Post by dutchgirl678 on Jan 1, 2020 21:36:18 GMT -5
We are planning to go to the Netherlands for a week in June (summer vacation starts mid-June for the kids (11 and 8). We are debating one other location for a second week but are having some trouble narrowing it down.
Thus far we have:
- Paris (DH and I have been but the kids have not. Would include 1 day Eurodisney)
- Iceland (as a stopover from PNW - AMS). We'd rent a car and do airbnb and mostly go hiking, seeing beautiful sights)
- Croatia (fly AMS - Split and visit old cities, beach, Krka national Park and possibly Plitvice Lakes NP)
- Ireland (as a stopover, similar to Iceland)
Other? Kids have been to Germany, London, Scotland when we lived there a few years back. They are good walkers and enjoy nature as well as museums, architecture, etc.
We are doing London, Paris, Amsterdam and Brugge with kids (11 and 9) this summer. We've done Iceland and Scotland with them - both were awesome. Last summer, we did Murren, Zurich, Munich, Salzburg, Vienna and Budapest and I would recommend almost off of those places too.
In your case I'd do Iceland (as it's totally different from London) or paris (because Paris!)
"Hello babies. Welcome to Earth. It's hot in the summer and cold in the winter. It's round and wet and crowded. On the outside, babies, you've got a hundred years here. There's only one rule that I know of, babies-"God damn it, you've got to be kind.”
We haven’t been yet but an Amsterdam/Belgium trip has been on our list because you can take the train between cities.
H and I just went to Amsterdam and Belgium in December and it was nice. Taking the train was fast and easy. We were able to stay in Brussels and take day trips to Brugge and Gent. We did 5 nights in Brussels and 3 nights in Amsterdam.
We did Amsterdam, Bruges, Luxembourg, and Cologne last Summer. We rented a car and drove between them all and it was great. My kids are 11 and 8. We did a stop in Dinant, Belgium which was really pretty, as well as Kinderdiijk in the Netherlands. If we had more time we would have done more in Germany.
If you don't want to stay in that area my kids loved Ireland, and we really enjoyed Slovenia (Ljubljana and Lake Bled), added to Venice and Austria. Another trip we loved was the Baltic (Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania).
My kids liked Paris but it wasn't their favorite place.
We spend a month in Europe every Summer and try not to go to Southern Europe cause it's so hot, but I am dying to go to Croatia.
Post by dutchgirl678 on Jan 2, 2020 13:50:11 GMT -5
Thanks for the tips so far. We have visited the Netherlands extensively as we lived there for 3.5 years and now that we are back in the US we try to visit every other year. We have been to Belgium as well. My DH and I have been to Switzerland/Austria/Southern Germany before we had kids. It is very pretty indeed.
I would love to go to Croatia, but I'm dreading the heat and crowds. Iceland is a close second. I just need to convince my DH!
I vote Paris. The Eifel tower is so iconic that it is worth their visit. Maybe also see the famous art in the Louvre and, if they do not get nightmares easily, check out the catacombs. I loved EuroDisney as an adult simply because of seeing familiar things with a French twist.
I recommend Iceland during a shoulder season. I think their top sites are still adjusting to the influx of tourism, and nature is best experienced with as few people as possible. Do Iceland when you have a week to circle the whole island.
If you stop in Brussels, they might enjoy Mini Europe, and Waterloo.