Where would an 18-yr-old social studies student appreciate most?

Kate, since you have just a few days, and are willing to fly, I’ll cast my vote for Prague in the Czech Republic. It is an absolutely gorgeous, diverse and lively city, and would give you all a chance to see the great progress in recent years in “Eastern Europe”. A few years ago, I spent 4 nights there, saw lots of Prague and took various day trips also. I stayed at the Green Garland Inn, a B & B on a quiet street very near the main Town Square and the Charles Bridge, and I recommend it highly. Greece would also be a fine choice, but really requires more than just a few days, even for a taste.

I would think for something this big, expensive, and potentially fun, you should just ask her where she'd like best to go. If the trip is a surprise, I'd consider making it not a surprise. I know I'd rather be gifted with a trip to where I wanted to go rather than be gifted with a trip that was okay, but because I wasn't asked, was not what would have been my first choice. So, I think your best option would be to just ask for her opinion.

Thanks! Prague with a little countryside has sounded wonderful. (Český Krumlov?)
You're definitely right about asking her. That's the problem! She always says she'll be satisfied with anything so that's why I'm digging to see what lights her eyes up. She did say Amsterdam right away and it remains constant in our talks for many reasons.

She's very lucky to have such a nice mom and grandmom! I would have loved a trip to Europe when I graduated from high school!

:)

I'd consider either London or Greece. With her interests either would be fantastic. I know you didn't mention London, but both my kids loved it! As a third choice I'd go with Austria. Innsbruck or Salzburg would probably be more interesting at her age than Vienna.

If you opt for Italy, I would suggest Rome rather than Milan.

I would still go back and ask her to choose between choices. My mother went with me to Europe to celebrate my college graduation, however, since it was my gift, I was to plan most of it. Where to go, what to see, and help pick out a hotel. Although it seemed like a headache sometimes and I wished that my parents would just plan it themselves- it did help me become a savvy, well-informed traveler. Plus I couldn’t complain about what we did because I chose it.

PS my mom and I still talk about that trip and it began a decades long love of Europe.

What about Paris? You could get there by train, take a side trip to Chartres for a half-day.

You haven't mentioned the duration of the entire trip, but that would be a factor in what you select and what would be recommended. A week or less, don't go anywhere else. If more than a week, I'd still suggest minimizing travel time to the place you stay only a "few" days - you can eat up a whole day traveling depending on mode of transit.

That said, if you're spending time only in Amsterdam, then Brugge or Brussels (you didn't specify where you're going in Belgium), it's an easy train ride to Paris, which covers all the bases for memorable places to see in your lifetime. If you're set on flying, I also ditto the suggestion for Prague which has a different feel and flavor than some of the other European capitals.

Regardless, buy open jaw tickets so you don't have to back track on the way home (e.g., fly to AMS and return from your short stay location). Use European airlines for your short hop - one way tickets on some airlines are very inexpensive (just watch the baggage rules). And agreed, lucky granddaughter!

Destinations "within two hours by train/plane" from the Low Countries will be pretty limited, if you're including airport time. Those two hours will be used up just getting to the airport and checking in. You might want to allow more travel time for more options. But Greece, I think, is too far and has too much to see for just a few days. Better to save that for a future trip.

Prague and Berlin are vibrant youth-oriented cities, either of which she might enjoy. Vienna is Freud's home town, but I'm not sure how much difference that would make for a possible future psychologist as young as your granddaughter.

Was there a reason you didn't include Paris on your list? For me it would seem like a no-brainer -- only 3+ hours by fast train from Amsterdam and very appealing, I'd think, to an artistic young person. Wherever you go, booking open-jaw flights will save time and maybe money too.

Since you mentioned it Kate, I did take a day-long bus tour from Prague to Český Krumlov. It was about a 3-hour drive each way, in a comfortable bus, and I enjoyed seeing the countryside and other towns in passing, probably slept on the return trip. To be honest, CK itself was kind of disappointing to me. We took a tour of the castle, and then had some hours free to wander the town and have lunch. It is now a very, very tourist-oriented town. I asked the guide how many people now lived in CK, and he responded that probably almost no one lived there, everyone commuted in to work in the shops, hotels and restaurants.

I agree with someone's suggestion above that if she is artistic and interested in becoming a psychologist, you should go to Vienna. The Klimts and Schieles in the Belvedere museum will blow her away, and the Museums Quartier is also very dynamic, and the MAK on the work of the Wiener Werkstatte is absolutely fabulous. You can put together an Art Nouveau tour by doing some research or hiring a guide. (Wiener Werkstatte works also available at the Leopolds Museum in the MuseumsQuartier).

https://www.belvedere.at/en

https://www.wien.info/en/sightseeing/museums-exhibitions/top/mq

http://www.mak.at/en/collection/mak_collection/wiener_werkstaette_archive

I agree Greece is a step way too far. You want something like either Vienna or Prague.

Also fun is some historical fiction having to do with that time. I have a few favorites that will help get you all in the mood. I have to think, but one to start is The Fig Eater by Jody Shields. Unfortunately most of my books are in storage in Oklahoma, I'll see what else I can remember that helps one get ahold of this incredible city and epoch of such a flowering discovery and creativity!!

https://www.salon.com/2000/03/29/shields/

This thread is a continuation of a thread over in the Czech Forum at

https://community.ricksteves.com/travel-forum/czech/where-would-an-18-yr-old-social-studies-student-appreciate-most

There is a fair bit of build-up there, and reasons why they don't want Paris or London.

I will double down on asking her where to go by suggesting that she plan the trip. She should do the reading and research. She should select the theme. Give her a budget for each day, so that she makes choices about food, lodging, and activities. At that point, she will have opinions about what is more interesting, and she can ask you for help on certain things. Give her ownership, and let her make the decisions. Just one suggestion: Make sure to stay a minimum of 2-3 nights in each stop. A first-timer often has this "I'm gonna see everything", which experienced travelers know is not reasonable.

Dick, you're right and I have decided to allow a full day if we go somewhere by air within the two weeks. I also think Greece will get ruled out unless we had more than a week there. Someday. Prague and Berlin both seem great for our purposes. I'll find out if she's inclined in studies more to Freud, Jung, or ... The art in Vienna is also a huge reason, would love to see if she could get a waltz lesson! Paris was the first mention by my daughter/her aunt, an arts history major turned chiropractor, and she didn't grasp it. Needing to eliminate, we let France go. She then mentioned, since her mom was born near Frankfurt of a German dad and Czech/Austrian mom, she'd really like to see one of them.
Larry, glad for the frank feedback on CK. Sounds like it would be great if we had backpacks and three months.
Kim, I'll look up the Vienna interests, thanks! She really does enjoy modern art.
Paul, I look forward to her agreeing to own and she might, once it's presented with a bit of distinction between feasibility and out of reach - still overwhelming with her school, work, and social schedule. We need to nail everything we want to do in Netherlands/Belgium and see how many days are left out of 14 or so.
Any comments on Lake Como? If we can afford the travel day. I said Milan, but there we would stay with friends who live 14km south of the Lecco ferry. Perhaps see Bellagio and Varenna, maybe staying on the lake one night and treating our Milano friends. Just one day trip to the city.

If you end up visiting Lake Como, you might also consider Bergamo, a charming hill town that's less than an hour from Milan by train and about 1-1/2 hours from Como. Bergamo is often suggested here to travelers heading to Milan, and I don't think anyone has every made a negative or lukewarm comment about it.

I realize that I'm not helping you narrow things down...

Hi
We took our grandson on a 2 week European trip for his graduation present. We had him pick the cities (London and Paris). We did a few day trips out. Maybe it is the difference between boys and girls. Two weeks was a long enough trip. He enjoyed London. He felt more comfortable. He picked out locations, museums etc. but even though he picked out Paris, he was finished within 3 days. I know what you think, how can you be done with Paris in that timeframe. You may want to finish the trip with London. He had never really traveled before and that may have something to do with it. Your granddaughter will love anywhere you go. Enjoy and make her an intricate part of the trip! Give her days that she has to plan. Good luck

I’d suggest travelling the ‘long way round’ from Amsterdam to Belgium.

•Start in Amsterdam
- Day trips to Harlem & den Haag

•To Cologne
- Day trip to Aachen

•To Koblenz-Rhine
- Day trips to Frankfurt & on a Rhine boat

•Via the Mosel Valley & Trier to Ghent-Belgium
- Day trips to Bruges & Antwerp

•Finish in Brussels

I do think Berlin has a lot to offer- such history, and it's in the middle of transforming and redefining itself so it will be a very different city twenty or even ten years from now. Also so many fun things for under -25s in a generally safe environment.

If I were looking for educational, I'd go to Berlin or Belfast - where cultures clashed. Vienna might be even better, it has a long history of being both a trade and culture crossroad.

I like a round trip idea like the one from djp_syd. I also agree that you should try to minimize travel time. A two hour flight might seem like a two hour flight on the timetable, but it is going to cost you half a day at least, possibly even a day, depending on where the airports and the hotels are located. I would save destinations that require additional flights, like Lake Como, Prague, or Vienna, for later trips.

You might instead add some worthwhile nearby destinations in the Netherlands, like Delft, or an island like Texel.

If she is interested in her heritage, why don't you try and find some places of particular interest to your family history, and add to that some sightseeing on the route (Aachen, Cologne, Rhine Valley). You might even make that open jaw and take your return trip from Frankfurt. BTW, you are talking of Frankfurt/Main, are you?

That's a very open-ended question. She's old enough that you two can decide on this together. Ask her what places fascinate her and go from there. I think Greece is bit far to go for just 2 days. But that's my opinion. Talk with her and look at a map. Planning is such fun so enjoy!!

I am really appreciating these comments. I'm composing a planning doc with a table to compare at a glance all the options and y'all's comments are a big part of it. We've had one meeting and will have the next one Thanksgiving evening. The goal of that one is to nail down which towns we want to visit in Benelux and how much time. After we're sure of that, we'll decide which other place we want to go for a short while. This trip is for summer 2018, btw.
acraven, I'm glad you mentioned Bergamo because everything's on the table now, if she chooses northern Italy. Nancy, sounds like your trip with your grandson was fun for all of you. I know this will be too, good idea to have her completely own a piece and see how big that can be without overwhelming her.
djp_syd, I hadn't thought of that route, so maybe we will, if she chooses western Germany. Selkie and Brad, I'm amazed that Berlin keeps being interesting. She really might want it. I hadn't thought of Vienna for cultural crossroading, and her love of beauty might make her choose Vienna over Berlin. Anna, it's true that we'll have to be sure we want to go somewhere a lot to travel 7-13 hours to get there (I'm thinking that even the longest by train is still better than flying, considering all that added time and no scenic part.) Continental, I am so much enjoying all this research, so I can watch her eyes light up the most, even as she says "anywhere Grandma! Wow!" And my daughter/her aunt is a huge help. She's going with us and has already been to many places in EU.
So far I've got these towns/cities in Benelux to present, with lots of facts, quotes, and photos/videos: Amsterdam, Haarlem, Zaandam, Utrecht, Giethoorn (farther from Amsterdam but oh my!), Delft, possibly the shore, Ghent, Bruges, Antwerp. These are just the ones to discuss next while we're too full of pumpkin pie and so probably won't even have time to think about Brussels, The Hague, and Rotterdam. I hope by end of that meeting we'll know how long we want to spend in Benelux.

this is all over the place; put your money to the kid for college tuition or student loan stuff since you seem more interested in going specifically somewhere than her; don' t force it

Now, we've had a good review of the research, these forum comments, and friends, we decided on slowing it down for this first trip. Instead of including a quick visit somewhere more than a day trip from our bases, we'll keep it flexible and spontaneous. If we really love a place, we'll go back to it instead of keeping to a tight schedule to glimpse more places on a checklist that we could never narrow down enough anyway. The anthropologist in my granddaughter, art historian in my daughter, and gardener in me all feel plenty excited about getting to know Netherlands and Belgium people and culture a bit.
We'll base the first week in Amsterdam and take 2-3 days there. Major interests from there are Haarlem, Zaandam, the shore, Giethoorn, and Utrecht. In Belgium, we'll probably stay in Ghent since it's central to Bruges, the Belgian coast, Antwerp, and Brussels and a great place for us vegetarians to get a lot of food besides breads, cheese, and chocolate! My granddaughter's also thinking of caves in the east so we could stay at the end in Brussels, esp if we fly out of there. A short hop to Bacharach is possible, but she's not as interested in a cruise or viewing beautiful landscapes as getting inside the people's thinking, so Ghent's Graffiti Alley seems more intriguing.
Things are becoming easier to envision and still comments are really welcome. Thanks!

This is really coming together, IMHO.

It is good to see everybody able to express their hopes wishes and desires, and to have them integrated into the plan. Yay.

I enjoyed Giethoorn. Can I advise getting there early or late, when the tour buses full of selfie stick "that is ME" shoutie groups have not arrived or have left....

This might be a little obvious but if not...Give her a copy of "The Diary of a Young Girl" by Anne Frank.

Richard, yes! For her bday in March, to get ready for our visit in June. Nigel, thanks very much, esp about the Giethoorn advice. I think it is my "must-see" part of the trip because everything is so extremely verdant (unless every picture and video online has been enhanced!) and it's best to know how to not be smothered by other tourists.