First time to Europe

There is World War II history all over Europe. One obvious place to visit is the D-Day beaches at Normandy - very easy to do.

To be honest, the World War II history sites I saw in Germany were not amazing. In Berlin, there are some things left from the war, but most of it was bombed out and destroyed. I took a walking tour; it took us to a parking lot of an apartment complex which was where Hitler's bunker had been at the end. You can stand at the approximate spot, but there's nothing there to see. I found the Cold War history in Berlin much more interesting.

Krakow, Poland, is one of the best World War II visits in Europe, in my opinion. Obviously Auschwitz is incredibly moving and significant, but Krakow itself has an amazing little museum about the Nazi occupation of Krakow (housed in the old Oskar Schindler factory). Krakow is also a lovely old city that survived World War II largely without damage. With only fifteen nights, not sure you have time to fit that in, though, but perhaps on a future trip.

How about Paris and Normandy? My son is a WWII buff, too. We went to Normandy and Paris last November and he loved both. He loved the D-Day sights and museums. We studied up on the French resistance in Paris and pulled some of that history into our walks around the city.

In 2018 we went to Munich, including a trip to Dachau and the aviation museum just north of Munich. We visited the Hofbrauhaus where Hitler frequented. My son enjoyed a Normandy and Paris more. And it would be an easy train ride from London.

There’s an American tour guide in Paris (Corey Frye) who streams weekly walks. Last June he did one on the French resistance in Paris. Check him out on YouTube: A French Frye in Paris.

If you haven’t booked airfare, fly into London and out of Paris so you don’t gave to backtrack too much.

Amsterdam is such an unusual city and so easy to get to from London - either Eurostar train or fly from London City airport. As Andrew said, WWII is everywhere. In A'dam there's the Anne Frank House and the Dutch Resistance Museum.

In London: Churchill War Rooms, day trip to Bletchley Park. Both the Imperial War Museum and the Museum of London have exhibits too. Also London Walks (highly recommended) has a couple tours related to WWII and a Harry Potter tour too.

Spend a week or more in London (there is sooo much to see and do, great day trips as well) and the rest in A'dam. Rent bikes and ride around like locals. The Maritime Museum is excellent. It's easy to take day trips to other Dutch towns. You might enjoy Madurodam - the best of the Netherlands in miniature.

I (and others) may have more, depends on the boy's age and when your trip is. Is this your first time or just his first time?

There is war stuff all over Europe. I presume you don’t want to spend the entire holiday looking at WW2 stuff?

From London you can see the Churchill War Rooms, IWM Duxford near Cambridge, Bletchley Park near Milton Keynes and Churchill’s home in Kent, Chartwell. Also fascinating is the Kent Battle of Britain Museum near Folkestone, run by volunteers, who really bring the war to life and have a huge collection of memorabilia and parts of aircraft wreckage.

Older than WW2, day trips to Chatham Historic Dockyard or Portsmouth Dockyard maybe of interest.

If you were to head up to Orkney in Scotland, the excellent guided tour there from John o’Groats tells of the submarine activity from the war.

Berlin is interesting, but the Cold War history is more fascinating.

I would spend all your time in the UK.

Hi, so much good ideas from the others. But may I ask how old your grandson is? if he is young, I would not bring him to Auschwitz. I don't believe it to be appropriate. I do believe everybody should know what happened but at the right age. There are many places in France, Belgium and the Netherlands where you can learn the history.

Another site for a day trip from London is Dover Castle. Hundreds of years of history including the tunnels used during WWII.

With only 13 days I would stick to England. There's plenty of WWII history to see there and take some day trips to some of the Harry Potter film sites and maybe to Dover.

The suggestions for London are wonderful. The War Rooms are not to be missed. I would then head to Normandy because there is so much to see regarding WW II. The sights anD experiences there would be more meaningful and interesting than any that I could think of in Germany - or any place else.

I would have your grandson watch some videos about D-Day (D-Day the 6th of June, Private Ryan) and find some videos on how US Army Rangers scaled Point du Hoc, what the importance of the Mulberry Harbors was. To see the impossible climb the Rangers made, how the American forces had to conquer the cliffs at Omaha Beach under withering machine gun fire from above and visit the American Cemetery and visit the artifact-filled museum in Arromanches-les-Baines and see the remains of the Mulberry harbors still visible in the English Channel would be a living experience with a “hands on” effect. There are a number of WW II tours in Normandy that will take you to those sights.

Amsterdam as a second city is not too much in two weeks, if it calls to you. The rail connection is good.

Munich (or Berlin, or even both) is feasible if you fly.

sue,

With such a short time frame, I'd limit your trip to two destinations. Spend about a week in each place. London and Normandy would be good choices to consider, as they both provide a lot of "bang for the buck". Munich would be worthwhile as that's where the Nazi party started, although there aren't as many sites to visit (I'm not sure Dachau would be appropriate for your grandson).

It would help to know when this trip is taking place and how old your grandson is?

A few thoughts on the sites you could visit.....

LONDON (either in London or day trips from London):
- Churchill War Rooms
- Imperial War Museum
- HMS Belfast (moored on the south bank of the Thames within view of the Tower Bridge, and touring that could take at least half a day).
- Bletchley Park (easily reached by train. If you decide to visit that, you may all want to watch The Imitation Game prior to your trip).
- The Tank Museum (Bovington - about 2.5 hours each way from London by train).
- The Tower of London & Crown Jewels (take a tour with the Beefeaters)
- IWM Duxford (if you have time).

NORMANDY (stay in Bayeux)
- visit WW-2 Museum in Bayeux
- take one of the excellent D-Day tours, either half day or full day. They will provide an incredibly interesting look at the history and this will provide a much more interesting and rewarding visit. Overlord Tours is very popular with many on the forum but there are many tours operating in that area. Which one to take will depend on your degree of interest and your budget.
- see the historic Bayeux Tapestry, which describes a much earlier battle.

If you decide on London and Normandy, booking open jaw flights inbound to London and outbound from Paris would be the best idea. You can easily get from London to Paris via the EuroStar and taking a high speed train under the English Channel will be a unique experience.

If you have a night in Paris prior to your flight home, you could also visit the Eiffel Tower and the Invalides Army Museum and Napoleon's Tomb. You could also visit the Louvre or other famous sites. There's LOTS to see so you'll have no trouble finding things to do in those two locations for 13 days.

When you've decided which places you're going to visit, I'd highly recommend having a look at the Rick Steves guidebooks for those places to plan in more detail. They have good information on admission prices, opening and closing times for various museums and good information on hotels, transportation, etc. As this is your first time in Europe, you may also find it worthwhile to read Europe Through The Back Door prior to your trip.