My wife and I are beginning to plan a two week trip with my 15 year old granddaughter for next July. We're looking for any suggestions on what to do with her. She loves to shop. Who doesn't? Me. Any advice on an itinerary, local guides to hire, etc. We'll be starting in London then on to Belgium and Amsterdam.
Thank you.
Mark
That is quite a hefty itinerary for just two weeks - especially as the first day may well be spent recovering from jet lag...
There's more to life than shopping... I suggest you try and persuade granddaughterr to sit down with a guide book and see how much more there is to all the diffeent places than shopping... Get her involved in planning the itinerary.
I went to London for the first and only time a few years back and I loved it.
I loved the V & A Museum and across the street is a Museum of Natural History. That might be something to look into for both yourself and granddaughter.
Very interesting collection of old pocket watches at the Museum of Natural History.
Stayed across the street from Kensington Gardens. Could have spent every day there. There would be a lot for you and granddaughter. I forget what it is called but there is an area dedicated to Princess Diana. It Might be called Diana's fountain. Lots of aquatic wildlife walking around. There are boat rides. I think swimming is allowed.
In Belgium, I went to Bruges but did not spend enough time there. I will be going back for another visit in 2027. If possible, you should allow at least one full day in Bruges.
You probably want to get a guidebook or two for London. Rick has a good one.
How many days are you going to spend in each place because you probably know that you could spend a month in London and it would still not be enough.
If your granddaughter likes shopping you HAVE to take her to Selfridge's on Oxford Street. Opened by an American from Wisconsin in 1909, it is magical window displays and good food too. She will love it. And if you want to spend some big bucks for shopping, Bond Street. If you are there on a Saturday and especially on Sunday and want to visit a classic London market for shopping, try the Camden Market at Camden Lock. It's a little bohemian (but not as much as it used to be), and there is a cool statue of singer Amy Winehouse there (Camden was her hometown). You should not miss the British Museum (the world's oldest museum). One of the top (maybe the top) museums in the world. It's free but you should pre-book your ticket (and time) or you will stand in a long line to get in. If you are looking for a little peace and quiet from the city hustle & bustle, try Regent's Park. We spent a delightful afternoon there, and in July it should be very colorful with flowers in full bloom.
In London, Liberty is a great place to shop. It's expensive, but the building is very cool. Another way to entertain the non-shoppers is to visit places like Covent Garden, Leadenhall Market, and the arcades, where there is architecture to appreciate. https://www.thesimplyrefined.com/londons-arcades/
There are all manner of street markets, flea markets, and charity shops. I read somewhere that the smaller the charity (and the wealthier the neighborhood), the better the merchandise in the charity shop. Of course, the big department stores, Harrods and Selfridge's. I haven't been, not my scene.
In Belgium, I always recommend the Atlantikwall Museum, which is on the coast. It's an easy day trip from Bruges by train and tram.
One Amsterdam shop worth visiting (not so much for shopping) is the Sam and Julia Shop, aka the Mouse Mansion. https://www.themousemansion.com/pages/visit-the-mouse-mansion?srsltid=AfmBOooS8JpL6nYgtCm-kDnDIEoDEMFHUUMi5aU8KM4wHeiLzAHkk9UZ
I really liked DSIGN in Amsterdam. Wildly expensive, but very cool things in there. I remember visiting the one in the Rokin neighborhood, which has a lot of nice shops (including the big names, but again, not my scene--stick to the side streets). Not far away is https://www.sterkstaaltje.com, a great place for getting picnic supplies (and wine!).
Hi there, great that others have covered some ideas for the shopper in London. This is a very open-ended question and your trip is short for seeing 3 cities! How are you traveling between them? How many days in each place? (Unless you have a burning desire to visit Brussels, I might skip it and focus on London & Amsterdam for your 2 weeks.) If you're taking the Eurostar, booking early can save you a lot of money, and be sure to allow plenty of time for immigration before boarding. Can you fly into London & out of Amsterdam? That will save backtracking.
You can use the tool bar on the RS home page, type in Belgium Amsterdam & London separately and you will get LOTS of ideas. Here is just one example - https://community.ricksteves.com/travel-forum/trip-reports/the-netherlands-belgium-april-2024-brought-the-rain-pants-needed-the-rain-pants
I would start with the RS country info, watch some of the videos about what you want to see, everyone is different!
https://www.ricksteves.com/europe/england/london (look at the ‘at a glance’. Do the same with Amsterdam & Belgium. There are also numerous videos under ‘Watch’, Good luck!
I guess my question is how did you come to settle on London, Belgium (which city??) and Amsterdam? To me for a shopping 15 year old I'd divide between London and Paris but it's your trip not mine, lol!! I also am not a shopper........except for striped shirts at the Bastille Market on Sundays, hahaha!!
In Brussels there is the shopping street Rue Neuve which is right near De Brouckère metro station, and also nice shopping on the Avenue Louise (Louise metro) and up Chaussée d'Ixelles (Porte de Namur metro). Between these last two are also a shopping strip along Avenue Toison d'Or. In Antwerp there is shopping almost from the station all the way down into the Meir and down to the cathedral. You can intersperse this with café stops. For a 15 year old girl she should look out for New Yorker (cheap fashionable clothes), Miss Etam (nice underwear), HEMA (cheap department store). You would want to be down this street in Antwerp anyway to get to the centre of town and the other attractions.
If you get bored of shopping, which I can see easily, near Rue Neuve in Brussels there is a Museum of Illusions. My teenage daughter likes this museum. It's not what I would consider a local sight, it could be in any city, but it's a bit of fun and tests your brain out. Lots of schools do excursions here. I would also try to get a museum or art gallery in - I would recommend Magritte for a teenager. Magritte was a surrealist and paints things that are ridiculous. The museum is world-class. You could also try a concert at BOZAR, which is where all the main concerts take place. We personally like markets, and there is an amazing flea market at Place du Jeu de Balles not far from Porte de Hal metro. No food there but go up Rue Haute or Rue Blaes for restaurants and interesting shops if you are in the area.
Lavandula
My experience traveling with teens made me realize you really need some planning from them. What you think are the great sights to see, they could care less. History, cultural significance, all that..nada. An example is the Anne Frank house. It means a lot to Americans in a certain age group, because we all read the book, maybe acted in the play, saw the movie, and WW2 was a tangible thing. Kids nowadays (yes, I sound old), it means little.
Have her do research, what are her interests? What does she want to see? You can help her discover interesting things, but you really can not plan it for her. You also have to figure out that your pace may not match hers. Our daughter, after a bit, was fine spending the afternoon in the hotel room texting friends and watching TV. (After a week into a 3-4 week trip she insisted we let her fly home, we vetoed that)
I think it comes down to you winnowing things down to one or two things a day that she "must" see, then one or two things she found, then some down time here and there.
We've always managed family trips by planning some things for us, some for our daughter mixed in, on that understanding. Nice if it converges (which sometimes it does). My daughter prefers unplanned so I always have a list of possibles and we pick something from the list on the day. This works if it's a place where there are no queues or booked-out sights. If that is the case, you do have to plan ahead, with all the problems that brings (can't for example account for the weather if you book in advance). In Brussels and Antwerp you won't find many sights that you have to queue for as there are fewer tourists. Bruges might be a different case, I haven't been for a couple of years.
Lavandula
EDIT: ... but you might have to book restaurants in advance in Brussels, as many good places book out quickly!
For a teenage girl I guess a few hours in Primark would be heaven.
There is a massive branch near Marble Arch. It’s cheap and cheerful ( depending on your attitude to fast fashion) and very very busy. Leave her there and go off and do something different.
All teens are different. Mine did really appreciate the Corrie Ten Boom house and the Anne Frank House but she's read Anne Frank's diary several times and the Hiding Place at least twice. I would let her watch travel videos and look at guidebooks and accept her input. I go over itineraries with my daughter and we plan our trips together (we just returned from our 3rd European trip together, she's taken them age 14, 15, and 16 now). Does she like art? So many good art museums in London and Amsterdam (I've never been to Belgium).
I'm going to respectfully disagree about Anne Frank House. First, encourage her to read the book if she hasn't already. Second, the museum's introductory exhibits and videos provide an accessible context. Even my 12yoa son, who refused to read the book, got it. I can't imagine taking a teenage girl, of all people, to Amsterdam and NOT visiting this museum.
I would skip Belgium. There are places in England that I think your granddaughter would find much more interesting., If she is a Harry Potter fan, you should go to York. I agree that Anne Frank House is an absolute must but make sure you get tickets way in advance. Into every trip a little education must fall and we have a responsibility to educate younger people about what happened.
It's pricey but you should consider taking her to tea at Fortnum and Mason-the savory one can substitute for dinner.
bostonphil, I didn't know you were pocket watch Sheldon's twin.LOL
"An example is the Anne Frank house. It means a lot to Americans in a certain age group, because we all read the book, maybe acted in the play, saw the movie, and WW2 was a tangible thing. Kids nowadays (yes, I sound old), it means little."
I'm not sure about the US, but the book is part of the national curriculum in my home country of Australia, in both English and History. I'd be surprised if the current generation wasn't well aware of it. Our kids certainly are and have plenty of background on the history.
I'm thankful for that, Simon. It's in our homeschool curriculum and the play was showing last November in my city . I don't really like lumping any generation "these days" but there are literate, well-read children in the USA today.
We have visited all three countries and they are great, but I would recommend doing either Belgium and Amsterdam OR the UK.
We did a 4 week self driving (rental car) tour of England and South Wales in 2017 and loved it.
Recently, we visited London for four days and did a tour of Deven and Cornwall.
London is a huge city, and its streets are very, very crowded. We took a HoHo bus to avoid taking the underground. We stopped and got off the bus a few times. We found that JUST the time we were on the bus we spent 4 hours, due to the slow traffic. Still, we did get to see a lot of the city from the bus.
Just visiting Westminister Abbey and other key sites, you must book in advance.
We did Amsterdam in 2023 (I visited there 40 years ago) and spent a week touring the city, visiting museums and some sites outside the city. Both London and Amsterdam are expensive, a small or budget hotel in each city will cost you a minimum of $250 a night.
In Belgium, do not miss Brugges.
My husband and I did this trip last fall: London 3 days, Bruges 3 days and Amsterdam 3 days. Normally, we spend more time in each place, but due to family issues, we managed these 9 days...and had a WONDERFUL time!!! Oddly enough, we didn't feel rushed. In London, we chose a hotel close to Trafalgar Square, so we could easily to walk where we wanted to go and even spent a full day at Windsor Castle and then strolled over the bridge into Eton. As others have mentioned, there are some charming shops close to Covent Garden and close to Cecil Court for shopping.
From London, we took an early Eurostar train to Brussels, popped our luggage in a locker at the train station and spent a couple hours there, before heading to Bruges. (Honestly, you could skip Brussels and go straight to Bruges - so charming and lots of places to explore, shop, enjoy.) We did do a day trip to Ghent as well, which we really enjoyed too.
From Bruges, we took the local train to Amsterdam. There are lovely people at the train station to help you purchase your tickets and we bought ours the day of.
In Amsterdam, we stayed in the Jordaan area, which we LOVED. Just walking around the canals will be thrilling. Your granddaughter would very much enjoy shopping in the Nine Little Streets area. I'd also suggest you get tickets for the Anne Frank House and visit the Van Gogh Museums or at least one of the museums. (When we were at the Van Gogh Museum, I was surprised at how many younger people were there and were really seeming to enjoy it!) Also, in Amsterdam, take a canal boat ride! It's so much fun and a great way to see the city! Whatever you decide, you'll have a great time! We sure did.
Thank you to everyone who responded. I know it takes time out of your busy schedules to do this. All responses have been very helpfull and very much appreciated!!
Safe travesl!
Mark
