kelbo

Hello Fellow Fodorites,

I have just returned from 2 weeks in Europe that included Paris, Rome and the Alsace region. I will post a quick trip report as soon as I can!

Now I am starting to plan a trip 10 years in the making for my neice who is turning 16 next year. I have promised her for 10 years that I would take her to Paris ( my favorite european city . I just booked our tickets using FF miles and decided to make this a two week trip in June 2012. We are flying into Paris and out of Brussels ( this wasn't my choice but basically all that I could get using miles!)

I was originally thinking Paris, Rome London and the last night near Brussels airport. But now I am rethinking my itinerary. I have been to all three cities and am struggling with my itinerary. To be honest, I don't love London and am considering substituting either Venice or even Amsterdam for it.

My question is..if you were taking your neice or teenager to Europe where would be your top 3 places to go? I really don't want to cram more than that into 13 nights bc then the travel gets to be too much.

Thanks everyone!

nytraveler

We have done this a couple of times with two tween/teen girls and they liked in order Paris, London, Prague, Berlin, Rome and Amsterdam. After that there were discrepancies/

I think they liked Paris the most since they could use thier Frenchand go do things on their own without us. London ditto. And one is a serious history buff/anglophile.

Since the trip is for a 16 year old - why aren;t you asking her this. She should be doing a major amount of the sightseeing research and offering ideas on what she will like most.

After all, the planning is half the fun.

kelbo

Well, of course I have asked her where she wants to go but if it were her choice we'd be in a different city each day! She has never been out of the country and is having a tough time narrowing it down to three cities which I am considering a max for this trip. Also since it is just the two of us travelling together there won't be a need to go out and about on her own.

Thanks for the input...Prague could be a good option!

Kelly

zoecat

Does it have to be just cities? If so, Paris, Rome and Venice. Or just Paris and Venice, staying in apartments.

If not just cities, then somewhere in the French countryside with a car or in/near Nice might be fun to include; combined with Paris.

Or keep things simple by combining Paris, Brugge and Amsterdam.

Lexma90

You've gotten a lot of great suggestions. For narrowing down what your neice would enjoy, try asking your neice some guided questions.

What has she enjoyed most about vacations she's taken previously (doesn't need to be in Europe) - outdoor activities, such as biking or hiking, in rural areas, or museums in urban areas? Has she travelled a lot in big cities? Has she been on driving trips, or vacations where you sit on the beach all day? For example, if she's a small-town girl who's never really spent time in big cities, then she might appreciate some portion of her trip in smaller towns. If she really loves museums and art and loves the bustles of big cities, then you'll be more likely to focus on those. Any hobbies or special interests that you could include in your plans?

One planning technique that's worked for my kids (now 16 and 12) is to come up with some ideas and websites, and let them check them out. They aren't organized (or whatever) to do the searching themselves, but if I give them links or ideas, then they're interested and can tell me, after that, yes or no. For deciding how to spend our time, especially if they want to do too much, I'll make a list, point out distances on a map, and we'll discuss how much we realisticaly can or want to do in a day. Or that going to X place will take X hours of travel time, and is X place worth the time to her.

Paging through a guidebook with lots of pictures is a fun way to narrow things down too (do this one together).

When we first took our son to Europe, he was (and is) a big Anglophile. So we began in London (which we don't really love), then spent time in the Loire Valley countryside, then finished in Paris. He liked all the parts of the trip, though probably London was still his favorite.

kelbo

Lexma 90...thank you for the good advice. I don't have kids so I am not used to planning trips with teens. Also, she is from a smaller town and hasn't really travelled much, whereas I go to Europe usually twice a year and have pretty much been everywhere! I am doing my best not to make this " my trip" based on previous experiences I have had and am trying to come at it with fresh eyes from a teens POV. She is coming out to visit me in California over the holidays so we will be able to sit down together and I will use your suggestions. Thanks!

susanna

I"ve traveled with my nieces and nephews who were that age. London is a huge hit , it's different enough but they speak english,(not my thing either) Paris was life changing for one of them, I think Amsterdam is a beautiful city with enough to do for a few days and it's a young city...Venice is just so different to see.

My niece who will turn 16 next wants to go to St Tropez, she wants the beach scene and she likes to sit back and take it all in, should be interesting to take her there!!!

Barcelona would have a great vibe and a beach scene, if not right there, then close by by train if you don't have a car.

janisj

All 16 yo's are different - But IME/IMO most girls would love LOVE <B>LOVE</B> a week in London and a week in Paris. Renting flats in both cities. Since you have to use Brussels - how about 6 days Paris, 6 days London, 2 days in Belgium? All travel by train. This would be a dream trip.

But I your dislike of London might tinge things just a bit.

nytraveler

Well a 16 year old - who presumably is going to college next year - should certainly be proficient enough searching to come up with a bunch of info. If she needs a place to start she can look at the Let's Go Student guides and the Thorn Tree section of the Lonely Planet website.

Perhaps my daughters were different since they were used to navigating NY on their own - and are more big city people than outdoorsy ones. (Like some outdoor activities of course - but would always take a great museum or the ballet over, for instance, a balloon ride.)

Lexma90

I understand your comment about not wanting it to be your trip. We took each of our kids to Europe for the first time when they were 10yo, and while there was so much that I was eager to show them, I wanted it to be something that they were discovering for themselves, too.

On our DD's first trip, to Italy, we spent about 1+ week in Venice, Florence and Rome, and one week in La Marche, in the countryside. That was partly because she'd been not so interested in big cities. Turns out, she loves loves loves art and museums, and we ended up visiting even more than I'd planned on. The noise and bustle of the cities didn't bother her, though I don't think she necessarily loved that part of city life as much as DS or I do. You might want to discuss that part of vacationing/big cities with your neice.

Our kids have pretty sophisticated, interests, so we've never done much of the kids-friendly activities, but on each trip, there are places that wanted to see that I wasn't so interested in - but that I discovered that I did enjoy! For instance, in London, it was the War Museum and the Cabinet War Rooms. On next year's trip, DS (who will be 17yo by then) is really into modern art, so we'll be hitting a lot of those museums; not really my thing, but it exposes me to new experiences.

Also, keep in mind that your neice will be of legal drinking age in Europe, and you may want to discuss with her parents how that will be handled.

Surfergirl

Everything Janis & Susanna said. All 16 year olds ARE different. MY dream at that age of places to visit came from the literature I had read (everything Dickens; The Red & the Black; Death in Venice -- you get the idea). When we took our 16 year old niece to Europe 10 years ago, she was not the best read kid on the block or had much interest in culture. Her primary interests at the time were boys and shopping. This happened to be our Paris/Spain/Portugal trip, and without a shadow of a doubt she liked Paris above all others. The fact we were there on Bastille Day and for the Bals the night before didn't hurt.

Now, I've never been with a teenager who didn't like London -- my son was there at 10, 16, and just last year at 21. And when we were there last year to celebrate our 25th anniversary, we met up with friends from LA who were taking their 21 year old to a semester abroad, and they had their 17 year old with them. We all went out to pubs and had a great time. Mind, they've upped the age in pubs for drinking to 18 -- maybe it was always that way but just not enforced. Anyway, they now have signs that if you "look" 21 or younger, they'll check your i.d.

In France, of course, anything goes.

Here's my suggestion -- since I have found that our family trips work best when we have a little down time with historical sightseeing time, so I usually pick cities heavy on the "must see" places, and 1 or 2 towns in which to chill: London, Paris & somewhere in the south of France. I'd say Nice, but I'm not terribly fond of the pebbly beach. If San Tropez weren't so out of the way and its really nice beaches not such a pain in the neck to get to, I'd make that my first choice. Instead, I'd opt for either Juan les Pins or Cannes, since both have sandy beaches. Cannes has a couple of free beaches; most of the beaches in Juan les Pins are paying beaches, but you can find some that are free. The water is warm and calm and so delightfully different than the Pacific Ocean; the food and drink delicious, and loads of shopping.

Tulips

I would say London - Paris - Rome. That's what my teenage daughters would say too.

But if you are flying into Paris, out of Brussels, London - Paris - Amsterdam would be easier. Fly to Paris, Eurostar to London, fly to Amsterdam, train to Brussels (include a day there). And teenagers love Amsterdam (maybe not as much as Rome, but it is certainly more convenient if you are going into Paris and out of Brussels).

Beaches in the South of France are great too, if she likes beaches, but very quiet in June; no other kids her age, mostly old people and very young children. Juan les Pins is teenage heaven, but in July and August, not June.

Tulips

Don't do Brugge; pretty but very boring for a 16-year old (talking from experience here
Antwerp is much better; great fashion scene, lots going on. Maybe even spend a day in Antwerp before flying home from Brussels.

bardo1

Here's the TR of when we took our (then 16 year old) niece to Paris for a (too short) week:

http://www.fodors.com/community/euro...une-2-2008.cfm

If 2 weeks means 14 nights stay, then I would consider:

<b>Amsterdam 4 nights</b> (easy as you will likely arrive Brussels in the in the early morning)

(or just 2 nights if it's a 13 night stay). Could include a day trip to Bruges or Gent.

<b>Paris 7 nights</b> So glad to hear this is her priority. Get an apartment! Too short? Of course - it's Paris!

I would never suggest Paris, London or Rome for less than 7 nights each.

bardo1

Oops - it should have looked like this:


<b>Amsterdam 4 nights</b> (easy as you will likely arrive Brussels in the in the early morning)

<b>Antwerp 3 nights</b> (or just 2 nights if it's a 13 night stay). Could include a day trip to Bruges or Gent.

<b>Paris 7 nights</b>...etc.

kelbo

Hi Everyone..thanks so much for all of the advice. After alot of back and forth with my neice we finally decided on Paris/London/Venice....the transportation will be a bit tricky since I have to fly out of BRU but I am thinking logistically to take the Eurostar from Paris to London. Fly Easyjet from London to Venice and then Ryanair from Venice to Brussels to spend the last night. It's a bit more airtravel than I wanted to take on for a 2 week trip but I think it will turn out okay! Thanks All. Kelly