This summer I am traveling with my parents and a friend (i am 16) to Europe. I was wondering if anybody had any suggestions about fun things to do at a cheaper price.
The cities we are staying in are:
Paris
Basel
Grindelwald (Interlaken)
Milan
Turino
Just some fun things that are a little but out of the ordinary for tourists to do. We have all the museums and touristy places down but I would like a place to shop, hangout, have fun that sort of thing. Also maybe some activites??
Thanx!

ttt

ttt

Interlaken- Canyoning was sooo much fun! There are a lot of outdoor activities there.
Paris- the bike tour

have fun!

You might try websites like What's On When (i think that's the right name) and look for local festivals or special events.

Also check individual town tourist websites or information booths or train stations after you arrive looking for free outdoor concerts, church fundraisers, schedule for street markets, etc.

From Grindelwald take a bus to the Oberer Glacier outside of town. It's about 3/4 mile from where they let you off to the 890 wooden steps (think more like stepladders) upt to the top of a granite outcropping (there is a snack bar there) and then you can walk into the blue ice cave inside the glacier. From there we went back down then up the mountain on the other side to Milchbach then to Pfinsteeg, where you can take a cable car back down. This makes a wonderful day!

There's a wonderful "cartoon" museum in Basel. Be sure to take the cable pulled little passenger ferry across the river while there.

Visit the catacombs and/or the sewers n Paris.

http://www.whatsonwhen.com/

In Paris go to the Clignancourt flea/antiques market. When you come out of the metro, follow the crowds (or ask for the market). First you will come to t-shirts, bootleg c.d.'s, lots of crap. Then comes all kinds of wonderful antiques that a sophisticated 16 year old might enjoy browsing among

Of course Paris has beautiful parks--the Luxembourg Gardens and the Tuileries are lovely. There are always rollerbladers at the Jardins du Trocadero across the Seine from the Eiffel Tower.

I'm not big on department stores myself, but there are several big ones in Paris. Printemps, Galeries Lafayettes (sp?) are two of them.

This the kind of thing you're looking for? Or too guide book-y?

When travelling to Europe in the summer I make a point of finding the local swimming hole. It could be a city park with a lake or a municipal pool. Some of them I've come across have been quite large, multi-pool complexes.

Afterall it is summer, and an afternoon or two just resting and getting some sun, people watching and just hanging out on a hot day can be a great diversion from museums, churches and the like.

In Italy most of the teens hang out at the piazza's in the evening and nighttime but I don't know if your parents would go for that idea. Italian parents seem to expect their teens to do that..probably because they are so glad to get them out of the house, LOL.

J62's suggestion about swimming pools is an excellent one. I've had several fun days that way in Switzerland. One was a big municipal pool with large lawns, snack bar, and loads of local kids and Mom's. The other connected with a hotel/casino was more high-end but you could buy a day pass w/towel or lounge chair. Again lots of families but these seemed vacationing ones not local.

We spent a really fun day at a swimming pool complex in Geneva. I had forgotten about it until I saw J62's post.

Couple of fun ideas for Paris:
"Paris Plage" - a section of the banks of the Seine is turned into a "beach" for a few weeks every summer, complete with sand, deckchairs, and activities like volleyball tournaments etc. Not sure what the exact dates are this year, but it should be around the end of July till the end of August.

Open air cinema at Parc de la Villette (free) - a huge inflatable screen is erected and you can watch a variety of films in the open air. This year it is running from 4 July till 13 August, every night except Monday, starting at dusk. Usually there is a "theme" linking the films shown each summer. Though some of them will be in French or other foreign languages, there are always some films in English with French subtitles. Take a picnic, arrive early to stake out a spot (it gets busy!) and then lie back and enjoy the film. Though not online yet, the film programme should be posted on the park website - http://www.villette.com/us/mainprog.htm.