trip to London so that they can experience all the fun for kids their age in that great place and not be immediately overwhelmed by the language change (at least let them get over the jetlag) and then take the Eurostar to Paris so they can experience a non-English culture. And if you want to get a "little bit of rural" instead of a totally urban trip, with 2 weeks you would still have time to go somewhere in either England or France (Like Oxford or Loire Valley for instance) without having to hassle very much and all of our friends with kids this age have loved the Eurostar.......are your kids giving you any hints-I was surprised that with friends even their kids who had never seen Europe had some fairly strong ideas on where they thought they wanted to go from things they studied in school or saw on TV, etc.

Grasshopper

Since you are originally considering Greece, Spain or Portugal (all of which I think would be great choices), consider Croatia. It's a fantastic destination; inexpensive, beautiful, culturally rich and very interesting. Check out some of the trip reports here and on virtualtourist.com.

mosey

Thank you all for your suggestions. To Rex, we are saving for the 2005 and wouldn't be able to do 2004. Was there a specific reason why you suggested 2004 over 2005?

Anymore suggestions anyone who has traveled with young kids? Thanks!

MFNYC

We've done 2 Europe trips with our kids (which were about that age). We did a Paris/Amsterdam trip and Italy (Venice/Rome with a couple of overnights in between). My kids loves Italy. It a very kid friendly country. They enjoyed the sites and scenery, and loved the food. This year we're doing a Madrid/London trip. I think there are tons of possibilties.

rickmav

How about a few days in London visiting all the great things kids love, then drive a few days seeing Cambridge, Oxford, Stratford, Warwick, some of Cotswolds, then rent cottage in Cornwall where you can explore all the fishing villages, go fishing, hike, visit National Trusts, etc.

The only gamble is the weather, in either month.

London/Paris/Normandy is another option.

LeslieC

We've made two Europe trips with kids. I think you are wise to wait one more year since age 8 is almost too young to really benefit.

Our kids were 11 and 9 when we went to London/Cotswolds/Stratford/Warwick/Bath/Brighton, plust 5 nights in Ireland. I think this was a great trip and there was no language barrier. However, they were not mature enough to appreciate Ireland and we missed out on pub time!
Yes, they did tire of castles and museums.

Two years later, when they were 13 and 11, we did Rome/Florence/Assisi/Venice with a 4 night farm-stay in Umbria. This was a fantastic trip and the kids went crazy for Rome and Venice in particular! I thought there might be a language barrier but we were delighted at how kind the Italians were to kids and at our kids' ability to learn a few Italian phrases and words.

LeslieC

I meant to add: if your spring break to Italy coincides with the week before Easter, you will find things very crowded because the Italians were on vacation too. Easter weekend in Venice was literally wall-to-wall crowds.

m_kingdom

Sardinia, Costa Smeralda.

The Forte Village Resort is always full of families - the very reason I never stay there. It is always popular, and the service, according to friends who have stayed there is excellent, along with the food.

debby_fish

I firmly believe in travelling with children (if one can affort the costs). You all benefit in so many ways, not to mention the memories that last a lifetime. The experiences gained really adds value to school classes in future grades - especially history. This past year we visited Segovia (in Spain) and the highlight there was seeing a Roman aquaduct. My son was excitedly telling my daughter and I just how they were built and how water was transported using them. He kept on speaking about the Romans for sometime after that. The educational impact on the kids is priceless.

I have been taking my kids along on European adventures since they were 5 & 8. We have travelled to South of France - Provence & Cote 'd Zur, London & English Countryside, Paris & Germany (Stuttgart/Black Forest), Ireland, Spain, Madrid & Seville, next month Italy and in 2005 Greece (to retrace the steps of our honeymoon - we will be celebrating our 20th wedding anniversary).

Here are a few of my suggestions when travelling with kids:

1. I always planned an educational day - museum/castle/village to one beach/hiking/kid centric day. That provided balance and gave the kids a day off.

2. Provide them with some background history to the place you are visiting - kids especially enjoy some of the gory details or weird happenings - ie visiting the Tower of London and its colorful past.

When visiting some museums, check for childrens programs. Often museums offer Treasure Hunt type games where the kids have to look for items or clues in the museum. It gives them something to focus on.

3. Bear in mind you are travelling with kids. You can't do it all. You may need to dynamically change your plans. Just go with the flow and enjoy yourself.

4. Be concious of eating times. Find menus that offer food your kids will eat. My children started off with limited palates and are now open to trying new things, but I always chooose a restaurant based on my childrens likes.

5. Invest in a Gameboy, a few games and a headset for each child. This becomes their inflight entertainment, keeps them occupied in the back seat of a car.

6. I found that renting a villa/house/apartment far more economical than staying in hotels. Most hotels in Europe only allow 2-3 persons max in a room. Some have quad rooms, but you need to book them very early if you find one. And I didn't like separating the family if we couldn't find a hotel with a family room. We recently started renting villas and it gave us the space to have downtime, room for the kids to play outside and enabled us to prepare a few meals when we were tired of eating in restaurants.

I would opt for June timeframe. The weather would be nice (depending on where you go) to enjoy the outdoors, possibly the beach if you are close to the sea.

Hope this helps

BDM

I'll just add a few comments on our traveling with an 8 year old daughter rather than specific destinations.

I totally agree with Debby_fish above. YOu will be well rewarded by getting the kids involved and going with the flow. We sometime want to travel alone but have found such great pleasure sharing these experiences with our daughter that we will continue to travel with her unless she starts to take it for granted.

Some of the places she's really loved:

Any palace or castle (Loire valley, Royal Palace in Madrid, Sintra and Palace St. George in Portugal)

Roman ruins or structures especially the Pont du Gare outside Avignon (the children's museum there was fantastic for young and old alike and one of the best we've ever enjoyed. Also the ampitheatre in Orange.

She loved the NEMO (hand's on science museum) in Amsterdam but I have to admit you must be very careful where yyou wander in Amsterdam.

Anyway, enough of that. You'll probably have better weather in early June and it's still before the rush. Look for an apartment and try to stay away from the 2 night here, two night there as the driving may be an annoyance for all involved.

Good luck and have fun.

Brian

One thing that we find works great is using dinnertime to plan the next day. We always keep a journal and typically write in it at dinner. It allows us to recap the day and then talk about the next day's events. It gets our daughter psyched up for ways coming. It has also proved to be a great conversation piece with waitstaff and other guests and we've gotten some great tips of other restaurants, things to do in the immediate area, where the playgrounds are, etc.. Also, the journals are great to review forever.

We've never had a problem with food with our daughter, she started eating curry at 10 months and hasn't stopped trying everything and anything since. So far the only things she won't eat are tomatoes out of season (can't say I blame her) and avocados. Anyway, you should be able to find great food for everyone almost anywhere. Mos places will have great salads, simle fresh fish, or roasted chicken. Worse case, everuone order something different and eat Asian style where everyone shares. Noone will go away hungry. ANother issue is dinnertime. We love to eat late and have a true nightowl but we've found it's almost mutually exclusie to get a great meal at a true restaurant before 8pm (9:30+ is Spain) We simply plan our day accordingly.

Randy

Have you thought of renting one of those boats and touring the canels in Europe. There are many countries and companies that you can do this. Do a search on this forum and I am sure you will find more information if you are interested.

highledge

I'm sure that this will come off as a bit cranky, but your kids are not "young." Travelling with young kids means babies or under six- with naps and strollers. You have pre-teens who can and should carry their owns bags, help with the plans and see your trip as an opportunity not a burden. Plan a trip for all of you- and make sure that the kids are involved with the research and plans. Get your kids out walking so that they are used to traipsing around. Get into a few museums before the trip to figure out likes and dislikes ( my oldest son HATES modern art and we will compromise a bit here and there).
What have they studied in school so far? What will they be studying next year? can you tie these subjects in? Roam ruins ( in London, France, Rome, etc ) can be really intersting if you've already studied the subject.
Good luck.

rex

I apologize if I seemed insensitive by not answering this question:

<<Was there a specific reason why you suggested 2004 over 2005?>>

I didn't answer becaise my recommendation was very generic - -

<<we do not wish to postpone our international travel until the kids get older>>

So, I was making the recommendation never to put off to tomorrow (next year) what you can do today (this year). I have a brother with sixteen year old twin sons, who has been saying next year for about four years now.

And I will further address your other post, there...

Nothing to do with wasting my time...

Gardyloo

In early April any but the most southern destinations will likely be unpleasant. If you can work around Easter (or embrace it with early reservations) I'd suggest Andalusia - Seville, Cordoba, all that. Have the kids study a little about the Moors, Columbus - so that they will understand things a little.

In June I like the Scandinavia idea, and also - ready? - a cruise in the Med or Baltic. The cruise is a good way to see lots without the logistics entering into it, plus the familiarity of the shipboard routine and kids' programs can help Mom and Dad have some vacation time worry-free.

jay

i would recommend maybe england. the reasond would be because maybe the kids would relate better. children at that age tend to know alot more about english history. they may be able to relate better. also i don't know if they speak a foreign language but they may do better if they can speak the language. our first trip 6 years ago was a month in the uk. i will never forget it. remember you will always go back. 3-4 days in london and then driving to york, bath cambridge, stratford etc may be fun. have fun wherever you go.