First time travel to Europe

London and York- I would not want to go to Rome next year.

Make it easy on yourself, London or Paris.

Agree with above. My first trip with my sons at that age was Paris. I was nervous about language difference but it was super easy using Metro. They loved the Louvre which surprised me totally as they loved the paintings so much so we went twice. We also went to Versaille. Sacre Coeur and of course the Eiffel tower and I was impressed with how much they loved everything. Of course London is just as great and York has a great train museum they should like. Good luck.

Vatican expects around 30 million people which is a huge number; around 45% more than in last Jubilee Year 2000. Normally are around 5 million toourists per year.

Berlin is a good place for "immersive" travel experiences. For the teens I also suggest a trip to Hamburg's Miniatur Wunderland. In the center areas you will find enough English speaking people.

Paris or Rome. (ROME).
Kids are going to understand and relate to ancient Rome sp well. Have them watch Gladiator and what ever other Roman period film you can find before you go. Stay in Rome. Do a few days trips. Revel in the fact it's Jubilee year and exploit the opportunities from that.

With only a week, I would choose:

1) London, including Windsor Castle, then head to York for two nights. OR
2) Paris, don't miss Versailles.

If you want to stay in Italy I would suggest Florence, Parma and Pisa. If this is their first trip, Florence certainly is cultural, Parma has great food and Pisa offers a little tourist attraction of the Tower. This should fit a short trip.

If not Italy, I would highly suggest the Dordogne Valley. This would be a great area to explore with your sons. A lot to see. However, you will need to rent a car.

Enjoy.

...we like immersive travel...

With that thought in mind, and having only a week, you might want to consider staying in one place and perhaps doing a day trip or two from there. The reason for that suggestion is that you will lose at least 1/2 to 3/4 of a day if you relocate. It's not just the actual travel time you lose. There is also the time lost having to pack up, check out, get to the train station or airport or bus depot and then wait there. Upon arrival you have to get to the hotel and hopefully check in. Just food for thought.

You might want to consider London (no language problem - well not much) as there is way more than enough to keep them interested for a week. Paris is also an option because, well, it's Paris!

What ever the destination, get the lads involved in the planning of what to see and do. It will make for a much better trip if they have some skin in the game.

Thank you all for the great suggestions and advice! It probably down to London or Paris now.

London with the variety of stuff to do for those ages such as the Natural History Museum if they like earth science and dinosaurs. The Tower of London. The War Museum. London Theater Plays. The Globe Theater family tour. Harry Potter Tour. Rib boat ride on the Thames. Greenwich. York for a day trip. And the Lego shop, billed as the world’s largest :-)

London and Paris are both great cities, but I agree with Margie 100%, London would be the best for 11 and 15 year old boys.

I'm surprised Mr. E hasn't chimed in recommending Budapest. I hope he's OK.

jphbucks

I raised 3.5 children. To create interest in a new subject at those ages they did best with something large and tactile that they could become fully involved with. An environment, not just a museum object. The Forum, The Coliseum, The Vatican. Something they could relate to through some other experience, like the movies. Very basic like black and white. ROME. For history: Spartacus, Ben Hur, Gladiator then so you can say, remember we saw this in _______________ find some the kids like off this list: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_films_set_in_Rome Then before you leave the US, visit a few Italian restaurants so they know the food when they see it.

As much as I love Budapest, for a first visit to Europe with kids old enough to learn I would say London or Paris or Rome and when really young … ROME works best. At 18 then its Germany, Czech Republic, Hungary and Bosnia and Israel. and a lesson in man’s inhumanity to man. Totally different and much more brutal pre-travel education list.

How long is your "week"? (7, 8, or 9 days)
How many nights?
One of the easiest double you can do is London/Paris taking the 2 1/2 hour train.
Rome has a lot to offer with Florence not to far away.

Paris, simply so they can experience a totally different culture and language. This is the best way to broader their horizons.

Avoid Rome for sure this Jubilee year.

Jubilee discussion. https://community.ricksteves.com/travel-forum/italy/jubilee-2025-cautious-optimism-is-it-misplaced

The first trip overseas we took with our kids they were 12, 14 and we did during their spring break. We spent 5 nights in London and 4 nights in Paris. We took the Eurostar through the chunnel from London to Paris, which the kids loved! It's so quick and easy. Have a great trip!

Another thought. If you want to see London and Paris be sure to book open jaw tickets, into say London train to Paris then home from Paris or the other way. Not having to back track and never one way tickets. I seem to remember on airline web sites it is called multi-city but someone can help with that.

Stick with one country and see the highlights. London has fabulous museums, markets, water to travel on, theatre and if that isn’t enough head to Bath or York. Try food you would normally not eat at home. Paris has all that to offer as well. We went to Warsaw this past September and our credit card says a lot, everything was cheaper in Poland with the same great experience of food, great accommodations and some tough history to recover from WW11, all for so much less. Have fun!

We took our daughter to France for spring break when she was in kindergarten. 5 nights in Paris, 2 nights in a cool chateau hotel in Dijon, and the last night out close to CDG for the flight home. You could do something similar with Paris or London - see the city sights plus something else. Good luck with the trip!

I have taken first time travellers (14-17) to Ireland and the UK, to Iceland and Germany as part of an exchange, and to Germany and Poland on a Holocaust themed tour.

Given those experiences, I would say the Ireland / UK style trip is probably your best bet. There is the comfort of knowing that if things get wrong--someone gets lost, etc.--everyone can communicate easily. There are still TONS of cultural experiences, ranging from the grocery store to historic sites, that can be done without being somewhere that doesn't speak English. We gave our kids our destinations in London and let them plan the route and get us there. They loved the Tube! We visited more tactile places like Bunratty Castle and Folk Park (where the kids could sit in the Earl's seat) and museums. We went to an Irish pub (kids got a hot chocolate as it was cold, but they took pictures of the adults' half pints). We kissed the Blarney stone, wandered around Dublin, enjoyed little villages, got caught in the rain on our way back to our hotel south of London, and enjoyed the London Eye and walking in Hyde Park.

You know your kids best, though. And certainly weather might play a role (ours was a spring break trip for what it's worth).