Choosing destination for teen girls vs mom

I have lived overseas with kids decades ago when in my 30s and 40s and toured quite a lot my preens and teens.

Also, since we retired 14 years ago, my wife and I have traveling , sometimes taking our adult children (and rarely small grandchildren) with us.

We lived in Germany for four years and loved it.

Italy is my favorite foreign country (I am an ancient history buff).
Also, we love the UK and traveling in the countryside.
Further, as we have matured and been to key historical sites, we have loved visiting scenic places like Norway and it fjords, the British countryside, Alaska and National Parks in the USA as well as cruises around the Horn, Japan, Australia, India, Middle East, etc.

Italy has lots of history, art and culture as well as some great scenic places and great countryside.
You have never been to Europe and on y have 10-12 days, Stick to one country, unless you do Switzerland and part of another.

Switzerland is one of the most expensive in the World, but very scenic.

If you decided to so London for 4-5 days, you could do some of the British countryside and visit Oxford, Bath, the Cotswolds, Stratford Upon Avon, Winchester, Windsor Castle and Winchester as choices.

For Italy, I would stick with Rome, Florence and Venice. 4 days in Rome, 3 in Florence and 2 in Venice with day trips from Florence to the Tuscan countryside. Visit small cities like Sienna, Lucca and perhaps see the Leaning Tower in Pisa. Use the great high speed train from Rome to Florence and Florence to Venice. While in Florence take day tours to towns I suggested.
Also, buy open jaw tickets to fly into Rome and out of Venice.

Many choices, don't stress, it will be great.

I always treating my teens like adults and exposed them to history and art. Now they all love to travel.

I am 76 and still want to see the history and art.

Plan your trip using TripAdvisor and book some of your events in advance like entrances to the Sistine Chapel, Coliseum, Forum as well as the great museums in Florence.
We did a great bike tour of Florence while there.
Suggest looking for B&Bs in central locations so you can walk to sites.

I you need more specific assistance send me a private massage with questions.

Priority One is to 'pick a place' ( just one of those on your list) With 10-12 days trying to do more will leave you rushed/stressed.

Be it random selection from a fishbowl, rock/paper/scissors, with the winner picking one , or exercising your parental prerogative and deciding.

For this June you need to get moving or flight and hotel availability may make the choice for you

instagrammable-- attractive or interesting enough to be suitable for photographing

Any of your choices fit.

Start by being honest with yourself about EXACTLY how many days you have - full, non-travel days on the ground in Europe, not including the day you arrive nor the day you depart. Count carefully, on such a short trip, that makes a huge difference.

With "10-12 days" (assuming you really have that to work with), I'd pick one country, MAYBE two at most, but only if they can be quickly and efficiently connected by rail. Don't fly from place-to-place once you've arrived in Europe; that burns a full day, and you only have a handful of them to start with, so make good use of each and every one that you do have.

A good introduction could be London plus Paris (maybe with a day-trip if you're careful). Fly in to London, spend a couple days there, take the train to Paris, spend the rest of your time there, fly home from Paris. That's all you'll have time for, and you'll just be skimming the surface.

You will need to reconcile your interest for quaint countryside with social media-driven frenzy....that's a parenting question, beyond the scope of this forum. Good luck with that. 😎

Forgive the trite response, but when in this position I compare the travel reality of getting to any of the above places. If one is demonstrably cheaper or easier to get to, go there. I mean, you've never been so whichever you choose is going to be wonderful.

Generally speaking, my recommendation would be to avoid flying while there, meaning fly to where you're visiting and fly home. Added trips to airports is not necessary as there are, by definition, countless fantastic places you could visit wherever you will be.

Any or all of your choices would be fine; it's just a matter of filling in the blanks once you've chosen one.

I will say this - you are not going on vacation until you buy the plane tickets. So, compare what it looks like getting to them and at the very least one or more will fall off your list due to logistics or price.

Having said all that, based on how you explain things, I like the Munich option first, Italy second. Late-June is the beginning of the highest of high seasons so I'm going to, personally, avoid London (though, as you suggest, you could land there and then just go get lost in the countryside; that sounds divine - so many options). Norway is gorgeous but super-expensive and maybe a bit abstract for your kids. Scotland is beyond gorgeous and lots of fun. Another good choice, actually, because they speak a form of English there and you'll get all the things you both want.

Regarding Italy, in high season with heat and everything I'd stick to the north, which kind of feeds into your Bavaria / Switzerland idea, so could be combined.

Munich, though, is easy to get to. You have easy access to the Alps, mind-blowing castles, gorgeous towns, sobering concentration camp, palaces, etc.

I don't think there is one place that is necessarily the ideal place to start, just get there. I've been doing this regularly since 1972 and, frankly, Europe to me is as exotic as New Jersey with regards to how you function. The sites, of course, are terrific, but you won't feel a massive culture shock at any of these places unless you really try hard to.

Anyway, lots of rambling here but start with the plane tickets.

How exciting for you and your family. What sights in what countries are your daughters most familiar with? What does everyone want to see? I'm not terribly familiar with Instagram, but isn't the draw to take photos and have friends admire them? "See where I am!" London would be wonderful for Instagram sights! Then, there's the short train ride to Oxford (Harry Potter's dining hall at Christ Church, which the movie set was designed from, might also be a draw.) Stonehenge? Castles? There's plenty of city and country in England. Oxford and Cambridge are attractions for me along with the hike from ancient Cambridge to rural Grantchester.

June isn't really that far from now. You might want to have a family meeting soon and make decisions, get your flights, hotels/flats and tickets to events that sell out quickly.

The girls want iconic, instagrammable type city sights

Well of course they do, but you do not have to devote the whole trip to that craze. How about a mix of 2 very photogenic big cities with some spectacular countryside in Italy? Best if you can extend to 14 days.

One possibility: fly into London, spend 3 nights and have them take lots of photos with Tower Bridge, Big Ben, etc. London is a big city but it feels more like a collection of villages, and is very walkable, especially along the river on the pedestrian path, and through the parks. Be sure to include a boat ride on the Thames, and maybe a show?

Then fly to Italy—-into Bologna, Verona or Venice, and spend 3 nights in Verona or Bologna (not in Venice as that will come last). Verona might please them as it is famous, and offers some great photo ops of the Roman arena and the lovely shopping street. Then take the train to Bolzano and transfer there to the village of Ortesei in the Dolomites for 3-4 nights—-great hiking (with much of it aided by lifts so it is not difficult), spectacular scenery (very Instagrammable), wonderful food, and a pretty; Tyrolian village that also looks great in photos. Then head to Venice for your last 2-3 nights, and fly home from there.

If this seems like too much, then choose either London/other UK sights OR Italy (Verona, Venice, and the Dolomites).

Due to European Soccer Championship I would opt out German destinations in late June. End of July myrecommendation would be different. For instagrammable I would put Berlin on the long list (but not end of June 2024).

In Northern Norway you could experience midgnight sun - the western fjords are extremely scenic.

I ask myself why you do not have Paris and Barcelona on your longlist.

London. Iconic Instagrammable sites. They can go into pubs. Free Museums. Fabulous shopping. Street markets. Food markets. Theatre.

Take the tube out to the Richmond neighborhood and walk in the gorgeous Richmond Park…tube to Hampstead and meander into the Heath.

Train to Oxford, Cambridge, Rye or Whitsable.

London and countryside preferable due to weather and crowds in Italy, which would be my second choice.

To steal from another post, I think this is a perfect suggestion. This will accommodate all your wants and needs of your family. Enjoy.

For Italy, I would stick with Rome, Florence and Venice. 4 days in Rome, 3 in Florence and 2 in Venice with day trips from Florence to the Tuscan countryside. Visit small cities like Sienna, Lucca and perhaps see the Leaning Tower in Pisa. Use the great high speed train from Rome to Florence and Florence to Venice. While in Florence take day tours to towns I suggested.
Also, buy open jaw tickets to fly into Rome and out of Venice.

Hi Robin,

has the Basque Country ever been on your list? Bilbao, San Sebastian, Saint Jean de Luz, Bayonne plus some of the inland places like Baztan might have something for everyone.

The kids would probably like San Sebastian, and Saint Jean is also very nice. Late June can be a bit dicey for the weather, but you could also hit the beach. The Batzan Valley is less than an hour from either place and it has lots of nice healthy hiking and beautiful countryside.

You could fly into and out of Bilbao, or fly to Paris, and take the train down to the coast.
You can also PM if you think it might be an interesting place for the family. (My kids are 22 and 19, and we usually spend a few days in the area, but in late August)

One thing to consider about the UK in June—-Taylor Swift will be performing there in various cities between June 7-23. Starting in Edinburgh and ending in London. This will have a big impact on crowds and hotel prices wherever she goes, and maybe there will be overflow into other areas.

So maybe just head straight to Italy. But I have a very different opinion from those who say “just do the Big 3” of Rome,Venice and Florence. That is a lot of time in over-crowded, hot cities full of pavement and busy with traffic. And Rome requires a lot of advance planning and battling for advance tickets to see some of the blockbuster sights. We are already seeing people say they are finding some sites all sold out, at least for May.

Florence and Venice are now both on many lists of “Don’t go in 2024” because of overtourism. I still might advise seeing Venice, as it is so different—-as they say, there is “nothing like it in the world”. There are no cars there, only boats and handcarts. It is beautiful wherever you turn, perfect for those photos the girls want. And it fits in well with the Dolomites if they want some truly stunning natural beauty; as Robin requests in her original post.

Maybe fly into Venice, start with 3 nights there, then to the Dolomites, head to Verona for 2 nights (maybe see an opera in the arena? Our teen girls loved that) and fly out of Bologna, Verona, or Milan.

Honestly, I would not send my worst enemy to Rome in the summer, let alone a friend, or a family going to Europe for the first time. Save it for a spring break trip, or leave the girls in school and take yourselves in October.

Once you go to Italy for this trip you will want to return, we all do. Don’t try to cover such a large area and include all the majorly crowded cities in your first trip. Do a mix of one big city, one charming small town, snd some beautiful scenery and you will be much happier.

Robin, welcome to the Forum. The folks here have given you some excellent advice. Not sure where in the world you live and your tolerance for heat. Heat during the summer in cities with lots of pavement is no joke. Agree that when planning locations for a trip (especially for cities) take into consideration what events are happening at the time of your visit. For you and your families interests and time constraints, I would choose just two places.

The idea of visiting London is perfect for photographing iconic sites and perhaps taking in a show. Do plan around the Taylor Swift concerts. You also implied that Scotland could be in the mix. How about flying into London near the end of June (missing the TS concert timeline), spending 4 nights there and then take a train into Scotland. Edinburgh is a wonderful city with the opportunity for travel up the coast or dip into the Western Highlands, Inverness, Glen Coe for the nature fix?

If Italy is everyone’s jam, I would agree with Lola and stick with the Northern cities like Venice, Verona, Dolomites with perhaps a few days in Florence if you had a bit more time. Suggest going mid June if possible to beat some of the heat.

Someone else suggested looking NOW for the best airfare and availability of accommodations as time is ticking and in this day of the ease of booking on the internet, you may find it challenging to find appropriate accommodations. That may, in fact, determine where you go. Search on Google Flights or Kayak for flights in one city and out of another (called multi-city) but book the actual flights using the airline site. Booking.com is a good accommodations search engine.

Happy travels Robin.

Reality check: Late June is peak or near-peak season in both western Scotland and Norway. It's not just a matter of the money, it's the potential issue of lodging availability in the scenic areas. They are underbuilt, and demand exceeds supply. Those areas were close to booking up two months ago if not earlier.

Some of the other places being mentioned here are not necessarily immune to that problem. I've been struggling with lodging at Lake Como, Verona (the opera festival!) and the Dolomites, and that was for late August and September. In general, major cities will not be as tough on the lodging front. They may be quite expensive, but in the absence of a major event like a Taylor Swift concert, I don't think you'll run into an impossible situation.

I would discourage Italy in the summer except for the mountains. (I'm sort of stuck, because I'm going to Venice for a special event in September.) You have better options from the weather perspective. With all of Europe available to you and broad interests, why not pick an area where you have a good chance of avoiding an unremitting string of really hot days?

I really like unusual destinations (the places where I can't read the language), which London certainly is not. It would really tempt me here, though. There might be a heat wave, but the odds are against it, and it wouldn't be a 10-to-12-day heat wave. London has practically limitless things to see and do. You could spend 2 or 3 nights elsewhere--maybe in Oxford or Cambridge? Oxford is within day-tripping distance of the Cotswolds.

If you think a two-country trip would have more punch, it might be worth considering getting multi-city tickets into London and out of Amsterdam (or vice versa). Amsterdam is very different, visually. I don't know what you'd be facing in terms of the Eurostar (train) tickets, though, and I know Amsterdam hotels are very co$tly.

The Olympics are in Paris this summer. I wouldn't want to be there in late June, but you might have a different view.

Olympic games start July 26 - so no real issue mid / end of June imo.

If you'll be in the London area, do any of you have a strong desire to go to the Harry Potter Studios? Easy to get to by train and free bus, but if so June is very very soon for tickets - they sell out way in advance, so if so you need to hop on it and see what's available on your dates. It is not a last minute decision place

I’ll say that some of the most “Insta-worthy” photos I took from my Italian trip are from little towns in the country, not the big cities. And with far fewer people around it is easier to take the perfect photo vs. dealing with the scrum in front of the Trevi Fountain. Likewise I have some amazing photos from the fjords in Norway.

Weather wise much of Italy will be hot, Norway and Scotland will be ideal. But the northern destinations have more limited tourist seasons so hotels may be booking up already.

Wow, thank you to everyone who replied. I really enjoy hearing about your travel experiences and getting some of that insider advice. I now have a crazy handwritten spreadsheet across my desk of dates, pros and cons, side trips. Based on conflicting local events and the relatively short planning window some of you mentioned, I've narrowed it down to London-Cotswolds (+/- a couple days in Paris for the tiniest of glimpses, my daughters would be thrilled) or Verona-Dolomites-Venice (I'm dying over the thought of those Alpine meadows).

I calculated 9 full days of "being there" FYI. My concerns are:
Taylor Swift (love her, saw her in Atlanta but those hotel prices and scarcity!) playing in London the first and second days of our trip, then Dublin the second weekend of the trip in case that has any impact.
Flight prices ouch. I see round trip to London about $1200, into Verona and out of Venice about $1600, round trip to Paris about $1000 if that even makes sense to fly there and train to London at each end.

I know it will be a great trip either way. I will try try to keep costs down but these will be priceless memories made.

Every first trip should be London, Paris, Rome.

Have the girls studied any foreign languages ? If so, they might want to go to one of those countries.

Robin, how about flying into Paris and home from London (called multi-city), that way you miss the high prices and crowds of the TS concert in London and still have a peak at Paris. There are easy day trips from both cities to get your nature fix. It’s a tight window and time is a ticking…..

I agree with Linda in that you will really want to avoid London when Taylor Swift is there; not so much for the crowds but for the fact that hotels will be overbooked and very expensive. So I would either fly into Paris first, then head up to London or change your dates by a few days.

Once you have the destinations and dates figured out, come back and we'll all be happy to help you find accommodations.

So it looks like your trip will be the last week of June, something like June 21- 30, is that correct?

As noted above, if you start your trip in London you will fly smack into the Swiftie scrum. If you choose the UK + Paris, It would be best to either reverse your trip (fly into Paris and back from London), or fly into London but head elsewhere straightaway. Even then the transport systems will be crowded so I personally would try to avoid that.

Do you know how to book “open jaw” flights, into one city (like Paris) and out from another (London) instead of roundtrip? It saves both time and money in most cases. They are on the airline websites as “multi-city” trips.

I know your girls are particularly excited about Paris, but if you still want to see Italy you can. Reality check: Flight prices are higher than usual this summer, and certain destinations like Venice are higher than ever due to cruise ship crowds using their airport. I tried to find others nearby in Italy but that didn’t help. $1500-$1600 seems to be the norm.

But I did find an attractive alternative that would get you to the Dolomites: Fly roundtrip into and out of Munich (which was on your original list). I see American Airlines direct flights from Charlotte into MUC, which should make that a very attractive option. Spend 3 days there and then take the direct train south to the Italian city of Bolzano, from which there is a 1-hour bus ride into the postcard-pretty village of Ortesei in the Dolomites. You will find spectacular views right from your hotel balcony, and more from the lifts you can ride up to high meadows. Spend 3 nights there. Then loop back up through Switzerland, with one night in Italy on the way (we use the lakeside town of Desenzano on Lago de Garda for this) followed by a very scenic train ride (or boat plus train) to Luzern, another picture-perfect city, for 2 nights. An afternoon train will return you to Munich (via Zurich) around 7 pm in the evening, ready for your flight home the next day.

With just 10-12 days, I'd pick two locales. I find in Europe it is easy to access city and countryside from one base. Summer is hot in Southern Europe so I'd stay north. I think no matter where you go they will find Instagram ready sights. When I took my daughters to Europe for the first time I asked them each for one or two places they wanted to visit. (The 15 year old wanted Pompeii and the 30 year old step daughter wanted Florence-Room with a View). Fortunately, they were in the same country. I love photography when I'm traveling, but that is different than teenage instagram. IMO. Perhaps you can ask them where they are most interested in traveling to if they weren't set on instagramming? I'd hate to think their vacation is all about impressing their friends. And again, there are many instagrammable (a word?) opportunities. I recognize it is a fine line to walk with teens sometimes.

When traveling with my child/teen, which I did often, I traveled for her, mostly, which usually had things I was interested in as well. She was into history, not so much Art. I do the Art now. Recognizing their interests does make for an easier and more pleasant time. IMO Not knowing your kids, YMMV.

The girls want iconic, instagrammable type city sights, and I prefer quaint countryside, hiking/biking/healthy, and stunning natural beauty

This statement says Stockholm and Copenhagen to me, especially for this time of year.

My first trip to Europe was London and Paris, it's a great starter trip and full of many wow moments. You can find something for everyone in those two places. As suggested, reverse the order due to the concert schedule - fly in to Paris, take Eurostar train to London, fly home from London. Might want to see if moving your arrival/departure dates a day or two in either direction could save some money. Buy Eurostar tickets as soon as you have dates set, the prices only go up from now on. Your noted flight prices though sound about like what I'd expect to pay for summer in Europe (but I live on W. Coast).

Your updated comment re: having "9 days" - just making sure that you are accounting for: 1) losing a day in travel time to Europe; 2) the first "day" is often a jet lagged fog and usually not a hit the ground running day; and 3) your departure day probably doesn't have time to do much other than go to airport. My rule of thumb is time when I move a locations I lose about half a day - getting from lodgings to your mode of transport/airport, going through security, the travel itself, getting from arrival location to your next accommodation, checking in, etc. Since you want to minimize stress and rushing, I'd suggest limiting yourself to just two places (with day trips) will help with that.

Also know that for accommodations you may need to get two hotel rooms or look for apartments, there are very few quad rooms (and honestly with two late teens you'll definitely want more than one bathroom). You'll be traveling at peak season so prices are going to be high even without Ms. Swift effect.

Best of luck, I'm sure your family will have an amazing time no matter what you pick.

Sounds like you’d do well to fly into Paris for 3 days, then enjoy remainder of trip in London and if possible, fly home from London.

You are travelling with young adults. They can make at least some of their own plans and travel without you. It works the other way: They can also help with the tedious practicalities. Research matters as much as wish-lists. Then they will remember it as their own expedition rather than mom's guided tour.

I am going to make a left turn on all this and advise you to spend all your time in Italy--Specifically Florence/Tuscany and Rome. Rome has all the monumental, picture worthy sites. Florence has incredible art, iconic buildings and the David. The hill towns including, Lucca, San Gimignato and even Pisa will give you incredible countryside. Besides the food in Italy is incredible. You can rent a car when you get to Florence to see Tuscany. That is what we did.

...travelling with young adults. They can make...some of their own plans...It works the other way: ...they will remember it as their own expedition rather than mom's guided tour.

Southam makes some very good points. The more your daughters (and your husband) are involved in the planning, the better the trip will be for everyone. Not that husbands or teenage daughters are ever a problem.

I know you're getting an avalanche of advice, so this is just another bit of noise, but at the moment I think the best, most efficient, highly interesting iconic and beautiful trip corridor is from Venice to Munich. The train travel time is remarkably short. The cities towns villages Alps food and culture are highly iconic and deeply diverse.

10 to 12 days this is a hard itinerary to beat, and really easy from a travel and logistics perspective.

The itinerary Hank proposes is similar to what I suggested above, to fly into Munich to see the Dolomites, rhen loop back to Munich through Switzerland. Hank’s version is to travel one way, Munich to Venice, presumably with some time in the Dolomites on the way.

Both are good itineraries, and Hanks has the advantage of allowing somewhat slower travel, and includes more time in Italy (plus Venice).

Lola correct thank you. My post above is bit of a word-salad mess. Thank you for interpreting :)

One could do a lot worse than fly into Munich or Venice, fly out of the other. Roughly speaking, you get Bavaria, the Dolomite Alps, and Veneto. You get iconic cities, and sweet smaller towns. With many stops along the way to choose from, and maybe 7 or 8 hours total train travel time.

Not the only good itinerary for 10-12 days, but a good one nonetheless.

Well, now you've got me back on Munich! I'm looking at the flight prices using Munich and Venice, and they're comparable to Paris and London. They seem like very different types of vacations and both wonderful. I have someone helping me with booking rooms and tickets, will ask her to consider this itinerary. Thank you. For the record, at this point one daughter prefers Paris and the other, Italy. So, we'll go with what ends up more practical and affordable and be happy!

After checking into prices and packages it became clear that the Paris-London trip is much more expensive at this time no matter how I configure it, presumably due to Olympics and Taylor popularity. And my travel agent had trouble booking a place in the Dolomites at this late date.

SO. I’m looking at a trip that includes Munich (day trip to Neuschwanstein Castle), Salzburg (day trip to Hallstatt), Verona, and Venice. It looks like mom will get her mountains and daughters will at least get Venice. I liked the suggestion to let them research and pick some activities, hopefully that will make up for missing that Eiffel Tower at night view. Thank you to all for helping me zero in and get out of my paralysis! Now I feel ready to plan more trips after this!

Consider staying overnight in Hallstatt. It's usually quite crowded during the day, but one can really appreciate the beauty of the place in the early morning and late afternoon and evening. i