We are spending our 3rd summer in Palma de Mallorca (my husband is working there) and we’d like to take a long weekend in June to a place that has a direct flight. Our boys are 11 and 14. Some of the places we’ve thought about are Amsterdam, Copenhagen, Zurich, and Dublin. If you’ve taken similar aged children to any of these and can recommend them please share. Or if there are other cities we should consider I’m all ears. Our main requirement is that it’s a walkable city and that it isn’t so large that we’d be better saving it for a longer visit. We’ve already been to Barcelona, Paris, Lisbon, and Rome. Thank you so much for any insights!
Posted by
Charleston & Birmingham
4627 posts
Amsterdam-lots to do-maybe rent bicycles?
Posted by
Uppsala, Sweden
7052 posts
Palma is a popular tourist destination in the summer, so there are direct flights to most of Europe, even if they in many cases are typical tourist flights, i.e. only operated once a week or so. You'll struggle to find a city that isn't walkable, so I guess the question is where do you draw the line for "isn't so large"?
Copenhagen is not a bad idea though, SAS has daily flights between Palma and Copenhagen.
Posted by
Magyarország / Rep of Texas
20463 posts
I just picked a random weekend in June. Departing Friday (many flights leave after 5pm so he only misses work on Monday. And returning on Monday. These are all non-stop. Zoom in on the map for all the options. Change the dates around as discount airlines fly different times and routes on different days of the week.
You have a lot to choose from. If you had a little more time, I would do Thursday after work through Tuesday and go to Bucharest for something totally different than where you have been. I love getting out of my conventional comfort zone.
I spend a few month a year in a different European city (also with direct flights to Palma de Mallorca .... hmmm, maybe I come visit you LOL) and this is exactly how I plan my side trips. ..... hmmmm ..... i have a few days, where does Wizz and Ryan go?
Posted by
Pittsburgh, USA
295 posts
I've been to two of the 4 and I took my teenage son along.
I wouldn't choose Dublin for a number of reasons, but Amsterdam could be delightful depending on how you deal with crowds as it has many narrow spaces. That said, there are endless shops and bakeries and cafes and smaller museums that don't require hours. And a canal cruise with a great captain or guide will be full of interesting details.
I haven't been, but a contrast to your base and the other cities you've been to might be Berlin and I've been told young people enjoy it.
What about somewhere that will be cooler and a little less crowded, like Riga? Less pricey than Copenhagen and the others too.