Ideas for family of 4 with two teens

What time of year? How do you feel about hot weather?

I should have said time of year! Summer. Likely July or August. We live in FL so heat is very familiar to us....though of course, we are also pretty sick of it and would prefer to avoid it. But we can tolerate it.

Someone suggested Portugal to me before! I will look. I might also mention that 3/4 of us speak some Spanish and 2/4 speak some French (but that knowledge is rusty; enough to get by for some tourist stuff)

I think that for a first trip for your kids and a second trip after 20 years, I’d go for a country with a lot of charm, lots of nonstop flights from the US, good train system and a mix of lovely cities with museum and countryside areas. I don’t know what month you’re going and what the weather would be, so I’m ignoring weather and directing my thoughts to France.

Also, I would just do one country. The more you move around, the higher your costs get.

You could have city, country, charming towns, and nature - all in France.

London.

Stellar public transport, Premier Inn accomodations, history, Thames River Path, old and new architecture, pub lunches ( babies, children, teens, and dogs allowed in pubs) Kew Gardens, Richmond Park, Hyde Park, Highgate Cemetery, Buckingham Palace, the Royals, Greenwich, Regents Canal, Leadenhall Market, Sky Garden, Crystal Park Dinosaurs.

Variety of food options due to the vast amount of ethic restaurants and cafes.

Free museums, London Walks (www.walks.com)

Street markets ( Portobello Road, Borough, Maltby and Camden Lock to name a few).

Specialty markets: Bermondsey Antiques Market,
Spitafields, Alfies Antique Market, Truman Brewery Upmarket, Columbia Flower Market.

Day trips by train: Whitsable, Cambridge, Oxford, Bath, Bletchley Park, Canterbury, Hampton Court

Stay in zone 1 to minimize transport costs. https://tfl.gov.uk/maps/track/tube

Highly recommend London.

Before I reached the end of your post, I was thinking Scotland. Glasgow, Edinburgh and some time in the Highlands would fit your timeframe and have something to suit all your family. It’s an easy introduction to Europe without there being any language issues. London is far more expensive.

Portugal between Lisbon and Porto is easier with a car and will be hot inland. Lovely towns. The coast will be busy.

One country is easier as are direct flights.

I‘ll add that I’m in Portugal right now and we were remarking that although we are having a fabulous time, Portugal is a “rougher, less polished” corner of Western Europe. For two teenagers who have never seen Europe, I would choose France, Germany, Spain (HOT in August) or Italy. I find I can travel in France for a pretty reasonable price. Northern Europe - although cooler temperature-wise - is pricier.

In your shoes, my goal would be to control costs enough to stay for 14 days not 10 days. I would stay in one country as travel costs can really add up for a group.

We went to northern Italy last August with a family group of seven. We went to Lake Como, Verona, and Venice and had a wonderful time, although it was scorching in Verona. Two of our party had previously been to Portugal and loved that too. It is cheaper than Italy which is an advantage. We found it easy to travel with public transportation which saved money over a car.

Northern Spain would be good but southern would be really hot in the summer.

Thank you for great replies so far. 14yo is very interested in UK. I think 18 feels it is a little "boring" and would like something more "adventurous." I think it could be a great initial trip.

I am not concerned about the kids re places being unpolished. They are pretty tough. Good walkers, pretty street smart, not whiney, will eat/try anything (pretty much). I would say the thing I worry about for this trip is stress over driving and transportation. Nobody here loves driving under unknown conditions (we did not enjoy driving in Italy) and we don't love the logistics of bus/train travel either, though we're happy once ON the things.

My worry about London is that it seems like such a big modern city--a bit more like NYC than not. Is this way off base? We have family in the NYC area so that "type" of travel is sort of handled here. But I am ignorant!

Munich, Rothenburg ob derTauber, Nuremberg, Regensburg back to Munich.

To me London and Edinburgh or Dublin. Yes London is a modern city but the history oh my. My concern with some p!aces such as Portugal, Spain etc is August can be stifling hot and you have to be sure you rent a place with AC. I know you are used to the heat in F!orida but to me it is not the same. If you decide to go to two places, say Dublin and London, be sure to fly into one city and out of the other so as not to backtrack August also has the tattoo in Edinburgh so that would probably drive the cost up. Best of luck and be sure to get kids involved with planning.

What Beth said. I would choose destinations where I could afford to stay for the maximum time you and your husband can get away from work. Ten days will turn into eight by the time you discount your travel days and the jetlagged arrival day. That's just awfully short, and you'd still have the full expense of the round-trip flights for four people. In terms of actual sightseeing time, a 14-day trip is much, much longer than a 10-day trip.

Minimizing time in capital cities and other tourist hotspots (like Edinburgh, coastal/island Scotland and Venice as just a few examples) will really help you manage costs.

There can be a difference of several hundred dollars in round-trip airfare between the cheapest destinations and the more costly ones for the same dates. That distinction varies by origin airport. Have you looked at flight costs from your closest international airport(s)? If not, go to Google Flights, enter your origin airport and use "Europe" as the destination. Zoom in on the map and make note of the reasonably-priced possibilities. If you have access to more than one convenient domestic airport, repeat this process with each of those airports.

There are endless possibilities, so I'd exclude the very hottest areas from consideration. Although a heat wave is possible nearly anywhere (and many lodgings in normally-cool areas aren't air-conditioned), I'd save southern Spain and non-mountain Italy for a different trip. the northern section of Spain from Galicia to the the Basque Country is usually mild, as are Normandy and Brittany in France. Those are just a couple of examples.

London is a combo of old and new.

Google images for Tower of London then google The Gherkin.

Google Lloyd’s of London building then google Leadenhall Market. They are adjacent to one another.

Compared to LA where I dwell London is a very walkable city, combined with the Tube extremely easy to negotiate. Then again I’ve been visiting there since Nixon was in office so I’m biased.

The adage nobody walks in LA is true but while in London I’ll do 6 miles a day because I like to discover hidden alleys. Somewhere like the Crown Passage.

Lastly, it’s not a cheap location but as mentioned majority of museums are free, there are street food markets, you can picnic in parks, and if you like theatre there is the 1/2 price ticket booth in Leicester Square where you can purchase same day tix.

There’s Carnaby Street, the shoe department in Selfridges, Liberty, flea markets, Southbank Centre Book Market, Horniman Museum, Museum of Steam and Power, Jack the Ripper, Pubs, parks, bookstores like a favorite find, Hurlingham Books in Putney.
Foster Books in Chiswick. Daunts books is a chain.

Spent a month in London last fall. Returning in July for Wimbledon. I’m never bored in London.

I think we can do 14 days off work if we can afford the cost.

I just started to look at flights. We can fly out of Orlando, which I assume may have some deals, since even Europeans want to go to Disney, I assume (don't ask me why). Right now, Dublin and Lisbon look cheapest, but this is a very preliminary scan. Our date window is 7/11-8/9, or we could also probably go 6/18-7/2, but that feels like we're cutting it a little close at this point.

I like to travel in straight lines--to cities that compliment each other but that are different. But when you're on your first trip, you want to see a lot but at the same time not be overwhelmed with history, culture, food and differences in language.

I suggest to any 1st time traveler to fly into London and later taking the Eurostar 2 1/2 hours into Paris. Then after a few days, take the 6.5 hour fast train down to Barcelona. They're all great, but different, cities that are important.

Before the pandemic, we flew into Madrid and took a bus down to Granada to see Alahambra. Then we took a cheap 1 hour flight over to Barcelona. From there, we took that fast train up to Paris. Spain is very affordable and it is quite a place.

Other favorites are to fly into Munich, take a train into Salzburg and then take another train into Vienna. This is a trip that shows the old cosmopolitan European cities. We also like the Prague/Vienna/Budapest trips, but this is not a year for visiting Hungary.

Italy is a complete trip to itself--and #1 in many travelers' minds. Venice/Florence/Rome are places we've been to time and time again. We'll be back in Venice in June--my 10th time there.

I have lived in Europe for 4 years (87-91) and Saudi Arabia (81-85) as well as travelled to a total of 78 foreign countries over the years.

We had kids from age 5 through teens and traveled all over with them. My son doesn't remember much of what he say prior to age 10, but even he did take in our amazing travel. I remember him being awed by the Sistine Chapel at age 7.

I suggest that you treat your teens like adults. Take them to museums, everywhere.

Hotels, you don't like luxury hotels. I agree, even though I can afford five star hotels, we rarely stay in one. We prefer B&Bs with friendly hosts and great breakfasts that are near the city centers and convenient for walking. Of course, for a party of four, you should check out Air B and B.

I initially wanted to visit historical places like Rome, Florence, Venice, Paris, London, Munich, etc. on my first visits to Europe. I still love the history and art, but have found great pleasure in scenic places.

The fjords of Norway are at the top of my list for scenic. Best to take a cruise to the North Cape.

The Greek Islands, British Countryside, Swiss mountains and Croatian shore are fantastic.

For history, Israel and Egypt are amazing.

For out of doors, you can hike Hadrian's Wall in the North of England or hike up the Zugspitze (highest mountain in Germany) from Garmisch. It takes two days.

Take a short Rhine River cruise past the Loreli from Rudesheim.
https://magical-europe.com/2019/09/04/the-lorelei-loreley-a-siren-of-german-folklore/

Also, take the Romantic Road from Garmisch/Fussen to Wurzburg and visit some intact medieval villages and towns like Rothenberg ob der Tauber.

You have a lot of choices and can't see it all unless you have months.

My favorite countries are Italy, Great Britain, Norway and Greece in Europe, but I still love it all.

Some of the suggestions you are receiving don't sound budget-oriented to me. You're likely to save money if you don't spend all your time in major cities. I love their attractions, but in terms of feeling like you're in a foreign place, smaller towns can be better, because you won't see as many Macdonalds, Starbucks, Pizza Huts, etc. And lodgings are likely to be much less expensive.

Portugal is an interesting country and generally not terribly expensive. Perhaps Lisbon could be a bit pricey; I haven't been there recently. But you could spend just a few days in Lisbon and then head north, seeing Porto, and spend a bit of time in the northwest corner of Spain. Santiago de Compostela is a very historic city and a target for pilgrims from all over. That area is known for cool, often wet, weather. That gets you two countries without having to cover a lot of miles.

You can get an idea of lodging costs on booking.com. Set whatever filters you want, indicate that you need to house four people and see what crops up. Watch for the choice at the top of the hotel list that takes dormitory rooms out of the mix; you don't want those. And you probably want to specify a private bath. Don't forget to indicate you want air conditioning since in most places you'd be living dangerously without it. (That's a last-minute decision you can make if you run into a city you really, really want to go to and see a huge difference in room costs with and without a/c.)

Your earlier dates may be quite a bit cheaper, or not. I think you'll see quite a difference in the nightly cost of a room in Lisbon vs. London or Paris, just for one example.

Perhaps northern Italy would fit the bill. Lake Como, Venice and the Dolomites. With 14 days you would have enough time to do these three. All three are absolutely spectacular and unique in their own way. Boat around Lake Como and visit the villas and gardens. See Bellagio. Seriously I could ride the boat around Lake Como all day. Venice - well everyone should experience Venice at least once. Lots of art and churches. Very walkable. I don’t know how busy or hot it would be in the summer as we were there in May. The Dolomites north of Venice are another spectacular site with lots of hiking opportunities and a very Germanic feel. Visit Bolzano and see Otzi which would be your ancient, dark history. You would probably want a car for the Dolomites as there are some beautiful drives but it is possible by bus. You can take the train to Bolzano and rent a car there. The car rental is near the tiny airport. A bit inconvenient but you can take a taxi there and back to the train station on return.

With wanting to keep budget lower, use trains and walk, a good variety and nature included I would consider France. You have everything from the Alps to the beaches to Paris to Lyon (best food in France) to wine country to Normandy, etc. The country is very diverse. It’s also full of great B&Bs which is our favorite way to do France outside of Paris. You can do lots of trains, high speed or local, very easy to do. We’ve been all over France multiple times and never rented a car, and able to hit both cities and small towns. You’d also find a diversity in weather. And, benefits to doing just one country. You can also do it inexpensively. For a first trip for kids it’s also a good place. Maybe pick a few places, watch some videos and do some reading, talk to your family.

--Wilderness and nature
--Food
--Walking and walkable cities
--Travel by train
--14yo likes odd/quirky, ancient things, dark history
--18yo likes beautiful/aesthetic/"dark academia", art, art history, bookstores, antiques
--I like....I don't know, I like everything. I love museums. I like places that are not very touristy.
--My husband likes birds and places with beer and whiskey, but also kind of likes everything (does not like crowds very much)

5-7-day stay in Southern Germany's Black Forest featuring...

free transportation by train during your stay; book a farm stay for good vacation-rental prices (eat in when you wish to accommodate budget and special food needs); great hiking, beautiful lakes and mountaintop vistas, nice scenery; no big crowds; seldom-visited Nazi-run work camp; Black Forest open-air culture museum; Carnival (Fasnacht) museum; old-world villages with half-timbered buildings; Rothaus Brewery; day trips by train to Freiburg Germany, Basel SWITZERLAND (art mecca) and to Strasbourg FRANCE.

If you fly into Frankfurt you might stay one or two nights on/near the Neckar River near Heidelberg:

Bad Wimpfen has great medieval feel.
Guttenberg castle and falconry show
Michelstadt
Heidelberg itself

On your way back to FRA airport stay a few nights in the Middle Rhine Valley:

Medieval castles, vineyards, wineries, river cruises, chairlift rides, great scenic hikes; WW II museum in Remagen; spend your final day/night in Mainz for all it has to offer. Mainz has a large zone set aside for pedestrians only in its old town area. From Mainz to FRA airport it's only 25 minutes by train.

You might look into FAMILY rooms in official German youth hostels in the Neckar River area and in the Middle Rhine Valley (several there.)

Thank you so much, everyone--these suggestions are just wonderful to get us started.

I was going to ask about hostels. I will emphasize again that we don't mind spartan or quirky accommodations. Is it "done" for middle aged adults with families to stay at hostels? I saw someone mentioned family hostels. This sounds kind of fun to me.

Once upon a time, German youth hostels offered spartan accommodations for mostly individual travelers - large, cold dormitories with bunks, group shower stalls down the hall, a roll and coffee for breakfast.

Today the German "youth" hostel business is driven by group reservations (mostly traveling school groups, sports teams, etc.) and traveling families. Rooms with 4-6 beds are the norm but many have singles and doubles as well, all with private bathroom facilities. Breakfasts are often buffet style and bountiful. They are by no means luxurious by today's standards, but some are actually very nice and located in great settings. Some are in historic buildings. Some years ago when our daughter was young, we booked hostels in different towns where we found the location and the facilities to meet our needs. We all enjoyed the experience.

Different countries operate their hostels differently. The description I've given may not apply elsewhere at all.

Here's a list of the hostels in the Rhine region, listed by town; all of these are designated family-friendly (the word "Familien" beneath the town name is your clue.)

https://www.jugendherberge.de/en/offers/quicksearch/?LanguageCode=en&SelectedSuggestionIds=100&SelectedSuggestionType=2&NationalAssociationLimitation=&Searchterm=Romantischer+Mittelrhein+und+Rheinhessen

https://www.jugendherberge.de/en/offers/quicksearch/?LanguageCode=en&SelectedSuggestionIds=403&SelectedSuggestionType=1&NationalAssociationLimitation=&Searchterm=Diez

Germany of course speaks German, but English is extremely prevalent; cities and towns where English isn't understood and spoken by most people are fairly rare. In hostels you will have no trouble with the language - groups and Families from all over Europe who book in hostels of course do not generally know German, but they generally DO know some English, as most Germans do, so English is the way they tend to communicate.

Info on free train travel in the Black Forest: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KkgzMXQ7blQ

For a friends wedding, we brought another friend along who was willing to watch our kid the whole weekend, it was great. This way, you can get more of a feeling of it being a vacation and not a chase-him-down weekend.

If that doesn't work, or you'd rather it be just the three(?) of you, I'd do some googling. Some get-away's may have day care's. Depending on where you live, you might get away with a beach that has kid-friendly zones (usually they keep the kids from easy access to the ocean).

I know it's not optimal, but depending on your media habits, you could plop him down in front of a movie while you read and the wife hits the steam room/spa or whatever. As parents, we need our breaks too.

Could a grandparent, aunt/uncle take him for a few days? Family time is important, but toddler's (in my experience) ensure vacations are never vacations. Mom and dad time is just as important as family time. We've taken advantage of family to get a few days alone together, and it's done wonders for our relationship.

Be careful staying at hostels, some would not be good for families.
Also, some would allow you a lot less privacy and security.

Use Kayak.com to check for budget lodging. A search on kayak will include sites like Booking.com, priceline and others.
Further, check TripAdvisor.com for reviews. Also, TripAdvisor has a neat map feature that shows you the location of the hotel/B&Bs.

An Airbnb or VRBO might be an option where you could cut costs by making your own meals.

The dollar is trading strong with the Euro so more bang for buck while staying in the EU. In relative terms the dollar is doing very well also with Sterling pound, but we find England a bit more expensive.
I recommend Spain for you can experience several different countries while arriving in one. Barcelona, Catalonia, offers a HUGE menu of opportunities for all ages and has an excellent public transport system. You can swim in the Med and hike at Montserrat, enjoy the vast variety of local destinations and take day trips to roman ruins.
https://www.barcelona-tourist-guide.com/en/tour/montserrat-spain.html
Next take the high speed train, AVE, to Madrid to visit a completely different culture within Spain.

Check into open jaw flights which can save money and time from having to fly in and out of the same airport.

At both locations we stay outside of the main tourist zone and stay in apartments.

Something for everyone? Honestly, to touch all the bases you mentioned, and, manage expenses:

Spend many days in London and then take a train to Edinburgh for the rest of your trip. Or, the reverse. But before you set your heart on any city, check the Festival calendars. For example, Edinburgh in August is the Fringe festival. Rooms will be hard to come by. But on the other hand, your teens might really enjoy Fringe.

Scotch tasting in Edinburgh is a bit too touristy, but it is still fun for your husband. And if you get over to Islay, the best Scotch in the country.

London has the museums and some pretty dark history.

Scottish history has some dark moments at times too. And Edinburgh can be a good base to go visit other Scot places of interest.
Edinburgh is fun to just wander around. It is old. Not flashy.

London is big but not flashy. Easy to get around especially with an Oyster card.

One last quirk ... if you go, sign up for one of the ghost tours. Even if you laugh off ghost stories, the tour we took in Edinburgh took us inside some of the vaults and we listened to stories about "common folk".

When I hosteled a bed cost about a dollar. Now in Germany they are as expensive as a decent room in a small guesthouse, or apartment.

For your trip I would look at Germany and Salzburg in Austria. You can save a bundle by staying in apartments instead of the 2 rooms you would need in a hotel.

Have you considered northern Spain aka "Green Spain"? It's quite the contrast compared to the south of the country, and looks more like Ireland mixed in with the Alps. The weather is much more temperate, in the summer time. From medieval villages, to the picturesque wine regions, the emerald waters of Bay of Biscay, the culinary delights of the Basque country, the Celtic culture of Galicia, and finally the towering jagged peaks of the Picos de Europa; Northern Spain has something for everyone and is generally less touristy than the rest of the country.

Here are few more reasons why you should consider the north of Spain: https://theculturetrip.com/europe/spain/articles/15-reasons-to-visit-green-spain-at-least-once-in-your-lifetime/

As a Family, we’ve definitely found AirBnB and VRBO to be money savers. Cheaper than hotels plus you can do breakfast and a dinner or two in and save. If flights to Ireland are reasonable as you mentioned, definitely consider that. It’s such a fun, friendly country and lots of outdoor options. The train there isn’t as good as some other places though.

Since money is a consideration, and you might not be back right away, I would think London might be a good starting off point (add in the Cotswolds for some lovely outdoor walks) and then take the Eurostar to Paris. It would give you the flavor of two unique countries easily.

Where are you starting and ending up? Neither Veliko Tarnovo nor southern Serbia is particularly close to the places you mentioned in Romania.

Romania has some handsome cities that Ceausescu didn't get around to rebuilding in concrete. Brasov is one of them.

That part of the Balkan peninsula is rather poor, so you might benefit from doing some research on restaurants ahead of time. It wouldn't surprise me if a lot of the best restaurants are in high-end hotels. I remember a comment somewhere along the way (perhaps from Rick) back before my 2015 trip that Romanians couldn't really afford to eat out. My impression was that Bulgaria was no wealthier and ingredient quality could be an issue. I ate a lot of chicken kebabs.
Veliko Tarnovo gets a lot of tourists (there was an Asian tour group at my hotel), so it has a lot of restaurants. In other places there weren't so many. If you wanted to make an interesting trip out of it leave Sofia to the last few days (leave the car at the airport on your return as it will be a hindrence in Sofia) and drive directly from the airport to koprivshtitsa:
http://bulgariatravel.org/en/object/18/Koprivshtica

Stay overnight in Koprivshtitsa. it is just over 60 miles (108km) but will take you two hours.the following day continue on via the shipka pass then call to the Etar Complex

http://www.atlasobscura.com/places/shipka-pass

The Etar Complex is 85 miles. (138km) from Koprivshtitsa.

https://www.myguidebulgaria.com/regionalinfo/culture-and-tradition-near-veliko-tarnovo/ shaglevoojio

I remember seeing it mixed with a mild cheese spread on a Serbian menu. It was yummy in that form as well as plain.

If inexpensive is what you are looking for to help your vacation dollars go futher, try Poland or Sicily. Both are, dare I say, cheap - food, tours, transportation, entrance fees, etc. Poland is probably easier to get around in then Sicily. We used the trains in Poland but in Sicily we hired drivers. Also, if you are very adventurous, think about Romania or Bulgaria. They love American tourists. As Croatia becomes more and more popular, it is getting more expensive.
The first time we took our teenage girls to Europe, in 2002, we went to Prague, Vienna, and Budapest. We figured they could do Paris, Rome, and London by themselves. When we returned in 2014 Prague and budapest were so very different, so much more geared towards tourists. We were Happy to have been before and see the changes.

Yes, treat your younger voyageurs as adults ---starting now. They can be researching their preferences to back up their choices. The older teen can go off by herself for particular personal interests. When all plan, and choose, the trip becomes their own to share.

We’re a family of four with two teens also. AirBnB and VRBO and Homeaway.uk are good money saving options for families. We’ve often found things cheaper than a hotel. Plus you can do some cooking and save money there too. If you’re really flexible on destination, I would just check airfare and pick the best deal. So many great options.

Apartments are your financial friend. It might be too late to be booking though. Some places are only weekly rentals, but in Germany I have stayed as few as 3 nights. Booking.com is one place I have used with success

Regardless of where you go, you need to decide TODAY and book flights. Your costs are going up, up, up.

I'd suggest Slovenia-Croatia-Trieste-Vienna. Not all of them, but some.

As to hostels, we (70, 73) have stayed in many. There are private rooms.

With your kids, hostels would be GREAT, because there are other kids there. You might consider finding a way to let your kids be "detached" from the family for a time. In Munich, we stayed in a hostel, and it was FILLED with school groups from German places, to the point of kids skateboarding in the halls (annoying), but there was plenty of interaction.

Southam from Canada made a very good point. The more the teens are involved in the planning, the less likely you'll be to have instances of "unhappy campers". But then teens are always happy - right?

What a great trip! You will have a wonderful time, whatever you decide.

I have three kids roughly the ages of yours, including two boys and a girl, with very different interests. We've had four trips to Europe (each about a week to ten days), and in all cases, we tried to do different things so that each kid felt their own interests were met.

1. Flew into London-Eurostar to Paris.
2. Flew into Nice-flew to Barcelona.
3. Flew into Naples-drove to Rome-flew to Venice.
4. Flew into Madrid-drove to Lisbon-drove to Seville.

The advantage of trying to do a couple of places (within one or two countries) is that you get a sense of what you like (and so do the kids) - and different things appeal to different people (sometimes in ways it is hard to predict).

One more thing I'd HIGHLY recommend - figure out where you can fly direct from Orlando. We've had much better trips when the travel is easy and the kids don't arrive exhausted from layovers following red eyes, etc. We are heading to Amsterdam and Belgium this winter precisely because it is a non-stop flight.

I thought I should update! We are going to France for 11 days. Timing got a little tricky and that was the most we could do. We decided we did not want to mess with driving. We have an Airbnb booked in Paris and plan to do day trips and possibly (still not sure on this) an overnight with two long days by train. We are VERY excited. The advice we got here was very helpful. We strongly considered Portugal but in the end, the kids wanted to hit one of the "big famous cities."