Mom, daughter and 2 granddaughters - Where?

GD's will be 16 and 14 so of course their interests must be
considered. Having never been to Europe, they really dont have a grasp
on what their interests may be.

Well, what are their personal interests, hobbies, and activities at home? If you can describe those briefly, maybe we could make some suggestions. Sports? Favorite school subjects, or periods of history? Music? Cars? Chocolate? Dance? There are surely places where they can indulge their interests, no matter what they are.

That i am guessing would include 9 April through Easter Sunday on the 16th.

You can use Google Flights Venice to Europe on a date (try several fot some flexibility). Choose non-stop and see what the choices are. That might narrow down a list to research and discuss. Also different places may deal with Semana Santa differently so look into that. That coukd involve closings or increased tourist numbers or maybe Easter Fairs or something interesting.

GD's will be 16 and 14 so of course their interests must be considered. Having never been to Europe, they really dont have a grasp on what their interests may be.

Consider having each of them do research on various places in Italy such as Rome and Florence to see if either or both hold any interest. They can do google searches and watch videos of each city just as a starting point. Another possibility is having them watch the RS videos of those places on this web site. Suggesting those two places since most spring breaks are fairly short.

If the spring break is fairly long, another possible location is Paris. Not many teenage girls will turn their backs on Paris. But one never knows.

Just offering food for thought.

Mr. E has the right idea, except I would suggest you do the reverse. Determine a European city to which you can fly directly from your home airport. Germany might well be an option. London, Amsterdam? Then confirm that this city has direct flights to Venice. Finally, decide whether it makes more sense to put Venice at the start of the trip or the end of the trip.

We are pretty sure we want to start in Venice...

Venice is, in my opinion, an excellent place to recover from jet lag. It is much easier, as a rule, to fly into Venice than flying back from there. Of course, as noted above, flight availability will have to be considered.

I’ll always suggest London. Why?

Free museums, street markets, parks, the Royals, shopping; (Liberty, Harrods, Harvey Nicohols, Battersea Powerstation conversion, Selfridges, Fortum and Mason), theatre and the variety of food options throughout the various London neighborhoods.

Think they’d like visiting a pub for a meal. Maybe Mudchute Farm. Maybe walking above Tower Bridge. Riding the London Underground. Visiting Greenwhich. Exploring Highgate Cemetary. Looking for the enterance to the Leaky Calderon in Leadenhall Market. Visiting Westminster Abbey.

...adults have been several times to Paris and Rome, which could be obvious choices but would prefer somewhere else.

You obviously have enjoyed them as you have gone 'several' times. Why deprive them of the experience?

Also means you do not have to 're-invent the wheel' as you would already be familiar with the locale.

What they might like now vs. almost 2 years from now could change.

For a one week trip I would be inclined to have only two locations.

Happy planning

All good suggestions. Food for thought. I am leaning to London along with Venice, but yes, by the time we need to pin down, their interests may have changed.

Judy (from another Judy),
What Joe said. Fly into Venice. Stay 3 nights, then fly to Paris. They will be at a great age to enjoy Paris. Yes, a repeat for you, but remember how that first experience in Paris felt to you, and watch the granddaughters have that same experience. My two kids went to Paris at 8 and 10, then 18 and 20, and it was magical for them (a boy and a girl) both times. They have since been back to Europe on their own.
How many days will you have? 9 days total? One day lost to flying in and one to returning. That's 7 days. If you want to stick to Italy (a good idea with limited time), try the Dolomites, Florence (with Pisa), Lake Como, Milan, and of course Rome....it will depend on your girls' interests. Almost anywhere you go will almost certainly be a thrill for them. Just stick with no more than two cities. Fly into Venice and out of your second city (open jaw, not 2 one-way fares). Direct flights from a city to your home airport may help determine your second choice.
If you decide on Germany, you can't go wrong with Munich for young people. IMO it is one of those happy places. Just keep in mind that your moving day is a day lost to seeing the sights/life/atmosphere.
Have fun planning.
And good advice about having them watch TV shows, videos, etc.

P.S. Claudia's mention of London is great. It hits the nail on the head for teenagers, IMO.

Do the GDs speak Italian - or any other european language? If not, the culture shock might be smaller in London, where they can read the signs and - with some difficulty - understand the natives (tongue-in-cheek).

You don't need to decide finally until next year, so start the discussion, watch movies and read books from different cities, watch news from different countries.

And most important: enjoy the planning! This will probably be the first of many trips for your Grand Daughters.

Do the GDs speak Italian - or any other European language? If not, the
culture shock might be smaller in London, where they can read the
signs

I would rather they learn about life when I am still around to help out. Not that someone speaking Albanian would devastate them anyway. Let’s not forget that they come from a city where there is a bit of French spoken and it’s highly possible that they might wander into a hometown Thai restaurant where all the staff is speaking Thai.

Judy, you have many options and the decision is going to be based on personal interests and bias. That’s pretty much the way it should be. My trips to Europe with my kids were easier. I went where I wanted to go and I only asked them one question; "are you coming or not?"

I always looked for a lot of diversity in culture and language and wealth; and city vs rural. I mixed it up as much as possible. This way they had a better base from which to make future travel decisions (on their dime). Oh, and to be honest, that’s what I enjoy too.

My observations on Venice for 14 year olds trip. I love it, but it exists for the sole purpose of tourism. For me that’s great. For the grandchildren that depends on the purpose of the trip. For me the best things in Venice were somewhat expensive and somewhat adult in nature. Again, still works depending on the purpose of the trip. My kids grew up with one dinner a month being formal. I mean Emily Post 1932 Edition formal. I made them read and learn the whole book. So in Venice they could come along to any situation with me.

London is a lot more playful and, to my mind, is a pretty good contrast socially and culturally from what Venice will be. That’s good. However, too much culturally like the US for the education I tried to give my kids. But that’s personal not a criticism. Here is my biggest issue with the pair … purely selfish. Venice is a place I would love to be with adults, but not so much with children and London plus Venice on one trip; being two of the more expensive holiday destinations in Europe would break my budget.

Venice (or Paris) and Athens. Venice (or Paris) and a trip through Tuscany. Venice (or Paris) and Lisbon.

I went to Venice with slightly younger kids. They loved it but we spent a lot of money in 3 days... Stuff they enjoyed - water taxi, Row Venice where you get to have a go a rowing an old fashioned gondola, Secret Itineries at the Doges Palace (torture etc), vaporetto riding and the food is easy for that age - pizza, pasta and ice cream.