Best 7-10 day trip with a teen?

If the 14 year old likes London/UK, I’d go with that and have a happy teen!

That’s not a great time to see football, the season doesn’t being until around August 10 or so. Many teams will be having preseason matches in the USA and Asia during that time, so you might be able to see one in the USA.

Hi Mary, "Best" is relative, right? If your son is interested in the UK, for whatever reason, that seems like a good place to start (and end, for that matter). Some people like starting in English speaking countries to buffer the cultural transition, some dont. There is plenty to do in London/the UK for 7-10 days. Plus, you could look at the Premier League schedule and try to find a game that happens during that time. You could conceivably visit London and a city in Germany (Berlin?) in 10 days, as domestic European flights are inexpensive, but that would spread your time thinner and give you a less immersive experience. For me, with the time you have, Id stick to one country (there's so much to do in either England or Germany). If the soccer game is very important, I would research that first and then focus the trip around that location. I think the season is in a lull at that time of year...

I think England would be perfect for a first trip. Some city, some countryside. London, Stonehenge and Winchester on the Salisbury Plain, up to Liverpool in the west, over to Yorkshire in the northeast and back down to London.

UK is a good first trip, especially if your son already has an interest. As for football, Dale is spot on, the season doesn't really start until August. Here is a link with some estimates on dates from the GroundHopper's Guide to Football on the 2019-2020 schedule: https://englishsoccerguide.com/2019-20-english-european-football-soccer-schedule/. Since you are early for the season, you may want to consider a tour of the stadium of his favorite team in UK. Here is a link of the top stadium tours: https://www.visitbritain.com/us/en/britains-best-football-stadium-tours.

Thanks for all the great ideas and links!

The FA Community Shield is August 4 at Wembley. Tickets aren’t cheap, but you will find some if you start now. Depends on how into football your family is. I’ve been when my club was playing, amazing atmosphere!

The question is what does he hope to see? I asked my teen boys when I took them to Europe. "Castles" (boys are such talkers). Restored or ruins? "Ruins". The highlights were Rheinfels and Ehrenburg ruins.

If your son is like my two boys, consider Northern Wales for some of the best castles. That time of year you can also find medieval festivals at castles. Those often include jousts and tournaments.

If he's more drawn to Vikings, there is a big summer festival in Jutland - north of Germany.

You could always start in the UK and add Paris, Brussels or Amsterdam via the Eurostar?

My teens (13 and almost 16) really enjoyed London, we just got back from a week there (and 3 days in Oxford). London was their favorite. So much to do/see.

My teens thoroughly enjoyed hiking in the alps. Click on my name to find the link to our dozen favorite hikes, with pics.

One thing that Americans do not understand is the depth of the English futbol system. It's amazing. There is the English premier league, the top of the system, with prices to match. But there are leagues below that, leagues below the leagues below, and leagues below those. There are thousands of teams. They are promoted up to the next league if they do well, and relegated down to a lower league if they do poorly.

So, you can probably see a game in GB without paying EPL prices.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/English_football_league_system

I would plan a trip with the fewest travel days possible. Set up a travel base in London and then do day trips from there if interested. Maybe one more base in UK if you want a more typical UK experience. Unless your 14 year old is different from the ones I teach at work, he is not going to want to get up early on any morning! I would try to have a mix of history and adventure. You know your son's interests best. Try to schedule things so there aren't two "walk through exhibits" locations back to back and have opportunities for walking from place to place available.

Has he been a Harry Potter fan? Then the Warner Brothers Studio Tour might be interesting. I've not gone (not a Harry Potter fan) but I know this is high on the list of a lot of people.

Adding some sort of physical element to traditional sites is also helpful. For example, at St. Paul's Cathedral you could have a challenge to climb all the steps up to the Dome. Another idea to add some fun is to give your son the job of being the "tube expert". Challenge him to watch some videos on You tube about riding the Tube and let him determine the lines and stops to take between locations.

I'm sure my 23 yr old daughter would say London. Didn't someone say "If you're bored with London, you're bored with life"?

There are also countless great day trips from London. Or my preference, take an easy train ride to York and spend 2 or 3 nights there-you can easily walk the city wall, which I think he would enjoy.

If he is a Harry Potter fan, the Warner Brothers studio is a must-but if you're going this summer, it is probably too late to get a reservation, but you may be able to book a more expensive group tour. I think London Walks does a walking tour of HP sites in London.