Holiday destination help!

[Mindymaby]

Going round in circles!
we want to go away for a week to ten days

me, partner, four year old and 18 month old

ideally I want to relax by a lake where the kids can swim and splash

we want to go via the train though which is making it hard as I don’t want a big resort

we’ve only taken the kids on glamping trips in the uk so far - cabins, yurts, safari tents, but the car has been totally loaded!

don’t want to hire a car because of car seats, don’t want to drive to Europe. Partner doesn’t want to fly

looked at Switzerland but the hotels were sooo expensive, like 300 a night. I’m happy to spend a bit but by the time we’d done that and paid for trains it was so expensive.

what have been your good holidays with little kids and can anyone recommend specific places to stay?

chargpt has given me some amazing itineraries but I can’t make it work with actual places to stay

What time of year are you wanting to go? Would you use a ferry?
My cousin recently went to Northern Spain (Santander or Bilboa) via ferry from Portsmouth. There is also a ferry from Harwich across to the Netherlands.

I don't know of any specific lake destinations, but maybe ferry then train are options to consider.

Oh yes ferry would be good too
we need to go in summer holidays, dp is teacher

How about Mennagio on Lak Como? Train from Milan then a short ferry over the lake.

Sounds like you're both making life incredibly difficult for yourselves.
If you get the train, how will you get from the train station to your final destination?
How will you manage a 4 year old and an 18 month old and all the luggage that entails on a train? I am assuming you'll take a pushchair so one person with that, one person managing all the rest of the luggage? Who has the 4 year old?

One pushchair with a day bag, one large bag with clothes etc. I think we can manage?

There's no way you can do 1 large and one small bag for a summer hol for 4 people. No way.

We’ve done 2 week trips by train with kids, it’s totally manageable on the luggage front. Each adult has a big rucksack, tonnes of stuff under the buggy, and the 4yo has a little bag. Buy nappies there, and make sure you have access to a washing machine.

I’m no help on destination, but the theory is fine!

Center Parcs have several sites in Europe, which are cheaper than the UK ones: https://www.centerparcs.eu/
Eurocamp https://www.eurocamp.co.uk/
Kinderhotels https://www.kinderhotels.com/en/kinderhotels-family-holidays.html
Familotel https://www.familotel.com/de/

I think to go far enough south to be sure of relaxing weather for lolling by a lake by train with two young dc is pushing it.

I'd look at where you can easily go to by train and see if you can work out a nice holiday plan from there. If you are near London, then Brussels is very easy and you get the connecting trains within Belgium free on the day of travel. I'd have a look for water parks etc to combine with a small city maybe (so you can do parks, playgrounds, bit of an art gallery perhaps in shifts).

We did the ferry to Brittany with young dc and took the car - it was good when the weather was OK but it often wasn't.

Our best holidays with young dc were rented cottages in West Wales and Devon tho - just very relaxed, slow pace.

Yes you can, we do this every time we go abroad, 20kg is plenty for 4 people.

When we didn't want to be away without car seats, we drove to the ferry and over to France that way. Planned routes to Brittany that weren't too scary! Honestly it's great to have all your own stuff with you in the car. Driving gets easier after the first day.

We did eurocamp in lauterbrunnen by train. Kids were older though but if you are organised it could be done

Switzerland is very expensive for everything, not just hotels, but for train trickets, food and entrance fees for sites/museums. You could have a look at Annecy or Aix Les Bains in France instead. It's still a bit of a trek from London by train, multiple train changes, but you could break it up stopping in Paris for a couple of days. I'm not assuming you live in London, just that any train journey to France starts with the Eurostar. We did 10 days in France by train last summer, the trains were efficient and on time, we did 8 trains, not including local trains back and forth going to Disney and Olympic events.

Perhaps if you're going to a villa with a washing machine snd you're happy to wash every day

Go to Lake Constance (Bodensee), but on the German side, not the Swiss side, as it's much cheaper. Easy to get to by train, then very good buses once you're there.
Konstanz is the main place, and fab, but lots of lovely villages nearby too. You can swim in the lake but also in the gorgeous thermal pools. Really great environment for young kids.

I really don't think luggage is going to be an issue, if the OP is confident with that it will be fine.

I agree northern italian lakes are excellent and accessible by train, likewise lake Constance. You could also look at Austria - eg Achensee, close to Innsbruck, or also in Germany, Starnberger See south of Munich perhaps? All cheaper than Switzerland although a bit further away.

It will be quite a lot of time on the train. When my kids were that age I would personally have chosen to break the journey and have a night or two somewhere nice on the way there and back. Trains are great but there is a limit to how long a 4 year old and toddler can manage without things becoming very challenging for everyone. For my 3yo we aimed for no more than 4 hours in a day. But everyone is different of course.

We haven't ever stayed in a villa or used a launderette whilst on holiday, just travel light.

Lake Garda is doable by train - Southern end - Peschiera and Desenzano have stations. You can get to Verona via Brussels / Munich / Innsbruck or via Milan (either via Paris or with a change in Lille and Lyon) Austria is very doable by train. Seefeld / Zell am Zimmer / Mayrhofen from Innsbruck. Garmisch Partenkirchen and Mittenwald in Germany via Munich. Have a look at the Seat61.com website for train / route info.

Maubuisson in the South West of France? About an hour drive from Bordeaux but there are buses from the train station. Big lake with sandy beach and lots of shade and lifeguards. Lots of restaurants and you can hire bikes to cycle through the pine forest and go to the ocean.

You could train to Bordeaux or fly if you didn't want to drive. We drive but once there we spend the whole time without getting in to the car.

My sister has had some great family holidays in Lake Annecy, I think you could do Eurostar to Paris, and then Paris to Annecy maybe? I can’t recommend any hotels because she takes her camper van, but I think there are some eurocamps in the area if you’re open to camping!

100% this. Driving in France in your own car is super easy. You'll have your car seats, whatever stuff you want/need for the kids and the pick of lovely campsites in Brittany, Vendée, Loire.

One of these might be near a train station www.yellohvillage.co.uk/camping/search

I'd go to Lake Balaton in Hungary or go to the Netherlands on the Eurostar

Train to Briancon. Over night is cheaper than day tickets even with couchettes. Check out Lac de Serre Poncon. It’s not an expensive part of France and it’s lovely.

I would add that it’s going to be a challenge with small children and kit. I’d go to the same place in the car. Driving in France is fine.

Lake Annecy - Annecy has a train station. You could get Eurostar to Lille or Paris and a connecting train. There are bus routes around the lake and multiple campsites with self-catering accommodation.

Although I agree with PP, driving in France with small kids is an easy option. It's the easiest place I've driven in Europe. Huttopia Lac de Sille is a lake-based site that'sa straightforward drive.