The Best of Europe in 14 Days tour offered by Rick Steves takes travelers to some of the great European cities, including Paris, Munich, Venice, Florence, and Rome. You also travel through the French countryside, the Swiss Alps, and the Tuscan region of Italy.
Throughout the tour there was a balance between traveling with the group to museums and around each city and having time to explore on our own. Having the opportunity to find our own way around the city gave everyone the chance to choose our own adventures and share stories with our new tour friends.
Families entirely composed our particular tour. The six of us in the Schuett family, and then many other families from across the country, including three generations from one of the families. Of the 28 tour members, 11 were teenagers – the tour was a great opportunity for the families to travel together with fewer stresses than might come up on a traditional family road trip.
One of our favorite things about the tour were the guided walks by a local city guide in many of the cities. We were able to gain perspective of the city from a local and learn about the history and culture in a way that is impossible to get from simply reading about a place. I do still highly recommend reading ahead of time and not counting entirely on the guide. Having background knowledge better prepares you to ask questions and dig in deeper – as Francesca Caruso, our guide in Rome said, “the more you know, the more you see.”
Another great part of being on a tour was simply having the logistics taken care of for us – we didn’t have to book hotel rooms or figure out how we were getting from one place to another. We also had the opportunity to ask our guides for recommendations while on the bus or in the hotel.
Many of the meals, and all the breakfasts were also included, which saves a lot of time in trying to find a place to eat. Chris has written about many of our dining experiences, both with the group and places we sought out on our own – you can find them on our Restaurants page.
A Family Trip to Europe 