What a wonderful site. I've been reading for several days now and this will be my first post. I am planning a family trip for my 70's yo parents, 3 40'ish adults, and my 5 and 7 yo girls. We just found wonderful airfare ($450!) to Amsterdam for mid-August so will spend a few days there. Then we hope to head for 'alpine beauty.' It looks like we can fly cheaply from Amsterdam to Geneva or Milan. I'm trying to look for a self-cater in or near a town/village in an area with easy public transit and touring for the grandparents(who can walk some but not hike) and also access to cable cars and hiking for the younger crew. I've been looking at a home base in the French Alps (?Annecy), or the Swiss side of Lake Geneva, or even the Italian Alps (Italy is my first love). I've never been to Europe in high season and I'm hoping that these areas are not overrun in August. It all sounds so wonderful that I'm having trouble narrowing down. Any suggestions for a good home base that might meet the needs of all 3 generations are very welcome. We are still so up in the air that we are also considering walking in Britain (very cheap from Amsterdam as well).
I wish I could help you with Switzerland, but we don't have much experience other than a few days in Lucerne. We will be doing a 100-mile walk in the Swiss Alps in July/August, but it doesn't seem like that's what you're looking for.
I think you will likely get a lot of responses related to possibilities in the Italian Alps if you post a more specific question related to what you might be considering in Italy on the Italy board. There are many, many people on that message board with a lot of knowledge and opinions about Italy.
If you are serious about walking in England, let me know (or post a question on the England board). My husband, our 11-year old daughter and I have done quite a bit of walking in England. The Cotswolds would be a very good base for those who want to walk (including children the age of yours) and those who want to tour (grandparents)... I think it's a very good base for a three-generation trip like you describe.
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