Europe Family trip - suggestions please

[Dave G]

Hi all,
I continue to be impressed with the wealth of knowledge of the members of this site
Just booked the whole fam - 2 adults, 1x18yr old, 1x16yr old 1x12yr old and 1x10 year old to Zurich in J in early dec ! What an achievement- wouldn't have been possible without the great advice I've received.

Anyway - this will be my wife's first trip to europe (and J trip !) - so we are starting to think about the itinerary.
Will look to spend ~ 5 weeks, before likely flying out of SE Europe.(Somewhere around Milan, Rome, Vienna, Prague, Athens etc)

Looking at a bit of a European highlights - with 2x ~5 day ski trips. One just out of innsbruck.
Suggestions by the geographically challenged team so far include (but not limited to) Rome, Milan, Venice, Paris, Amsterdam, London, Munich, Berlin, Athens, Greek Islands, Vienna, Prague, Barcelona, Madrid (and of course, Zurich)
Travel OK by train or Plane - thinking of giving the driving a miss, as will be city hopping
Air BNB likely to be the order of the day ( 6 = 2 hotel rooms = real expensive)

We don't want to spend the entire trip on the inside of a train / plane.
I think the only 2 REAL Non negotiables are Paris and Innsbruck.

I'd love to hear any suggested itineraries....
Cheers

 

[windycityf]

I would agree about giving driving a pass. If you not familiar with snow/ice/mountains it can fry ones nerves. Plus you would be required to get chains for the rental car, if I remember correctly. My suggestion is to look at the train from Zurich to Milan. It goes thru the mountains and it's one the most scenic train rides you can take. http://www.seat61.com/BerninaExpress.htm
Happy travels

 

[PLANT]

So basically 3 weeks to see your list...... Contiki with a bus driver and Max 48hrs in each place.... I did 16 countries in list in 32 days..... Unless your in "the amazing race" shape or just like seeing white line, train line and inside of hotel rooms.....I would cut back your your list too 3 or 4 outside of skiing!

 

[PLANT]

Pick 5 star bnb and read all reviews, make contact before..... But very positive from recent usage.

 

[Mattg]

I would be looking at travelling by train for the shorter legs, but don't be afraid to use a LCC like Easyjet or Eurowings for longer sectors.

You'll be seeing a lot if you go to every destination on your list in just over a month. It can be done - but if you'd prefer not to spend the whole time on the train/flying then you may need to cut a few cities from the list.

I'd be looking at a rough itinerary of something like this:

• Arrive in Zurich - 2 days

• Train to Innsbruck (very scenic trip)

• Skiing in Innsbruck - 5 days

• Train to Munich - 3 days in & around Munich with possible day trips to Nuremberg and Neuschwanstein Castle

• Train to Salzburg - spend 1 night in Salzburg, then spend the day touring the salt mines or doing the Sound of Music tour (if that's your thing) before continuing to Vienna. I suggest visiting either Nuremberg or Neuschwanstein Castle on your last day in Munich. Travel by train and purchase a Bayern Ticket - this is very cheap (probably around 50 Euros for 6 people) and covers train travel around the state of Bavaria, as well as to Salzburg, for a whole day. After returning to Munich in the afternoon, travel to Salzburg that evening on the same ticket.
• Train to Vienna - 2 days

• Train to Prague - 2 days

• Train to Berlin - 4 days

• Fly to Amsterdam (e.g. on Easyjet) - 2 days

• Train to Paris (with optional stop in Brussels) - 4 days

• Eurostar train to London - 5 days

• Fly to Barcelona - 3 days

• Fly to Venice - 1-2 days

• Train to Rome - 3 days

Fly out of Rome (back to Australia)

I would personally skip Greece at that time of year - many of the islands will be closed and/or deserted as the main tourist season is really summer (i.e. July/August). It's also quite out of the way, and I wasn't a huge fan of Athens either to be honest.

This will be a good time of year though to be in Germany/Austria with all the excellent Christmas markets. You may well also enjoy a white Christmas.

Also, I note that you wanted 2x skiing trips - I've only included one in the above itinerary. But somewhere else around Switzerland/Austria/Southern Germany would make the most sense in terms of a second location.

If the above itinerary is too jam-packed, I would probably suggest skipping Venice and possibly Barcelona - the latter not because it's not worth visiting, but because it's a bit out of the way.

 

[RB]

Less is more!-don't spend to much time moving spots. We have spent a fair bit of time in Sthn Germany & Nth Italy and there is certainly plenty to do & we have had no problems relying on trains & buses. I think you can find some great places for snow in the Dolomites and maybe Garmisch or Oberstdorf( plenty of info in my trip reports if interested). I think December is going to mean that quite a few spots that I would otherwise highly recommend are not at their best for general touring (eg Cochem, various Italian lakes, Black Forest) and you are going to find it getting dark pretty early in many spots so further south may be a bit better.

 

[Dave G]

Geez guys - esp MattG - exactly the sort of tips I'm after - thanks heaps
Thanks again

 

[flightobserver]

I highly recommend you to consider travel by overnight sleeper trains - time and cost efficient! With a family of six, you can book out a whole compartment, ensuring your privacy. In my experience I have been able to get a decent sleep on these trains. Seat61 is the online bible for European train travel.

As for skiing, the Pyrenees may be a worthwhile location - easily accessible from Toulouse, which is more or less on the way between Paris and Barcelona. There is also a night train running between Paris and Toulouse.

 

[Longtoo]

1. I recommend the podcast series by Rick Steves. He covers most cities in Europe. Some podcasts are even in the form of self-guided walking tour, allowing people to enjoy and learn a lot from each destination. In my case, they are very helpful for some advance planning before our trip to Europe last May-June (family with 2 primary school kids, thus we have some special needs). You can easily down load Rick Steves' podcasts to your iphone (hopefully android as well).

2. We did a combination of Airbnb long stay and budget hotel (1 or 2 nights). You will see that most Airbnb hosts require min 3 days booking. it would be best to travel to just a few countries but explore most of their beautiful cities thoroughly rather than doing as many famous places as possible. For examples, Rome, Florence, Pisa, Lucas, Venice, Verona, Milan in Italy are actually vastly different in many aspects and can take many days to experience them all. In our case, we will certainly come back to Europe for a few more times.

3. We used train once we got to Europe. You would not have to worry about luggage and wasting time at the airport. It is also door to door service, no transit between airport and the city. if you can fix your plan around a few key countries/cities, you don't really need to fly. Alternatively, over night trains would be the way to go. Remember to book your train ticket well in advance and reserve your seats.

 

[AnnaB]

Seems like a lot of stops with little time in each place. Looking at Mattg's suggestion I would probably do more time in Prague and less in Germany, but then again, I love Prague. Flights can be really cheap in Europe (flying EasyJet and Ryanair) and most flights are merely an hour or two, but then again, you can combine an overnighter on a train with travelling and hence wont need a hotel for the night. Trains in Europe are generally very safe.
I also love northern Europe, like Scotland, Edinburgh, Stockholm and Copenhagen, but it would be a lot more to cram into your already busy schedule.

Overall it sounds like a fantastic trip, looking forward to reading more about it

 

[SoulFood]

Having been to Europe about 6 times so far, for about 4 weeks each time....my #1 suggestion is at LEAST 3-4 days in each place. That is basically the bare minimum you need to really get a feel for the place without feeling run off your feet. Also any day you are travelling from one place to another, no matter whether it is train or plane, you basically will be tired and that whole day will be disrupted (though I certainly recommend train as being less annoying than airports from a security perspective).

Travelling in Winter will come with some challenges as it gets dark early, you will need to pack more clothes and some attractions may be closed or have reduced hours - so make sure you check. The benefit is less crowds in a lot of places. For example, in Rome I would never again visit the Vatican in peak summer (pure hell in 2016). Winter I think will be much more manageable.

For a first timers city visit I would say "must-do's" are London, Paris, Rome, Venice (exception, spend 2 days max), Florence (and some would say Berlin but in 6 visits I am yet to touch Germany....).

If you are an art buff or classical music buff, I would add Vienna to the list - there would be some fabulous concerts at that time of year.

I would also put forward Spain - Barcelona for Gaudi architecture and Madrid for the Prado Gallery (again, only if you are an art-buff). Also I would say EVERYONE in their lifetime needs to see The Alhambra in Granada - magical.

Bear in mind Milan is an industrial city - I find it had a very "Melbourne" vibe. For many Europe first-timers, the attraction is not obvious. I love it though, especially for luxury $$$ shopping.

Athens is apparently a "hole". Have never been. Islands only place worth it, though I would only go in summer.

Prague, I would not spend more than 2 days max. It's one of those places you love or hate.

One thing I would really say is that your budget will have a massive impact on things. London is amazing because so many sights are free, so if on a budget I would spent more time there.

Good luck and enjoy!!!