[adimicra]

Planning a first trip to Europe with my family - wife and 9 year old daughter.

I have been to Europe once and visited Paris for a couple of days. I had so high expectations that I did feel a bit underwhelmed.

I would like a mix of history/culture and natural beauty.. so, thinking of something like Italy and Switzerland. Right now, I am just in the planning stages. So, I am open to any suggestions. Also, is May/June a good time to visit? Ad what is the approx budget I need to have (a ballpark number would do) assuming standard accommodation etc. I have planning around 12-14 days approx.

[AltoLXI]

Originally Posted by adimicra

Planning a first trip to Europe with my family - wife and 9 year old daughter.

In the same boat as you. I am planning in the month of April / May. Initially thought of six countries but many suggested against that as much time will be spent travelling. I was planning France and Switzerland. Again from the travel websites, April is not the month for Switzerland. Suggestions include UK, France and southern Europe.

[Thad E Ginathom]

I'm amazed at the number of people doing multi-country trips to Europe. It is a big place; each country is different, language, culture, its own range of landscapes, and some of them are pretty big!

[Jeroen]

Very soon my Indian friends will be making similar claims as my American friends. We know Europe, we spend a whole weekend there.

Jeroen

[AltoLXI]

Originally Posted by Thad E Ginathom

I'm amazed at the number of people doing multi-country trips to Europe. It is a big place; each country is different, language, culture, its own range of landscapes, and some of them are pretty big!

The tour operators whom I met all tried to sell me the multi country "packages". I am aware that one cannot do even one country in a fortnight. This is the reason I spent one week in Singapore alone year before, though people asked me why I did not visit Malaysia also. I am just planning one or two countries this time. Wife and I want to go to Switzerland, son wants Germany and Spain. Switzerland is not mentioned as place to visit in spring.

Originally Posted by Jeroen

Very soon my Indian friends will be making similar claims as my American friends. We know Europe, we spend a whole weekend there. Jeroen

10 weekends in New York area last August and could visit only NYC, Niagara, Ontario lake and a few state parks. Hardly could cover about 20 percent of what was planned.

What do you suggest for a fortnight's stay?

[Jeroen]

Originally Posted by AltoLXI

What do you suggest for a fortnight's stay?

Depends on your interest and how you like to holiday. But I would most likely stay in one country or maybe two at most.

Jeroen

[Zed]

Italy and Switzerland are both great options. Language is certainly less of a hassle in Switzerland as English is widely spoken. The downside is that Switzerland is really expensive and is not an ideal place to arrive without a detailed plan or early bookings. Italy is relatively less receptive to english but the warmth and hospitality there more than makes up for it.
My wife and I were underwhlemed by Parisians, not with Paris. I mean the place was truly special but we were often at the receiving end of indifferent, rude service as we didnt speak French. And the metro experience left a lot to be desired.
Security concerns aside Id also suggest Turkey. Istanbul is an amazing mix of the ancient, the modern, the orient and the occident. Having travelled with a young child I can vouch for Turkey being a very child friendly country. Any by that I am refering to how people react to children. And not in terms of easy Pram access to public transport or changing rooms for infants. In contrast central Europe has superb facilities but one often gets very cold vibes, even unsolicited advice, when children are a bit loud. But I guess with a nine yr old you are probably past that stage

[Thad E Ginathom]

Originally Posted by Zed

My wife and I were underwhlemed by Parisians, not with Paris. I mean the place was truly special but we were often at the receiving end of indifferent, rude service as we didnt speak French.

Even the French seem to have problems with Parisian manners! I've only been there on short business trips, but a colleague ((Japanese, married to a Frenchman) in our office there told me that yes, the city was every bit as rude as its reputation!

From the standpoint of my short evening strolls on single-night visits, though, I can confirm that it is indeed a beautiful city. Intercity London/Paris travel is astonishingly easy: just three hours on the channel-tunnel train. Possibly beating travel from London to any other British city except for Birmingham!

[carboy]

I have visited Frankfurt (and a smaller city in Germany), Paris, Rome, Florence, Venice, Stockholm in Europe. These were all small trips - 2-4 days. Overall, Germany was the only place I found people to be very friendly & very helpful. The remaining cities including Paris were more or less similar. That said Rome/Vatican was the greatest city I have visited in the world & Paris comes second.

Originally Posted by Thad E Ginathom

I'm amazed at the number of people doing multi-country trips to Europe. It is a big place; each country is different, language, culture, its own range of landscapes, and some of them are pretty big!

Each city has one or more Patel points. You go to a city, visit the Patel points, pose for photographs there & move on to the next city.

In Paris, the Patel points are possibly Eiffel Tower, Champs Ellyses, Arc de Triomphe & the Louvre. These can easily be covered in 2 days. This is how we Indians do our vacations.

http://www.urbandictionary.com/defin...patel%20points

[reignofchaos]

Originally Posted by Thad E Ginathom

I'm amazed at the number of people doing multi-country trips to Europe. It is a big place; each country is different, language, culture, its own range of landscapes, and some of them are pretty big!

Yea really crazy! All I'm doing is Norway this year and I'm having a real hard time fitting everything in 2 weeks. Wish I could spend longer.

Not sure how folks manage to visit multiple countries in a week or two!

[Thad E Ginathom]

Originally Posted by reignofchaos

Not sure how folks manage to visit multiple countries in a week or two!

Foreign visitors to India do the same. Indiamike has a long history of people posting whistle-stop itineraries and asking if it is too much, and the answer is always yes.

Of course, we all have different ways of travelling, and I have to admit to being lazy: I like to relax into a place, rather than see lots of places. In fact, I'll make friends with the hotel staff and go back to the same place next time --- which is taking things to the opposite extreme!

[racer_ash]

Originally Posted by Thad E Ginathom

I'm amazed at the number of people doing multi-country trips to Europe. It is a big place; each country is different, language, culture, its own range of landscapes, and some of them are pretty big!

Originally Posted by Jeroen

Very soon my Indian friends will be making similar claims as my American friends. We know Europe, we spend a whole weekend there.

Jeroen

This is partly due to the fact that a so called multiple entry, multiple country Schengen visa is issued for just one month. That means if we were to visit multiple places at different times of the year, we would need to apply for Visas every time. Add the additional visa cost and all the running around in VFS. This is the reason multi-country tours have become the norm. If the visa rules change and I am sure many would be happy to visit each country at leisure.

@adimicra: April/May is a good time to visit Europe. Weather is mild and day lengths are long. I suggest you combine Italy and Switzerland and maybe Amsterdam and Paris.

Lots of places to visit in Italy. Take the super-fast Freccia trains for inter-city commute. They are cheap (by European standards), punctual and help you cover great distances in short durations. You can book hotels via booking dot com which offers free cancellation on most hotels. Reviews are trustworthy too.

Swiss, I don't need to tell you. Interlaken, Mt. Titlis are a must see. You can even check out the Rhine falls, though I must admit its more of a hype than an actual must-see. If you are going to Swiss, I suggest you hire a car, the drives are picturesque and really awesome. There is chance of snow on the mountains and not much at sea-level

If possible, please visit Amsterdam, Rotterdam and the nearby Zaanse Schans as well. Amsterdam is a wonderfully planned city, excellent public transport and good amount of local tours (check out viator). Contrary to opinion, Amsterdam is actually a very child-friendly city. Just keep away from those neon lights at nights. You can even take a day trip to Brussels (but keep it strictly optional-do it if you just want a tick off the countries visited).

With respect to Budget, I have a thumb rule: Set aside 100-120 Euros per day for accommodation. Another equal amount for decent food (expect to send 40-50 Euros each time you eat out at a proper place). You can reduce the food costs by surviving on Sandwiches and Chips (French fries). Another 100 Euro per day for local sightseeing and attractions. If you were to plan for 15 days, please set aside around 4000 euros excluding flights. This is a very optimistic figure and it will definitely be below this.

Note: All prices quoted for a family of 3.

[reignofchaos]

Originally Posted by Thad E Ginathom

Foreign visitors to India do the same. Indiamike has a long history of people posting whistle-stop itineraries and asking if it is too much, and the answer is always yes.

Of course, we all have different ways of travelling, and I have to admit to being lazy: I like to relax into a place, rather than see lots of places. In fact, I'll make friends with the hotel staff and go back to the same place next time --- which is taking things to the opposite extreme!

We think alike . I have to stay a minimum of three nights at a place before I can say that I've visited a place. My definition of a holiday is one where we have absolute zero of stress. These whistle stop tours end up being full of running around and stress.

But that is just me and yes at least within India, the hotel folks recognize me each time by my car most of the times and go out of their way to make me feel at home

[adimicra]

My travel dates are shifting. So, early June looks like a more probable date.
I am going to restrict my visit to 1 or max 2 countries for the 9-10 days duration. I don't like to hassle much during vacation.

wifey has come up with the option of Greece - the picture perfect postcards of Santorini might be playing in her minds

One option I was thinking - Greece and may be Spain or may be Greece alone.
Other option is - Italy/Switzerland etc or may be UK/Scotland.

I have a very close friend in Amsterdam. So, I can definitely go there if that makes sense.


Right now, I am open to any options. I would like to enjoy natural beauty and ancient ruins/architecture rather than art. I am not averse to art but my day-long tour of Paris through Lovure etc told me that I am not a true admirer of art and can't spend days appreciating paintings and sculpture.

Please advise. I hope to finalize in the next 2-3 weeks.

PS- which places will have nice and pleasant weather during this time? As I said, I am looking for family friendly places

[//M]

Originally Posted by adimicra

PS- which places will have nice and pleasant weather during this time? As I said, I am looking for family friendly places

The Dalmatian Coast & Dubrovnik in Croatia is usually blessed with perfect weather around June. Ditto with Mykonos/Santorini in Greece and Mallorca/Majorca in Spain.

Another option is Cinque Terre and the Amalfi Coast in Italy.

If you are ok with roadtripping and exploring places during your stay, then I would suggest Scotland.