Where to take teens in March for Spring Break

Andalucia in Spain - specifically Sevilla, Granada and Cordoba. It will be winter and cold pretty much everywhere else.

It depends on the interest of the teens, frankly.

Nowhere in the Mediterranean will there be Caribbean-esque temperatures (of air and water), so better get over the idea of warm weather altogether.

Once it is assumed vacations will be under cold weather, you can take them pretty much anywhere. A dynamic city like Berlin or London might have plenty of things to do. There is also the possibility of going to the Alps, to do things you can't do in North American mountains.

The latitude of Seville is about the same as the latitude of Springfield, MO (no idea where you are from, or I would equate it to where you live). Basically, it won't be beach weather. I would probably suggest London if this is your first trip. Lots to do (most museums are free) and it won't be too much of a culture shock. But why not ask them where they would like to go?

Similar latitudes do not equal similar weather. Europe benefits from the Gulf Stream which warms things up a bit.

But only a bit. Last March 20, for example, the mean temperature in Seville was 55 degrees. That's warmer than Springfield, MO's mean of 33 for the same date, but not really what anyone would call warm.

diane,

You don't have your home location in your Profile, so my first question is - where are you travelling from? One week is NOT a long time and if you're coming from North America you'll have to allow for your two travel days. You'll arrive in Europe the day after you depart and the last day will be spent on the flight home. That will allow five days in Europe, which will probably only allow one location with day trips. You'll also be dealing with jet lag for the first few days so you won't be up to "full touring speed".

Some further information would be helpful.

Go to Prague, but don't ask what they did all night.

I would take them to London. It's a good place to start for first time to Europe. There's plenty to do in London; also great day trips outside the city. A day trip to Bath and the Cotswolds would be fun. Or go out to Hampton Court Palace, Warwick Castle, Windsor Castle, or Stonehenge or Avebury. Or choose a train trip up to York to see York Minster and explore York's medieval walls and streets. From London, you could even do a day trip to Paris. I know, it's not doing Paris justice to spend just one day there, but it will give them a taste of Paris, and the excitement of riding the Eurostar there and back.Back in London, they are sure to like the Tower of London, River Thames boat ride to Greenwich, London Eye, cool stuff in the British Museum, lunch or dinner in pubs, people- watching in the parks, Westminster Abbey (big wow factor; where Will and Kate got married), and Shakespeare's Globe Theatre. Who needs a beach for spring break; London is ten times more fun.

It will be chilly in London in March, so be sure to dress warmly. Winter jacket or sweater plus windbreaker. The big plus is you will not have the crowds at all the attractions that you would in the summer; no heat or long lines to put up with.

How old are these kids?

I agree on London. It's closer than many destinations, and will have plenty to do despite the weather. If they are into Harry Potter at all, be sure to book the studio tour. It will blow any fan's mind!

And in London they speak English.

Paris, because it's different! Because English is not the first language of choice, because there is SO much to see, because the food is fantastic. Since you're flying that far away, why go some place where many things are so similar?

Oh, Darcy, I can't recommend against Paris, bien sur, but I don't know that London is all that similar. At least, not to young eyes. When I went for the first time, I was 20, and it was the first time I had been anywhere. I was blown away by all the history, which to me made it a much different experience than visiting most places in the US.

That said, Paris would also satisfy the requirement of having lots to do when it's dark or cold out. It's a fabulous city.

I'm with Darcy... Paris! For all the reasons she said. My son first went to Paris (and London and all over Europe) when he was 11 yrs old. We've been back (all over) every year or two since (he's now 23) and Paris is, and has always been, his absolute favorite place on the planet. Paris is amazing.. for all ages.

Another vote for London. I took my kids for the first time last May and they were surprised at how much they loved London. Of course, I knew that they would since I am their all knowing Mother!. If theyre big Harry Potter fans, a visit to Leavesden Studios is a must. We went to see a couple of shows also and Windsor Castle was a hit. And even though they speak English, it's alot of fun trying to figure out what theyre saying and to translate their slang and idioms. Their second favorite city was Barcelona. Paris was in 3rd place of the 3 cities we went to but they enjoyed that as well.

Diane,

I would have to ask what do they like to do before i would recommend someplace.

If you/they dont have any preferences as to what is done/seen, then you have the whole europe as your backyard to choose from.

I would assume you are from the states or close and that you know you will loose one day for travel to Europe. if thats the case, i would try to minimze my time getting there to maxamize your time on the ground.

If you do london or Paris, then you could do a short time in both since travel to/from both is real easy via the chunnel.

i know that when i was over there for their "spring break" there were alot of them going to the french alps for skiing.

but again, with knowing what their likes are, its hard to say or recommend.

this is just my opinion, if i was a teenager and had a chance to go to europe, i really wouldnt give a hoot where i went since i was never given that chance when i was a kid- i would have gone to ANYPLACE!

happy trails.

I vote NO for London. We take our teen to Europe for one week each year. Favorites have been Prague/Poland, Germany and Portugal.

Prague and Poland were fabulous. Loved Krakow. Visited Auschwitz. Prague is wonderful (especially wen not filled with tourists)
Germany was great - took trains everywhere. Loved Bamberg and Nurenberg and Salzburg (Austria).
Portugal is beautiful an so different - Evora as Lisbon were favorites. Very different than other European countries.

Do not go to London because they speak English!! How boring. Go to the most far flung place you can is my advice.

I think we were suggesting closer places because they will have only one week.

They may speak English in London but it is still a foreign country, and very different from the US. So much to see and do there. We took our young teens to London and Paris one spring break, and they much preferred London. For a first time to Europe, it has a lot of advantages--- shorter flight ( maybe even direct), less jet lag/travel fatigue, lots of history and fun things to do. The downside is the price.

The first thing I would do is abandon the idea of a week=7 days. Take them out of school the previous Friday (since they won't be learning anything that day anyway) and leave Thursday evening for the overnight flight. You will arrive on Friday early morning. Stay through the Sunday 9 days later to maximize your time.

Our children's first trip to Europe was to England which seemed perfect for us. But our children were not yet teens at that time and we knew we were coming back for return trips that would systematically stretch their comfort zone for more challenging experiences later. Given that your children are already teens, I would lean toward a location where a different language will be dominant.

With such limited time, I think it's important to choose one major city and focus on that, with the addition of 2-3 major day trips outside the city to change things up a little. It's probably crucial that the city have several widely-recognized "Yes! We are in Europe!" type of sites, so that rules out cities where the sites are lesser known to children. And I would try to keep things as warm as possible, though March temps will be impossible to predict.

So for me, that narrows it down to Paris and Rome.

Paris has plenty to keep a family busy for 5-7 days, including several iconic sites, and it has several wonderful options for day trips.

Rome also has numerous iconic sites that delve deeper into history and also has wonderful options for day trips, including Pompeii.

Both cities have many options for apartment rentals if you want to have more room for the family, and if saving money over hotel stays is important to you. There are few hotel rooms for 4 in either city, so you would likely be facing two rooms at double the rate if you chose a hotel. Both cities have good, easy to understand public transport (Paris gets the edge here though). And both cities have easy access by train to destinations outside the city for day trips.

London is wonderful, too, and it will "feel" like a foreign country. The children will enjoy hearing the English accents. But there is something fundamentally different and richer being in a place where the language you hear and see printed on signs is different. And English is all you really need to communicate anywhere tourists spend money. Just be sure to learn a few basic words and phrases in their language to be polite (it's educational, too).

There are dozens of other very worthwhile places to spend a week with teens. But in March - on a first trip - those would be my two choices.

We have never stayed longer than 8 days - most trips have been 7. We do travel around
a lot. Our Germany trip we stayed in 5 hotels over 7 days. We pack very lightly so we can wake up,
have breakfast and jump on train to next destination. We are early risers - so that makes it easy.

To me. London is "meh". I want to be somewhere that I hear NO English - I want to be totally immersed in another culture Also we travel with FF miles so u just pay taxes - landing taxes in the UK
are huge (like $250/ticket as compared to Portugal where it's $46/ticket).

Have fun!!!

I think Randy's advice to leave Thursday night is brilliant. That way you will have 8 full days on the ground. You're spending a lot of money to get there, so maximizing your time that way is excellent advice.