Inspiration for an amazing Europe trip with young kids

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We are really bored of doing the standard summer holiday week in Spain.

Looking for adventure - we are thinking Norway? Or perhaps somewhere with lakes and mountains - lake Geneva maybe?

I am a beach person at heart but willing to forgo the beach holiday for something adventurous, in spring summer next year, for a week, with a one year old and a three year old.

We have a (hopefully) decent budget of about £3,000 for 7-10 days and could hire a car if needed.

Can anyone help with some ideas of what we could do?

The French Alps are great in summer. Chair lifts are open and can take bikes up so you an ride down, guided hikes to see the marmots, amazing scenery, white water rafting... loads of stuff. The ski resorts are usually open - have a look at Les Arcs 1950 - totally different in summer. Maybe move around from France to Italy to Switzerland?

Just seen the ages of your children - most of the activities probably not for them!

There's Kinder hotels in Austria, we did one in Hintertux which was good.

Norway is vicious for pricing, AirBNBs can be reasonable but self catering. Beautiful but rainy. Never seen prices like it. Fjords are scenic.

We did Sweden and Copenhagen around then, Tivoli was good and in Sweden Stockholm was good but rainy and Norranges Alpaka was great. You can start in one and go back from another.

Azores was also good, we stayed in Furnas at Octant Furnas, kids only allowed in pool certain hours there but can hire car. Summer prices quite a lot higher.

We're going to Vienna next year with our soon to be three year old :)

I'd second Stockholm. Kids would love Skansen and the Vasa museum.

One of our best holidays so far (with our son) was a train hopping tour we did of the Emilia-Romagna region of Italy.

Great ideas here thank you!

French/Italian/Austrian Alps - lakes and mountains, huge amount of outdoor activities, maybe a Kinderhotel in Austria. Similar scenery in Slovenia.

Denmark - e.g. Billund, Copenhagen, a Jutland West Coast summerhouse, Bornholm. Very child-friendly, easy to get around, and if you go the last 2 weeks in August that is after the Danish schools have gone back.

North Eastern Germany, the Baltic coast.

All excellent locations for a "different" holiday with children (see numerous threads on MN) - but probably better once the children are aged 3 and over.

Germany can offer a lot:
North Sea or Baltic Sea
Schleswig Holstein Lake district around Eutin
Frankonia in Northern Bavaria
Lake Constance
German/Austria border

You can get hotels or self catering.

In Austria you have several Kinderhotels which offer quite a lot of equipment, play areas, babysitting.

We take our 3 year old to the french alps every summer, pick a big resort with lots to do. Pedalo on the lake, short hikes, ride in the bubble lift, the pump track on balance bike, swimming pool and marmot spotting. Nice temperature as well!

Would you recommend any specific hotel?

Stay in Bolzano and check out the area all around with a hire car. Check out lake Carezza - I don't think there's a more beautiful lake in the world.

We stay in an apartment in Tignes, but there are a few big french resorts with good summer seasons (especially if you’re into mountain biking!) Morzine, Chamonix, Les Arcs. Tignes has a lake so has paddle boarding, slides in to the lake and kids clubs as well as an indoor swimming pool and a few spas. Also has a glacier so you can access some snow and ski a couple of weeks early summer.

Also close to Italy so we drive over for lunch once or twice a trip!

at 1 and 3, they won't care this much about sightseeing and adventures. What about a Kinderhotel in Austria or Switzerland, they are really great when you have babies and toddlers, and there's usually plenty to do around the areas.

Oh my goodness I have been to Bolzano but have never heard of Carazza! I am gutted honestly. Absolutely stunning. I will have to go back...! Sorry to butt into thread, do carry on.. 😁

Slovenia has the lakes and mountains and you get a little more bang for your buck there.

Can’t see what the 1 and the 3 year old will get out of it specifically ...... so I would just choose where you would love to go to first and then see if it adapts to children.

You might choose a road trip or city breaks - with hotels along the way that had own pool or playgrounds nearby.

Def decide what you want to do because soon enough they will be setting the agenda!