“Europe is not for kids” that was what my friends told me when I mentioned to them that I was going to Europe with my three young kids. Well, they could not be more wrong. My kids thoroughly enjoyed our adventures in Europe.
Our 15-day European vacation included cities in The Netherlands, Germany, Austria and Italy. We learned how cheese, and chocolates were made, how diamonds were cut, how windmills worked, and how glass was blown to make beautiful vases. My kids loved taking various types of rides including rides on a funicular, a cable car, a boat, a tram, a fast train and the famous gondola. We also visited the Cinderella castle, a fairytale town in Germany and the Leaning Tower of Pisa. We even managed to fit in trips to two theme parks in our itinerary.
If you are interested in an itinerary for Switzerland and Paris, read this instead -> 10-day Switzerland and Paris.
Itinerary
Visit the miniature city of Madurodam and thereafter proceed to the city centre at Dam Square.
Visit a dutch village dotted with windmills and cottages making wooden clogs and cheese at Zaanse Schanse. Learn more about diamonds and watch diamonds being cut at Gassan Diamond Factory. Enjoy the colourful sight of flowers at the Floating Flower Marketing and take a relaxing Canal Cruise along the famous canals in Amsterdam.
DAY 3: AMSTERDAM – COLOGNE – FRANKFURT
Depart Amsterdam and enjoy a scenic drive to Cologne, Germany. Watch how chocolates are made at the Cologne Chocolate Factory and see the famous Cologne Cathedral. Continue to Frankfurt for overnight stay.
Depart Frankfurt and start on the Romantic Road. Visit the fairy-tale town of Rothenburg ob der Tauber. In the evening, continue to Gunzburg for overnight stay.
A fun day for kids at the Legoland amusement park. Continue to Rust for overnight stay.
See the whole of Europe in a day at Europa Park theme park. Visit themed areas for France, Netherlands, Switzerland, Spain, and many European countries.
Rejoin the Romantic Road and head to Fussen to tour the stunning Neuschwanstein castle, also known as the Cinderella castle.
Bid farewell to Germany and take a scenic drive along vineyards and the Alps to Innsbruck, Austria. Visit the Swarovski Crystal World (Kristallwelten) before returning the car. Stroll along the Old Town of Innsbruck with its famous Golden Roof.
Take a cable-car and funicular ride up the mountain and take in the breathtaking view of the Austrian Alps. Depart Austria and head to Venice in Italy by train. Stay overnight in Venice Mestre.
Take a boat ride to Murano, an island near Venice, and witness a glassblower creating exquisite pieces of glass art. Return to Venice and stroll along this famous island to see Saint Mark’s Basillica, Piazza San Marco, Rialto Bridge, and Doge’s Palace. Enjoy a Gondola Ride along the grand canal. In the evening, take a train to Florence.
DAY 11: FLORENCE
Head to The Mall for a bit of factory outlet shopping with discounted prices for branded Italian apparels, shoes and bags.
Visit the famous Leaning Tower of Pisa before heading to the Italian Reviera to enjoy the picturesque towns of Cinque Terre.
Walk around the city of Florence and see Piazza S. Maria Novella, Duomo, and Ponte Vecchio bridge. See the replica of Michelangelo’s world-famous David and other sculptures for free at the Piazza della Signoria. Head to Lorenzo Market with a variety of Italian leather goods and items that are great for souvenirs. In the late afternoon, take an express train ride to Rome.
Take the Hop-on-hop-off bus tour and visit the famous sights in Rome including the Colosseum, the Roman Forum, the Trevi fountain, Spanish Steps, Vatican City and St Peter’s square.
DAY 15: ARRIVEDERCI ROMA Bid farewell to Italy and Europe.
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Awesome planning and vacation! You have taken your family to more places in such a short time than I would have in a whole year, coming from Europe.
Do you run a tour-agency by any change? 🙂
Thank you Morgan. I don’t run any tour agency. I just try to plan and make best use of the time in Europe. Hopefully, it can help others plan their vacation as well.
May I know whether it was a Free and Easy trip or with a tour group? I also have a family of 5 and how much did you spend for the trip?
Hi Rob, it was a free and easy trip. We drove from Amsterdam to Austria, and then took the train to and around Italy. I can’t remember how much we spent exactly, but it was much cheaper than joining a tour. We didn’t eat at expensive restaurants and also bought food from the supermarket. Also, staying near the train station helped in cutting down extra costs for taxis.
Hi
Did you get a train pass or individual tickets?
Thanks
Hi, I bought 3-day non-consecutive passes for the family. The details are on this post https://www.adventureswithfamily.com/travel/planning/planningeurope/.
Hi Rosie, its a wonderful itenary, but please suggest if we are traveling as a couple with a 4 year old kid with us, we are planning for 15 day europe travel in may this year.
Hi Priti, We travelled to Europe with this itinerary when my youngest girl was barely 3 years old, and we had three kids altogether. So, it is definitely doable for a couple with a 4-year-old.
Greetings from sunny Dubai. I find your trip awesome and very interesting. We are a family of four with 15 yr old and 8 yr old children. If we are to go onr a 10-day trip, which ones do you recommend to visit and do? Appreciate a trimmed down itinerary based on your experience. We plan to go in August.
Thanks in advance.
Hi there Joseph; if I were to cut the itinerary to 10 days, then maybe I would limit to 2 countiRies only. I would definitely choose all the days in Italy.
How much you spend on this trip? About how much? Please advise me TT,TT
Hi, We spent about Euro 6K for the 5 of us, excluding flights and souvenirs.
Hi, Firstly what a fantastic adventure!!
Could you please advise how much luggage you had with you for traveling in this manner? I’m in the middle of planning a trip with the family at the moment and having trouble deciding the best amount of luggage we could accommodate using the different modes of transport. Thank you
We had just enough luggage that could fit a car. We drove from Amsterdam all the way to Austria, and then took train the rest of the time in Italy. The important thing is to choose a car with a big boot space.
Hi. What a wonderful trip.
May i ask for a suggestion for a 6-day trip, family of 4 with 4 and 2 years old kids.
We would be coming from Forchheim Germany and would want to see Amsterdam and Paris. Thank you!
Hi there! For a 6-day trip coming from Germany, I would suggest 3 days each in Amsterdam and Paris. In Amsterdam, you could spend the day visiting the windmills, and a 2 days exploring the city. For Paris, you could do a hop-on hop off bus tour that would bring you to all the major attractions.