jasperdog

Hi all,

I am just in the very beginning stages of planning a family trip to Germany/Austria for June 2013. We have 3 weeks total but the first week will be spend in Lithuania with grandparents. I anticipate that while it will be enjoyable, the kids (14 and 17) will get a little bored with the usual adult fare of museums, churches, visiting family, etc.

The second two weeks are just our family and I'd like to have some unique, out of the box ideas for the kids to do. We plan on the salt mines, ice caves and alpine slides - but no ideas which one might be more adventurous.

Again, I am just beginning so I have no set plans as to where we'll go and how long - kinda fun!

Any thoughts or ideas??

Thanks so much,
Jeannine

longhorn55

I've done all of those with my family--salt mines in Berchtesgaden and Hallstatt; ice cave in Hallstatt; alpine slide in Fuessen. There are one or two slides in the salt mines which are fun and the train ride into the mine is good, but the rest of the tour would probably bore a teenager. The ice cave was cool (literally and figuratively), but not particularly adventurous. The alpine slide is definitely the most adventurous of the three.

bigtyke

google 'fun forest'

bigtyke

add 'germany' to the google for a better result

lavandula

This is a list of open-air museums in Germany:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Categor...ums_in_Germany

I've been to the one in Cloppenburg. It's not like a normal museum, it consists of historic houses brought from all over Lower Saxony into a little township. You can see not only the different architectural styles, but also you can get to understand how people lived. I think this is far more compelling for teens than a normal museum. I would also second the fun forest suggestion - an opportunity to do a bit of climbing will get the ants out of their pants. If you tell us where you'll be in Germany we might be able to suggest amusement parks too.

Lavandula

jgg

We did a Germany, Czech Republic, Austria trip a few years ago when our kids were 12 and 16 (daughter turned 16 on the trip). Our kids really enjoyed this trip. We did the things you mentioned (except for the ice caves) and they really enjoyed everything, particularly the alpine slides. My son also really enjoyed the BMW Welt (Museum) in Munich. We also did a Sound of Music bicycle tour in Salzburg which is a fun way to do the SOM thing.

They loved the food too. You do have to be mindful of doing too many museums, but I have always found that my kids enjoy seeing things (just maybe have to move through them quicker), and just exploring the country.

Here is a link to my trip report along with pictures: http://www.fromhometoroam.com/catego...ublic-austria/

michele_d

Our son and his fiance, 26 & 25, really enjoyed the falcon show at Hohenwerfen Fortress, the Krimmel Waterfall, the Kaprun Gorge and especially the Eisreisenwelt Ice cave. It is a hike to get to the ice cave and there are lots of steps inside but it is the memory of a lifetime.

http://www.kaprunmuseum.at/index.php?id=19&L=1

http://www.eisriesenwelt.at/site/con...p?file=anfahrt

http://salzburg-burgen.at/en/werfen/...info/index.htm

http://www.wasserfaelle-krimml.at/ht...fall_engl.html

jasperdog

Thanks so much for the responses. I did the Sound of Music tour 22 years ago on my honeymoon and I remember really enjoying it then - I'm sure it's just as much fun - but now with bikes that's even better.

I really don't know where yet. We are flying in from Lithuania as I don't want to waste time driving. Depending on how much time we spend in each place, since I don't want to be constantly packing and moving, we'll probably fly into Berlin or Munich, maybe Prague.

Would love to see Vienna, Salzburg, Munich, Rotherburg ob der Tauberand maybe Hallstadt. But already feel that's more than enough.

Love the amusement park idea - hadn't even thought of that!

Thanks,
jeannine

Watzmann

If the weather is fine, you could visit one of the bavarian lakes for swimming.
The village of Kochel by the Kochelsee has a great family beach called Trimini with waterslides and great mountain views http://www.kochel.de/index.php?id=0,121
The Olympic Stadium of 1972 in Munich has a famous, tent-like roof. There are official tours of that roof with harness and ropes, quite an adventure.
http://www.olympiapark.de/de/home/to...zeltdach-tour/
http://www.mikesbiketours.com and others offer munich city tours on bikes.
http://www.raft-mit.de/index.php offers all kinds of outdoor-activities around Berchtesgaden, such as rafting, canyoning, mountainbiking...

lavandula

Since you don't yet know where you'll be, here is a pull-down list of theme parks, also searchable by map.

http://www.germany.travel/en/special...eme-parks.html

I only know of a couple myself, Legoland, Europa Park and Ravensburger Spieleland. There would be plenty scattered throughout Germany so that if you make your decisions on your path based on can't-miss attractions, you'd be able to find a theme park in the areas you plan to go to, if that's the direction you take your trip in.

Lavandula

LindaWilson136

Good afternoon, Jasperdog.

There are so fun many things in Austria that will appeal to teenagers. Have a look at :

http://www.austrianalpineholidaysblog.com especially under the 'what's on where'; 'summer sports'; 'family fun' categories.

New stuff is being added all the time, so it's worth keeping an eye on.

Gniessen Sie Osterreich!

Kind regards
L

jasperdog

Thanks so much for all your suggestions and tips! This is certainly a great way to start planning.

Much appreciated!
Jeannine