Best destination for 2 19 year-old boys first time solo travelers for a week

Amsterdam, of course! It’s made for 19 year olds.

Knowing teenage boys similar to dogs unleashed they will find a way to Amsterdam not matter what.

Where do they want to go?

We took our son to Amsterdam. We were afraid he was going to duck out on us and stay. He also liked Munich.

As a former 19 year old, I would have liked to decided where I was traveling and not my parents. Ask them but don't be surprised if they want to go to a big city like Paris or Amsterdam.

I already asked them. They have no idea, and welcome advice... Besides, they'll be going while I'm in Poland, so I need to coordinate train tickets for them myself to see him off and then later to meet up again before returning to the US.

Gosh...that's a no brainer...turn them loose in Ireland. Everyone should discover Ireland while they are still young and wild. How many pints can you hold before you explode? Better finish the day with a proper fry-up...
Watch out in Amsterdam...things can happen.

Don’t treat them like children( they are not boys ) they can do all that stuff themselves ! My daughter and her friend did 11 weeks in Europe backpacking around , they made their train and plane reservations, same with hotels and hostels . They were 19 , and from our small west coast city !

They should decide where they want to go , and I vote for Amsterdam or Paris !

If my 110 lb tall blonde daughter managed I am sure two grown men can !

Germany tends to be pretty budget-friendly, especially on lodging, and Berlin or Munich would leave plenty of euros in the wallet for the fun stuff. Also tons of other college kids their age exploring the city that they can befriend.

I personally agree that they are plenty old enough to do the research and decide where they want to go and take care of their own transportation to connect with yours. If they need suggestions for places to go I would say Amsterdam and Berlin. If they are relying on you and you would prefer they don't go to a big city, then you could tell us what they enjoy that they could do in a more rural setting or small towns and maybe we can suggest some places.

In one week they could drive all the way around Iceland on the Ring Road. If, that is, they might like glaciers, geysers, waterfalls, hiking, thermal pools, whale-watching, fjords, interesting geology, etc.

My 19 year old nephew did this last summer. I wrote him 4 pages of notes, some of which he actually paid attention to. I'm pretty pleased to say he enjoyed London, Paris, and wandering around Belgium and Northern France. Both his uncles were over there at that age; my brother in the area around Trier, Koblenz, and Frankfurt, and myself in Bavaria, Austria, and southern Spain. We all have good stories and similar experiences. We all have been back, and are planning to go again.

Trust the boys; they can figure most of it out.

Thanks for the suggestions! He's been to Iceland, and I agree it's a great place to visit. We've also just came back from Amsterdam.
Ireland or Bavaria would be cool too, that would work..

Planning this trip together has been a lot of fun, as we all realize they are not children. Ultimately the decision is theirs!

19 year old daughter did a 3 month work trip/internship with an engineering firm (with the appropriate visa) in Germany 12 years ago - alone. She's about 5'3". It was based in Stuttgart, and she traveled on her own to Nice, Monaco, Berlin (for research) and made a road trip to Croatia with her boss. We did make a preliminary trip for the interview (over spring break) with additional travels to Munich. She spoke and read basic German at the time. Other than the initial interview trip (and some money), she did it all on her own. Trains, buses, hostels - she was amazed when she arrived in Nice and the heard English in a communal room - turns out the speaker was in one of her classes at university.

Does one of them speak a foreign language, or have a specific interest? They really need to be in charge of the process.

The biggest and best museums are in big cities. Everybody who says that the 19 year olds can plan their own week trip and choose their own exact destinations is right. It looks like they will not go outside west or central Europe. Have them look at guidebooks; they should make their logging reservations in advance. They should give you at least a rough written itinerary. They should call you each day of their trip. Each call doesn’t have to be more than 3 minutes. You are less anxious than my parents. I already complained in other discussions on this site - some were dismayed about my aparent excessive mentioning of this - about how I am 35 but my mom is still afraid for me to travel on my own but I do so anyway.

London or Berlin. In the hostels you meet numerous youth, US and international, in that age group, 18-24.

They are old enough to decide for themselves that they really want to go to Amsterdam.

If it was the summer than I'd say Ibiza but as it's March I'd suggest somewhere like Munich. The university district is crammed full of young people and the weekends see them partying well plus Salzburg is a nice side trip nearby. As a 19 year old lad I would have enjoyed some time there.

Hard to say what their interests are, but for most 19 year old guys, Berlin is THE youth hotspot right now.

errr, what a silly question!...
and what a bunch of nonsenses being suggested earlier!.....
B-A-R-C-E-L-O-N-A, of course, what else? you have everything you might look for... plus the 'vibe', the beach and good weather, duh!

PS. Disclaimer: I might be a tiiiiiny tad biased, since I have been born and bred there, LOL!

They are asking for suggestions, I know they should be deciding on their own but group planning is what's gonna work at this point. He is my only child so of course I'm freaking out a little geez!! :-)
I went on a solo 40-day trip when I was 25 and it was the best thing I've ever done.

His cousin lives in Belgium so he speaks Dutch. My kid speaks Portuguese as well so communication shouldn't be an issue.

Bavaria is a great option. Munich and side trips are fun for college kids as someone here said.

I appreciate all the comments, everyone!

Hi Beatrice -

His cousin lives in Belgium so he speaks Dutch.

Well, that's a important piece of this puzzle! I was going to suggest Gent as it's not THAT big and has a fun, youthful vibe because of the University. That said, if the cousin lives in Belgium, it's probably a been there, done that? It's also maybe too small for a week but they could do some day trips from there.

We've also just came back from Amsterdam.

Does "we" include your son so he's already been there?

I know you said that you'd prefer that they don't choose a city (not sure why) but gosh, Paris is a no-brainer from Brussels, and there's really nothing unsafe about it, IMHO, other than pickpockets which can be deterred, and which are found in umpty other locations in Europe as well.

What we don't know is what your young men want to do and see on their week? What are their interests?

Budapest sounds like it would be a good place for them as well.

Any thoughts?

Yes. Your son and/or his cousin need to post this question themselves. That's how they will receive the optimal advice as it will be targeted directly to THEIR interests, concerns, & budget.

I agree with Continental. If they are old enough to travel to Europe on their own, they are old enough to seek information themselves. Unless they are just lazy?

Sorry for the continued flack of others thinking they need to be parenting for you. I understand that you are trying to come up with suggestions, not planning the trip. To be honest, if I were 19, I would not ask a question on this forum, so I would not recommend your son does; this is not a youth crowd...including me, but getting some suggestions to bring up is completely valid. Good thing you noted it is only a week, or we would have had 40 posts on the Schengen zone.

As I mentioned before, it is hard not knowing their interest, I mentioned Berlin, yes it is a large city, a capital, but it is really a mecca for young people. Amsterdam is a bit passe, Ghent may have some interest, Antwerp may as well, but beyond that, most towns in the area are probably a bit too "scenic" and "bucolic" with maybe the exception of Brussels...but again a large city and a capital, and someplace maybe they have "been to".

Further afield there are options, but I agree with the general sentiment that a sizable city with a good University population would probably have what they are looking for. If they are into total outdoor sports, that might change a bit, access to mountains or water, but in the end...students and nightlife probably win out.

Definitely take Paul's advice! My first instinct would be send them to Berlin, but if you really want them to not stray too far from Brussels yet avoid very big cities, maybe suggest they stay in Utrecht in the Netherlands. With the university there, I saw a lot of people in their late teens and early 20s hanging around the center and it's a really easy place for them to use as a base to get to other cities and towns in the Netherlands for some day trips. Absolutely I'd expect them to want to check out Amsterdam, but they could also do day trips to Rotterdam, The Hague, Kinderdijk to see the windmills. And if they are only going to see Brussels with you, then they may be interested in seeing another part of Belgium like Antwerp or Ghent on their own as they make their way over to the Netherlands.