European vaction with teenagers

I am planning to take a European vaction with teenagers around a year from now, and I was looking for some advice. Like to spend about 21 days including flight. Looking to free travel with the euro rail. Like to visit the most places we can to get an great overall experience of Europe. On a budget since having to save for a few years. Any advice?

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Hi,

to get some good responses you might want to tell us more about yourself and you familiy, such as what are your interests/hobbies? Architecture, history, museums, landscape, festivals, relaxing, activities, clubbing, music ......And when are you looking to travel?

Generally if you have 3 weeks, you might want to look at visiting maybe 2-3 main capitals (London, Paris and Berlin)+ a few cities along the way and then take a week to stay somehwere in a cottage / on a farm (if you have small children) / which would give you a chance to get to know the country/people and will also be cheaper.

Or you could concentrate on just one country and explore it a bit better. There is plenty to do in most European countries for 3 weeks.

G

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knowlesstak, I also replied to your post on the Ireland forum.

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Agree to that you should keep it simple with about three places so that the kids really can enjoy a different culture. Staying longer in one place and renting an apartment can cut down on your expenses.

Here%26#39;s a link to the report I wrote about traveling across Germany using Lander tickets. These tickets made Germany very affordable.

tripadvisor.com/ShowTopic-g187275-i116-k2995…

Munich is a great city and the Lander tickets make it very easy to visit other places in Bavaria and can be used to go to Salzburg.

Barcelona is a great city with a very youthful vibe. It is very, very distinct.

London is so full of history and has a wide variety of things to experience. Also, many of the major museums are free.

Economy, inter-European airlines like Easyjet make it very easy to travel between cities. Just be careful with their luggage restrictions.

Get a stack of travel books and let the kids help with the planning.

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Your question is like asking where someone should go in the USA for 21 days without stating any of their likes, travel style, priorities, budget, goals.

Europe is very diverse so suggest you start with some basic research and narrow down your options. Do you want cities, small towns?

Your question is way too vague for anyone to contribute a helpful response.

And I have no idea what this means: %26quot;Looking to free travel with the euro rail.%26quot;

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Euroral: I assume you would have a pass, so check which countries interest you most.

Teenagers usually love to sleep in couchettes - cuts down on hotel costs %26amp; can cover large areas.

Get together with the family after you have googled out the maps, check the Eurorail map %26amp; decide.

Most fun Cities for Teenagers (speaking from experience):

Berlin, London, Prague,Venice %26amp; Lichtenstein.

Also, if you selected cities that are close to each other forget passes %26amp; book point to point...

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Involve the teenagers in the planning. Let them do some reading and come up with a list of suggestions. That way it will be more %26#39;their%26#39; trip than soemthing their parents talk them into to educate them.

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Depends on the teenagers and their interests. My son (16) has Rome and Amsterdam among his favourites and would happily go back to either tomorrow. Venice wasn%26#39;t a hit when we went, whereas Prague and Paris were (both when he was 7!). Barcelona and Berlin are the two he knows best; plenty for teenagers in both!

In any case don%26#39;t keep travelling for 3 whole weeks; it%26#39;s far too much. We find one week in hotels is about our max; then we%26#39;d go for an apartment for the next week or so. More relaxing, cheaper, you can %26quot;eat in%26quot; and do your laundry, AND it%26#39;s a much better way to get the feel of a city/country. You can use it as a base and do day-trips too.

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A couple more thoughts: i%26#39;d suggest you do a mix of northern and southern Europe as they are very different in many ways. So, say barcelona or Rome plus some more northern cities. To me Munich has a bit more feel of the south than the others in northern/central Europe that people have mentioned, if you are staying north of the Alps.

Talking of the Alps: for spectacular scenery, if that interests you, you need to go beyond london/paris/berlin as all are located in flattish parts of their respective countries with no major natural sites nearby. On the whole spectacular coastal scenery is found more often in the Mediterranean, unless you are looking at the Atlantic coasts further from the capitals.

As to the travelling between your locations, I%26#39;m not sure what a Eurorail pass costs but it may not be the best deal: booked well in advance budget carriers can be really cheap and to get from somewhere on/near the Medirterranean to the northern capitals flying is a much quicker option.

Rail fares for regional travel in Spain are cheap; in Germany the Ländertickets (as mentioned for Munich but eg also Berlin-Brandenburg ticket) mean you cd make day trips very cheaply.

There are also overnight ferries from Barcelona to Livorno (for Florence) and Civitavecchia (for Rome) which are subsidised heavily to take traffic of the roads. Ferries from Italy to Greece too!

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Rent or buy a campervan in Kingscross London and off ye go.

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But then you are driving a right-hand drive vehicle mainly in countries geared up to drivers sitting on the left (and the poster him/herself will not be used to right-hand drive or gear-changing either, most likely).

Plus road signs to be deciphered, and the driver doesn%26#39;t get to see the views. And in the major cities a vehicle is a big pain, to park, to find your way around etc etc