Any Suggestions? Family Hols

A lot of debating going on in my house at present. So I thinks why not broaden the search?

Looking for suggestions for summer holidays, somewhere a bit different, not too hot and reasonably affordable. Kids are split between interest in arts and culture and sun worship. Somewhere reachable by planes and transfers.

3 teenagers and 2 adults. Trying to avoid very hot sun in July or August and over commercialised resorts, (which were great when the kids were young, but out grown that now).

Prefer not drive, but can rent car when get there. I know this is a very general question, so any random suggestions for alternative holidays considered. Hopefully with a bit of sun.

Thanks for any suggestions.

VG31

We spent a week at Lake Constance (Bodensee) in South Germany last July and had a great time. It's much more off the beaten track than other European lakes like Lake Garda but this was the appeal of it for us. It was never too busy anywhere that we went and most tourists were either German or French.

The lake also borders Austria and Switzerland. We stayed in Meersburg on the north side of the lake. There is loads to do for 5-10 days, including the flower island of Mainau which was the highlight of our trip, the Rhine Falls in Switzerland, the Pfaender mountain in Bregenz, Austria and Lindau.

It's a brilliant place to visit if you like the outdoors and walking or cycling. We travelled by public transport which was good value and very extensive. Most hotels are family run and are reasonably priced. We flew to Zurich with SWISS and then took the Flixbus to Meersburg.

If you're interested in this I can give you more information.

Sixtoes

Newfoundland. 3.5 hr direct flight from Dublin. Cheap flights with westjet. An amazing part of the world. Spend a few days in St. John's then rent a car and head for fogo island. You'll love it!

ncmc

We love Annecy in the French Alps, it's about 1.5 hours from Lyon or 45 mins from Geneva. The town itself is gorgeous. Lots of narrow cobbled streets, great history, lots of canals, in fact it's called the French Venice. Lots of lovely shops and restaurants and a more modern shopping centre and street if you fancy some traditional retail therapy. It is set on the most stunning lake with beautiful mountain views. The Lake is one of the cleanest in Europe and is a lovely temp for swimming that time of year. Easy day trips are Chamonix to see Mont Blanc, Geneva, Grenoble, Lyon and the pretty towns around Lake Geneva. It's an amazing place.

@VG31

Wow! These suggestions and places are fab! Thanks so much. I'll start having a look at them. @VG31. If you have any links to accomodation that would be much appreciated.

Its great just to read about these holidays. Thank you.

VG31

Michael Dirty Speech wrote: »

@VG31. If you have any links to accomodation that would be much appreciated.

We stayed at the Bären Meersburg which is a beautiful old hotel that dates from the 13th century. It's only a two minute walk from the bus stop and about five mins to the lakefront.

http://www.baeren-meersburg.de/neu/pages/en.php?lang=EN
https://www.tripadvisor.ie/Hotel_Review-g198537-d273882-Reviews-Gasthof_zum_Baren-Meersburg_Bodensee_Baden_Wurttemberg.html

There's plenty of other good hotels as well, check Tripadvisor. Lindau is another (slightly bigger) pretty town at the other end of the lake near Austria. It's busier than Meersburg though.

Sixtoes

Lakes are nice but Icebergs are amazing, as is whale spotting....go to Newfoundland!

http://theoldsaltboxco.com

SmartinMartin

Sixtoes wrote: »

Newfoundland. 3.5 hr direct flight from Dublin. Cheap flights with westjet. An amazing part of the world. Spend a few days in St. John's then rent a car and head for fogo island. You'll love it!

Not possible, that flight is at the very least 5 hours.

cactusgal

SmartinMartin wrote: »

Not possible, that flight is at the very least 5 hours.

It's 4.5 hrs Dublin to St John's and 4 hrs St John's to Dublin. Newfoundland is the closest part of North America. And it is amazing!! Went there in July and absolutely loved every second of the trip.

cactusgal

cactusgal wrote: »

It's 4.5 hrs Dublin to St John's and 4 hrs St John's to Dublin. Newfoundland is the closest part of North America. And it is amazing!! Went there in July and absolutely loved every second of the trip.

Having said that, though, I don't think I'd recommend it to the OP as the best parts of Newfoundland are outside the cities, and driving there is a bit challenging.

Newfoundland is certainly food for thought. Maybe not this time as the younger travellers are a bit allergic to long journeys.:D

Yamanoto

I've only been on two occasions for work & didn't get beyond Vigo, but Galicia would tick a lot of those boxes OP - an incredible coastline with great beaches, lots of history, culture & fine food & the Cies islands are apparently very special too. The area is neither crowded or expensive & the Summer weather can be great without being oppressive.

ncmc

VG31 wrote: »

We stayed at the Bn Meersburg which is a beautiful old hotel that dates from the 13th century. It's only a two minute walk from the bus stop and about five mins to the lakefront.

http://www.baeren-meersburg.de/neu/pages/en.php?lang=EN
https://www.tripadvisor.ie/Hotel_Review-g198537-d273882-Reviews-Gasthof_zum_Baren-Meersburg_Bodensee_Baden_Wurttemberg.html

There's plenty of other good hotels as well, check Tripadvisor. Lindau is another (slightly bigger) pretty town at the other end of the lake near Austria. It's busier than Meersburg though.

I actually had been looking at Lindau as an alternative to Annecy for next year. Between Lindau and Meersburg, which would you recommend? Our main priority would be beautiful scenery and a pretty town. Travelling with young kids so nightlife not a consideration. Also, can you swim in the lake?

VG31

ncmc wrote: »

I actually had been looking at Lindau as an alternative to Annecy for next year. Between Lindau and Meersburg, which would you recommend? Our main priority would be beautiful scenery and a pretty town. Travelling with young kids so nightlife not a consideration. Also, can you swim in the lake?

Both are very nice towns but we preferred Meersburg. Lindau was a lot busier than Meersburg and there was a lot more daytrippers and tour groups. The harbour at Lindau is spectacular but most of the rest of the town is more your standard German town.

Meersburg is a nice size, small but not tiny so there's still plenty of hotels and restaurants. It is built on a rock though (hence the 'burg' in the name). It was a very steep walk from the lakefront to our hotel, although it was only 5 minutes. Most things are in the flat part of the town however.

I don't know whether you're hiring a car or not but the public transport is excellent although perhaps a car would be easier with young kids. There is a huge car park beside the town since the old town is pretty much closed to cars. I have no idea about prices. The hotel we stayed in unusually had its own car park.

Meersburg doesn't have a train station unlike most of the towns in the region. I would still say it's a better base than Lindau transport-wise though as Meersburg is located about half way down the lake so is not too far from the attractions at the extremes of the lake. Whereas it is a long journey from Lindau to Konstanz or the Rhine Falls for example.
The 7395 bus runs every 30 minutes to Friedrichshafen (for connections to Lindau, Bregenz etc.) and Überlingen. There is also regular boat trips around the lake. Meersburg is connected to Konstanz by the car ferry.

There's definitely no nightlife in Meersburg or Lindau. There were some outdoor bands though which was nice.

You can swim in the lake although I don't remember seeing many people swimming in the lake.