Hambagahle

First - timing: Schools here start their vacations in late June. If you could plan this trip for early June you would find far fewer tourists about, lower prices and more choice of accommodation in every place.

Second - how many countries?: I strongly suggest no more than TWO which will minimize travel time between them - travel time is lost sightseeing time. choose two which are very different. Good "combo"s would be France and Switzerland or Italy and Switzerland. Culture and mountains/ two different languages etc.

Third - how to research the trip: For Switzerland the best place to start is www.myswitzerland.com which is the excellent site of our national tourist office. This is full of ideas for itineraries and has many useful links as well. There are probably similar sites for all the other European countries - but since I am Swiss I only know about our own.

Fourth - How to plan travel economically: do NOT get a Eurail pass which is not accepted everywhere and for which there are quotas and supplements on the high speed train lines (TGVs etc). If you plan to be in Paris for a few days buy a metro/bus pass for those days. If you want to take a French TGV book well in advance (90 days out) on www.trainline.eu This way you will get the best price. Similarly in Italy - www,trenitalia.com If Switzerland is in your plans use www.sbb.ch/en for travel inside Switzerland. Note that here there is a "Swiss Travel Pass" designed for tourists. Also a Half Fare Card. STP covers all travel to all inhabited places and entrances to some 500 museums - which include BTW castles etc. Both come with a free Family card so your children travel free wherever you go provided they are under 16.

Fifth: Do not overdo things. Allow time for unexpected discoveries or to linger in a place you like/move on from a place you do not like. In June you can do this but later in the summer hotels get full and flexibility vanishes.

Enjoy your planning. If plans call for Switzerland - ask me anything you like.

PolSmit

The Forum has become clogged by all the questions about multiple country visits.

janisj

Not sure what you mean nor why it is a problem. So someone visiting say France/Belgium/Netherlands should not post?

PalenQ

Ditto to not getting any railpass unless perhaps for Switzerland where a pass can be very viable even for a few days at times but it all depends where you go of course.

justineparis

If your kids ( like most younger kids ) like castles they are likely imagining medivel style castles , not the palaces of the Loire Valley . I took my 13 yr old to the Loire Valley and he was a bit disappointed as his idea of castles was more th ancient ruins with dungeons and ramparts , and I have learned that Scotland is renown for having many of those types of castles ! So England and Scotland are good choices , also if you include Paris ( as anothe base ) you could take the kids to Provins !! A world heritage site and a living museum type place , my son loved it and seeing the Eagles of the Rampart show ( they have those shows and jousting too !)

5alive

Good point, Justine. If you do go to Rome--and it's okay if you don't, it would be hot--my kids loved, loved Ostia Antica. Think a half mile of ruins of a city, and unlike Pompeii, very little is roped off. You feel like an explorer there.

As to the other items covered, I think you should do two or three locations max. I don't know your kids and it would help to know which cities you are leaning toward. I recommend watching some Rick Steves videos on youtube or from the library.

It does feel more local to buy food for dinner at the market, and have your kids help pick it out. That means you actually need to time to settle in.

And speaking of apartments, Paris has begun licensing short-stay apartments (this means airbnb, homeaway, booking.com, etc). This is a big change from when I last went in 2016; be cautious of others who tell you it's no big deal. So legal ones exist, but not nearly the abundance. The illegal one you rent now, may be gone by the time you arrive. So the solution there is, once you've picked your dates, to get one that has a proper license (lots of threads on this topic). Or, stay in a hotel, or stay less days in Paris.

I also think you should include at least one train ride. If you do choose London, you could take the train to another location in England, Scotland or Wales.

AndiM

Our family of four has had good luck with multi-country and multi-week trips. We really enjoy Germany with our kids. The public parks and pools are wonderful and the food/beergarden scene is really fun with kids. The quirky small German amusement parks and mountain luges are worth seeking out! I have kept a blog for our last four major trips. We started when our daughters were 4 & 6. This summer they will be 12 & 14 and we are spending a month in Greece. We have never regretted our travels with our kids. Most people think our itineraries are too ambitious but the pace works for our family. We travel on a budget and prefer airbnbs and local pensions. Here is a link to our blog https://familyineurope.travellerspoint.com/ Let me know if you have any questions!