8 days in Europe
 

Hi - my family of 4 (2 sons ages 16 and 14) looking for a great trip idea in Europe on the dates of August 6 - 14. Our dates are not flexible unfortunately.
Have considered Spain, Portugal, Scandinavia, Eastern Europe. Not interested in England or France.
Kids are active and can tolerate a lot of activity but some down time is nice too.
I know Spain is probably very hot but is this doable at all or just unbearable that time of year.
Thank you to any world travelers for any ideas.

Jill

Driving or taking trains? 8 days is not much - do either southern Spain and Portugal or Scandinavia or Eastern Europe. If going by trains check out www.seat61.com; www.ricksteves.com and www.budgeteuropetravel.com - check the latter's online European Planning & Rail guide for lots of suggested rail itineraries in all those places.

I would not visit either Spain or Portugal in August. Eastern Europe could also be really hot, and I needed AC in Berlin and Stockholm in August last year. I'd consider Norway, maybe you can plan some hiking. Otherwise Stockholm and the islands.

In August I would definitely head for Scandinavia.

Not sure about Portugal - but Spain, esp the south has daily highs of 100 and can go up to 120 at times - so IMHO being outdoors is just hell.

Baltic states.
Or Iceland.
If you go to Eastern Europe choose one country. Like Prague with some day trips.

Hot is fun if you are on the Med.

Fly into Madrid, fly home from Barcelona. You probably have only six full days for touring. There's a high-speed train between the two cities, they have different characters, and Barcelona beaches are almost inside the city.

Is budget an issue? Scandanavia and Norway are quite expensive, especially if you are comparing it with Portugal or much of eastern Europe.

I think I would go to Portugal and give over a chunk of the time to beaches if your family likes to swim. There is enough sightseeing of interest and the experience of a truly different culture to keep everybody interested, but you can also while away hours at the seaside or by a pool. Huge vacation apartments are very cheap in Portugal, so I would book a rental or two.

Not all of Spain is hot in summer. The northern coast is typically pleasant in July. Even for the south, if you live like the locals -- early morning sightseeing, long lunches followed by relaxing into the early evening, then out and about for strolls and snacks, it can be enchanting. I would rent a car however, rather than be negotiating public trans and luggage in high temps.

Eight days is not a lot of time.

Where are you flying from? Do those dates include travel time?? How do you plan to get around? What were you looking to do? What did you want to avoid?

If budget is not a huge concern and you are coming from the US, I would second Whatthehello's suggestion and highly recommend Iceland: especially flying from New York or Boston, the flight is significantly shorter than to elsewhere in continental Europe, which means more time saved on the ground. It has great summer activities (hiking, whale watching, horseback riding), very long sunny days in August, a fun little capital in Reykjavik, and some of the most beautiful scenery. You could get a lot of mileage out of 8 days in Iceland.

Also, realize you said no England: any interest in Ireland? I've not been, but seems also to have a more mild climate in August than some other locations, again great scenery and a variety of activities, layers and layers of history, and again is a shorter flight from eastern seaboard US if that's where you are coming from, which means saving some time for on the ground.