EuroTrip 1

EuroTrip 1 by Four On The Move 

We had been extremely excited planning our first long road trip through Europe. Living in the UK, this was a great way of combining both – a visit to new places and a visit to our home country.

In this case the plans and reality turned up slightly different. The trip was supposed to last 4 weeks and start with a visit to our friends’ wedding in Normandy, France. But because of our daughter’s chicken pox (welcome to travelling with kids!;)) we had to delay our departure and shorten the trip to three weeks. During the trip we also needed to skip one of the planned stops and go to Poland earlier than planned. But all this didn’t really matter in the end, as it was still an amazing trip! Here are the details:

Start and end point: Liverpool

Means of transport: car, plus public transport in Paris, Zurich and Berlin

Itinerary & Highlights:

1. Paris, France – 3 days

Doesn't need a caption :)

After a long overnight drive from Liverpool we arrived in Paris to spend three days filled with sightseeing and attractions. It amazes me how much Paris has to offer, you can come back again and again and there is still so much to see and do. Our three-day stay included:

• The Eiffel Tower and a cruise on the river Seine. 
        After the exhausting drive and check in in a hotel we went straight to see the Eiffel Tower and from there took a cruise which let us start our visit in a relaxed way and was at the same time an attraction for Lenka.
•       Louvre (all of us) and Musee D’Orsay (mum only). 

  
  

  We spent only a few hours in Louvre, so had to picked a few exhibitions, but it’s good to have reasons to come back. Surprisingly, our four-year-old was equally excited about this ‘huge museum’ as we were, running from one exhibition to another to show us what she discovered. I’ve also decided to see my beloved impressionists’ works in Musee D’Orsay, while the rest of our gang had some rest. 
•       Montmartre & Sacre Coeur. 

  
  

  We took a little touristic train departing from Moulin Rouge, a fun way of getting to Montmartre for kids, saving their little legs some walking. In this must-see part of Paris, try to take a walk a bit further from the main streets to avoid crowds.
•       A leisurely afternoon in Jardins de Luxembourg. 

  A great spot for big and little ones, suggested to us by locals. Pony rides for kids! 

  

  Jardins de Luxembourg

  
  

  
  

  
  2. Disneyland Paris, France – 1 day

Looking familiar?

A secret conversation with Princess Aurora

An absolute highlight of the trip for Lenka. Be prepared for long queues – we waited 90 minutes to see Princess Aurora, as it was a period of Disney Princesses fascination for our little one. Probably worth staying a couple of days, taking it easy and visiting also for the night fireworks and music show (we were too tired after the whole day to wait for this).

              3. Zurich & Lucerne, Switzerland – 2 days

To be honest Zurich turned out a bit boring, or maybe the weather wasn’t the nicest to appreciate it, so we decided to drive to Lucerne. It was a great choice, with Lucerne being a beautiful town with scenic views. Next time we would stay here longer.

Lucerne

        4. The point we eventually had to skip – Munich and Neuschwanstein Castle in Germany. We hope to add it to one of our next trips. I decided to keep it here as some of you may like to include it in their itinerary.

        5. Stay in Poland

Family & Friends, Family & Friends, Family & Friends.

        6. Berlin, Germany – 2 days

Our first time here and Berlin already made it onto the list of our favourite cities. It feels very European and laid back, you just can’t get enough of its atmosphere.
Some of the places we visited:

Checkpoint Charlie

• Checkpoint Charlie – the historical crossing point between East and West Berlin,
• The Brandenburg Gate and the nearby (huge) park Tiergarten,
• Pergamon Museum on the Museum Island, 
• East Side Gallery – an open-air gallery with a series of murals painted on the remnant of the Berlin Wall, 
• we also simply enjoyed strolling around the city centre and the Charlottenburg neighbourhood.

 Definitely coming back!

East Side Gallery

        7. Ghent and Bruges, Belgium – 2 days

We stayed in Ghent and from there drove to see Bruges. Both cities are picturesque and charming. We didn’t visit any particular places of interest, just walked around the old towns, along the canals and cobblestones streets, enjoying Belgian fries, waffles and beer.

Ghent

Bruges

         8. Drive back to Liverpool

Practical tips

•           Flexible accommodation, ferry and other tickets, if possible.

The chickenpox incident taught us to book only flexible accommodation, with an option to cancel as late as possible. Even though we had to change plans and dates several times, we luckily only lost £100 on our bookings.

•         Plan for car parking and budget it.

If you travel by car and decide to visit big cities, check the car parking availability in your hotel. The ones located in city centres may not have any spaces to offer, for us it was the case in Paris and Ghent. In Paris we used a private car park which we booked online in advance, while in Ghent a public one, found on the spot. Either way, this will be a significant position in your travel budget and some hotels will also charge you for the car space.

•          Beware of speed cameras in France, they’re not very well marked and seem to randomly turn up in places you don’t expect.