Debbie

Help!Our family of four may take a last minute "spring break"(end of March) trip overseas and the two flights that appear to be open are to Stockholm,Sweden or Manchester,England. We are a well traveled family but have not been to these two cities. If we do Manchester,we would try to do Lake District or Wales(as we have been to York,etc.)Stockholm seems interesting but perhaps really expensive(I remember how expensive Copenhagen was many years ago?).Any thoughts for a family with two teenagers(15 and 17) who like outdoors and history? (The kids are well read,enjoy sightseeing and doing new things- not your typical video gametypes!) Thanks for your help!Debbie

ellie

Having spent a delightful week in Stockholm this past autumn, I would cast an enthusiastic vote for your considering this destination. Our 17 year old son was unable to join us on this particular trip, but my husband and I kept finding ourselves remarking on how much he would have enjoyed this and that. My suggestion would be to stay in Gamla Stan - very charming old area with lots of interesting nooks and crannies to expolore. The Vasa Museum and Skansen -in particular the two zoos - are wonderful full or partial day excursions from the city proper. We bought lots of funky clothes, cds, etc as gifts for our son - all of which he liked very much. <BR>We found Stockholm to be a very "easy" place to visit - lots of american tv for the kiddies (and parents) - many familiar foods readily available - no problems with language (close to everyone has some facility with English)- have fun!

Debbie

Ellie-thanks for taking the time to send a reply.I go to the library and booksotre now to pick up some travel guides. If you have any other particulars concerning Stockholm-please let me know. Thanks,Debbie

ellie

Debbie:Here's some random info which may be of interest/help. <BR>We stayed at the Lady Hamilton Hotel in Gamla Stan which we liked very much. Literally steps away from the Royal Palace. They have a very colorful changing of the guard there a couple of times a week, but we found the goings on at the palace to be of interest at other times - ambassadors arriving in horse drawn coaches - the military band practicing their routines over and over, etc. The hotel has a website. We booked our reservation through travelocity without any problems (I did make a phone call to confirm a few days before our arrival and everything was in order). The hotel is spotlessly clean and superbly located. Breakfast buffet was included in the rate and quite nice. <BR>We had great luck at several restaurants within a few minutes walk of the hotel for dinner. All post menus which we studied as we wandered around during the day - especially enjoyed Sally's Cafe for casual bistro sort of food - located on Vasterlang which is the main drag through the middle of gamla stan with lots of interesting shops and places to eat. There's a post office on Stora Nygatan (also gamla stan) which turned out to be a convenient place to change travelers checks. <BR>As I mentioned earlier, you'll definately want to visit Skansen and the Vasa Museum on an island called Djurgarden - best way to get there is a 10 minute ferry ride you catch near an area called Slussen - right next to Gamla Stan. We also went out to Drottingholm via subway and bus (which was easy and fun) to visit the summer palace and chinese pavillion, but I think it may not be open in March. Unless you are an art fanatic, I'd probably skip the national art museum - although they have a great restaurant there for lunch! <BR>We found the big, modern downtown part of the city to be pretty ordinary, but enjoyed walking around neighborhoods a bit on the fringe - in particular Hornsgatan and Gotgatan (Slussen subway stop - we walked from Gamla Stan) where we bought all sorts of fun stuff in old fashioned hardware shops and interesting boutiques. <BR>If our son had been along on this trip, I'm sure we would have rented a car for at least one day to explore a bit beyond the city proper - not sure he would have been as content as we were to sit around <BR>watching people and pigeons!

Elsa

Hi, <BR> <BR>We have been to both the Lake District and Stockholm, and I would definitely rec. Stockholm. The Lake District is beautiful and peaceful, and although my husband and I would go back in a minute I think you would be better off going to Stockholm. There's a lot of driving to be done in the Lake D., whereas in Stockholm there's lots to do without hopping in and out of the car all the time. I'm sure the teenagers would prefer Sweden. Whether they are boys or girls, they always like to people watch and there are a lot of young people in Stockholm. There's lots to do without leaving the city. In the L.D. there are a lot of older folks. If the kids aren't happy, then your vacation may not be fun, so I would do what you think might interest them the most - especially since you haven't been to either place. <BR> <BR>Have fun. <BR> <BR>Elsa