To consider interrail with 4 kids?

[AgnusandMagnus]

Will this be hell or possibly fabulous fun? We've never done anything like it.

Could you book somewhere that has a beach and access to some historical sites?

Italy springs to mind here. You could stay on the coast near Rome with easy access by train (not sure if there are any resorts though).

The coast near Lisbon might suit? We rented a lovely air BnB in Cascais, hire a car, plenty of beaches, Sintra will appeal to the older ones and there's enough of a Disney castle vibe or dragon myths in various parts to appeal to the younger ones too, plus the train into Lisbon is really easy and quick, there's plenty to do and see to entertain everyone, without schlepping on and off trains for a fortnight, car hire was really cheap too.

@LionelRitchieStoleMyNotebook Hmm that does sound appealing. Are the beaches sandy?

Right in the centre of cascais is a harbour with a small beach (they have live music and films on a big screen some nights), but there are bigger nice sandy beaches within very short walking distance and if you hire a car there are some truly magnificent beaches within a short drive, plus national park, kayaking etc for the older ones , there are other towns along that part of the coast Belém has a cool tower/castle and a palace, but we've only been to the area once. I'd go back when ds is older (1 atm) . It's a really beautiful and interesting part of Europe, I'm also a big fan of Greece but it can be more expensive