Amsterdam/Belgium or Munich/Salzburg

How about Berlin and the surrounding region?

Stockholm >> Oslo >> Bergen

I have thought of Berlin - many people say that it is especially appealing to the college aged crowd. Do you think Berlin and surrounding area are a better choice than Amsterdam or Munich? I don't want to do just large city touring.

We are specifically saving Scandinavia for another trip. One of our sons is hoping to do his study abroad in Denmark. If so we plan to do a trip while he is there.

Bruges and Amsterdam have the advantage of being closer to Scotland. The ferry from Amsterdam to Newcastle is fun and easy overnight.

Easyjet flies from Berlin to Amsterdam. As you say both are great destinations for young people.

5 nights in Berlin, with days on the Spree and to Potsdam.
4 nights in Amsterdam with a day to Haarlem.
http://www.planetware.com/germany/10-top-rated-day-trips-from-berlin-d-zzz-15.htm

http://www.planetware.com/netherlands/amsterdam-surroundings-nl-nh-asurr.htm

Netherlands/Belgium offers excellent trains and lots to see in short distances. You can base in 2 or 3 cities and have easy day trips.

Amsterdam has really interesting museums: Maritime, Dutch Resistance, Portuguese Synagogue come to mind immediately. Rent bikes and tootle around like locals for 3 days. You can move to a smaller place in the Netherlands for 2-3 days or day-trip from A'dam.

Then spend 3 nights in Ghent and day-trip to Bruges, Antwerp and/or Brussels.

There are frequent trains that take 1.5 hours from Brussels (Midi) to Schiphol Airport , so you have the option of flying in/out of either.

Lisa,

I've been to both areas and while they both have pros & cons, my suggestion would be Munich and Salzburg (with day trips). The teens would probably enjoy seeing the "circus" that takes place in the Hofbrauhaus, and there are lots of historic sights to see in those two cities.

Lisa,
Berlin & surrounding area would be my suggestion - I was in Berlin with my teens last summer and we loved the city, we only had 4 days but it vibrant and exciting for teens/college students. There are lots of great outdoor activities including bike rentals and neighborhoods for cafe visits and people watching. I would also recommend the Neues museum, it was the only museum at museum island we visited but definitely worth while. You could easily fill 9 days in Berlin and outlying areas (I wish we had seen more) and then head to your next destination. My kids found the Germans and other travellers all friendly and really engaging and added to the positive experience we had, Berlin was our favourite city in our 4 week trip. We also enjoyed Munich but really preferred Berlin.

Thanks so much for all the great replies. I get the feeling that I will not go wrong with either of these destinations, but I think I will look into Berlin a bit more. I have heard several times that it is a really interesting place. My daughter has a piece of the Berlin Wall so she would probably really enjoy putting it in context.

I think it will come down to logistics. It does look like it is just a easy to get from Munich to London as Amsterdam to London with the cheap flights available. I need to check the Berlin options.

Thanks again for the helpful suggestions.

Lisa,
We took an express bus from a metro station- Zoo Stn to Tegel airport. It was very easy and took about 30 minutes. When researching where to stay and how to get to the airport, I believe there are a number of quick, easy ways to get to Tegel. We stayed at Pension Peters and thought it was a good choice, its close to transit, lots of nearby restaurants and has family rooms.