79 days in Europe with a 14 year old boy

wow.. lots to digest.. will get back to you later with more thoughts.. but please do not limit yourself to Ryanair . I use Ryanair.. its not that bad.. using it again in May.. but do not use it for a flight arriving or leaving Paris..It uses an airport that is 90 kms out of paris.. an hour and half commute.. and no direct rail or bus.. you have to cobble it together.. and they evilly sometimes have flights that arrive early am.. or leave very late at night.. very difficult to commute to.
Use Easyjet or Vueling if flying from Barcelona.. I have used both of them too.

Cheapo airlines are great.. even with add ons for luggage etc they still seem like good prices to me.

For Paris to London do not fly.. take the Eurostar.. bought well in advance tickets can be very cheap and you lv and arrive city center so no extra cost commuting in and out of airports( which can add up another 10-20 euros or GBPs each) ..

My 13 and 14 yr old son thought the Catacombs in Paris were a big hit.. and both liked climbing stuff.. we climbed the stairs up the Eiffel Tower.. cheaper and line is not as long as elevator . Also liked climbing up Towers of Notre Dame.

I can't suggest specific sights that might appeal to a 14-year-old boy, but I have a few more general comments:

• I think a short boat ride helps break up the walking that's an inevitable part of visiting a big city, so I'd consider boat trips in places like London and Paris.
• Similarly, I'd research some possible day trips out of the big cities to neighboring towns, beaches, etc. I think you'll need that variety even if you come up with a long list of kid-friendly sights in the cities.
• Seven days sounds like a very long time in Athens unless there's a special reason for being there.
• Three days may be a little light for Venice. It has such a different feel from the other destinations because of all the water.
• I spent all last summer (and then some) in Europe, and the heat followed me almost everywhere. I think you're at risk of subjecting yourself to week after week of unrelenting heat, and I'm not sure your base cities provide many opportunities for quick runs into the mountains. It's lovely to be able to take such a long trip, but being out in the heat over than long a period may prove exhausting.
• Morocco is utterly fascinating. With some research you can probably figure out what part of Tangier would be the most "different" and thus the most interesting to your son. I just passed through that city on the way to a ferry.

Ps I invested a lot of money taking my kids on trips to Europe. We planned that each child got a one on one trip with one parent.. I did our first son when he was 13, then my hubby took the next son when he was almost 14, then I took our 11 yr old daughter.

One rule we had is the kids HAD TO CONTRIBUTE SOME RESEARCH EQUITY' , why is it all on you to do it.. kids are perfectly capable of googling " things to do in -------" reading up on it and giving you a list of a few things they want to do . How do you think I found the Catacombs.. I sure didn't, my son did. and I HAD to do it.. and I am mildly claustrophobic, but that was the deal. he puts up with some of "my" sites.. and I make sure he got to see " his " sites.

Kids have a hard time whining about a trip they helped plan, but you plan it all is a recipe for them feeling they are being dragged along on your trip.. not theirs.

Its a lot of money to spend on kids.. other kids are camping at the lake.. they should be appreciate the treat they are getting.. and get involved.. just my opinion.. but it worked for all three of my kids.

I agree.. 7 days in Athens too long.. add another island.. Naxos or Paros.

Venice.. hmm sorry .. my one son and daughter were ok leaving after 2 days ( three nights).. kids do not get the romance of wandering the canals all day long.. and boys are not usually into popping into little shops etc.

Rome. I haven't done it yet.. we never seem to have enough time.. but I would totally take your son to see Pompeii.. how cool that is.. every kid learned about it in school.

Florence.. seven days. that's quite a long visit for a teen boy.. that's a lot of history and museums.. I would think that one over carefully.

Paris.. daytrips and why not do an overnight to see the D Day beaches.. and maybe two or three nights in Loire Valley.. these are not expensive trips if you book trains in advance.. really pretty cheap.. and hotels can be had cheaper then Paris..

London.. definitely do the Tower of London.. the Beefeaters tour is done with humor and makes it fun. Definitely visit the Imperial War museum.. the World War section was amazing.. there is even a section you walk through that is done up like you are walking through a trench during a battle.. and the section on how folks lived in London during the war is very interesting..
Thorpe Park.. ok.. I said it.. and amusment park.. but a good one with a whopping big rollercoaster( if you try to make every thing you do educational or a history lesson you will bore almost any child after a few weeks)

London - Once we were confident he could navigate it on his own, we let our 15 year old son loose in the tube for 1/2 day to go where he wanted in the city. He had to tell us where he was going and we agreed to a meeting spot just before lunch time. He still thinks that was a very cool experience to have a bit of freedom!
Walking around and looking at the amazing graffiti art in Shoreditch was also declared "cool".
Paris - The catacombs are always a hit with kids.

I would research festivals in the areas you will be traveling. I took my son to Italy 2 years ago when he was 11, his favorite part was the Luminaria festival in Lucca and the soccer match we took him to in Florence. Also, the gelato...... He had it at least once a day!

This summer were hitting 3 different Italian festivals and Pompeii.......... I don't think we have any museums in the list.... That's exhausting for a teen and they won't remember much of it.

What about bike ride tours? They have them in most major cities. We're planning on doing one in Munich this summer.

Bike tours are a great idea.. Fat Tire Bike tours does tours in Paris ,Barcelona and London.. all fun and easy ( and I am not a fitness person).. I did them in Paris and London.. total hit .

Museums do not have to be boring or all about looking at paintings.. my kids loved the armour and medival weapons at the Invalids Army Musuem in Paris.. even the 11 yr old girl was not bored there..
Even places like Louvre have more interesting parts for kids. Egyptian section ( good one in London too) Napoleons Apartments.. and the Medival Louvre.

Breeze through painting galleries.. most kids can only see so much of those.. but do point out a few nice paintings.. it helps if you enjoy art.. you can explain stuff and make if fun.

Cooking classes are fun, learning to row in Venice would be a blast, bike tours are great as well as kayaking, we have even gone horseback riding in the country to get a different vibe. Have your son do a little research and see what he comes up with! What a fantastic opportunity and what memories!

How exciting!! We have taken our boys to Europe twice so far, and my older son (13) and I are heading off to Spain in less than a week...

Here are a couple things they liked:
London - 10yo loved Harry Potter studios, while 12yo and I saw Wicked, and shockingly, he loved it. They also liked lunch at Borough Market and crossing the top of Tower Bridge (which we almost skipped).

Venice - they were 9 and 11 and we did the rowing at rowvenice.org which we all loved.

Edinburgh - the castle and the one o'clock gun were a big hit

We also toured Wembley stadium in London, saw an Arsenal game, and toured Camp Nou in Barcelona, all which they loved because they play soccer.

We are going to GIbraltar next week because my 13yo saw the Rick Steves video and really really wanted to go there. So I will let you know if it lives up to his expectation! We are also doing a Segway tour in Cordoba (hopefully if weather cooperates) that he really wanted to do.

Biking is always a big hit for us.

Have a great trip!

Many cities also have Segway tours in addition to bike tours, which might be fun for your son. They are not that hard to use and each tour will start out with some instructional time.

Segway tours of the city would be fun. Fat Tire offers them as well as other companies. From Florence you can do day trips to Pisa & Siena. Paris has Disneyland of course and there is Parc Asterix, http://www.parcasterix.fr/en. Harry Potter tour at Warner Brothers, Jack the Ripper & James Bond tours in London.

I have traveled with teen boys to a few of the location and they enjoyed the 'must see' places but they also enjoy just hanging out and wandering around. I would rent a car in Tuscany and stay in the countryside and do a day trip to Florence. Maybe someplace with a pool. Do some roadtrips and roadside picnics and just exploring the villages. A big hit with one 14 year old was spending the night on Mont St. Michel, and Normandy and Bayeux. Both teen boys loved Paris, but I did not troop them in and out of tons of museums.

I agree that 7 days in Athens is a bit long. I took a 15 year old there who loved Greek history but 2 days in the sweltering, hot and crowded city was plenty. We took a bus trip to Nafplio and spent 3 days there and loved it.

Just make sure he has a journal/trip log... with so many adventures he will forget a lot if he does not write it down... also his own camera may encourage him to really see things in a new way.

Have an amazing time... it will change his life.

Even if you're a seasoned traveler, sometimes it's hard to remember to think in nights rather than days. Considering travel time, even if it is on a plane, parts of days are lost. It's good to remember that to have X full days in a place requires X+1 nights. So to spend 3 full days in Seville, you need to have 4 nights there. I didn't do the math to see how that thought pattern would affect your itinerary, if at all.

What a lucky kid your son is to get to go on this trip. Do require him to do some of the research on what to see and do where. Our son took his 2 oldest daughters to Paris when they were 10 and 12. The 10-year-old participated excitedly in the planning. The 12-year-old didn't. Guess which one had the most fun and has the fondest memories of the trip.

Hi Karen, since this is a homeschool trip, I'd focus on the educational aspects of the countries you're visiting - WWI and WWII sites, exploring how the castles and fortresses were constructed, events that took place during the Renaissance, etc. I assume there is a curriculum for his grade, suggest that you tailor your trip to meet those goals.

I'd have him be prepared to do a journal or scrapbook to document what he's learned.

I also purchased a "scratch map" for my nephew who likes to travel. Maybe you could get one for your son so he can track where he's been.

Sounds like a great opportunity for your son and a wonderful trip for both of you.

Donna mentioned educational experiences such as how castles and fortresses were constructed which made me think of Guedelon, where they are attempting to build a 13th century castle from scratch using the same methods as the time period with adjustments for safety. I have never been there, but it sounds interesting to me. It would probably require a car rental to get there, but since you are spending some time in Paris you might be able to fit it in your schedule.

http://www.guedelon.fr/en/

Some ideas to check out in London: Transport museum, Harry Potter Studios, Churchill's Cabinet War Rooms, Rick's tour of the British Museum (in his London book and the Audio Europe App) and the Treasures Exhibit at the British Library.

We've taken our kids to Europe multiple times and from our experience it's important to have some relaxing times in between and not to over schedule the "sites". Even if this is meant to be an educational experience! Otherwise, after seeing castle no. 8 you won't be able to appreciate what makes castle no. 9 unique and special ... From that perspective I'd suggest:

• shorter time in Athens and add more days to Crete to have some beach time
• instead of staying in Florence (unless you have friends there) stay in a small town in Tuscany in an accommodation with a pool and do day trips. Some of our most memorable experiences included baking a traditional pizza in a wood fired stone oven in the yard of our agriturismo in Tuscany!

Is he too old for dinosaurs, blue whales and earthquakes?

I was at the (free!) Natural History Museum in the South Kensington area of London today (across from the V and A and next to the Science Museum (both also free)) and experienced all those and loved it.

It is really something to see an elephant dwarfed by the Blue Whale flying overhead (and I was surprised to see that the giraffe was bigger than the elephant, too.

Dinosaurs everywhere, flying overhead, still in rock, standing on the ground. I won't spoil the surprise with which favs were present.

And as somebody who had my share of pretty big earthquakes when in lived in northern and southern California (first one while I was driving on the Golden Gate Bridge, last one the Glendale shake) I found the reenactment of a Japanese shake with the whole building a bit close to home but controlled. The kids loved it.

Only problem with that part of South Kensington with the Science museum and the V and A as well as Kensington Palace and the Royal Albert Hall, the Brompton Oratory and Albert Memorial is you could spend half a lifetime in there and not see it all....

if yuo are only at the planning stage, then perhaps consider things like

doing a plant tour of a car manufacturer, my wife and I thoroughly enjoyed doing the BMW factory tour and museum in Munich. my wife also loved it. and I can't believe any 14 year old boy would not being interested. I believe other car/bike manufactures do similar tours. get him to search them out on line.

also I can't imagine him not being into iphone/ipads and apps. so get him to source all the good travel apps before you go, most are free (or inexpensive) and have heaps of information and he could use them to good use while there. to me the app WORD LENS is brilliant. the 'better' ones can be used off-line so no problems with having to have wifi or using phone data.

perhaps hire some bikes, we have spent many really enjoyable times on hire bikes, just make sure you hire him a 'good' one that he feels like its a 'treat'

just a few ideas, hope they help.

1) I would forget Scotland, and add more time in family history focussed Ireland.
2) Forget the hire car in Barcelona. Train to Madrid/Toledo/Córdoba/Sevilla.
Pick up a hire car in Sevilla for smaller places in the south.
3) Fly from Sevilla to Nice, and spend 5 days on the Côte d'Azur, 5 days in Provence before 9 days in Paris.

Contrary to what has been said, I think it is nice to stay 7 days in Florence and Florence is not only history and museums.
An interesting tour would include the Vasari corridoio. Florence is a city you can walk, nice also to go and sit on the sandy beaches along the Arno in the Tuscanian Sun. All the artisan workshops are interesting to watch for a boy.
Italian cooking classes, book binding classes.
Also Florence is a good starting point for discovering Tuscany traveling by bus or train.